Water Wise Native Plants Scot Pipkin, Director of Education & Engagement Santa Barbara Botanic Garden WHAT’S AHEAD
• About the Garden • Garden Planning & Design • Native Plant Favorites • Q & A About the Garden
• Founded in 1926 as the Blaksley Botanic Garden; Fredric Clements served as founding Director • Among the earliest botanic gardens dedicated solely to the native plants of a region • Dedicated to advancing CA native plant conservation through horticulture, research, restoration, and education
Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: Josef Muench, George Welik What is your POLL QUESTION top garden goal currently? Your Garden Goals
Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: John Wardlaw Why Choose N A T I V E
• Sense of place • Unique beauty • Water conservation • Habitat value
Source: SBBGPhotos, Wikimedia Commons | Credit: Dieter H. Wilken, Mike’s Birds Plan Your Garden
#1) Goal Setting • What are you trying to achieve in your space? • How can you design for the future? • Does this project dovetail with others in your home/neighborhood?
#2) Site Conditions • Biotic Inventory- Plants/Animals • Abiotic Inventory- Sun patterns, soils, wind • Diagrams/sketching Design Fundamentals Elements of Design
Massing Define habitat Convey sense of Highlight Radial food/habitat layers, create movement seasonal plants edges specimens, Symmetrical Rhythmic foliage or form Beware of “one Consider changes elements Asymmetrical of everything” in plant size = wildlife Create focal design points Installation/Maintenance Plant Selection in the Nursery
• Start with plant selection, be sure the plant you are buying will fit the conditions of your garden (light, water, drainage). • Choose a plant in the nursery that has about equal mass above ground and in the soil. The roots should cover ~75% of the outside of the root ball. • Many people find success planting in fall through early spring, but planting for many species can happen year round. Installation/Maintenance Planting Technique • Dig a hole only as deep as your new root ball but about 2x as wide. • Be sure that the soil level of the plant in the pot is equal to or slightly higher than the soil level in the ground, do not plant it deeper than it was in the nursery pot. • Crumble and backfill the soil around the root ball, gently packing it in to ensure that there are not air pockets. • Soak the new planting thoroughly, soaking the planting hole and the undisturbed soil around it (2-3 ft around the planting). Soak Large Area
Base of plant at grade or slightly above
Wider hole than root ball Installation/Maintenance Planting Technique • Mulch the new plantings to keep the soil cooler and retain moisture. Mulch should be 2- 3 inches deep around the plant but should not come in contact with the stem of the plant. • Continue watering for the first year, generally every 7-10 days but maybe more or less depending on the species and soil type. • Infrequent, long slow soaks are better than short and frequent watering. • Avoid watering directly against the base of the plant but soak the area around the root zone 2-3’ around the plant. Water by soaking a large area Mulch but avoid mulch touching plant stems Installation/Maintenance Native Plant Maintenance
• Weed and mulch! Sometimes natives that self-seed may need to be thinned or weeded out to maintain design or keep other plants from being crowded out.
• Watering can be reduced depending on species. The same tips apply: • Infrequent, long slow soaks are better than short and frequent watering. This Dudleya is at risk of being • Avoid watering directly against the base of the swallowed up by seedling red buckwheat plant but soak the area around the root zone 2-3’ around the plant. What type of plants are you POLL QUESTION most interested in incorporating in your garden? Native Plant Favorites
Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: Tricia Wardlaw TREES Catalina Cherry (Prunus ilicifolia ssp. lyonii)
• Medium to large tree to 35’
• Prefers sun to part-shade
• Spring flowers attract a variety of pollinators
• Summer fruits are attractive to a variety of birds, but can be messy
Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: Robert Perry, Randy Wright Santa Cruz Island • Medium to large tree to 30’
Ironwood • Prefers sun to part-shade (Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. aspleniifolius) • Takes a hard pruning
• Can be watered occasionally in summer
• Slender growth form makes this a good tree for narrow spaces
Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: Elizabeth Collins Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis)
• Small to medium, multi- stemmed tree
• Prefers sun to part-shade
• Beautiful early spring flowers
• Can be pruned as a vase-like multi-stem, or single-trunk tree; great plant for emphasis Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: Steven H. Lewis SHRUBS Ray Hartman Ceanothus • Large shrub to 25’
(Ceanothus 'Ray Hartman') • Hybrid between C. arboreus and C. griseus
• One of the easiest Ceanothus to grow
• Due to island lineage, this plant has minimal chemical defenses against deer and other herbivores
• The entire genus Ceanothus fixes nitrogen through bacteria on their roots.
Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: Elizabeth Collins Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)
• Medium to large shrub to 20’
• Tolerates many exposures, but part-shade is probably best
• Fall/Winter fruit attracts cedar waxwings, robins, and other frugivores
• Evergreen foliage Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: Randy Wright • Medium evergreen shrub to 20’ Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia) • Takes hard pruning
• Summer fruit
• For inland residents, consider sugarbush (Rhus ovata)
Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: John Wardlaw Howard McMinn Manzanita (Arctostaphylos 'Howard McMinn’)
• Medium to large shrub (6’X7’)
• Prefers sun to light shade
• Great in a mass or as a specimen plant
• Manzanitas can develop root rot easily,
so don’t over water! Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: Elizabeth Collins, Randy Wright • Shrub to 20’ Mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus betuloides • Mostly vertical structure makes it a great var. betuloides) screening plant or part of a hedge
• Host plant for many caterpillars
• Feathery fruits add visual interest in summer
Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: Randy Wright Coffeeberry (Frangula californica)
• Small to medium shrub to 15’
• Summer/fall fruit
• Evergreen foliage
• Flowers are attractive to bees Source: Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council • Small to medium shrub Joyce Coulter Ceanothus (3’X12’) (Ceanothus 'Joyce Coulter') • Tolerates many exposures and can deal with the heat
• Takes hard pruning
• Tolerates occasional summer water
• Creeping growth form is a great fit for steep slopes, retaining walls, and massing Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: Don Matsumoto Canyon Gray Sagebrush (Artemisia 'Canyon Gray') • Shrub to 6’ high X 10’ wide
• Aromatic foliage
• Available in more upright (straight species) or creeping/mounding form (A. californica ‘Canyon Gray’)
• Drought deciduous
Source: Flickr | Credit: Pete Veilluex Pigeon Point Coyote Brush • Shrub to 15’ (Baccharis 'Pigeon Point') • Dioecious; consider whether you want to attract more insects or seed-eaters, or both
• Growth form can be rangy
• ‘Pigeon Point’ cultivar is compact
Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: Bruce Reed Catalina Currant • Shrubs to 3’X8’ (Ribes viburnifolium) • Fragrant, evergreen foliage
• Rare plant in the wild
• Berries are a preferred food for birds
• Gooseberries tend to be spiny, currants less so
Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: Randy Wright California/Flattop • Small-Medium shrub to Buckwheat 3’X5’ (Eriogonum fasciculatum) • Clusters of cream- colored flowers turn to rusty seed heads in fall
• Great for pollinators and caterpillars
• Consider leaving seed heads through winter to provide food for birds and other wildlife
Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: Bruce Reed Ashy leaf buckwheat • Small to medium shrub (3’X5’) (Eriogonum cinereum)
• Buckwheats are great plants for pollinators- both for their flowers and as larval host plants
• Relatively large, light colored foliage
• Seed heads have a nice cinnamon color
Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: Sangeet Khalsa Bee's Bliss Sage • Small shrub (2’X8’) (Salvia 'Bee's Bliss') • As the name suggests, this plant is a favorite for pollinators
• Prefers full sun or part shade
• Occasional deep watering is recommended
• Can be drought deciduous
Source: Flickr | Credit: Bennilover California Bush Sunflower • Shrub to 5’ (Encelia californica) • Flowers are great for pollinators; seeds for birds
• Summer deciduous, may look weedy if in a dry site
• Short-lived, good for filling space early in your garden’s lifetime
Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: Elizabeth Collins Yankee Point Ceanothus • Prostrate shrub to 2’X10’ (Ceanothus 'Yankee Point) • High-performance spreading shrub
• Can have lovely blue inflorescences from Feb- April
• Tolerates a wide variety of soil conditions, including salt spray at the coast
Source: Evergreen Nursery GROUND COVERS California-fuschia (Epilobium canum)
• Perennial herb to subshrub (1’X5’)
• Creeping or mounding form
• Semi-deciduous in winter
• Reliable flowers can persist through winter Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: Randy Wright Hummingbird Sage • Herb to 2’ (Salvia spathacea) • Prefers part to full shade
• Showy inflorescences; look for ‘Avis Keedy’ selection for some variety
• Spreads rhizomally
Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: Betsy Cramer • Compact perennial 2’X3’ Red-flowered Buckwheat (Eriogonum grande var. rubescens) • Long bloom season (spring-fall)
• Great as an edge/border plant
• Short-lived, but reseeds readily
• Prefers well-drained soil and tolerates some summer water
Source: Flickr | Credit: Robert Perry, John Rusk Coral Bells (Heuchera sp.) • Evergreen perennial 2’X1’
• Best used in large masses for a more dramatic visual effect. If planting singly, consider using containers.
• Prefers light watering in spring, minimal water in summer.
• Evergreen foliage
Source: Pixabay Blue Grama grass • Perennial bunchgrass (Bouteloua gracilis) • Warm season grass- grows most in summer/fall (cool season grasses grow most in spring/fall)
• Water up to twice a month to keep green
• Tolerates moderate to heavy foot traffic
• Sculptural seed heads (eyelashes) Source: SBBGPhotos | Credit: Elizabeth Collins Clustered Field Sedge • Grasslike perennial groundcover (Carex praegracilis) • Growth slows in summer
• Tolerates moderate to heavy foot traffic
• Spreads vigorously
• Requires little water, but responds well to irrigation
Source: Flickr | Credit: Matt Lavin Special Thanks
• Betsy Collins
• Stephanie Ranes
• Paige Minnie
• Joseph Rothleutner
• Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Community Questions? Type into the Q & A feature
Scot Pipkin- Director of Education and Engagement [email protected] Santa Barbara Botanic Garden | 10am – 6pm | www.sbbg.org
Resources: • Santa Barbara Botanic Garden: www.sbbg.org/learn-discover/gardening-with-natives • Check out our grounds and retail nursery. Someone is always ready to talk plants for your yard! • California Native Plant Society website: www.calscape.org • California Native Plants for the Garden by Bornstein, Fross, O’Brien • The California Native Landscape: The Homeowner’s Design Guide to Restoring its Beauty and Balance by Rubin and Warren