Nature Restoration Landscaping and Calscape

Dennis Mudd • Ex-Tech CEO / mountain biker / San Diego nature lover • Accidentally killed hundreds of over the past decade learning to garden with natives • Gradually moved to a philosophy of nature restoration landscaping • Developed Calscape with CNPS and the Jepson Herbarium at UC Berkeley to make it easier for others who want to do the same thing Selection: The Nature Restoration Landscaping Approach

• Why the nature restoration approach?

• Key principles: • Grow plants that naturally belong where you are planting them • Biomimicry irrigation • Natural weed control • Natural pest control Many native landscaping philosophies out there • Minimize water use / lowest water plants • Garden-tolerant natives / cultivars, beautiful non-endemics • Restored nature / endemic natives Choose the one that fits you best

Why I prefer the nature restoration approach

• The more natural the landscape, the more I like it

• I love the plants endemic to where live. I don’t love cultivars.

• Local endemics tend to be tougher, healthier and longer lived (as long as they are in a garden that mimics their natural environment)

• Endemic natives do a better job of attracting and supporting wildlife, especially insects and birds. Southern California’s natural habitat is US Geological Service being rapidly destroyed by development

2000 – 2100 Land Use We can mitigate this by restoring pieces Projection of nature in developed lands Plant Selection for Nature Restoration Landscaping

1. Choose plants that are endemic to your geography, that evolved to survive: • in the unique climate of the area you are planting them • With the other plant and animals endemic to your area • With the pests and pathogens endemic to your area

AND

2. Evolved to thrive in the soil type, soil moisture and sun exposure of the exact spot you are growing them in California is a very environmentally diverse state

There are over 7000 plants native to California, that evolved to grow in very different environments

On average, only 5-10% are endemic to any area in the state.

To restore nature, it’s necessary to figure out which plants belong in the spot your are restoring Annual Precipitation

Brawley: 2.7” Bakersfield: 6” San Diego, CA 10” Poway, CA: 14” Ramona, CA 16” Monterey, CA 20” Santa Barbara: 21” San Francisco: 24” Julian: 29” Yosemite: 60” Klamath Forest: 151” Average Summer Rainfall Average Winter Temperature Average Summer Temperature Average Summer Humidity (VPD)

Summer Air Dryness • Calscape plant range estimates are based on ~2 million field occurrences of native California plant species from CCH members

• We use the occurrence data to determine each plants natural range by:

• Elevation • Annual precipitation • Summer precipitation • Average winter temp • Average summer temp • Winter humidity • Summer humidity

• We use these ranges to extrapolate from the known occurrences to determine the likely overall natural range for each plant.

Showy Penstemon Penstemon spectabalis • Finding the plants likely to grow at your geography is only half the battle

• You still need to choose plants that will thrive the in the sun exposure, soil moisture and in some cases soil type of the spot you want to plant them. Local environment factors influencing soil moisture

N South facing East facing Less Dry West facing North facing

Up-slope Mid-slope Down-slope

Steeper slope Gentler slope W Least Dry E Drier Sandy soil Loamy soil Clay Soil

Farther from water source Driest Closer to water source

More plant life Less plant life S For my dry south facing slope, I used Calscape Advanced Search to find plants that: • are endemic to my geographic location • have extremely low water requirements • tolerate fast draining soil • tolerate full sun • are very easy to grow • are sold at Moosa Creek Nursery

Extremely Low Moisture Plants Plants that prefer or tolerate soils with below average moisture in their natural range (including south facing slopes, upper slopes, and fast draining soils in full sun) California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica) Bush Rue (Cneordium dumosum) Sugarbush (Rhus ovata) Lemonade Sumac (Rhus integrifolia) Laurel Sumac (Malosma laurina) Black Sage (Salvia Mellifera) White Sage (Salvia apiana) Very Low Moisture Plants Plants that prefer soils with average moisture in their natural range. (i.e. dry flats, west or east facing slopes) Cleveland Sage (Salvia clevelandii) Spiny Redberry (Rhamnus crocea) Wooly (Ceanothus tomentosus) White Coast Ceanothus (Ceanothus verrucosus) San Diego Ceanothus (Ceanothus cyaneus) Hoary Leafed Ceanothus Ceanothus crassifolius Chalk Dudleya Dudleya pulverenta

Steep slopes, rock walls Low Moisture Plants Plants that prefer locations with above average moisture in their natural range, such as slope bottoms, canyon or ravine bottoms, north facing slopes or locations connected via root grid to water sources

Most plants in San Diego require these types of locations, though most drought tolerant plants also thrive in them Bigberry Manzanita (Arctostaphylos Glauca) Scrub Oak (Quercus berberidifolia) San Diego Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus minutiflorus) Eastwood Manzanita (Arctostaphylos glandulosa) Mission Manzanita (Xyloccocus Bicolor) Toyon ( arbutifolia) Del Mar Manzanita (Arctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. crassifolia) Summer Holly (Comarostaphylis diversifolia) *part shade, fast draining soil Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) Engelmann Oak (Quercus engelmannii) Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)

Tolerate low and moderate moisture soils Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis)

Deer Grass (Muhlenbergia rigens) Blue Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum) San Diego Honeysuckle (Lonicera subspicata var. denudate) Moderate / High Moisture Plants (Riparian or semi-riparian plants, usually adjacent to or in a water source, or in seasonally moist areas like meadows)

Red Willow Western Sycamore California Cottonwood Arroyo Willow Yerba Mansa Big Leaf Maple Caring for a restored natural garden • Biomicry irrigation • Natural mulch • Natural weed control • Natural pest control My experience with Native Plant Irrigation • Watered new plants as needed during dry winters and through first summer. • After first year, I cut off all irrigation. Some mature endemics died in especially dry summers. Many seemed like a potential fire hazard. • Even 1x/month direct overhead watering in summer also sometimes killed mature endemics • Why don’t regular irrigation techniques work with CA natives? Mycorrhizae

• Think of mycorrhizae as root extensions that grow in and around plant roots • Can increase the absorptive capabilities of CA native plant root systems by up to 1000x. • Can extend up to 30 feet beyond plant roots to find water sources • Store water and make available to plants in dry periods. • Inject chemicals into the soil to control weeds and pathogens • Nearly all non-riparian CA natives need healthy mycorrhizae to survive. • Warm weather irrigation often causes bacteria blooms in your soil that kill your mycorrhizae

•CC BY 2.0, Oregon Caves from Cave Junction, USA Natural Irrigation Systems

In nature, areas that avoid dangerous levels of summer stress even in drought years, often have a water source nearby. • Riparian plants stretch their roots out to the water source, and pull it up the bank. • Semi-riparian plants pull water up from the riparian plants. • Drier soil plants pull moisture up-hill from the semi-riparian plants.

Summer verdant spots often have plants deep root plants that can pull up ground water

Mycorrhiza seem to have no problem with this kind of natural irrigation system Example Plant Root Sizes

Riparian • Willows - 100+ ft. wide • Cottonwoods - 100+ ft. wide Semi-Riparian • Coast Live Oaks – 60 feet deep, 200 ft. wide • Toyon, Mt. Mahogany - Extensive root systems Dry Soil / Deep Root • Engelmann Oak: 65 ft. deep • California Laurel: 50 ft. deep • Scrub Oaks: 30 ft. deep • Sugar Bush: 15-25 ft. deep Natural Irrigation System

Plant root systems can grow 3-5 feet per year if water stressed

Roots will grow directionally towards water - toward minutely damper soils - towards sound vibrations from nearby water sources!

Closely spaced plants will lock into a mycorrhizal grid in 1-2 years. My Biomimicry Irrigation System

Constructed rainwater Basin with rainwater. Lightly Seasonal creek at bottom of property basin in front yard. irrigated in summer

Deep root trees Irrigated riparian Bubblers and lightly irrigated and in areas semi-riparian plants near house dry soil My Experience with Non-Native Organic Mulch

• Didn’t let air into soil well (especially wood chips). Plants often suffocated during wet winters. • Needed to be continuously replenished. • Often soak up the rain and keep the soil drier as opposed to moister • Attracted Argentine ants Natural Mulching Patterns

• Surface rocks seem to help nearly all non-riparian plants get through hot summers with less stress. • Perennials and smaller shrubs usually surrounded by small amounts of light leaf litter. • Trees and large shrubs usually surrounded more leaf liter, especially oaks. Natural mulch provide shade, but easily allow water and air to pass through. • Healthiest areas more likely to have dense plant coverage. Interconnected roots shaded by foliage and leaf litter. Natural Mulch Examples Natural Mulch Examples Natural Mulching System • Add rocks (optional) • Let the plants create their own organic mulch • Plant densely enough to keep roots in shade when plants mature Natural Weed Control System

• Keep surface of the ground dry in summer except for a few designated riparian areas and seeps. No overhead irrigation after garden established. • Few weeds can survive San Diego summers without extra water. • Densely planted natives, intermeshed mycorrhizal roots finished off stressed weeds in dry soil areas. • Pull any weeds in riparian areas My Natural Pest Control System

Keeping soil dry in summer seemed to prevent almost all plant diseases in endemic natives.

Mice, wood rats, rabbits contribute nitrogen to the soil in exchange for the foliage they eat. Endemic plants tolerate, most non-endemics can’t.

Still can cause a lot of damage to plants if too numerous.

Eventually attracted enough Rodent Control Specialists predators to get the ecosystem in balance (owls, hawks, roadrunners, coyotes, snakes). More Rodent Control in my Garden Red Tailed Hawk in the house Argentine Ant Control Argentine Ants have no natural predators in California, but they need moisture.

If they find a plant in moist dirt, they’ll often kill it by tunnelling through roots and spreading aphids.

The best way to control Argentine Ants is to limit moisture. • Avoid artificial irrigation near plant bases. • Avoid thick layer of mulch around plants.

CC BY-SA 4.0 Photographer: Davefoc Created: 23 October 2015 Chaparral Yucca Red Bush Monkeyflower Spectacular Penstemon Ceanothus tomentosus Eastwood Manzanita Ceanothus tomentosus Black Sage Narrow Leaf Milkweed Cleveland Sage Spectacular Penstemon Red Bush Monkeyflower Coast Live Oak Engelmann Oak California Aster Front Yard

Black Sage Toyon Bigberry Manzanita Engelman Oak Coast Live Oak Coast Live Oak Cleveland Sage White Sage California Fuchsia San Diego Honeysuckle Coast Live Oak Coyote Brush Coast Live Oak Western Sycamore Black Sage Toyon Bigberry Manzanita Redberry White Sage Cleveland Sage Black Sage Munz’s Sage Ceanothus crassifolius Red Bush Monkeyflower Chaparral Yucca California Fuchsia Engelmann Oak Toyon Black Sage San Diego Willowy Mint San Diego Mountain Mahogany Common Rush Soft Rush Spike Rush Textile Rush Seep Monkeyflower Scarlett Monkey Flower Seep Monkey Flower California Bulrush Southern Cattail Spike Rush Horsetail Fern Marsh Pennywort Southern Maidenhair Fern Common Rush Seep Monkeyflower Mexican Rush Spike Rush Water filtered solely by pumping through plant roots Minnows, bluegill, crappie, bass survive without added food Attracts insect hatches and swarms of bird No mosquito bites since its been up and running Mudd Nature Reserve

Endemic plants attracted huge amount of animal life

- arthropods (many butterflies, native bees, key pollinators) - mammals (mice, wood rats, squirrels, rabbits, coyotes) - lizards (fence lizards, alligator lizards, whiptails, horny toads) - snakes (king, gopher, garter, red & pacific diamondbacks) - amphibians (California toads, baja tree frogs) - birds (48 species!) Birds in my garden

American Robin Lesser Goldfinch Ana's Hummingbird Mallard Allen’s Hummingbird Merlin Barn Owl Mourning Dove Barn Swallow Night Heron Bewick's Wren Northern Mockingbird Black-headed Grosbeak Nutall's Woodpecker Blue Heron Olive Sided Flycatcher California Gnatcatcher Pacific Slope Flycatcher California Quail Pygmy Nuthatch California Thrasher Red Tailed Hawk Cooper's Hawk Ruby Crowned Kinglet Crow Snowy Egret Dark-eyed Junco Song Sparrow Golden Crowned Kinglet Spotted Tohee Golden Crowned Turkey Vulture Sparrow Western Bluebird Great Horned Owl Western Kingbird Greater Roadrunner Western Scrub Jay Green Heron Western Tanager Hooded Oriole Western Wood Pewee House Finch Wilson's Warbler House Sparrow Hutton's Vireo Least Bittern Snowy Egrets California Quail Anna’s Hummingbird Anna’s Hummingbirds Anna’s Hummingbirds Allen’s Hummingbird White Crowned Sparrows Hooded Oriole Western Bluebirds Lawrence’s Golfinches Yellow Throated Warbler (near-threatened) Restore Nature One Garden at a Time