Tehachapi Native Plants
For Your WaterWise Landscape Native plant gardens are wild. We’re trying to help you understand their natural needs, and make them as fun for you as they have been for us. Taming is not the operative word. Rather, living with, experiencing, and enjoying the vitality of a native garden instead. Quote from Las Pilitas Nursery web page.
Photo credit: Sue Langley, SierraFllothillGarden.com
This book is for you if you…..
Are tired of the high cost of lawn living.
Want to reduce your outdoor water use (and your water bill!)
And by the way, want to reduce or eliminate your use of fertilizer, pesticides, air polluting lawn equipment, green waste sent to the landfill, etc.
Want to support the three B’s—birds, bees, and butterflies.
Want to grow plants that belong here.
Want to have a more sustainable lifestyle.
What we’re promoting is a different way of gardening and landscaping . It is a kinder and more generous way that has a focus on sharing your land with your non-human neighbors instead of excluding them. It is certainly a less resource intensive way, but don’t let anyone tell you it is low maintenance. You trade one type of maintenance for another. Sell the lawn mower on Craigslist, but be prepared to put on your gardening gloves and pull weeds. Or fire the lawn guy and hire a gardener. Landscaping with native plants is different. This is not a landscape where you can set the irrigation timer and forget about it. Whether you planted that manzanita last year or the year before matters because established manzanitas should not be watered. Putting a new plant that needs lots of water next to the established manzanita is not going to work for the manzanita. One aspect of native plant landscape maintenance is paying attention! Must be present to win. What do you win? The butterflies will be in your yard instead of your neighbor’s! The many health benefits of gardening are well documented (but see http://learn.eartheasy.com/2014/09/6-unexpected-health -benefits-of-gardening/). We hope you will come to an awareness and connection to your plot of land in a way that is deep and profound—priceless! So go get your hands in the dirt.
THE SECRET TO SUCCESSFUL LANDSCAPING IN CALIFORNIA!
We’re special! But then you knew that already. California (except for its deserts) is one of a handful of areas in the world with a Mediterranean climate. Our climate is characterized by moderate wet winters and hot dry summers. In some ways, it is backwards from the rest of the US. The California native plants come to life with the winter rains, and many grow like crazy and bloom in early to mid spring, while plants in the rest of the country are just starting to come out of winter dormancy. As summer gets hotter and dryer, many of the California native plants go into a resting phase, or go into summer dormancy, while plants in the rest of the country are growing like crazy and blooming in response to summer rainfall. California native plants know how to grow in a Mediterranean climate. Once established, they don’t need much water in summer. California native plants know how to grow in our low nutrient soils. They don’t need fertilizer, and it can even be bad for them. California native plants in their native range live within a web of life— with their pollinators, their seed dispersers, and their symbiotic soil organisms like mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria. This web supports us all! California buckeye, Aesculus californica The buckeye is a wonderful example of a plant adapted to a Mediterranean climate. A shrubby tree to 15 feet in the landscape, it’s growth cycle starts with the mid-winter rains. The buckeye is the first tree of the season to leaf out, with leaf buds bursting open in that marvelous spring green color. Flowering follows in mid-spring, and by July the tree starts to go dormant. Not to worry, the silver gray of the leafless plant has it’s own special beauty, with the large fuzzy seed pods suspended from the tips of the branches. During the hot dry season, the plant is putting all its energy into growing its large seeds instead of leaves and flowers. All parts are toxic to humans, livestock, and the non-native honeybees, but the flowers swarm with native pollinators, and squirrels nibble on the nuts. A true California native.
Photo credit: Nativeson.com
Photo courtesy of RangerX
THE SECRET TO SUCCESSFUL LANDSCAPING IN TEHACHAPI VALLEY! Not only are we special being in a Mediterranean climate, but we’re special being at a higher elevation. California gardening books, even native plant books, often focus on where all the people are, coastal areas, foothills, and inland low elevation regions. Plants in these books may not get through our winters. That is why I’ve put a lot of effort into researching native plants that do, in fact, grow here. if you like selecting plants by zones, here they are. If you live in the valley floor, you’re in USDA hardiness zone 8a, heat zone 5, and Sunset zone 7. Foothill and mountain areas are USDA hardiness zone 8b, heat zone 6, and I couldn’t figure out the Sunset zone. This information came from www.plantmaps.com.
THE PLANTS IN THIS BOOK: Grow naturally in the Tehachapi Mountains. Grow naturally at Tehachapi Valley elevations. Are almost all perennials. Are low water use plants unless noted otherwise. Mostly need no irrigation once established. Attract pollinators and feed wildlife. Can be used for lawn removal rebate programs
THE PLANTS IN THIS BOOK ARE NOT: Readily available in big box stores.
THE NATIVE PLANT COMMANDMENTS 1.
Do not amend the soil. Research and find plant species that grow in your soil type (clay, decomposed granite, etc.). Native plants grow fine in plain ol’ dirt.
2.
Do not fertilize. Native plants are used to California’s low nutrient soils.
3.
Do not water during summer. Once your plants are established (1-2 years), stop watering in summer. Native plants are used to dry soil in summer. What they can’t handle is warm moist soil and the bacteria that flourish and cause root rot and other diseases.
4.
Do not use drip irrigation. Micro-irrigation is great, but deliver the water with micro– sprayers instead of drippers. The more the irrigation resembles rainfall, the happier your native plants will be.
It is going to take some effort on your part to get them. The plants included here are available in quite a few native plant nurseries, none of which are in Tehachapi or even close by. You can: Order them through our local plant nursery. Order them on-line and have them shipped Take some day trips to native plant nurseries or stop by when you’re in the area for some other reason. See http://www.cnps.org/cnps/ grownative/where_to_buy.php
NO!
PLANTING AND WATERING A CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT
IS DIFFERENT It’s time to set aside everything you thought you knew about plants and gardening, and read with an open mind.
The best time to put in new plants in our California mediterranean climate is Fall. They get winter rains and snow. Their roots continue to grow through the winter even when the shoots are dormant.
Dig a hole the size of the root ball. Not twice as wide. No need to pre-soak the planting hole.
Disturb the root ball as little as possible, but do scrape a finger down the edge of the root ball to disrupt circling roots.
Place the plant in the hole so that the surface of the root ball is at the surface of the surrounding soil, no more, no less. Backfill with site dirt (No amendments. No fertilizer).
Gophers are a fact of life. Consider a wire basket around the root ball. If other plant eaters are a problem, consider a cage around the whole plant for a year or so. Native plants have ways to protect themselves from plant eaters, otherwise they wouldn't be alive today. Overwatering and producing lush new growth is a sure way to attract the plant eaters.
For the FIRST watering, water lavishly, like 30 gallons. Water out beyond the root ball about a foot. Water until the soil is moist 18 inches down. You are thoroughly soaking the whole volume of soil surrounding the root ball. It is important to gauge how much water wets your soil down 18+ inches, so you might want to experiment before you plant. Pick a spot and water for a set amount of time, then slice into the soil with a shovel to see how far down the water went. You may be surprised. Repeat until you have a feel for the time/amount of water it takes to soak your soil deeply. Be aware that you might have more than one soil type in your yard, and they may soak at very different rates. You can also test soil moisture depth with a probe. Of course there are any number of high tech ways to do this, or a thin metal rod will work. Moist soil is easy to penetrate but the rod will be stopped by dry soil. You can buy a soil probe for about $25 or make one yourself.
After the first watering, let the first inch or two of surface soil dry out. This may take a week or more. Then water to soak the whole volume of soil around the plant again (one foot beyond the edge of the root ball and about 18 inches deep). Repeat for the first year (some plants described here need even less water).
Mulch in a wide circle around the new plant but not up against its trunk. The best mulch is produced right there in your own yard, oak leaves or pine needles (only if you don’t have to worry about fire clearance). Otherwise, native plants do best with shredded redwood or cedar bark. Some plants, particularly desert species, prefer rock mulch.
For a little extra protection, place a rock on the south or west side of the plant.
Water consciously! Native plants are much more likely to be damaged by too much water than too little. Remember, after the first year, no water in summer (unless it’s a really dry year, then water occasionally, like once a month, in summer).
Among our showiest perennial wildflowers, penstemons like hot and dry in summer, and will not do well in an irrigated garden or landscape. Water them abundantly a few times and then no more water. And no fertilizer! There is a long list of penstemons. These are the ones that are native to the Tehachapi Valley and surroundings.
PENSTEMONS Scarlet bugler, Penstemon centranthifolius The scarlet bugler doesn’t need our “care”. It prefers bare rocky soil with low fertility and rapid drainage, although the plant can survive in clay if it has low organic matter. It will grow 1-2 feet tall and wide with flower stalks up to 4 feet high, blooming from April to July and beyond. It will attract hummingbirds, and is recognized by pollination ecologists as being particularly attractive to native bees. It has been found locally in Oak Creek Canyon.
Gary A. Moore 2010
Jean Pawek 2011 Grinnell’s penstemon, Penstemon grinnellii You can tell from the photo why it’s other name is beardtongue! Its large open mouth and roomy interior is made for those black carpenter bees. It is a clumpy plant to 2 feet with spikes of flowers blooming MayJuly. Prefers a good watering once or twice in July. Found fairly regularly in our area and grows abundantly on the Brite Lake dam.
Jean Pawek, 2011
Bridge’s penstemon Penstemon rostriflorus Prefers rocky areas at higher elevations and is found here at Mountain Park. Likes cool summers with some water midway through the summer. With it’s downward turned flowers it is specifically wanting hummingbird pollinators, in fact, the lower petals are rolled back to make sure no bees can land and crawl into the flower tube. Long-lived, it can form sizeable clumps with a woody base and up to 3 feet. It blooms throughout late summer, filling a gap of time in your pollinator garden when few other plants are blooming.
Steven Thorsted 2011
Vernon Smith 2008
Showy penstemon Penstemon speciosus Flowers range from sky blue to purple or lavendar and seem almost iridescent in their vividness. One of the smaller penstemons, it even grows prostrate at high elevations. In one study, the non-native honeybees bypassed these flowers, but the flowers attracted native bumblebees and ground nesting bees from the surrounding rangeland. Appreciates well drained soil but is flexible. Do not water after the first summer. Use rocky mulch around this one. Found in this area on Piute Mountain and at Mountain Park.
Vernon Smith 2008
BUCKWHEATS The Eriogonums are one of the largest plant groups in California, and there is a buckwheat for every garden. Plant buckwheats in fall or spring, and after they’re established, give them a deep watering once a month during summer to keep them looking their best—or no water works too. California Buckwheat, Eriogonum fasciculatum Evergreen, flowering from April to October, attracting bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, and producing abundant seeds for the birds—every southern California garden should have at least one. It does well in problem soils and eroded slopes. The plant grows into a large 3-4 foot mound enveloped with white to cream flower clusters. Flowers age to a rich chocolate brown. California buckwheat roots form a symbiotic partnership with fungi called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi which is one reason why it can live in very difficult conditions. This plant grows everywhere in Tehachapi Valley! California Buckwheat is a host plant for the caterpillars of four species of the little blue and hairstreak butterflies.
Sulphur-flowered buckwheat, Eriogonum umbellatum When I first saw this plant in the Colorado mountains, the intensity of its yellowness took my breath away! This is a mountain species and requires full sun and well drained soil to the point of living in gravel. Less than a foot tall, and 1-3 feet wide, it makes an excellent groundcover in difficult places. It blooms in late summer and fall, and flowers fade to oranges and reds. This plant has a long taproot and not amenable to transplanting. Best started from seed, but guidelines for planting container plants can be found at http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_erum.pdf. Sulphur-flowered buckwheat is a host plant for caterpillars of the lupine blue butterfly (Plebejus lupine).
Photo credit: Las Pilitas Nursery David Graber, 2014 Naked buckwheat, Eriogonum nudum A photo just does not do this plant credit, so much of its beauty is in its movement when its cottonball flower clusters sway in the breeze at the end of long leafless stems. It starts from a little cluster of leaves close to the ground and grows 3 foot long stems with flower clusters on top. Stems are sometimes enlarged. Prefers well drained soil and full sun, although it grows abundantly along Water Canyon Road in part shade. In fall, flowers fade to a golden brown. Too much water will cause the stalks to fall over, or worse. Try to refrain from buying the yellow variety as it is native to northern California. Naked buckwheat is a pollinator magnet and deer resistant. It is host to the Metalmark butterfly caterpillars.
Longstem buckwheat Eriogonum elongatum I couldn’t resist putting this one in, it is just so cute! I see it growing along roadsides throughout the valley. Longstem buckwheat would be tough to find in a nursery, but all buckwheats grow readily from seeds.
Pete Veilleaux
MILKWEEDS Milkweeds can be bad for monarchs! Most of our native milkweeds are perennial, and die back during winter. The tropical milkweed, Asclepias curvassica, is an annual in North America, and in mild winters, can persist well into the winter months. The local monarchs get confused and lay eggs when they should be migrating, creating small populations of non-migratory monarchs. These groups are much more prone to parasites than the migrants, or could easily get killed off by a cold snap. Plant milkweeds native to our area!
Kotolo milkweed, Asclepias eriocarpa
California milkweed, Asclepias californica This plant is a bit of a sprawler and it’s flowers hang downward, but the monarchs think it’s beautiful! The wine colored flowers bloom April through July, and it grows in a wide variety of soil types. Full sun is a must. Plant and water the same as for Kotolo milkweed. Plants have been documented around Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road and at Tomo Kahni park. Every part of this plant is fuzzy except the flower parts. I’m trying to imagine what it must be like for a caterpillar to chomp on it, maybe like bland tasting cotton candy.
The intricacies of milkweed flowers are mind boggling! This milkweed is 3-4 feet tall with one to several main stems and large clusters of flowers in mid to late summer. It has large fuzzy leaves and large gourd-shaped pods about 4 inches long which split open to release the seeds on their fluffy parachutes. Plant, mulch well, and water for a month and then leave it alone. The plant will go dormant in winter, but leave the stalks standing because orioles will use the stem fibers in their nests next spring. These grow in scattered locations throughout Tehachapi Valley.
Narrow-leaf milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis This is a weedy milkweed seen throughout the Tehachapi Valley along roadsides and in vacant lots. But weedy means easy to grow and well adapted to our area in my book of botanical definitions. You could even gather seeds, they’re common enough to gather without environmental concern. Plant them directly in the ground in fall, the seedlings don’t do well in pots and often fail when transplanted, or don’t return after winter dormancy. No special treatment of the seeds is needed. The plants will re-seed naturally, and the number of stems in a clump will continue to increase. The white flowers bloom June to September and often have a delicate tinge of pink or purple. A clump of narrow-leaf milkweed has a light airy look with its slender stalks and leaves and pastel flowers. Your milkweeds WILL get aphids. These little orange buggers are oleander aphids, another non-native species that came along for the ride when we brought oleanders from North Africa. Don’t panic! You can wash them off with a spray of water or leave them for the ladybug larvae to feed on. Yum! Barry Breckling, 2015
Fuchsia California Fuchsia, Epilobium (Zauschneria) canum Your garden’s best kept secret, a low unassuming plant with gray-green leaves, easily overlooked until it bursts into bloom August-October when nothing else is blooming. Then watch out for incoming hummingbirds!
James Gonsman, 2014
A plant with an identity crisis, you will also see it called Zauschneria, and there is a big list of varieties and colors. Try to find one with a mountain origin (may have “latifolium” in its name). Does well with no water once established, but water monthly in summer to keep it looking great. Cut it to the ground in late fall or winter.
Jean Pawek, 2013
There has been a wholesale change in the millions of acres of grassland in California. The native bunchgrasses have almost entirely been replaced with annual non-native grasses that live fast, die young, and fuel conflagrations of wildfires.
THE GRASSES
The native bunchgrasses can be used in the landscape as a backdrop or center stage. They add a different texture to your garden, and serene movement as the seed heads sway in the wind. Seeds are eaten by a host of creatures, and the blades feed caterpillars of the skipper butterflies. Hopefully the bunchgrasses in your garden can act as a seed source to reintroduce native grasses to the surrounding areas. Deer grass, Muhlenbergia rigens Surely the queen of bunchgrasses, deer grass is readily available in the nursery trade. It’s a big one! Up to 3 feet in diameter with the seed stalks swaying to 5 feet tall. In nature, bunchgrasses grow separated from each other by a few feet with wildflowers growing in between. Give your deer grass plenty of room, it will reach mature size within one to two seasons. Comb out the dead leaves with a rake or your fingers once a year in spring, but leave those seed stalks to provide food for songbirds and quail. It can tolerate some shade but will not tolerate poorly drained soils. Deer may nibble a bit on deer grass, but it is mainly important during the fawning season where stands provide cover for the does and their newborn fawns. Ladybugs overwinter in the clumps. The seed stalks have been used time out of mind for basket weaving.
Fountain grass Pennisetum setaceum
Pampas grass Cortaderia selloana
Jubata grass Cortaderia jubata
Jean Pawek, 2013 Indian ricegrass, Stipa hymenoides A smaller native bunchgrass up to 1 1/2 feet tall and 1 foot wide. It’s seed stalks produce a light delicate airy effect. Full sun and well drained soil. It has been found locally in Oak Creek canyon.
Gary Monroe, 2012
Pine bluegrass, Poa secunda or Poa scabrella Pine bluegrass is a strong competitor with the nonnative annual grasses. It greens up in early spring and is dormant through the hot summer. Seed in under pines.
Nodding needlegrass, Stipa cernua California melic, Melica californica Just 6 inches tall and wide, it does best in part shade. Seed in under oaks to fill in between dry shade shrubs and wildflowers. Goes dormant in summer.
Nodding needlegrass was one of the most common bunchgrasses in California. The seedheads of this grass glisten as they sway with the breeze. Plant about 3 feet apart with wildflowers in between and keep the annual grasses weeded out.
THE LUPINES Lupines resent root disturbance, so handle them gently.
Brousseau Collection, St Mary’s College 1995
Jean Pawek, 2011
Grape soda lupine, Lupinus excubitus Guess what these flowers smell like? A compact lupine that needs excellent drainage, low fertility soil, and no summer water. It’s silvery leaves are attractive on their own, then it bursts into flower April-June and you’re in love again! Plant carefully as their long taproot is sensitive to disturbance. I’ve found them growing in the nastiest conditions on steep roadcuts in soil that is mostly rock, so don’t baby them.
Silver bush lupine, Lupinus albifrons After several years, this plant will discard its ground hugging ways and become a large 5 foot shrub. Flowers are stunning, almost luminescent with spikes to 1 foot long in AprilJuly. Prefers full sun but will tolerate some dappled shade for part of the day, and needs well drained low nutrient soil.
Photo credit: Annie’s Annuals
MONKEYFLOWERS
There are 150 species of monkeyflowers in the world, and about half of them live in California! Not only do they hybridize in nature, plant breeders have gone wild creating varieties in colors ranging from brick red to the palest yellow. Many species grow in wet or foggy coastal areas. Your challenge is to find the ones that like dry conditions and originate in the Sierra Mountains Sticky monkeyflower, Diplacus (Mimulus) aurantiacus
The sticky monkeyflower grows everywhere in California. The wild type has a gentle pastel gold or melon color that is unusual among garden flowers. It blooms from spring to fall, so is an important staple for hummingbirds. Mr. Sticky does well in full sun, part shade, and even full shade, and becomes scraggly or dormant in hot summer months, so give it a good soak once a month in summer. A subshrub, it grows about 1 foot tall and wide from a woody base. The stickiness is from resinous hairs on the leaves with which the monkeyflower attempts to slow down the caterpillars of the checkerspot butterfly
Brousseau Collection, Saint Mary’s College
Steven Thorsted, 2007 Scarlet monkeyflower, Mimulus cardinalis This one needs a wet spot as it naturally grows by creeks and seeps, so plant it under the birdbath or around the rain barrel. A hummingbird magnet, it grows 1-2 feet and flowers throughout the summer. It readily self-seeds in moist areas. Trim back as needed so it doesn’t become leggy in late summer. The monkeyflower is a plant that moves fast enough for us to see. It’s pistil (female part of the flower) has a tip that looks like a pair of fat lips. Touched gently, the lips will close, hoping to trap a grain of pollen Kier Morse, 2009
HONEYSUCKLES
A well-behaved vine might sound like an oxymoron, but the native honeysuckles won’t take over your whole yard.
Chaparral honeysuckle, Lonicera interrupta The Chaparral honeysuckle likes to sprawl over other shrubs or rocks, but with no tendrils, you would have to weave the stems into a trellis. It likes full sun and is not picky about soils, growing even in clay. It’s flowers have that rich honeysuckle smell and bloom from spring to fall, making it a hummingbird staple. Berries mature to a vivid, almost translucent red-orange and are eaten by birds. Leaves are lost in winter and grow fresh in spring.
Southern honeysuckle, Lonicera subspicata Another plant that can’t decide if it is a shrub or a vine, grows up to 8 feet. The delicate cream colored flowers are surrounded by glossy deep green evergreen leaves on attractive arching stems. Can tolerate clay soils, and enjoys sun to part shade, a good plant for under oak trees. Berries may be yellow, orange, or red and are relished by fruit eating birds.
Br. Alfred Brusseau, St Mary’s College
FLOWERS TO GROW FROM SEED Sacred Datura, Datura wrightii After a four year drought, they’re still growing and blooming like crazy. Green when everything else is brown, the datura has huge fabulous purple tinged white fragrant flowers blooming February to October. The datura flowers open in late afternoon and release their fragrance at night to attract the hawkmoth. The moth is a very effective pollinator but may lay eggs that hatch into big green hungry caterpillars who defoliate the plant their mother pollinated. Sacred datura is easily grown from seed that you can collect from the plant in the vacant lot next door. The sacred datura is highly toxic and hallucinogenic (hence it’s name), enjoy it in your garden but don’t eat it! Western blue flax, Linum lewisii A short-lived perennial that can readily self seed, it has a truly sky blue flower that cameras can never quite catch. Leaf stalks grow to about 18 inches, and leaves stay green throughout the summer. Blue flax flowers through mid summer then dies back in winter. The seeds in little round capsules are a favorite of birds. They are easy to grow from seeds if you can keep the birds from eating all the seeds.
Jean Pawek, 2013
Barry Breckling, 2015
Golden Star, Bloomeria crocea
SOME BULBS
This delicate spring bloomer will pop up from a bulb and flower from April to June and then disappear for the summer. It’s spray of star flowers sit on top of a 1-2 foot bare stem. Tuck them among other plants for a spring surprise. Does well in full sun to part shade and tolerates heavy soils. Holds its own among annual grasses. No water in summer after it has gone dormant.
Steven Thorsted, 2001
Soaproot, Chlorogalum pomeridiianum Another bulb, this plant’s life cycle starts in fall when long straplike leaves with wavy edges emerge from the bulb in response to rainfall. In mid-spring, it sends up long leafless stems (up to five feet) that expand into a flowering stalk of delicate lily flowers that open in the afternoon, shine through the night and wither the next morning. Although this pattern suggests it would be pollinated by moths, it is the large black carpenter bumblebees that carry the pollen between plants. An excellent plant for your moon garden! Leaves die back during the heat of summer.
Barry Breckling, 2010
THE OAKS
Gary A Monroe, 2005 Valley oak, Quercus lobata This magnificent statuesque oak has been largely removed from our Valley. Everyone who lives on the valley floor and has room should be required to plant a new one! In nature, a sapling needs a high water table for 5-7 years to get established and have the resources to grow its long tap root, so give your young plant a good soak about once a month. A mature valley oak has a huge root system with taproots that can go down 80 feet and feeder roots that can extend twice as far as the drip line. It prefers deep bottomland soil or a riparian area. Oaks are critical to support a large number of creatures.
OAK CARE
Jean Pawek, 2011 Blue oak, Quercus douglasii In Tehachapi Valley, the blue oaks tend to grow on the mountain slopes in rocky soils. They are slow growing and smaller than valley oaks, but just as important to wildlife.
These icons of California have some simple needs to keep them healthy. Remove weeds from under newly planted oaks for several years. Let the oak leaf litter accumulate under the trees, and add more dead oak leaves from nearby if you can. Plant native shrubs, grasses and flowering perennials under the tree (limit disturbance to oak roots as much as possible). Don’t water mature trees and don’t combine them with plants that need irrigation (like lawn). For a free publication on oak care, go to: http://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/ Details.aspx?itemNo=21538
PINES AND OTHER CONIFERS Ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa) and Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) in our area have been under attack by pine bark beetles. Until the epidemic passes, consider some of our other local conifers. White fir, Abies concolor Silvery-blue needles, light gray bark, and upright cones that range through light green, purple, then brown, and conical shape make for a striking tree. It is sensitive to being transplanted in fall, and would prefer to be planted at the canopy edge of another tree. Grows slowly to 40 feet in the landscape. Saplings may be browsed by deer, winged seeds feed birds and small mammals. In years with little or no winter rain and snow, give it a good soak in spring.
Pinyon Pine, Pinus monophylla A really slow grower and won’t produce cones for 20 years. Its best use in the landscape may be as a bonsai, it is good for small yards and for under utility lines. Cone shaped and very symmetrical, get one for a Christmas tree and then plant it outside! Needles on the ground have a chemical that prevents other plants from growing under the tree..
Incense cedar, Calocedrus decurrens Remember the smell of pencils? This tree has a delightfully fresh woodsy smell. It’s a slow grower, but it will be huge in 1000 years! Its conical shape makes for a good screen or wind break. Grows in all kinds of soils and prefers some moisture although it is drought tolerant. Use this instead of arborvitae.
Daniel Passarini, 2012
Most spruces and firs grow naturally at higher elevations than Tehachapi Valley, so are not included here. Redwoods and sequoias both need 100 or more inches of water per year. They’re not a low water use plant in our climate.
Gray pine, Pinus sabiniana This is the most common pine in our area. A tree with character, it is rarely straight and often branches into multiple crown shoots. The gray green foliage has a light airy sense about it, and indeed, it is sometimes called ghost pine or see-through pine. It grows relatively quickly, to 45 feet in 15 years. Pine nuts are edible and tasty if you’re willing to do the work to get them.
Jean Pawek, 2011
California juniper, Juniperus californica The main reason to plant a juniper is for the birds. They feast on the berries and find cover in the dense foliage. A slow grower that tends to stay shrubby, it can work in smaller yards and under utility lines. Prefers full sun and well drained rocky soil.
LARGER DECIDUOUS TREES THAT ARE DROUGHT TOLERANT WHEN THEY ARE MATURE Boxelder, Acer negundo A cousin to the maples, boxelder needs some extra water for the first several years and then is very drought tolerant. Female plants grow delicate pink-green flowers in early spring that mature into clumps of rustling seedheads until they twirl away on the wind in fall. It is fast growing to 3050 feet so is a good shade or wind break tree. Branches become brittle with age (50+ years) so don’t plant it right next to the house. Grows in just about any soil, climate, or elevation. It has received a bad rap as a trash tree, but it is included here because of its desirable qualities—will grow anywhere, needs extra water only during drought, and the birds and small mammals love the seeds. Don’t get the variegated varieties because the leaves tend to burn in hot weather.
John J Kehoe, 2010
Jean Pawek, 2013
Netleaf hackberry, Celtis reticulata A shade tree to 30 feet, good for smaller landscapes. It is often twisted and contorted and the bark is warty looking—a tree with character! Likes to be planted next to boulders. Its best feature are the berries which are relished by birds and other wildlife.
California Lilacs
Ceanothus
These large evergreen shrubs can turn a mountainside blue or white in spring. The blooms and fragrance delights the senses (and the bees). They are a bit of a challenge to get started, but if a plant makes it past 2 years, it will go on for another 20-50 years. Nobody knows why they are so sensitive when newly planted, but more water is not the answer! They make a great screen and the widespread roots are good for slope stabilization.
Chaparral whitethorn, Ceanothus leucodermis Flowers range from white to china blue, and the bark is a greenish or grayish white. It will grow to 8 feet tall and wide. Surround it with pine needles or oak leaf mulch and water abundantly the first time, then just 3-5 more times, and stop. Either it likes where it was planted and will take off, or it will decline and die. Deer don’t mind nibbling on ceanothus, so put a chicken wire fence around it until it gets going. Young plants can be sensitive to frost. Photo credit: lostinthelandscape.com
Buckbrush, Ceanothus cuneatus In spite of its name, buckbrush is deer resistant, but they like to sleep under it! While blooming, it has a strong fragrance and is loved by the three B’s (birds, bees, and butterflies). If you find big fat caterpillars on your ceanothus, they may be the ceanothus silk moth, Hyalophora euryalus.
© 1995 Saint Mary’s College of
THE MANZANITAS
Gary A Monroe, 2008 Big berry manzanita, Arctostaphylos glauca © 1995 Saint Marys College of California
Leave lots of room for this one! It grows to 7-10 feet wide and tall. It blooms very early in spring (Jan-Feb) so can help support pollinators during a time when little else is blooming. Hummingbirds will sip from the white flowers. The fruits in fall are eaten by a wide variety of creatures. Big berry manzanita likes to live among boulders. Shallow wide roots make it a good soil stabilizer.
Like the oaks, manzanitas are another iconic California plant. Their beautiful red-brown bark highlights twisted and contorted branches. They are evergreen, and provide a refreshing green in the landscape in even very hot dry conditions. All sorts of creatures eat the berries, including its namesake (Arcto = bear, staphylos = grapes). There are many species of manzanita, not to mention the hybrids, cultivars, and varieties. Many are coastal, so make sure you get mountain forms. After a year of watering to get them established, they should never be watered again (or fertilized). Overwatering will cause root rot and possibly death. A manzanita can grow to become a fabulous focal point for the landscape, but don’t surround it with plants that need regular irrigation. Prune manzanitas in summer.
Parry’s manzanita, Arctostaphylos parryana Very similar to big berry manzanita except that it’s mature size is smaller (up to 3 feet tall and 6 feet across) and more mounding. It may be difficult to find, but is included here because it thrives at higher elevations and very cold winters. This would be a better choice for anyone living higher in the mountains. It flowers in early spring.
David Graver, 1992
Greenleaf manzanita, Arctostaphylos patula Another high elevation species, this one is more colorful, with bright green leaves, bright cherry red fruits and pinkish flowers. Flowers are not produced until the plant is several years old, but then bloom in January and February, helping the pollinators get through the winter. Stems may root where they touch the ground. Greenleaf manzanita prefers full sun and well drained soils.
Barry Breckling, 2010
Kier Morse, 2009
FEED THE BIRDS! Coffeeberry, Frangula (Rhamnus) californica Do you need a plain ol’ shrub in your landscape? Coffeeberry will serve that purpose until it lights up in fall with berries that range from green through yellow, orange, red to a deep purple or black ripe color, all on the bush at the same time. It’s flowers are not showy, but they are surrounded by a constant buzz of pollinators. Grows fast to 8 feet, so it is useful as a screen, and also tolerates some shade. Good for under oaks. A whole list of birds will eat the berries. The berries can stain concrete and other hardscape.
Jean Pawek, 2013
Western chokecherry, Prunus virginiana demissa Since chokecherries grow across the country, be sure to get the California subspecies demissa which is adapted to our climate. Chokecherry will spread by rhizomes and form thickets, which is great for bank stabilization, but may not work in a formal garden. In the wild, it grows near seeps and springs, so will work in an irrigated garden. Or give it some extra water about once a month in summer. The berries are tasty, but good luck getting any ripe fruit before the birds get it! The California hairstreak butterfly caterpillars feed on chokecherry, and the flowers are considered an important nectar source for native bees.
Saint Marys College, CA 1995
Steve Thorsted, 2012
Elderberry, Sambucus mexicana Full sun and well drained soil is preferable, although it tolerates clay. Individual flowers are tiny, but the off white to light yellow flower clusters are attractive, and cover the plant in spring. The show really gets started when the berries ripen in fall. One author listed 27 birds that eat the berries without half trying, not to mention other small and large critters. Prefers regular moisture and will do ok in an irrigated area, or water thoroughly a couple of times a month. After about two years to establish, elderberries are very drought tolerant. They are fast growing and prone to forming thickets and suckering, which is great for wildlife shelter. If you want a tree shape, prune in winter when the plant is dormant. Oregon grape, Berberis (Mahonia) aquifolium An evergreen shrub to 6 feet tall with glossy dark green leaves armed with spiny teeth. The dark leaves make a great background for the vivid yellow flower clusters in early spring (helping pollinators through the winter). If you plant it, you will have bluebirds, they relish the berries along with other berry eating birds. Leaves turn bronze for the winter. Ok in shade and good under oaks.
Vernon Smith.
Barry Breckling, 2012
Jean Pawek, 2013
Flannelbush, Fremontodendron californicum This native of chaparral has a rangy unkempt appearance best kept in the background until it bursts into a golden fount of flowers in spring. Shallow roots make it a good bank stabilizer but stake it up for the first year. It is a fast grower that requires well drained soil. The whole plant is covered with minute hairs that can be irritating. The large dark seeds that fall from the fuzzy pods are snatched up by quail and other ground nesting birds. Water thoroughly when the top few inches of soil are dry for up to a year after planting— and then never again.
Green ephedra, Ephedra viridis An evergreen shrub to 4 feet tall and wide, it looks like a bunch of leafless green sticks—because that’s what it is! The leaves have evolved into small scales. Ephedra is highly drought tolerant, another plant that, once established, needs no extra water. Its bright green color (not shown so well in this photo) is a welcome change of pace from the sage green and gray of most low water use plants, and it adds a different texture to your landscape. The plant is good for slope stabilization. This ephedra species is a relative of the plant that was used in weight loss supplements that were subsequently banned by FDA. Green ephedra does not contain the chemical of concern (ephedrine), but still makes a tasty tea.
LOW GROUNDCOVER PLANTS Creeping snowberry, Symphoricarpos mollis Creeping snowberry is a delicate little plant that grows to about a foot tall and can expand to several feet wide. It’s flowers are small and pink, easily overlooked. The real show starts in fall when the snowberry loses its leaves and becomes a mass of twigs covered with the stark white berries. The berries are more of an emergency end-of-winter food for birds. They taste like Ivory soap! Snowberry will weather our hot summers better if planted in part shade or shade. They do well under oaks, and will keep the oak leaf mulch under the tree during windy weather.
California evening primrose, Oenothera californica Plant this one in full sun in sandy or rocky soils, and keep the weeds from encroaching into its space. California evening primrose grows about one foot high and can get quite a bit wider. The flowers bloom through spring and have a nice fragrance. Like many other evening primroses, its flowers open in late afternoon, and wait for hawkmoths to pollinate them and maybe lay eggs for the caterpillars to eat them. Otherwise they are not typically bothered by other plant eaters. The plants may go dormant in late summer and seem to disappear, only to re-emerge with winter rains.
J G Riand, 2006
Jean Pawek, 2011
SOME SUCCULENTS Growing out of cracks in sheer granite cliff faces, the liveforevers not only survive, but put on brilliant flower displays in spring, shrivel up into almost nothing in summer heat, and plump up their thick leaves again with fall rains. They need rocks. Put them in your rock garden or mulch them with a pile of pebbles. They do well in pots if you let the well drained soil dry out completely between watering. Don’t water at all in summer, their dormant cycle is normal. And don’t throw them out thinking they’re dead! They grow pups that can be separated, but let the broken part callous over before planting. Plant them at an angle so water will drain out of the rosette of leaves.
Canyon liveforever, Dudleya cymosa Just a couple of inches high and wide, the canyon liveforever makes up for its size with a fireworks display of flowers ranging from pale yellow, gold, orange, and red. Prefers well drained soil but will tolerate clay. They also prefer afternoon shade. Liveforever is a host for the Sonoran blue butterfly, Phylotes sonorensis. Lanceleaf liveforever, Dudleya lanceolate
Barry Breckling, 2009
About one foot tall and wide, its range is both coastal and in the mountains. Try to find one that originated from an interior location. Plant in filtered light. May need protection from freezing weather.
You don’t have to have cactus in a waterwise landscape….but you can!
Beavertail pricklypear, Opuntia basilaris Susan Prince,
Silver cholla, Cylindropuntia echinocarpa Some varieties of this cactus have golden spines, and you can guess their common name! Plant in full sun in an area of excellent drainage, mulch with rock or pebbles, water it in for a couple of months and that’s all there is to it. If you’re really lucky, a cactus wren might build a nest in it.
For a couple of weeks in spring, this cactus puts on an awesome hot pink flower show—then its over until next year. It may look spineless, but each dot on the enlarged stems contains a clump of tiny spines, or glochids. Needs really well drained soil. Water a couple of times in spring, or not. No water in fall and it will handle a cold winter better than if it was plump and juicy. Fruits and pads are edible if you learn how to prepare them right.
Barry Rice, 2013
Chaparral yucca, Hesperoyucca whipplei Here’s a great plant for under your windows to deter burglars! Otherwise consider its location carefully, taking into account up to six feet in diameter of sharp pointed leaves. Water to get it established then never again. It takes 3 or more years to reach maturity and produce its spectacular flowering stalk. Chaparral yucca holds the record for fastest plant growth, the stalk grew 12 feet in 14 days. The plant may die after flowering—or not, and it may produce offshoots—-or not. It is a quite variable species. Full sun and any type of soil. Chaparral yucca has a single pollinator, the California yucca moth, Tegeticula maculate. This partnership is a classic example of symbiosis, the one couldn’t live without the other and vice versa.
Joshua tree, Yucca brevifolia
Barry Rice, 2013
The Joshua tree will grow up to 40+ feet tall, just not in our lifetime. Some have been measured at over 1000 years old. It is an essential wildlife plant, the list of creatures that use it for nesting, food, perching, etc. goes on and on. Ladder-backed woodpeckers and flickers peck holes in the trunk for their nests. The dead leaves bend down along the trunk and should not be removed as they protect the plant and provide hiding places for small creatures. Similar to the chaparral yucca, there is not one but two yucca moths that pollinate the flowers. Joshua trees need a cold spell to flourish and flower.
Joshua tree seeds do not have a very efficient dispersal mechanism, and like several other plant species, the seed disperser is thought to be extinct. In the case of the Joshua tree, we know seeds were dispersed by the Shasta giant ground sloth. A well preserved sloth from 12,000 years ago was found with Joshua tree fruits and seeds in its stomach.
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