Plant of the Month

This page needs to be edited after the New Google Sites messed it up.

This year we are featuring a California Native Plant each month.

For June

Calscape: Restore Nature One Garden at a Time

Instead of sharing a California native plant at the June meeting, I’m sharing a website that will really help anyone who wants to be more “California-friendly” in the garden. This is a website I have used on many occasions. Just recently I took the time to peruse all the features and I was amazed at all the helpful information. I just had to share with my garden friends!

Here are the easy steps:

1. Go to calscape.org

2. Notice there are two ways to search—either by a plant name, in the upper righthand corner, or by ZIP code, in the center.

3. If you search by ZIP code, there will be a display of all the plants for your area, all arranged in categories.

4. You choose a category to narrow your search, then look at plants by name and picture.

5. When you click on the plant name, the next page will show pictures, maps and important facts like Plant Description, Natural Setting, and Landscape Information. One of the best topics is Companion Plants under the Natural Setting description. This can guide gardeners as to which plants grow well together.

6. There are two other features—you can create your own plant list (one of the categories when you search by ZIP) on the site by registering and creating a

password. There is also an Advanced Search feature to really specify what you are looking for.

This web site is sponsored by the California Native Plant Society. It is easy to navigate, chock full of useful information for novices and experts. Please give it a try! Happy California Native Gardening!

--Susan Cline

For May

Common Name: Lemonade Berry

Botanical Name: Rhus integrifolia

Great foundation plant in any native garden, slope-stabilizer

Good in containers, as a hedge or screen

Can be trained to large shrub or small tree

Sun: Sun to part-sun

Water: Occasional (every 3-4 weeks) once established; very drought tolerant once established

Size: 5-15 feet tall by 15-30 feet wide

Flowers are red-white

The flowers have long been used in teas and tinctures as lemon flavoring

Flower season is spring, summer

Berries are edible

LOVED by birds and small mammals for shelter

For April

Common Name: Gum Plant

Botanical Name: Grindelia stricta

Low-growing spreader---must for a Butterfly Garden

Sun: Sun to part-sun

Water: Occasional (every 3-4 weeks) once established; very drought tolerant once established

Size: 1 foot tall by 1-5 feet wide

Flowers are yellow

The flowers are long lasting to add color to your garden

Flower season is spring, summer

Flower buds emit a sticky substance when touched---hence the name gum plant

For March

Common Name: Yankee Point Ceanothus

Botanical Name: Ceanothus griseus horizontalis 'Yankee Point'

Very garden-tolerant, low-growing ground cover

Sun: Full to part sun (protect from afternoon hot sun)

Water: Occasional (every 3-4 weeks) once established; very drought tolerant once established

Size: 2-3 feet tall by 6+ feet wide---spreads far!!!!

Wonderful for slopes and erosion-prone areas

Glossy green leaves and blue blossoms

Flower season in spring

LOVED by butterflies and other pollinators

For February

Common Name: Hummingbird Sage

Botanical Name: Salvia spathacea

Great addition to a Hummingbird Garden!

Sun: Provide afternoon shade

Water: Occasional (every 3-4 weeks) once established; very drought tolerant once established

Size: 2-3 feet tall by 1-5 feet wide—it will spread

Leaves are wooly and wonderfully FRAGRANT

Flowers can range from dark red to neon pink

Flower season is spring, summer

LOVED by hummingbirds and butterflies, other pollinators

For January

Common Name: Terra Seca Sage

Botanical Name: Salvia mellifera ‘Terra Seca’

Low, evergreen sub-shrub. Very fast growing

Sun: Full to part sun

Water: Occasional (every 3-4 weeks) once established, very drought tolerant once established

Size: 1-2 feet tall by 5-10 feet wide – spreads far!!!

Wonderful for slopes and erosion-prone areas

Will cascade over walls

Has white blossoms

Flower season in spring through summer

Leaves are very fragrant

Loved by hummingbirds, birds and butterflies

For November

Common Name: Purple Three Awn (Grass)

Botanical Name: Aristida purpurea var. purpurea

Tough, beautiful ornamental bunchgrass

Sun: Full sun

Water: Occasional (every 3-4 weeks) once established; very drought tolerant

Size: 2-3 feet tall by 2 feet wide

Needs well-draining soil

Purple seed heads wave gracefully in the wind

Flower season in spring through summer

Recommended for erosion control on hillsides and slopes

Good in containers or planted in large clumps, or individual spots around the garden for color

For October

Common Name: Pink Fairy Duster

Botanical Name: Heuchera maxima

Rare perennial, native to the northern Channel Islands

Sun: Part shade to shade

Water: Occasional to moderate (3-4 times a month in our area)

Size: 2 feet tall by 2 feet wide, dense mounded shape, flower spikes to 2’

Flowers: Blooms in the spring, white to pinkish

A must-have for a woodland garden or under oak trees, also grows in containers

Grows fast and is evergreen

Tolerates heavy soil and moderate drought

ATTRACTS HUMMINGBIRDS

For May

Common Name: Bush Monkeyflower

Botanical Name: Mimulus aurantiacus / Diplacus aurantiacus

This is a beautiful plant to grow in the garden!

Size: 1-3' H x 1-5' W

Growth Habit: Upright

Flowers: Flowers in the Spring. Flower colors vary from buff to yellow orange.

Flowers are profuse if deadheaded and pinched back to create a denser form.

Sun: Inland this plant will look its best when given some summer shade–so part sun to part shade.

Good in CONTAINERS

Can be stress-deciduous

Adaptable to different soils

Hummingbird and butterfly favorite!

For April:

Common Name: Coffeeberry 'Eve Case'

Botanical Name: Rhamnus californica 'Eve Case' This is a smaller, compact cultivar---good for hedges or in a container

Size: 3-6' H x 3-4' W

Compact and low growth habit.

The flowers are small, yellow. Blooms in spring and summer

Produces small glossy berries for the birds

Will grow in full sun to part shade---but it can be frost tender

Beautiful, evergreen, glossy leaves

Drought-tolerant once established

Adaptable to different soils

Bird and butterfly friendly

For March:

Common Name: Seaside Daisy

Botanical Name: Erigeron glaucus

Low, mounding perennial that is good in containers

Blossoms are light pink/light purple

Size: Height is 1 foot, spreads 1-2 feet wide

Sun: Sun to Part Sun

Provide afternoon shade and a little extra water in our area

Water: Very drought tolerant once established.

Will thrive in most soil types

Flowers: Fall, Spring and Summer

BUTTERFLY FAVORITE but birds love the seed heads, good for beneficial insects, too!

For February:

Common Name: De la Mina Lilac Verbena

Botanical Name: Verbena lilacina ‘De la Mina”

Dark purple blooms with lavender highlights

Sun: Sun to Part Shade

Size: 3 feet tall by 3 feet wide, dense mounded shape

Combines well with sages, mints, and buckwheats

Will thrive in most soil types

Flowers: Blooms and re-blooms almost all year long

ATTRACTS BUTTERFLIES

For January:

Common Name: Woolly Blue Curls

Botanical Name: Trichostema lanatum

Beautiful blue or purple blossoms on rosemary-like evergreen foliage

Sun: Sun

Water: NO summer water and minimum water other times of year once established. Needs well-drained soil

Size: 4’ tall with blooms x 3’ wide

Compact, medium-sized shrub

Edible, exceptional fragrance, all parts used medicinally by native peoples

Flowers: Blooms spring and summer

Butterfly, bird, bee, hummingbird, and beneficial insect friendly

For December:

Common Name: Yarrow 'Paprika'

Botanical Name: Achillea millefolium ‘Paprika’

This is one of the easiest perennials to grow.

Flowers are used in fresh or dried arrangements. Blossoms are bright red, fading to pink.

Size: Height is 1-2 feet, spreads 1-5 feet wide

Sun: Sun to Part Sun

Water: Very drought tolerant once established.

Will thrive in most soil types

Flowers: Summer through early Fall

BUTTERFLY FAVORITE!

For November:

Common Name: Angelita Daisy

Botanical Name: Tetraneuris acaulis

Bright-eyed, fragrant yellow daisy blossoms

Sun: Sun

Water: Supplemental water every 3-4 weeks, once established

Size: 1-2’ tall with blooms x 1-2’ wide

Makes a great addition to borders, rock gardens, or container gardens

Will thrive in most soil types

Flowers: Blooms and re-blooms almost all year long

Butterfly and beneficial insect friendly

For October:

Common Name: Sunset Manzanita

Botanical Name: Arctostaphylos ‘Sunset’

This is a medium-size foundation shrub that will stay green all year.

Flowers in spring and winter. Blossoms are light pink

Size: Height is 3-5 feet, spreads 5-10 feet wide

Sun: Sun to Part Sun

Water: Supplemental water every 3-4 weeks, once established

Will thrive in most soil types

Flowers: Spring and Summer

Very wildlife friendly especially for hummingbirds

For September:

Common Name: NARROW-LEAF MILKWEED

Botanical Name: Asclepias fascicularis

Another necessary plant for every butterfly garden: (even though not a California Native!)

Common Name: Tropical Milkweed AKA Golden Butterflyweed

Botanical Name: Asclepias curassavica

This is a tender evergreen perennial that is a favorite nectar plant for adult butterflies and a host plant for the Monarch larvae. There is some controversy that the native milkweeds are healthier for adults, but this plant is still a favorite in butterfly gardens. You may also see the red and orange variety. It can be planted in a container in frost-danger areas. Will self-seed to perpetuate itself in the garden.

Size: Height is 3-4 feet, spreads 2-3 feet wide

Sun: Sun to Part Sun

Water: Medium water requirements, 1 x a week, regular irrigation once established

Mulch: Organic if danger of frost

Flowers: Summer

Online Source: San Marcos Growers