A native meadow in my front yard? Really? Well, I am giving it a try! I have become a fan of Grow Native Nursery in Westwood (an extension of non-profit Santa Ana Botanic Garden) which sells California Native Plants, and I had Ryan who works there, also a horticultural consultant, come to my front yard and offer some advice.
There are areas where there just isn’t enough sun to grow vegetables, but many California native plants do well in sun/part sun, he said. While I’m committed to growing edibles, I also have a mandate to provide habitat for overwintering beneficial insects, and flowering plants to feed them during most of the year. Ryan suggested a number of plants to grow on my Flower Island (14’x6.5′), and the companion space (irregular, about 20 square feet) across the sidewalk. These areas are outside our new fence which encompasses 2/3 of our edible garden.
Even though it’s a relatively small space (and I was thinking about how many plants I would have to buy to fill it up!), Ryan suggested natives that spread – plant spreading plants in your yard when you have a confined space – and they would fill in and compete and at some point in the future, would grow together and be a meadow. This idea excited me, as I’ve had mixed results with my rather hodgepodge effort there so far, and I made a trip to Grow Native the following day!
I returned with a carload of plants and mulch. My Prius was stuffed.
Ryan said the nursery has, from time to time, mulch, free for the taking, so I took every empty container I had. After we selected over 40 plants, I stood on a huge mound and scooped the leaves and bark in by hand, so I was quite a mess when I got home. Luckily, my husband was in full garden mode and gave me a hand for a couple of hours and I finished the job just before sunset.
I debated on watering the plants BEFORE I spread three to four inches deep of mulch, but reasoned I’d be stepping on mud to distribute it, and spread the mulch BEFORE I watered. WRONG! LBL (Late Bloomer Lesson): Water your freshly planted gems BEFORE you MULCH, or you will just be watering your mulch! It took an hour with the hose before the ground got good and wet.
Already established in this space were two native blueberry plants (front) and two Asclepias speciosa native milkweed, as well as Ribes malvaceum ‘Dancing Tassels’ in the back. I have two Asclepias fascicularis milkweed on the other side, and one California Native Iris pacifica. Here’s are photos and names of the new plants:
I bought a flat of Phyla and sprinkled them around. You can walk on it when it’s established.
This is the tall yarrow. I also already had the short yarrow.
There are several reasons to grow native plants, especially in thirsty California. You save on water bills and plant food. You don’t need to fertilize or worry about amending our clay soils. They do just fine. And if you are growing native plants, you are fostering native insect populations, and you are not contributing to invasive species. In fact, Ryan told me my Mexican feather grass was on the invasive species list. That’s not something I was told when I bought it at a nursery. I took it right out, and replaced it with Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition.’ Bouteloua stays in a clump and does not spread, and it’s dainty and lovely!
Do your homework before visiting the garden center. You’ll save yourself time and money! I’ll post photos in a few months to see how things develop! Thanks for stopping by! – Kaye
