Living here on the Central Coast is truly an adventure in paradise: clear blue skies, beautiful grassy hills and oak-studded valleys, and an incredibly mild climate that is the envy of the rest of the country.
Visitors often marvel at the variety of plants we can grow here… from citrus to cactus, roses to redwoods, and orchids to oaks. Although we may like to gloat about the vast variety of exotic flowers, tropical shrubs and swaying palm trees growing around town and available at many of our local nurseries, they may not be the best choice for home planting.
In fact, learning about your particular micro-climate and the plants that have thrived there for centuries, can really help inform your choices.
Your yard may not resemble Hawaii (where they experience an average annual rainfall between 85-200 inches), but it can still be a colorful and inviting landscape. No matter what your style is: container, cottage, naturalistic, formal, or a combination, there are sustainable strategies for all of them.
Visitors often marvel at the variety of plants we can grow here… from citrus to cactus, roses to redwoods, and orchids to oaks. Although we may like to gloat about the vast variety of exotic flowers, tropical shrubs and swaying palm trees growing around town and available at many of our local nurseries, they may not be the best choice for home planting.
In fact, learning about your particular micro-climate and the plants that have thrived there for centuries, can really help inform your choices.
Your yard may not resemble Hawaii (where they experience an average annual rainfall between 85-200 inches), but it can still be a colorful and inviting landscape. No matter what your style is: container, cottage, naturalistic, formal, or a combination, there are sustainable strategies for all of them.
Our distinctive Mediterranean climate is only found in five areas of the world: southern and southwestern Australia, central Chile, the western cape of South Africa, around the Mediterranean Basin, and along the coast of California.
Characterized by dry, warm summers and cool, moist winters, plants that grow in these environments have adapted to survive by conserving energy during the long hot months and then springing to life after winter rains.
Some grow on rocky slopes, others prefer sandy bluffs or the gnarly chaparral. No matter where they grow, they support an extended family of insects, birds, reptiles and mammals, and provide the substantial (and vital) base of nature’s food chain.
Characterized by dry, warm summers and cool, moist winters, plants that grow in these environments have adapted to survive by conserving energy during the long hot months and then springing to life after winter rains.
Some grow on rocky slopes, others prefer sandy bluffs or the gnarly chaparral. No matter where they grow, they support an extended family of insects, birds, reptiles and mammals, and provide the substantial (and vital) base of nature’s food chain.
Communities and Neighborhoods
Learning about the unique California plant community where you live will make your landscaping plans more successful, and time spent in the garden more enjoyable.
In nature, groups of plants that have adapted to a similar environmental conditions are known as a “community.” On the central coast, the most prevalent communities are mixed chaparral, oak woodland, and coastal sage scrub. Characterized by tough small leaves and hard stems, many of these plants are adapted to fire and some even need fire to break open seed coats, or can regrow from burned stumps.
In nature, groups of plants that have adapted to a similar environmental conditions are known as a “community.” On the central coast, the most prevalent communities are mixed chaparral, oak woodland, and coastal sage scrub. Characterized by tough small leaves and hard stems, many of these plants are adapted to fire and some even need fire to break open seed coats, or can regrow from burned stumps.
Majestic and ancient Valley oaks, with their elephant-skin bark and lichen-draped branches, remind us of the Native Americans who made this region their home for thousands of years and relied on acorns as the staple of their diets.
They found uses for nearly everything that grew around them: clothes, shelter, tools, medicine and food. We always encourage gardeners to learn about the local “ethnobotany” of their area—it’s a fascinating window into our “roots” that can help inform our future choices.
They found uses for nearly everything that grew around them: clothes, shelter, tools, medicine and food. We always encourage gardeners to learn about the local “ethnobotany” of their area—it’s a fascinating window into our “roots” that can help inform our future choices.
Planning for the Future
Although many of our natural areas have been grazed by livestock, converted to agriculture, or paved for roads and cities, there are still examples out there to inspire any home gardener to blur the lines between their yard and the natural landscape.
Nurseries and growers are working to create a diverse palette of plants adapted for our area. For example, grasses are no longer just for lawns. Beautiful native wild ryes, fescues and deer grass are becoming popular in the thoughtfully designed low-water landscape and capture the late afternoon sun and breezes with their movement, texture and colors.
Add in some local sandstone boulders and fragrant sage plants, and you are on your way!
Nurseries and growers are working to create a diverse palette of plants adapted for our area. For example, grasses are no longer just for lawns. Beautiful native wild ryes, fescues and deer grass are becoming popular in the thoughtfully designed low-water landscape and capture the late afternoon sun and breezes with their movement, texture and colors.
Add in some local sandstone boulders and fragrant sage plants, and you are on your way!
With the reality of climate change and low rainfall, now is the perfect time to re-think the “traditional” garden design and plant choices.
Changes don’t have to be radical: maybe choose a “wild rose” (Rosa californica) instead of a tea rose, or plant a Santa Cruz Island ironwood tree with their showy ivory and rust colored flower heads and shredding grey and red bark. (Did you know that they are official tree of Santa Barbara County? )
Changes don’t have to be radical: maybe choose a “wild rose” (Rosa californica) instead of a tea rose, or plant a Santa Cruz Island ironwood tree with their showy ivory and rust colored flower heads and shredding grey and red bark. (Did you know that they are official tree of Santa Barbara County? )
A selection of native and low-water plants are now available at local nurseries such as Windmill Nursery in Buellton, with fall being the optimal planting season. The Garden Growers Nursery at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Manzanita Nursery in Buellton, and Las Pilitas Nursery in Santa Margarita sell primarily natives and are open to the public. Additionally, several excellent wholesale nurseries such as Native Sons in Arroyo Grande, provide a wide variety of natives to the retail trade, and plants can also be special ordered.
We all have a need to connect and grow with nature: from an herb garden on a balcony to planting an oak tree for future generations to enjoy. Whether you want to create a place for kids and dogs to play and explore, for entertaining friends, to enjoy a quiet respite, or attract more birds and butterflies, understanding and using the clues from your local plant communities are the key to success. Now grab your hat and gloves, and happy gardening!
Glad to find another central coast native plant blogger! Gardening with plants in your local plant communities -- so important especially for our insect friends who need local native host plants -- glad to read about it here.
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