Claycord garden lovers have been expressing their desire to know some more about California Native plants, They are enticed by the understanding that California Native plants require less water, no fertilizer, naturally thrive in our climate, and are attractive to bees, butterflies, and the bird-life, California Native plants shrubs and trees are widely available and becoming more mainstream in your local nurseries and garden centers, But, just like any group of plants, some are more desirable than others are, Here is a list and descriptions of several California Natives that are worthy of your plantscape, whether you have a Mediterranean, traditional, hillside, rock garden or poolscape application.

Salvia clevelandii ‘Alan Chickeringâ couture wedding dresses couture wedding dresses;€™ is a fabulous California Native sage, This evergreen has aromatic gray foliage, and displays whirls of two-lipped shaped periwinkle flowers May through December, In full sun this sage will reach 4â summer bridesmaids dresses €™ tall and wide, Salvia clevelandii is extremely attractive to hummingbirds, honeybees and butterflies, Plant this native sage on a dry hillside, or along a hot fence line, This evergreen needs very little summer water, and doesn’t need any fertilizer, You will have an easy time finding this California Native, it is often available.

Hummingbird sage, or Salvia spathacea isn’t as easy to find, and is definitely worth the hunt, Salvia spathacea is a part sun loving sage, It has magenta 1” tubular shaped flowers that stand along thick stems, The foliage of this sage creates a matting along the ground, while the flower stalks reach up 2-3’ tall summer beach wedding guest dresses summer beach wedding guest dresses, This sage is deer proof, Welcome to shop online for the best selection of Cocktail Dresses from Duduta!evening dresses on sale We offers various styles black cocktail dresses Salvia spathacea will work nicely in a traditional garden setting, A couple of great companion California Natives for the Hummingbird sage are the Sticky Monkey Bush with its vibrant colored, happy blossoms, and the Bush Anemone, with its feminine white late spring flowers.

Several varieties of Penstemon are California Natives, Penstemon heterophyllus is that stunning blue penstemon that you may have seen, It is truly blue, This selection has dark green leaves and spikes of flowers that reach 2’ tall and wide, creating a dense shrub like habit, Penstemon heterophyllus is very sun tolerant, heat loving and can take extreme cold, It is the perfect plant to install within your poolscape brides dresses summer 2012 , The color of the blossom exudes a cool, watery feeling, Penstemon centranthifolius Scarlet Bugler is awesome if you are craving some red in your landscape beds, The 2-4’ spikes of 1-2” long flowers are very attractive to hummingbirds, This selection of penstemon is successful planted on a dry slope, it desires drainage, summer dresses under 50 summer dresses under 50 and the hillsides of Claycord are a perfect match.

Arbutus “Marina” is a show-stopper in a focal destination of your Claycord landscape, This evergreen naturally grows like a multi-trunked tree, and occasionally you will find it trained as a standard shaped tree, Arbutus ‘Marina’ has very dark green leaves and cinnamon colored bark that peels with age, cute summer dresses 2011 the trunk of this California Native is very interesting, and worthy of up lighting, Sporadically throughout the season, small pink flowers dangle from the branches, above the foliage, The flowers are hummingbird attractive, After flower, the Arbutus ‘Marina’ produces a small, red fruit that the bird-life adores, Use the multi-trunk shape of the Arbutus ‘Marina’ on a slope or hillside, Install the standard tree shape besides property lines, or for privacy around a pool.

Manzanita is the most easily identified California Native, We are already used to seeing the planted in meridians along our streets and public landscapes, Incorporate manzanita into your landscape by using some of the more available selections such as Emerald Carpet, Dr, Hurd or Howard McMinn, The Emerald Carpet is a woody ground cover that will reach 8-12” tall and 5-6’ wide, The biggest problem with this type of ground cover is when garden lovers install and do not give enough room for this plant to grow naturally, If you plant the Emerald Carpet in an area that is 30’ long and only 3’ wide, and you prune to control, your manzanita is going to look woody, tall and awful, Plants have a natural way to grow, if you have to control the size, you have planted the wrong plant, Dr, Hurd is a large growing manzanita, You will find this selection at a nursery and it will look like a shrub, but eventually it could reach 15’ tall and wide, Howard McMinn matures to a smaller size, about 4-6’ tall and wide, All of the manzanita has deep green foliage and the lovely mahogany colored bark, Buy your manzanita small for a better plant.

California Lilacs or Ceanothus is another commonly recognized California Native plant family, This family of natives has many members, They share similar characteristics such as shiny, dark green, textured foliage, and tight clusters of flowers that look like mini panicles of lilac blooms which are intensely fragrant summer mini dresses , The colors of the flowers are often blue or lavender with a handful of white, Dark Star is a selection of Ceanothus that would make an excellent backdrop for a California Native garden, This sturdy shrub will grow 5-6’ tall and wide, In the late part of winter through the middle of spring, the Dark Star is covered with richly colored cobalt flower clusters, Ray Hartman is a robust member of the family who will reach about 20’ tall and half as wide, Snow Flurry reaches 10’x10’ and is covered with clouds of white flowers.

California Native plants have their own rules for survival, They would rather be planted by bird or wind then by man, So if you choose to install California Natives, and you lose a couple, it’s expected, They don’t want to be planted in rich, amended soil, They hate extra water, but may need some to get started, but just not too much, California Natives do not like drip-systems, Be especially careful with your summer water, since it can kill, and put away the fertilizer, Install a native where it can grow naturally, without pruning or controlling, Using California Natives in your landscape is great, designer summer dresses sale designer summer dresses sale but you will really have to be a hands-off gardener.

Nicole Hackett is the Garden Girl at R&M Pool, Patio and Gardens, She also writes column for the Clayton Pioneer newspaper and is the Clayton Valley Garden Clubs 2012 President.