The Fab Five: Unique Native Plants You’ll Want to Consider By: Joe Rothleutner, Director of Horticulture and Facilities
1. Perfect for a container: Cliff Maids (Lewisia spp. and hybrids)
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This beautiful and tough succulent perennial makes a wonderful container plant for a patio or balcony. When planting it, amend your potting soil with lots of gravel or pumice for exceptional drainage. You will also want to water these sparingly. Think about how often you would water a cactus and follow a similar regime. The fastest way to kill cliff maids is giving in to the temptation to water them too often or by using potting soil that holds too much water. If you want to grow them in the ground, create a rockery or a crevice garden for alpine plants. To do this, pack gravel between larger stones with just a little compost and soil mixed in.
Cliff Maids (Photo/Dieter H. Wilken)
There are several species of Lewisia native to California, mostly but not exclusively occurring in Northern California and the Sierras. The plants are short rosettes of foliage with colorful flowers in shades of pink to yellow and white. Although many of the available varieties are likely hybrids with a lineage of mixed species, most cultivated plants most closely resemble and are often labeled as Lewisia cotyledon.
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A central coast and southern California local, the bush sunflower is a joyful perennial. It can be found in coastal sage scrub while walking to the beach, or on a hike up into the foothills. In a dry year, the bloom is fabulous but short-lived. In areas where they can catch fog drip or some t ype of water flow, the bloom continues into fall. As seeds mature, watch for songbirds that come in for a feast. This plant is a great beginner plant for native plant gardeners or for those looking to add some cheer to an existing landscape. With a little supplemental water and light deadheading through summer, these plants will keep pumping out flowers. If you prefer to garden on the dry side, you can let them go summer dormant. In the fall, or when you feel like it’s looking a little out of bounds, they can be whacked back to 6” and they will rebound for the next year. Next time you see one in bloom, stop to smell the flowers, some say they smell like chocolate.
Bush Sunflower (Photo/Elizabeth Collins)
2. A long bloomer: Bush Sunflower (Encelia californica)
3. Beauty for Shade: Spicebush (Calycanthus occidentalis) One of three species, all known as spicebush or sweet shrubs, have a warm fragrance from bruised bark, leaves, or flowers. Our native species of Calycanthus can be found in northern California and the Sierras. The others, C. floridus and C. chinensis, grow in the South-Eastern USA and China as their scientific names suggest. The large deciduous leaves are
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