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When planning your yards and gardens, it is tempting to consider adding exotic, imported plants. They are unusual and make your garden stand out from others in the neighborhood. The problem is, exotic plants often do not fare well in foreign conditions. Would you rather have exotic, droopy, struggling plants in your landscape or bright healthy specimens? If you choose the latter, then select native plants and cultivars when planning your gardens. The following are three different types of ground covers, all native to California, and all selected to fill various needs in your gardening plans. Using California ground cover is, by far, the best option when planning a California landscape.
Many areas of California suffer from drought conditions in the summer. If you are looking for a substitute for a turf lawn that requires far less watering and maintenance, check out California Field Sedge. Also known as Clustered Field Sedge, this California ground cover looks surprising like grass, but spreads with runners into an evergreen carpet that grows 6”-8” tall and tolerates moderate foot traffic. It requires at least a half day of full sun and can thrive in wet or dry soil. An established area of California Field Sedge can be tidied up by mowing once or twice a year with your mower blades set at the highest level.
If you are looking for something more shrub-like, Carmel Mountain Lilacs grow 2’-3’ tall and establish as mounds of glossy green. It is an excellent species for stabilizing banks and slopes that are prone to erosion. It covers large areas and will expand up to 10’ within three years. It tolerates a wide variety of soils and does best in full sun, but can tolerate partial shade. It produces blue flowers in early to mid spring and will attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. This California ground cover is quite susceptible to deer, who will eat it right down to the roots. If deer are a problem in your area, consider protecting your mountain lilacs with a border of deer resistant plants such as vinca.
No discussion of California ground cover is complete without mentioning the state flower, the California Poppy. This native perennial features delicate blue-green foliage and bright orange flowers on 12”-18” stalks. It prefers sandy soil and full sun. It is extremely drought tolerant, self-seeding, and requires little or no maintenance. It is often used as a border along streets and walks, in rock gardens, or naturalized in meadows. It blooms from April to August, but the flowers will close at night or during cold, windy conditions.
When planning your garden, use native species like the California ground cover for best results. The plants will be healthier, grow taller, and produce brighter flowers and foliage. More importantly, they will require less maintenance, less water, and little or no pesticides to thrive. Planting native species will save you time and labor, save the local environment from the introduction of pesticides, and produce bigger, better, more brilliant plants.
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Author Bio Box: Patricia Wainwright
Get all the facts about landscape gardening and organic gardening at GreenThumbArticles.com!
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