Garden Progress - One Year

It is exactly one year after I started planting California Native Plants on my side yard, and I decided to a progress update.What's interesting, is that if you are planning on not watering during the summer, you should really plant in say, Feb/Mar so the plants can take advantage of the wet season and get well established before the hot, dry summer happens.

Also of interest is the fact that the plant you buy is usually a small little plant that bears little resemblance to it's retail nursery neighbor. However, these plants (not being overcrowded in the pot) actually grow like crazy once they are in the ground. Expect them to take a year to really establish though.

Note: While not every plant is a California native plant, they are all drought tolerant. I do NOT water this garden.

I am still in progress on this - I consider that I'm about 1/2 way there.

My first California Native plants, bought at Yerba Buena Nursery (which is totally worth the trip) - a lot of information on their website and their demonstration garden is great.











One of my first plants. This is a variety of California Fuschia, Epilobeum Canum Canum. There are a lot of varieties of this plant. Most are summer dry and it flowers late summer from June-October.

2011 - Before

In this pic, the plants on the upper left are planted, but it's still a sad lawn, not a garden.









 Below, side by side of before/after. 2011-2012

2011-Some plants, retaining rocks

2012 - Garden in progress

2012 - Same day, same spot, better view.

Some close-ups from the garden.

 One of the plants from the top pic. Summer dry. This plant started blooming when it warmed up a bit (in March) and is still flowering madly in June.

It's a California native penstemon, of which there are many varieties. This one is Margarita BOP.

Behind the plant is a native Salvia "Allan Chickering". It is in flower March through October, but it's not as exciting as Margarita.

(You'll find if you follow the links another great native plant nursery - Las Pilitas - and they do mail order!)













Same as above, only this one is an Apricot Monkeyflower.

 This is another spot with Red Yarrow and Sea Lavender. Yarrow is native (although in white, not red) and the Sea Lavender is non-native, but I just think it looks cool and coordinates well.












This garden has come a long way!