Native Plant Landscaping
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If you live in California, you’re likely aware that we have some pretty intense drought seasons, and nobody wants to be “that guy” who’s lawn is a proper vibrant green when everyone else is pinching their garden hoses to save water.
One great way to avoid that and to focus on water conservation is to take advantage of the local plant communities and their ability to adapt to their surrounding microclimate. It’s almost as if...they have evolved to do so for millions of years!
So, what is native plant landscaping? It is a practice of planting certain species indigenous to your area that have the best biological knowledge to survive the condition patterns around them. By choosing native plants for your yard or property, you will use less resources to nurture them. Because native plant communities have existed in the area long before people ever have, they’ve gotten their experience in conserving water during drier months or laying dormant during cold ones.
Source: Native by Design Landscapes
Native landscaping also does one of our favorite things in soil conservation; prevents erosion. With deeper root systems than any lawn, native plant landscapes hold onto the soil that otherwise might be washed or blown away. We also can’t talk about native landscaping without touching on biodiversity. With a higher number of particularly indigenous species, local pollinators and insects drawn to your garden help support a thriving food web. And we all know and love some good biodiversity, right?
In most of our cases, living in Los Angeles means we are no strangers to the mix of desert, coastal, and mountainous climates. Landscape-wise, that means a variety of species that make up a community of plants called Coastal Sage Scrub. If you’ve ever hiked Griffith Park in the summer or strolled Santa Monica boardwalk in winter, you’ve passed through hundreds of different native plant species (except the palm trees which are not actually California natives, but that’s for a different journal post). Planting just a few of those species in place of a lawn where you live is super advantageous to protecting local ecosystems and saving loads of extra resources.
Some species you may want to consider for your yard depend on your zip code, which could determine your soil type and best indigenous plants for maximum garden health. These may include California Sagebrush, California Lilac, Buckwheat, Coyote Brush, and LOADS of succulents. To attract pollinators, think Lemoadeberry, Lupines, or California Poppies. The California Native Plant Society has developed a database to help determine what grows indigenously in your area at https://calscape.org.
Source: Paroli Galperti/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
***be sure to find nurseries that support native plants to obtain your new garden family, DO NOT remove from local landscapes***
The trick to native landscaping comes in preparation. You want to sculpt your yard or garden in a way that acts as a mini watershed, directing water to plants instead of letting any precipitation puddle on bare ground. You also want to get familiar with your yard’s soil type for easy and water friendly care. The USDA Geological maps may be of great use for help determine your soil type.
This is also your chance to get creative! Indigenous plants of Southern California have a certain magic to them, and creating a native landscape only means a beautiful, diverse, botanical escape teeming with life. Not only will you be saving water and improving the health of your local ecosystem, but also creating a space to be still and let the plants work their magic on you. Ranging from simple succulent gardens to elaborate mazes of native flowers, there really is no downside to replacing some lame lawn with indigenous species.
Here at F2P, we know that Southern California needs all the water it can get. While the climate changes rapidly, wildfire season comes sooner, stays longer, and intensifies every year. If there was ever a time to consider more water conscious options, it is now!
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