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    That Recipe is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program. This site contains affiliate links to various websites, including Amazon.com. Purchases through these links help support this blog at no additional cost to you. read more

    Close up and personal with some California Native Plants

    Jul 22, 2015 · 4 Comments

    So many Californians are still under the misguided impression that in order to have a drought tolerant garden you need to have rocks and cacti. And I won't even comment on people outside of the state that still insist the entire state is, and always was, a desert.

    In my area, Coastal Sage Shrub is what was here before we brought in all of the grasses for cattle and then replaced those with homes featuring big box store generic plants, most of which require copious amounts of water to maintain. Eight years ago we hired California's Own Native Landscape Design to rip out most of that and replace it with native plants. BEST DECISION EVER!

    Our water bills are minimal compared to my neighbors since I water the natives once ever 2-4 weeks in the summer time. I will admit, right now things look a bit tired out there, but it is summer here which is the "dormant" period for most native plants. Leaves have yellowed and dropped and there is minimal growth.

    But there are still plenty of blooms throughout the yard.

    Xeriscaping does not have to mean cacti! California native plants are beautiful and water conscious. #xeriscaping Click to Tweet

    This Ceanothus should actually be dormant like the rest of its brethren in the yard. This is a great example of micro-climates. This one is located in a rather shady spot next to the neighbor's lawn, so it gets some supplemental watering. All of the rest bloomed months ago and are now dormant.

    ceanothus - california lilac

    Corethrogyne filaginifolia Silver Carpet – California aster

    Corethrogyne filaginifolia Silver Carpet – California aster

    Erigeron glaucus x Wayne Roderick Daisy (the flowers look similar to the one above, but the plants are totally different).

    Solidago californica - California Goldenrod

    Salvia Bee's Bliss - California sage Bee's Bliss (and hummingbird's bliss too!)

    salvia bee's bliss - california sage

    Zauschneria,California fuchsia (hummingbirds love this one too!)

    Zauschneria,California fuchsia

    Chitalpa x tashkentensis 'pink dawn'

    Fallugia paradoxa, Apache Plume. One of my favorites, the delicate white blooms turn into the plumes (kind of like a dandelion).

    Fallugia paradoxa, Apache Plume
    LUNCH TIME!

    Fallugia paradoxa, Apache Plume blossom

    Fallugia paradoxa, Apache Plume

    Macro photos of California native plants in bloom. #macro #photography #flowers Click to Tweet

    If you want to see more photos of my California Native Plants throughout the growing season CLICK HERE.

    If you would like to plant some of these beauties in your yard I highly recommend The California Native Landscape: The Homeowner's Design Guide to Restoring Its Beauty and Balance by Greg Rubin and Lucy Warren. (disclosure: that is an affiliate link, I get a few pennies if you order through the link). The book does a great job of explaining what California used to look like, why we need to rethink our current fire prevention strategy and more importantly gives you plenty of ideas of design and plant selection.

    « New name, new look, new platform, new host ...same me
    Becoming Mrs. Gray »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jen says

      August 01, 2015 at 4:50 am

      These are amazing photos! I love the one with the bee. So lovely! My mom lives in Reno and they have xeriscaped. She just couldn't see spending all the time trying to keep it up. Too much. I'd like to incorporate a bit more drought tolerant landscaping here in the south. We're usually pretty wet but it can be a lot of work.

      Thank you for joining us for Photo Friday!

      Reply
      • munofore says

        August 02, 2015 at 4:30 pm

        Thanks for the encouragement on the photos. I was particularly proud of the bee photo. I'd been trying for over a year to get it! My bees are camera shy.

        Reply
    2. Aspen Jay says

      August 03, 2015 at 4:25 pm

      Oh, I love the variety of all the different types of flowers... adds a lot more to a yard than a bunch of rocks. 🙂 Thanks for partying with us at Talented Tuesday.
      Cheers,
      AJ

      Reply
      • munofore says

        August 03, 2015 at 8:16 pm

        Thanks for stopping by.

        Reply

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