Thirsty landscaping losing its zing? Late autumn through early spring is the perfect planting season to replace boring lawns and tired ornamentals with beautiful California native plants.
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mong the San Diego area’s many charms, there’s one often overlooked benefit that deserves far more attention: our natural native plantscape. In a region famously hospitable to imported flora, our parks and gardens overflow with familiar international greenery that’s simply still not as suitable as the local stuff it supplants — nor, many would say, as beautiful. But there’s growing recognition of native plants’ natural beauty, utility, ease of care, and value to community. A growing number of proud Californians are celebrating the place they love by restoring a more natural condition to their properties — designing yards that use far less water, increase the population of birds and other pollinators, look and smell amazing, and may even reduce the risk of home wildfire damage. Before you rush out front to dig up the lawn, a little planning might save you some trouble and maximize the benefits of going native. Browse on for some evergreen tips and sage advice to get you started down the right (garden) path!
Set Your Goals, Know Your Limits The possibilities for your new garden are practically endless, so it’s important to draw some lines to keep your research focused on stuff that will be useful to your new little paradise (and not land you an accidental botany degree). Your ideal garden should evolve naturally from factors you can identify, such as location, available sunlight, how you’ll use the garden, and things you want to avoid. Luckily, the California Native Plant Society designed their Calscape website (gardenplanner.calscape.org) to guide you through identifying your objectives and constraints. With a mere four questions, it can deliver a list of suggested plants alongside their qualities, plus sample designs to help turn that list into an actual plan. With this information as a good starting point, you can fine-tune your purchasing and design ideas by examining your property’s qualities and challenges. If you need to plan erosion control, your property’s terrain