California is home to more than 6,000 native plant species that thrive in local climates, require minimal water and support birds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators. These native plants existed in the state before European colonization and are adapted to California’s diverse climates, soils and ecosystems.
The benefits of planting native species in your garden include:
Drought-tolerant and require less irrigation making them ideal for water scarce areas.
Well adapted to local conditions and can often withstand extreme heat and poor soils.
Require minimal fertilizers and pesticides which reduces their environmental impact.
Provide food and habitat for pollinators and other wildlife.
The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) provides extensive resources for gardening with California native plants. They recommend matching plant selections to your soil type, microclimate, and planting in the fall so established root systems can take advantage of winter rains. In addition, they’ve compiled a list of The Big 43-California native plants with favorable garden traits which can be viewed at:
This fall, I’ll be adding the following native plants to my home garden:
Common Yarrow-perennial herb with fern like leaves, blooms June-August, is deer resistant and attracts pollinators.
Christmas berry, Toyon-long lived evergreen shrub, has clusters of white flowers in spring and orange-red berries in fall that attract birds.
You can find examples of these two native plants (and more) at the 3 Sisters Garden located behind the Madera Community College 30277 Ave. 12. For those having trouble finding the garden, simply park in Parking Lot C in the back of the college and the garden will be on your right. Happy Gardening!