Native Plants

The California Native Plant Society is planning an April 28 tour of nine home gardens displaying California native plants. A map can be obtained by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to P.O. Box 54891, Irvine, CA 92691 or by calling (949) 552-0691.

With centuries-old oak trees and towering rock peaks grabbing the spotlight, brickelbush and California buckwheat are two of the many midget native plants visitors may overlook when they visit Chatsworth Oaks Park. But Chris Van Schaack, a Chatsworth landscaper and plant enthusiast, wants to bring attention to these small residents of the park.

"Privacy Factor" (by Susan Heeger, SoCal Style, Feb. 6) featured a Mar Vista residential garden of ornamental grasses. The article characterized the garden as "environmentally friendly." Readers should be made aware that some of the species featured, such as pampas grass and fountain grass, are non-native species that are aggressively invasive into our natural California habitats, where they displace native plants and the native wildlife that depend on them for food and shelter. While the Mar Vista garden may be in an urban area and pose little threat to natural lands, residents fortunate to live in proximity to park lands should consider using native plants.

In a bid to save two endangered native plants, a federal agency has approved a plan that could result in the removal of large trees from more than 100 acres of San Francisco's Presidio. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved the plan Tuesday. At the heart of the issue are two indigenous plants -- San Francisco lessingia, a flowering annual herb, and Raven's manzanita, a creeping evergreen shrub.

There are a variety of California native plants that are not only drought resistant but they charm many birds and butterflies into visiting a garden. "Many plants attract birds," says "Green" Gene Sottosanto, a landscaper in Laguna Beach. "Fennel is the No. 1 bird plant of Southern California. It has flowers, seeds and aphids, which are all treats for birds.

By using a combination of drought-tolerant native and non-native plants in the garden, you can conserve water and still enjoy an array of color, texture, shapes and scents unique to the region. Summer is the time to plan, not plant. Fall is the best time to plant native plants; the air is cool and the soil is still warm. During the first year, more frequent watering is needed, but once established, these plants are summer teetotalers and thrive year in and year out.

Once wild-and-weedy native plants are making a place for themselves in home gardens, according to the California Native Plant Society, whose members are sponsoring a plant sale in Ventura today. In the past few years, many native plant species have been developed into tidier, more compact varieties, said Patt Wilson McDaniel, president of the Ventura County chapter of the nonprofit group.

The California Native Plant Society of Orange County will hold a plant sale Sept. 24 at the UC Irvine arboretum. A variety of plants native to California will be for sale. They include black and white sage and Matilija poppies, which stand 6 feet tall and produce white and yellow flowers. Society members will attend the sale to answer questions about the plants.

Talk to gardeners who use native plants in their landscape, and they'll tell you that gardeners who don't do that make a lot more work for themselves. Unlike exotic plants from other regions, natives require very little care. Once established, they are drought-tolerant. Most also need no fertilizing, and it's unnecessary to amend the soil before planting.