My one California poppy plant that's blooming now in my garden. Sow seeds now so plants will anchor the soil through our promised winter rains and then provide a glorious display in Spring! With so many sales of California Native plants and upcoming classes, this is the absolutely BEST time to transplant California natives. With the advent of so many lawns being ripped out – or at least allowed to die – it’s equally important to install California natives now in their place to actively hold the soil with the prospect of sudden and heavy rainfall through our promised El Nino winter…as perhaps evidenced by the recent mudslides along the Grapevine. Getting them established now will aid in holding our soil where it is.
Here are some of the critical points to installing California native plants, bulbs, and wildflowers from the Theodore Payne Foundation, http://theodorepayne.org/
Planting
Make sure you dig a good-sized hole, fill it with water, let it drain, place the plant with care for the roots and for the best orientation, backfill, and water again.
Bulbs
Choose native bulbs like Calochortus, Dichelostemma, Triteleia, and Allium. Select species appropriate to various spots in your yard. For example, Calochortus splendens and Dichelostemma volubile are great to plant amid low shrubs as they send their blooms up above the foliage; Triteleia laxa and Calochortus venustus are great for grassy areas; and Allium unifolium, A. validum, and Triteleia peduncularis are best suited for areas that receive water throughout the year.
Wildflowers
Select a special mix of wildflower seeds that matches your location, or create your own. Before you sow the wildflower seed, make sure the area is free of weeds and unwanted grasses. Rough up the soil surface, sow your seeds, and water. You don't need to cover the seeds with any soil; they’ll do just fine just like they’re scattered naturally out in the wild!
Divide Grasses and Perennials
Dig up and divide cool season grasses such as Festuca, Nassella, Leymus, Calamagrostis, and Melica. Also Carex tumulicola. Make sure each clump has a good root ball to transplant, and water it in well. Also divide and transplant Heuchera, Potentilla, Horkelia, and other clumping perennials, including native iris – either divide the entire bunch into smaller clumps that have good roots, or remove individual sections from around the edges. Once you’ve replanted them, make sure they are well watered until new growth appears.
And, a “DON'T” – Don’t cut back manzanita or Ceanothus, as they'll set their flower buds in late spring; if you prune them now, you'll be cutting out blooms that will appear in just a month or two.
Here are some of the critical points to installing California native plants, bulbs, and wildflowers from the Theodore Payne Foundation, http://theodorepayne.org/
Planting
Make sure you dig a good-sized hole, fill it with water, let it drain, place the plant with care for the roots and for the best orientation, backfill, and water again.
Bulbs
Choose native bulbs like Calochortus, Dichelostemma, Triteleia, and Allium. Select species appropriate to various spots in your yard. For example, Calochortus splendens and Dichelostemma volubile are great to plant amid low shrubs as they send their blooms up above the foliage; Triteleia laxa and Calochortus venustus are great for grassy areas; and Allium unifolium, A. validum, and Triteleia peduncularis are best suited for areas that receive water throughout the year.
Wildflowers
Select a special mix of wildflower seeds that matches your location, or create your own. Before you sow the wildflower seed, make sure the area is free of weeds and unwanted grasses. Rough up the soil surface, sow your seeds, and water. You don't need to cover the seeds with any soil; they’ll do just fine just like they’re scattered naturally out in the wild!
Divide Grasses and Perennials
Dig up and divide cool season grasses such as Festuca, Nassella, Leymus, Calamagrostis, and Melica. Also Carex tumulicola. Make sure each clump has a good root ball to transplant, and water it in well. Also divide and transplant Heuchera, Potentilla, Horkelia, and other clumping perennials, including native iris – either divide the entire bunch into smaller clumps that have good roots, or remove individual sections from around the edges. Once you’ve replanted them, make sure they are well watered until new growth appears.
And, a “DON'T” – Don’t cut back manzanita or Ceanothus, as they'll set their flower buds in late spring; if you prune them now, you'll be cutting out blooms that will appear in just a month or two.
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