![]() Many California native plants would be beautiful in urban landscapes, but they haveīeen underused in main-stream retail nurseries and the landscape industry because To much of the public either by location or limited hours, and have limited distribution Urbanization, where polluted runoff into water-sheds is an issue. MostĪre located in coastal areas, away from the large tracts of developing Central Valley Only to a small, motivated market of knowledgeable gardeners who seek them out. Those retail nurseries that do offer or specialize in native plants are often known Its customers year to year, and despite the growing demand, plants in the “low-input”Ĭategory have been relatively few and slow in coming to the mainstream nursery market. Industry, however, thrives on a constant input of new and beautiful plants to tantalize Their proper maintenance leaves no negative impact on the environment. Of the world with Mediterranean-type climates, are sometimes referred to as “low-input”īecause they require little supplemental water and no chemicals to look their best. These plants, usually native to California or other areas There has been a trend in both public landscapes and home gardens to use more plants ![]() The obvious answer is simply to garden with plants that have greater drought-tolerance,įewer pest problems and an adaptation to milder winters. So how does one create a lovely landscape with such difficult Was lovely in the garden center will eventually be disappointed with a plant unsuitable Nonetheless, large chain nurseries in particular often sell the same plants from oneĮnd of the state to the other, ensuring that many customers who bought something that In Sunset Western Garden Book ( Brenzel 2007). Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant hardiness zones ( USNA 2006), California is home to at least seven USDA zones and 24 climate zones as described In addition to all this, whereas other large states such as Texas have only four Due to overwatering and the frequent use of pesticides and artificial fertilizers,Īn increase in undesirable chemicals in urban runoff is a growing and serious problem With constantly increasing population pressures in the state, there is an increasingĭemand for water ( Hanak and Davis 2006). Large inputs of water, pesticides and fertilizers are needed to keep them looking So many commonly used landscape plants are ill-adapted to these climatic conditions, In either fall color or fruit production, and allow many pests that would be killedĮlsewhere by winter freezing to survive and multiply from one year to the next. Resist pests and diseases, and attract beneficial wildlife such as bees and birds.īrief, mild winters can render plants that require a long seasonal chill unsatisfactory These “All-Stars,” suchĪs the California lilac ‘Valley Violet’ (shown), were able to thrive in hot, dry conditions, Plants through partnerships with the commercial horticultural industry.Ĭalifornia native plants that performed well at the UC Davis Arboretum were testedįor their potential usefulness in Central Valley gardens. Program coordinated by UC Cooperative Extension, the UC Davis Arboretum and the CaliforniaĬenter for Urban Horticulture to introduce more low water-use and low chemical-use These irrigation and climate zone trials are part of an ongoing Zones throughout the state, where Master Gardeners are performing further assessments Throughout the season and were advanced to demonstration gardens in seven climate ![]() Six species maintained a favorable appearance In all cases, there were no significant differences in the summer growth or physicalĪppearance between four irrigation levels. Were screened in open-field conditions for low water tolerance during summer 2006. Ten unused or underused California native plants To address this issue, a program was initiatedĪt UC Davis to test the landscape potential of California native plants not currently There is a growing need in the state of California for landscape plants that requireįewer inputs of water and chemicals.
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