I'm looking for suggestions to plant in a roadway center island that has no built-in irrigation. They'd have to be drought-tolerant plants, probably native to my Northern California (Zone 9) locale. Initially, watering would only occasionally be provided by a nearby neighbor until the plants get established enough to (hopefully) survive on their own, with whatever Mother Nature offers them. Low-maintenance would also be a requirement.
Suggestions appreciated.
-Fleemo
Quercus lobata or Quercus douglasii (both will require pruning while young to be street-able).
Manzanita comes to mind. There are small ones and big ones, you didn't say how large the plants could get. I'd also consider redbud, just because I like it.
Dichondra?
Need a good, cheap, knowledge expanding present for yourself or a friend?
Fleemo What is the soil like? Full sun? Size of the area? Low plants? bushy? taller, like 10 feet or more?/? Emilie NorCal
Thanks for the suggestions, folks.
Currently, sandy soil, full sun, probably four feet by 12 feet. We'd probably prefer relatively low-growing plants, say under two or three feet. No big shrubs or anything. Daylilies would be an example of the type of thing we'd like to go for. I'm not sure how drought-tolerant they are, but they're certainly easy to grow and put on a nice show.
-Fleemo
In Oregon, they use Scotch Broom for this. They have many colors.
Here in Pennsylvania, they use a wild flower mix. Then mow it after the bloom season. The wild flower seed mixes can be bought for various climates and various effects.
f>eet. No big shrubs or anything. Daylilies would be an example of the
The soil sounds good for natives, (Sacramento clay would need drainage improvement.) Some ideas: Globe mallow (Sphaeralcea) Penstemon many native species, P. heterophyllus is good and available as 'Blue Bedder' California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) Salvia: Cleveland sage, Brandegees sage, S.dorrii Blue sage, Mexican bush sage (not native) Deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens) Fremontia (Fremontodendron californicum) both Manzantia and Ceanothus have small to mid size varieties. Zauschneria: Hummingbird Fuchsia Erigeron: Seaside daisy, spreading daisy or Santa Barbara daisy I think all of these would be green all year and most have flowers And , not native, but this is a good place for Mexican Evening Primrose, which can be terribly invasive in a garden, but good in a contained space. (Daylilies would never make it in full sun with no water)
PLEASE, do not use broom; an incredibly invasive weed! ( sorry Stephen, but it's on the noxious weed list here in N. Calif. The CA Native Plant Society has "Broom Bashing " parties, where we declare war on it!!)
Feel free to ask me more about any of these if you wish Emilie Norcal
Hi Fleemo,
How about sage, penstemon, manzanita, california poppy, sand verbena aquilegia, arabis, aster, desert marigold, woolly Indian panitbrush coreopsis, delphinium, monkey flower - Diplacus, erigeron, Californi pearly everlasting, California goldenrod, red California fuchsia.
-- Newt
I should also add that the plants on my list will need to be watered through the first summer: about once a week until fall cools down and then once a month until the rain starts again.
You might visit the CNPS website
Actually, here in Oregon, they're trying to get rid of scotchbroom since it's a noxious weed. I do see a lot of streets where they use st. johns wart.
Some good suggestions for Fleemo. I have planted a similar area & for me the most exciting ultra-drought-hardies are the rockroses which form a sufficient groundcover that the weeds don't get through, & come in a wonderful variety of intense colors. There are a couple "doubles" on the market which bloom right up to autumn, the singles bloom summer, but the leaves have such variety (from glossy green to blue-grey) that the plants are lovely when not in flower. Rockroses are bigger, with a smaller color pallet to choose from, but strong impact without need of watering.
Others that have worked well in my xeriscape areas are Russian Sage, Catmint, Graecian Horehound, Archer's variegated horehound, homestead verbena, bearberry cotoneaster, wallflower (there's a variegated wallflower that is longest-blooming from mid-spring right up to the edge of winter), rose-of-sharon hybiscus (many colors, highly floriferous all summer), hybrid brooms, tree mallow which blends well with rockroses (there's a newish golden-leaf tree mallow), & rabbit-ear lavenders.
All of these are ideal for my zone (8), a few would not like it hotter (hybrid brooms) or colder (some of the rock roses), but most have a wide range of adaptability.
-paghat the ratgirl
The hybrid brooms are not noxious & are highly recommendable. The wild scotchbroom is too well naturalized in the northwest to ever be gotten rid of, but is illegal to grow in Washington.
-paghat the ratgirl
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