The document discusses designing gardens for parking strips. Parking strips present unique challenges due to poor soil, lack of water access, and public safety considerations. The document provides guidance on assessing site conditions and following local regulations. It introduces the concept of "parking strip combo palettes" that include limited plant selections suited for the conditions. An example palette is described for moderate shade conditions, featuring Creeping Barberry as a backbone plant for its spreading growth form and adaptability. Its medicinal roots, colorful flowers, and berries are also highlighted.

1. Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden
Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants
Project SOUND - 2009
© Project SOUND

2. Beyond the Lawn
Parking Strip
C.M. Vadheim and T. Drake
CSU Dominguez Hills & Madrona Marsh Preserve
Madrona Marsh Preserve
January 3 & 6, 2009
© Project SOUND

3. The parking strip can be one of the
greatest gardening challenges
 It’s the first thing you see
when someone visits
 People walk all over it; dogs
poop & pee on it
 It may be very shady – with
lots of tree roots; or a hot,
dry desert – bordered by
sidewalk and street
 And you may not even own it!
The time-honored solution
was to plant a grass lawn
© Project SOUND

4. But the times, they are a’ changin’
© Project SOUND

5. Despite the challenges, the parking strip
can be an important asset
 Opportunity to increase your
growing space - particularly
important for small S. CA lots
 Serves as a design transition
from the street to your home
 May be the sunniest place in
your garden
 An opportunity to increase
the livability of your
neighborhood – change to
interact with your neighbors
© Project SOUND

6. The parking strip garden requires a careful
design plan
 Soil is often poor:
 Construction ‘dregs’ often put here
 Compacted by foot traffic & road construction
 Tree roots from street trees
 Dog pee
 Water is often difficult to control
 May be difficult to get water to strip
 May be drainage issues (drainage from
sidewalk, street)
 Water Zones for existing street trees
 Light can often be a challenge
 Full sun – hot & dry
 Quite shady – if have street trees
 Underground utilities, fire hydrants
 Aboveground utilities; city has access rights
 Often an unusual – challenging – size/shape
© Project SOUND

7. Parking strips are public places….
http://www.bringingbackthenatives.net/slides/Rheuark/Rheuark-Pages/index.html © Project SOUND

8. Some rules for a ‘reasonable’ parking
strip gardening plan
 Safety
 Provides good visibility for vehicles &
pedestrians
 Does not impede foot traffic on sidewalks
 Does not impede passing/parking of
vehicles
 Allows safe exiting from vehicles and
access to the sidewalk (if adjacent
parking is permitted)
 Is not dangerous: poisonous; sharp; trip
hazards
 Water conservation
 Promotes infiltration, not run-off
 Aesthetics
 Conforms to ‘weed abatement’ regulations
 Looks ‘appropriate’ for neighborhood
 Fits with rest of your front yard
© Project SOUND

9. Steps for designing your ‘New CA Parking Strip’
 Get to know your local regulations
 Assess your site:
 Pedestrian traffic patterns
 Location of above/underground utilities, water & sewer
lines, fire hydrants, etc.
 Existing vegetation (that will remain; e.g. existing trees)
 Sun & shade patterns; soil conditions (texture; pH)
 Design and locate the ‘pathways’
 Choose an appropriate planting design
© Project SOUND

10. First things first – what are you allowed to
do with your parking strip?
 Check your city’s current
regulations - lots of
variability between cities:
 Who owns the parking strip?
 What are your
responsibilities for upkeep?
 What are you allowed to do
with your parking strip; what
permits are required?
Most cities have this information
available on the city’s website
© Project SOUND

11. Parking strip regulations vary by city –
and are changing…
 Hardscape (walkways; steps;
rocks; planters; etc)
 Size of plants: often are height
restrictions (18”; may be 3 ft for
plants other than trees)
 Types of plants:
 Street tree: almost always a
‘street tree list’ or specific
regulations; city may own the
street trees
 Other plants : in some cities you
are still only allowed to plant
grass; other cities may require
permits for non-grass
alternatives
© Project SOUND

12. Torrance municipal code
 SECTION 75.1.6. PLANTING VEGETATION AROUND TREES.
 No person shall plant or grow or cause to be planted or grown any
ivy, geranium or other vegetation to a height of more than eighteen
(18) inches above the top of any curb, sidewalk or ground on,
against or around any tree upon any parkway in the City. For the
purpose of this Section, the term parkway shall include that area
of any public street between the curb or other edge of the
pavement and the private property line.
 ARTICLE 2 - VISIBILITY AT INTERSECTIONS (Added by O-
1288)
SECTION 75.2.1. OBSTRUCTING VISIBILITY PROHIBITED.
 No person owning or in possession of real property shall install or
maintain, or permit the installation or maintenance or existence of
any tree, shrub or plant within that triangular area between the
property lines parallel to intersecting streets and a diagonal line
joining points on said property lines twenty-five (25) feet from the
intersection of said property lines or within twenty (20) feet of
said property lines, which growth prevents or interferes with a
driver of a vehicle approaching the intersection on one street
seeing a vehicle approaching the intersection on another street.
© Project SOUND

13. The ‘visibility triangle’ is used by many cities to
determine height requirements for intersections
 Anything within a
specified distance of
the apex of the street
angle must conform to
height/planting
regulations
 Often varies by speed
limit: 25-45 ft is
common for residential
streets
 Varies by city: know
your regulations
© Project SOUND

14. Street trees  Don’t plant anything without city
approval; city will usually direct the
planting & placement of street trees
 Learn your city’s regulations: species,
characteristics & placement
 If you want to plant a native tree: see
if it can be added to the approved list
 Qualities of good street trees (in
addition to being attractive):
 Single trunk
 Can be pruned up: 7 ft above sidewalk;
14 ft above street is common)
 Not hazardous: weak wood; sharp
seeds, etc.
 Non-invasive roots; roots that don’t
damage sidewalks, roadways
 Water-wise (now figures in most
cities)
 Non-littering when possible
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11525626@N00/32409044/
© Project SOUND

15. Access features are the first items to locate
on your design plan
 They determine where & what you will plant
 They require careful placement
 Public safety
 Location of utilities; street trees
 They are often the first thing you install
 They have an impact on the ‘looks’ of the
parking strip garden
© Project SOUND
http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/getgrowing/2007/05/25/parking_strips_what_s_a_homeowner_to_do

16. Pedestrian access: safety & design
Safety first - parking strips are
public areas
 Should allow for easy access to parked
vehicles
 Should be placed to provide reasonable
access to the sidewalk: some suggest 1
per car-length
 Should be adequately wide (2-2 ½ ft);
or 1 ½ ft. in addition to curbing)
 Should stay reasonably dry in rainy
season
 Should provide a firm footing for
walking
 Ideally should be pervious to water;
allow water to percolate
© Project SOUND

17. Pedestrian access: safety & design
Design - many hardscape
options to complement
the rest of the garden
 Concrete pavers (with or
without vegetation; crushed
rock)
 Natural stone (flag stone;
PV stone)
 Brick (set in sand)
 Crushed rock/ decomposed
granite
 Shredded bark; woodchip
mulch (even just between
widely-spaced plants)
© Project SOUND

18. Pedestrian access: living walkways
 Native sod-forming ‘grasses’
 Non-native ‘walkable’
groundcover plants:
 Corsican mint - Mentha requienii
 Baby tears - Solierolia soleirolii
 Corsican sandwort - Arenaria
http://www.smgrowers.com/imagedb/Carex_praegracilis.jpg balerica
 Creeping thymes:
 Mother of thyme (Thymus
serpyllum)
 Woolly thyme (Thymus
pseudolanuginosus )
 Elfin thyme (Thymus praecox)
 Silver Carpet (Dymondia
margaretae)
 Chamaemelum nobile 'Treneague'
(non-flowering)
© Project SOUND

19. http://www.bringingbackthenatives.net/slides/Rheuark/Rheuark-Pages/index.html
 Design can be similar to rest of yard or different
– it’s separate enough to be treated either way
© Project SOUND

20. Parking strips are usually narrow; often,
fewer species is better….
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/topic/la-hm-sidewalk2006may18,0,3338874.story
No matter the location, low maintenance
and proper scale are crucial.
© Project SOUND

21. http://bammorgan.blogspot.com/2008/04/payne-foundation-garden-tour.html
“It's good to select evergreens for the parking strip,
accented with herbaceous plants. A strip that is completely
bare in summer or winter is not only uninteresting, it's an
invitation for weed seeds to germinate.”
© Project SOUND

22. New CA Garden ‘Parking Strip Combo
Palettes’
 Based on sun, drainage & Water Zones
 Include a limited plant palette:
 Heavy on evergreen species
 All are low-growing
 All are hardy on parking strips
 You can mix & match within a palette, depending on your needs
 Palettes can be used to create either a formal or informal design
© Project SOUND

23. Each palette includes three types of plants:
 Group 1: Backbone plants
 Spreading evergreen species
(mostly); many < 2 ft tall
 Take up 60-80% of parking strip
area
 Choose 1-3 from list
 Group 2: Contrast plants
 Add interest and fill space
between backbone plants
 Take up 10-30% of area
 Group 3: Color plants
 Mostly plants with good flower
color
 Take up 10-20% of area
 Particularly important during
first several years
© Project SOUND

24. A common parking strip challenge…
 Existing street trees –
moderate shade
 May be pine needles –
slightly more acid soil
 Soil compacted; roots
 Need a low groundcover
that looks fairly tidy
Where would you put walkways?
What material would you use?
© Project SOUND

25. New CA Garden ‘Parking Strip Combo
Palettes’
 Based on sun, drainage & Water Zones
 Include a limited plant palette:
 Heavy on evergreen species
 All are low-growing
 All are hardy on parking strips
 You can mix & match within a palette, depending on your needs
 Palettes can be used to create either a formal or informal design
© Project SOUND

26. Creeping Barberry – Mahonia repens
R.A. Howard @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
© Project SOUND

27. Creeping Barberry – Mahonia repens
 Western U.S. to S. Canada
 In CA:
 Foothills of the coastal
ranges, Sierras
 Locally: mountains in San
Diego
 Often on dry slopes or
canyons in grasslands,
shrublands, open forest
 In many plant communities:
riparian, sagebrush,
chaparral, pinyon-juniper,
mountain brush, oak, aspen,
pine, and conifer
communities
© Project SOUND

28. In the wild – a groundcover plant
http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/Yellow%20Enlarged%20Photo%20Pages/mahonia%20repens.htm
© Project SOUND

29. Characteristics of Creeping Mahonia
 Size:
 1-2 ft tall
 spreading – 2-4 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Sprawling woody shrub; spreads via
stems (stolons or rhizomes)
 Evergreen
 Rather stiff appearance
 Foliage:
 Leaves holly-like
 Dark green; old leaves may turn
purple/red in winter
 Roots: deep rooted; can resprout
from root crowns
© 1984, H. Tim Gladwin
© Project SOUND

30. Roots of Mahonia species
are special
 Widely used as medicinal
 as an antiseptic and healing
wash or poultice on wounds,
http://www.localharvest.org/oregon-grape-root-tincture-
mahonia-repens-C2926
tincture of root
scorpion bites
 As a tea or tincture:
 Coughs, fevers
 Enteric infections, especially
bacterial dysentery
 Kidney problems
 Roots & bark produce a yellow
natural dye
http://flickr.com/photos/92071270@N00/497458613
© Project SOUND
http://flickr.com/photos/22731657@N03/2743052389/

31. Flowers are showy against
the dark leaves
 Blooms:
 In spring - usually Apr-May in
lower elevations of our area
 Depends in part on temperature
 Flowers:
 Bright, intense yellow
 Small (1/3 inch or so); but in
dense, showy clusters
 Sweet scented – to attract the
native pollinators (bees, others)
 Fruits:
 Waxy blue when ripe
 Tart – but make wonderful
jellies, sauces
 Birds love them!! (robins,
finches and towhees)
© Project SOUND
Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences

32.  Soils:
Plant Requirements  Texture: any, including heavy
clays
 pH: any local; does fine with
acidic soils – OK under pines
 Light:
 Part-shade to full shade
 Will flower and fruit best in part-
shade (like under trees)
 Water:
 Winter: good winter water
 Summer: Zone 2 once
established; Zone 2-3 or 3 for
first 1-2 years
 Fertilizer: use an organic mulch
(pine needles are ideal)
 Other: tolerates heat; easy to grow
© Project SOUND

33. Creeping Barberry
 Most often used as a low
natural groundcover
 Evergreen; low-growing
 Easy to grow
 Fills in to cover an area
 Interesting, attractive foliage
 Bright spring flowers; winter
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MARE11
foliage color
 Great under trees; other shady
areas
 In a woodsy garden; or creeping
over a low stone wall
 To attract fruit-eating birds
 Fine in pots/planters
 Anywhere you might consider
(shudder) planting ivy
http://www.elnativogrowers.com/Photographs_page/mahrep.htm
© Project SOUND

34. Growing native
woody groundcovers
 Choose a species with a
moderate growth rate (will live
longer than quick-growers)
 Space plants appropriately:
http://www.wsu.edu/~lohr/wcl/gcovers/mahoniar/wmaredes.html
 Distance should be ~ ¾ of the
plant’s mature diameter – allows
a little overlap
 Can plant as close as ½ mature
diameter for quicker cover
 Mulch, mulch, mulch
 Weed regularly
 Start selective pruning early
 Consider using filler plants:
 Short-lived grasses; Yarrow
G.A. Cooper @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
 Annual wildflowers
© Project SOUND

35. Native woody parking strips: one species
or several
 Single species:
 More formal, tidy looking
 Entire area has same cultural
requirements
 ? Easier to maintain
 Looks more like a conventional ‘single
species’ parking strip
 Several (2-3) species:
 More interesting: foliage, flowers
 Better habitat value
 May be smarter choice – even if one
species doesn’t make it
 Allows you to include a few (expensive;
rare) species
 May be more like ‘Mother Nature’s
Garden’
© Project SOUND

36. Grasses, sedges and other
groundcovers can provide
an interesting mix…..
© Project SOUND
http://groups.ucanr.org/slosson/documents/2005-200610656.pdf

37. In the mountains of CO, Creeping Mahonia
often grows with Kinnickinnick
© Project SOUND

38. Kinnikinnick – Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
© Project SOUND

39. Kinnikinnick – Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
 Also commonly called Bear Berry
 Found throughout the Northern
Hemisphere:
 N. Asia/Russia
 N. Europe
 In North America - from the northern
half of California north to Alaska and
across Canada and the northern United
States to New England and
Newfoundland.
 In CA – mostly along the N. CA coast
 Rocky outcrops, slopes, sandy soils,
coastal dunes, chaparral, coniferous
forest
http://www.swsbm.com/maps/Arctostaphylos_uva-ursi.gif © Project SOUND
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?3449,3454,3542

40.  Occurs in widely variable conditions
© Project SOUND
http://blackfootnativeplants.com/inventory.html

41. Does well in sandy soils along the CA coast
© Clayton J. Antieau
© Project SOUND

42. Kinnikinnick is another low-growing woody shrub
 Size:
 < 1 ft tall
 spreading: 3-15 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Evergreen woody shrub
 Very low, dense growth – mat-
like
© 2007 Matt Below  Spreads by rooting stems
 Foliage:
 Like other Manzanitas
 Leathery leaves; green but may
become red-tinged in winter
 Neat appearing – garden-like
 Good antibacterial qualities:
used for urinary, skin infections
© 2005 Steve Matson http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/aruv2.htm
 Roots: fibrous; to 6+ feet depth
© Project SOUND
Deer will browse

43. Flowers & fruits are pure
Manzanita
 Blooms: in spring; usually Mar-
May in our area
 Flowers:
 Small; but in clusters
 Pink/white
 Typical urn-shaped
© 2007 Matt Below
 Sweetly fragrant; attracts
butterflies & hummingbirds
 Fruits:
 Little red ‘apples’ in late
summer/fall; very showy
 Yum! : birds eat them & you can
make jellies, sauces from them
G.A. Cooper @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database © Project SOUND

44. Kinnikinnick - well suited  Soils:
 Texture: best in sandy soils, but
to garden conditions… fine in most well-drained soils
 pH: any, including quite acidic –
fine under pines
 Light:
 Best in part shade; tolerates full
shade (but less flowering)
 Full sun only near immediate coast
 Water:
 Young plants: Zone 2-3
 Winter: needs good water – deep
roots
 Summer: Zone 2-3 (best); Zone 2
ok once established
 Fertilizer: none
 Other: delicate roots; don’t move or
compact soils
© Project SOUND

45. Mainly used as a low
groundcover
 Excellent groundcover under
trees
 Fine on parking strips in
virtually all local cities – very
low-growing & looks way better
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/a/arcuva/arcuva3.html
than ivy!
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/a/arcuva/arcuva3.html
 Looks nice cascading over a low
retaining wall
 Combine with rocks
 Nice in a large pot or planter –
even on shady patios
 Great on slopes – even steep
ones!
 Fine near the ocean
http://courses.washington.edu/ehuf331/Plant_Pages_subfolders/ERICACEAE.shtml
© Project SOUND

46. http://www.tinytreasuresnursery.com/Genus/Plants%20A.htm
http://www.yerbabuenanursery.com/viewplant.php?pid=407
‘Wood’s Compact’
‘Point Reyes’
Several cultivars
available
‘Green Supreme’
http://www.jamesdeandesign.com/Slide_Show/Pl
ant_Catalog/SHRUBS/
‘Radiant’ ‘Pacific Mist’ © Project SOUND

47. Management is easy…
 Plant when plants are
young – don’t move them
 Mulch & weed until
established
 Pinch/tip-prune when
young to encourage
Photo by Richard Old, www.xidservices.com
fullness – early spring
 Prune out dead/old
branches after flowering
in spring
 Easy to grow – few pest if
appropriately watered
© Project SOUND

48. Tricks to keeping parking strip plants under the
height limit
 Choose naturally low-growing
species/cultivars
 Best: see the plant actually
growing under conditions
similar to yours
 Talk to knowledgeable nursery
staff
 Start training the plants from
the beginning – selective
pruning & pinching
 Remember Mother Nature’s
lessons:
 Don’t over-water or over-
fertilize
‘Little Sur’ Manzanita  Be sure plant gets adequate
sunlight
© Project SOUND

49. A ‘Shady Woodland’ mix works well for many
shady parking strips that need some summer water
© Project SOUND

50. There also are mixes more suited to dry
shady situations
 Perfect under street
trees that need little
water (native oaks;
Eucalyptus)
 Combine low shrubby
native groundcovers with:
 Grasses/grass-like species
 A few low shrubs
 Even some native bulbs and
flowering species
 Look great in yards that
use other CA native plants
© Project SOUND

51. What to do with ‘mixed light’ parking strips
 Try a ‘Dappled Shadeland’
garden
 Choose 1-2 backbone species
with wide light tolerances:
 Yarrow
 Fragaria
 Mix with sun- or shade-
requiring species as
Contrast & Accent species
 Dichondra
 Argentina
 flowering perennials &
annual wildflowers (at least
until the other species fill
in)
© Project SOUND

52. For well-drained sandy soils, choose native soil-
binders as Backbone Plants
 Yarrow (Achillea)
 Strawberries
(Fragaria)
 Silverweed
 Checkerbloom
(Sidalcea
species)
 Native dichondra
© Project SOUND

53. Formal or informal:
the choice is yours
 Many plants in the ‘Parking
Strip Combos’ palettes look
equally good either way
 Formal designs using CA
native plants can be
strikingly beautiful;
refreshing
 Remember that formal
designs require more upkeep
 Separate species with
barriers
 Be ruthless in keeping
species in their proper
places
 Edging between your parking
strip and the lawn next door
© Project SOUND

54. Pacific Silverweed – Argentina egedii ssp. egedii
(Potentilla anserina vars. grandis, pacifica)
© 2005 Dr. Amadej Trnkoczy
http://flickr.com/photos/27830975@N05/3061843001/in/photostream/ © Project SOUND

55. Pacific Silverweed – Argentina egedii ssp. egedii
(Potentilla anserina vars. grandis, pacifica)
 Immediate west coast from
AK to Baja; also coasts in Asia
 Name nightmares:
 Formerly classified in the
genus Potentilla but has
recently been reclassified
into the new genus Argentina.
 Very closely related to
Silverweed (A. anserina or
Potentilla anserina), the only
other species in the genus),
and is treated as a
subspecies of it by Jepson,
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?6677,6824,6825,6827 plant growers.
© Project SOUND

56. Silverweed in nature
 Wet to seasonally wet
areas:
 Coastal dunes & sandy
bluffs
 Freshwater and
brackish marsh edges
 Estuaries & mudflats
 Wetland meadows
 Along streams
 Soils: sandy to clay;
may also be rocky
© 2004, Ben Legler
© Project SOUND

57. Characteristics of Pacific Silverweed
 Size:
 1 to 1 ½ ft tall
 Spreading to 4-5 ft wide;
old plants die – replaced by
new
 Growth form:
 Herbaceous perennial
 Spreads by stolons
(runners) producing new
plantlets
 Foliage:
 Almost fern-like; showy
 Green above; silvery below
 Roots: soil-binding
© 2004, Ben Legler
© Project SOUND

58. Cinquefoils (including
Silverweed) & Strawberries
 Close relatives – both in
Rose family:
 Somewhat similar leaves
 Spread via runners –
sometimes invasively so
© 2004, Ben Legler
(ah ha – perfect for the
parking strip!)
 Individual plants live only
2-3 year
 Flowers quite similar
except in color
http://hanamist.sakura.ne.jp/flower/riben/bara/img/ezoturu.jpg
© Project SOUND

59. Bright, sunny flowers
 Blooms:
 Spring/summer - usually in
May-Aug in our area
 Fairly long bloom period –
several months
 Flowers:
 Like strawberry – only yellow
and a bit bigger.
 On stalks above foliage
 Close on cloudy days
 Seeds:
 Dry – attached to a core
 Fairly easy to start from seed
in winter/spring – no
© 2005 Dr. Amadej Trnkoczy
treatment
© 2004, Ben Legler © Project SOUND

60. Silverweed is easy  Soils:
to please….  Texture: any well-drained sandy
or clay soil
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Full sun to light shade
 Great in dappled sun under
trees
 Water:
 Winter: needs good rains/water
 Summer: very adaptable; Zone 2
to 3; will die back in drought
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
 Other: tolerates winter flooding,
seaside conditions, salty soils
http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/silverweed.html
© Project SOUND

61. Garden uses for
Silverweed
 Great groundcover, parking
strip plant
 Contained areas like planters
 As an attractive pot plant
 Under Zone 3 trees
© 2002 Dean Wm. Taylor
 In wet spots in garden – near
sprinklers, low spots, drainage
areas (rain gardens)
 In vegetable garden
 Taproots baked or steamed
and eaten – native delicacy
 Roots also used as an
astringent compress or tea
http://roseconnors.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html
(for diarrhea, sore throat)
© Project SOUND

62. Tips for designing an ‘informal’ parking strip
 Choose plants from the appropriate
‘combo’ palette
 Planting several Backbone Species
and let them fight it out for real
estate.
 Aim for swirls and riffs of color, like
a living Persian carpet; always plant at
least 3 plants of a single species
together.
 Add flagstones or stepping stones in
spots, so you aren't fighting human
nature when it comes to taking
shortcuts to the street.
 Commit to some serious hand-weeding
until the ground covers become
established
© Project SOUND

63. Filler and Accent plants add interest
 Filler plants
 May be either spreaders or
smaller shrubs/ perennials
that can be massed
 Usually are evergreen – at
least with a little summer
Carex species water
 Used to provide contrasts to
backbone plants:
 Size/shape
 Foliage color, type
 Accent plants
 Used to provide seasonal color
 Foliage may be insignificant
 May die back in summer/fall
Silene species or in winter
© Project SOUND

64. Color plants play a key role in the first years
of many native parking strips
Remember the old
adage... first year
they sleep, then they
creep, then they leap.
http://bammorgan.blogspot.com/2008/04/payne-foundation-garden-tour.html
 Use mulch between plants
 Use signage to let people know what’s in progress
 Talk to neighbors before, during and after installation
© Project SOUND

65. California Primrose – Oenothera californica
© 2005 Brent Miller
© Project SOUND

66. California Primrose – Oenothera californica
 Coastal, Sierra, Transverse
and desert mountain ranges
of CA to Baja – locally in San
Gabriels
 In foothills (mostly)
 Sandy or gravelly areas,
dunes, desert scrub to
pinyon/juniper or ponderosa-
pine woodlands
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Oenothera+californica
 Same genus as Hooker’s
Evening Primrose
© Project SOUND

67. Characteristics of CA Primrose
 Size:
 Usually < 1 ft tall
 Usually 2-4 ft wide; more in
favorable locations (with more
water)
 Growth form:
http://www.theodorepayne.org/gallery/pages/O/oenothera_californica.htm
 Sprawling sub-shrub or
herbaceous perennial
 Foliage initially in basal rosette
– then becomes almost vine-like
 Foliage:
 Lance-shaped; may be incised
 Drought & cold deciduous
 Roots: 2-4 ft
© Project SOUND
http://www.timetotrack.com/jay/desert/primcal2.htm

68. Flowers are the reason to
plant native primroses
 Blooms:
 In spring - usually Apr-May in
our area
 Flowers open over long period –
individual flowers short-lived
© 2003 Lynn Watson
 Flowers:
 White, becoming more pink
 Fairly large (2 inch) and
definitely showy
 Sweet, slightly musky fragrance
 Seeds: many tiny seeds in a capsule
 Vegetative reproduction:
sprouting from roots
http://botany.si.edu/onagraceae/taxalist.cfm?genus=Oenothera
© Project SOUND

69. Care and management: plant & ignore
 Soils:
 Texture: sandy/rocky best
 pH: any local to 8.5 (alkali)
 Light:
 Full sun – coastal
 Part-shade/morning sun inland
 Water:
 Winter: good winter rains
 Summer: drought tolerant but
takes anything from 2 to 3; best
to let dry out in late summer/fall
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
http://botany.si.edu/onagraceae/taxalist.cfm?genus=Oenothera  Other: cut back as needed in fall.
© Project SOUND

70. Native primroses
in the garden
 Best planted with native
grasses, perennials, annual
wildflowers
 Excellent choice for
water-wise parking strip
 Lovely in pots on a sunny
deck
 Attract a wild assortment
of insects
http://botany.si.edu/onagraceae/taxalist.cfm?genus=Oenothera
© Project SOUND

71. Filler plants may also
provide flower color
Epilobium canum
http://flickr.com/photos/spidra/2430035989/
Penstemon heterophyllus
© Project SOUND

72. Pacific Aster – Symphyotrichum chilense var. chilense
(Aster chilensis)
© 2007 Neal Kramer
© Project SOUND

73. Pacific Aster – Symphyotrichum chilense var. chilense
(Aster chilensis)
 Northwestern U.S., Canada,
coastal CA to Santa Barbara Co.
 Locally: mountains of San Diego
Co; San Bernardino Mountains
http://www.graniteseed.com/seeds/seed.php/Symphyotrichum_chilense_var._chilense
 Despite its Latin name, it does not
occur in Chile – another mistake
handed down to posterity!
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Aster+chilensis © Project SOUND

74. A plant of many
habitats
 Grasslands
 Salt marshes
 Coastal dunes and bluffs
 Coastal grasslands and
scrub,
 Even open disturbed
habitats in evergreen and
Pacific coast coniferous
forest
© 2004, Ben Legler
Not surprisingly, there are phenotypic variants
© Project SOUND

75. Pacific Aster – not grown for it’s foliage
 Size:
 1-2 ft tall
 Spreading to 5+ ft wide
 Growth form:
 Herbaceous perennial
 Upright, then carpet-like
 Drought deciduous – dies
back to ground in late
summer
 Foliage:
 Thin/sparse; medium green
 Roots: rhizomes – by which it
spreads, often vigorously
© 2004, Ben Legler
© Project SOUND

76. Flowers are dainty
 Blooms:
 Summer: usually Jul-Aug in
Western L.A. Co.
 Flowers:
 Typical sunflower head – but
dainty; ~ 1 inch head
 White to purple (even pink) ray
flowers; yellow disc flowers
 Many flowers blooming at one
time; very showy
 Excellent nectar source for
native moths and butterflies
 Seeds:
 With fluffy tail to aid wind
distribution; birds love them!
© 2007 Neal Kramer
 Can reseed on bare ground
© 2004, Ben Legler
© Project SOUND

77. Pacific Aster can thrive  Soils:
on your parking strip  Texture: any – sand to clay
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Full sun to light shade;
 Probably best color in light
shade
 Water:
 Winter: adequate
 Summer: wide range (Zone 1-2
to 3); probably best as Zone 2 –
too aggressive with more water.
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
 Other: can be heavily pruned, even
mowed, occasionally. Cut back in
fall after flowering.
© 2004, Ben Legler
© Project SOUND

78. Pacific Aster: not for
everywhere…
 Best contained, as it is an
aggressive competitor:
 Pots & planters
 Areas bounded by walks, or
other boundries
 Parking strips – if managed
 Usually used in combination with
native grasses, bulbs, sub-shrubs
(Epilobium canum; Goldenrods) in
native meadows; can be mowed
back in fall
© 2005 Andrea Jesse  Appropriate for Cottage Gardens
 Good for stabilizing slopes
Excellent choice for butterfly gardens
© Project SOUND

79. ‘Point St. George’ cultivar
is more robust
 Native cultivar from N. CA
 Generally more robust:
http://www.calfloranursery.com/pages_plants/pages_a/astchipoistg.html
 Larger, more robust leaves
 Larger flowers
 Looks more like a
cultivated plant
 ‘Purple Haze’ cultivar:
 Dark purple flowers
 Otherwise similar to parent
species
© 2003 Charles E. Jones
‘Point St. George’ © Project SOUND

80. The Parking Strip is the driest, sunniest
place in some gardens
© Project SOUND

81. Sunny Coastal Prairie or Shrubland plants
may be appropriate
http://www.bringingbackthenatives.net/slides/Rheuark/Rheuark-Pages/index.html © Project SOUND

82. Bringing Back the Natives – One Pot at a Time
Your commitment:
 Materials
 Pot: 12-16 inches in diameter; 12-
16 inches deep
 Potting soil: Lowe’s ‘Gardeners’ or
Super Soil (cheapest) potting soil
 Time
 Plant seeds; care for plants
 After seeds are ripe/dry:
 Scatter in your garden
 Collect and share with others
 Photos & feedback
 Provide us photos and (brief)
written feedback about your
successes and failures
© Project SOUND

83. Bringing Back the Natives – One Pot at a Time
We will provide:
 Seeds – enough for 1 pot
 Baby Blue-eyes
 Chinese Houses
 Globe and Bird’s Eye Gilias
 Goldfields
 Meadowfoam
 Purple & Elegant Clarkias
 Tidy Tips
 Dot-seed Plantain
 Several others
 Advice and encouragement
 Garden Information Sheets
 Advice and encouragement via
e-mail, phone, blog © Project SOUND

84. Penstemons do well in a dry, sunny parking strip
http://kristamaxwell.com/garden/photos2.html
http://www.pbase.com/yakteachr/image/30742457
Penstemon heterophyllus Penstemon newberryi
http://flickr.com/photos/sierrarainshadow/2098924913/ http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/images/Rots/ © Project SOUND

85. Penstemons: most of the foliage is low
http://www.fireflyforest.com/flowers/reds/red12.html
Penstemon laetus Penstemon eatonii
http://www.thequercusgroup.com/XZ-Essentials-Elements.html
© Project SOUND

86. White Fairy-lantern – Calochortus albus
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CAAL2
© Project SOUND

87. White Fairy-lantern – Calochortus albus
 California endemic (limited
to CA)
 North/central Sierra Nevada
Foothills
 Central & S. coastal mountain
ranges, Transverse ranges,
Channel Islands
 Locally: Catalina & Santa
Monica Mtns.
 Shady to open woodlands,
Rocky outcrops
 Chaparral, foothill woodland,
yellow pine forest to 6000'
© Project SOUND
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?8349,8461,8462

88. Calochortus: members of the Liliaceae (Lily Family)
 Large family - includes hyacinths,
tulips, onions, as well as true lilies.
 The flowers have 3 petals and 3
sepals, often very similar
 Most CA natives are herbaceous (no
woody stem) and die back, after
flowering or fruiting, to underground
bulbs, corms, or rhizomes.
 New plants form from bulb division or
sprout from seeds
 Many native members of Liliaceae can
be grown in the garden, keeping in
mind their native situations:
 Allium, Brodiaea, Camassia, Lilium
and Calochortus species prefer
open, sunny areas
© Project SOUND

89.  70 species from British Columbia to
Guatemala and east to Nebraska (28
The genus Calochortus species endemic to CA).
 The genus Calochortus includes:
C. luteus
 Mariposas (or Mariposa lilies) with open
wedge-shaped petals - dry grasslands and
semideserts
 Globe lilies and Fairy lanterns with globe-
shaped flowers - closed forests
 Cat's ears and Star tulips with erect
pointed petals - wet meadows & montane
woodlands
C. catalinae
 Calochortus produce one or more flowers
on a stem that arises from the bulb,
generally in the spring or early summer.
 Unlike most other Liliaceae, Calochortus
petals differ in size and color from their
sepals. Flowers can be white, yellow, pink,
purple, bluish, or streaked.
 The insides of the petals are often highly
hairy. These hairs, along with the
The word Calochortus is derived nectaries, are often used in distinguishing
from Greek and means "beautiful species from each other.
grass". © Project SOUND

90. Calochortus albus is a dainty Fairy Lily
 Size:
 1-2 ft tall
 <1 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Herbaceaous perennial from a bulb
 Upright form; slender
 Dormant in fall dry season; dies
back to bulb
 Foliage:
 Mostly basal
 Grass-like leaves
 Roots: bulb
Margaret Williams @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database © Project SOUND

91. White Fairy-lantern: enchanting flowers
 Blooms:
 Later spring: usually Apr-June in
coastal L.A. County
 Flowers:
 Truly like a little ‘fairy lantern’
 White tinged with pink
 Flowers hangs from stem; nod in the
breeze
 Seeds:
 Dark brown seeds in hanging winged
capsule
 Fairly easy to grow; plant fall-winter
(with the rains) in pots or in ground
 Vegetative reproduction: offsets
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CAAL2
from bulbs
© Project SOUND

92.  Soils:
Plant Requirements  Texture: best in well-drained
clays
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Best in part-shade; under
trees is good
 Full sun only on immediate
coast
 Water:
 Winter/spring: needs good
spring water
 Summer: no water after
blooming (mid-summer)
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
 Other: easier than most
Calochartus; water appropriately
http://www.yerbabuenanursery.com/online_album/0829.htm © Project SOUND

93. Garden uses for White
Fairylantern
 In a pot – alone or with other
bulbs & native wildflowers; allows
you to treat plants as Zone 1
 With native dry grasses (Melica
imperfecta; Koeleria macrantha)
http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/CalochortusSpeciesOne & annual wildflowers – have same
water & light requirements
 Take a tip from Mother Nature –
these look great when massed!
 Great bulb for under native oaks;
place where gets part-sun.
 Protect the bulbs from rodents,
including squirrels, gophers;
native Californians roasted bulbs
© Project SOUND
http://www.bulbsociety.org/GALLERY_OF_THE_WORLDS_BULBS/GRAPHICS/Calochortus/Calochor
tus_albus/C.albus.html

94. Tips from city
planning pros
 “Plant low-growing plants, no more
than 6 to 12 inches high, and the
city won’t make a big deal.”
 “Use plants that match the
aesthetics of the yard, but
don’t let it get out of hand. Avoid
thorny things. Keep shrubby plants
below 30 inches – no tall hedges or
solid green walls, especially near
driveways and street corners.”
 “The best designs are driven by
common sense.” Oishi (L.A. City)
recommends that the two feet
nearest the curb be planted with
grass or some hardy groundcover
that can withstand some foot
traffic. He also suggests
allowing at least one path from the
street to the sidewalk.
http://www.bringingbackthenatives.net/slides/Rheuark/Rheuark-Pages/index.html © Project SOUND