CALIFORNIA NATIVES
Companion Planting Is A Necessity
Companion Planting AS Community Planting

A native plant is a plant that grows in an area naturally, without benefit of man. A naturalized plant is one that does not occur naturally in the area, i.e. it is not native to an area, but grows in an adopted area and reproduces without man's help. To understand California natives, and those plants which can be safely naturalized in California, you must determine where they are found in the wild.

As always, determine their preferred growing conditions: climate, soil type, etc.  But there is one more factor to consider when choosing native plants. California natives grow best with members of their own "community." As with people, community refers to more than just the physical environment. Plant communities should be viewed as living systems. . The more you understand a plants native neighborhood or community, the better the choices you will be able to make.  For example, California natives do not grow naturally with garden flowers. Our native species are not generally used to the large amounts of water and fertilizer required by traditional garden flowers. Many live in mycorrhizial association with an underground partner. Most garden flowers do not. Plants should be grouped according to their lifestyles and needs. To simplify this classification, horticulturists have categorized them into three broad groups:

Stress Tolerants

Some plants are very tolerant the stress from harsh conditions or extreme variation in condition. Over generations, they have developed mechanisms to help them face hard times. These plants are found in areas of long droughts, extreme temperatures and in area where soils lack nutrition. They are generally very efficient. They will keep each leaf for many years until it is no longer useful. They then the remove the energy and drop the leaf. They grow moderately to slowly and usually have long lives. Generally speaking, they:

whave mycorrhizal relationships.
w are not attractive to bugs.
wbecause these plants are highly adapted to their native areas, they not easily adapted to regular garden conditions.
wcannot tolerate fertilizer.
w cannot tolerate organic mulch.

These plants should be grouped and planted where the soil is slightly alkaline. They need little maintenance and prefer to be left alone where heavy feet will not compact the soil. Do not use fertilizer unless you have a major problem.  Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium (N-P-K) fertilizers have killed more native plants than they have helped. If your garden is very cold, hot, dry, windy or infertile, or you have limited time, plant stress-tolerant plants.

Common Stress Tolerants: Incense Cedar, Bunch Grasses, Ceanothus, Manzanitas, Cranberries, Oaks, evergreen Creosote, Cypress, Photinia, Pines, Eucalyptus

Stress Avoiders

Some plants have developed ways to get around the stresses of their native communities. Included in this group are chaparral plants, many western wildflowers, perennials, shrubs, and much of the rest of the worlds shrubs and trees. They have developed systems whereby they can shut down when conditions become unfavorable. They can store energy. Many can go dormant or die to the ground, reappearing when conditions become favorable. Generally speaking, the Stress Avoiders:

ware drought tolerant by avoiding drought, e.g. go dormant in summer.
wdisappear during dry years such as many bunch grasses and wildflowers.
w have mycorrhizal relationships.

Do not till the soil around avoiders. You will disturbs dormant seeds and break the mycorrhizal connections. Stress Avoiders can generally tolerate a little more water during their natural water cycle: in winter-spring for Mediterranean plants, in summer for desert plants. Most of the perennials, shrubs and trees in this group tolerate or require surface mulch. This group needs occasional maintenance to clean out dead foliage and tidy up. If moved to another climate where the stress is removed, stress avoiders can become weeds.

Common Stress Avoiders: Acacia, Corn, Alders, Currants, Most deciduous trees, Viburnums, Ash, Dogwood, fruit trees, Wheat, Asters, Elm, Nut Trees, Baby Blue eyes, Forsythia, Oleander, Barley, Fuchsia, Onions, Tomatoes, Bermuda grass, Gingko, Penstemons, Berries, Buckeye, Hibiscus, most Hydrangea, Privet Lupine, Calif. Poppy, Iri, Chrysanthemum, Liquid ambar, Roses. Spiraea. Maple, Bougainvillea.

Grow & Show Gang

Some plants just like to grow and show. This group includes weeds, exotics and most hybridized garden flowers. They can out compete all their neighbors if there is regular water and applications of fertilizer. Reproduction is their key weapon. They are the first to flower and the first to seed. They proliferate if the soil has been altered in some way that disrupts the natural community. They will go to seed and die quickly when conditions do not go their way. They;

whave 'weedy' growth designed to outgrow their neighbors.
wattract insects.
ware very prolific; hard to kill or control.
wwill kill fungus thereby weakening/killing the fungus' host plant.
w generally an "exotic".

Weeds can lead to the collapse of a stable native area. Soil amendments, fertilizer, and water fosters their growth. These plants should be grouped and planted where water and continuous maintenance is available.

Common Grow & Shower: Alyssum, Creeping Charlie ,Beets, Purslane, Dusty Miller, Radish, Four-O'Clock ,Rape ,Broccoli, Garden Cress, Rhubarb, Cabbage, Globe-Amaranth, Candytuft, Ice plant, Sorrel, Carnation, Kale, Spinach, Cauliflower, Kohlrabi ,Stock Chard, Lawns(except Bermuda), Collards,Mustard, Sweet William, Nasturtium, Turnips, , Wandering Jew, Poke-weed

The closer you get to matching the plant to its native habitat, the better the plant will survive. If you perfectly match the plant to the "community,"  and all that "community" entails, you will not need to water, weed or heavily manage the garden.

Copyright 1998-2008 California Garden Clubs, Inc.
... the non-profit federation of garden clubs in California representing more than 22,000 California gardeners.
For problems with this website, please contact webmaster@cagardenclubs.org