You can influence the installation of native plants on Homeowner Association (HOA) common area property.

The Challenge: Homeowner Association boards are made up of neighbors who likely have little or no native gardening experience. Board members are volunteers who have multiple problems to contend with and may prefer not to spend their limited time thinking about plants. Consequently, board members rely on their HOA landscape contractor for planting suggestions.

When boards rely only on HOA landscape contractors for advice, the community might miss opportunities to install native plants that are beautiful and beneficial to the ecology of the area.

HOA landscape contractors will recommend plant species they are familiar with, which mostly includes nonnative ornamental varieties like myoporum, low boy acacia, cistus, cape honeysuckle, and others. Too often, the landscape contractors will plant too many plants too close together, and sadly, they may create a monoculture.

Landscape contractors are also under pressure from local fire authorities that require shrubs be kept no higher than two feet tall.

How can you help? Join the board of your HOA so you can get to know the neighbors who are volunteering for the board, and observe the landscape contractor hired to help manage the vegetation in the common areas.

If joining the board is impossible for you (and that is understandable!), join the landscape committee. If your HOA doesn’t have a landscape committee, offer to start one.

Once you join the board or the HOA landscape committee, be patient. Watch and learn and don’t expect immediate success. Be open to trying new things and working cooperatively and respectfully with the landscape contractor.

HOA boards are motivated to protect property values. Plants installed in common areas must be attractive, evergreen, and hardy.

Recommend the HOA avoid installing invasive plants and trees:

1. Peruvian pepper trees (Schinus molle), erroneously known as California peppers, have intrusive roots that can stretch 40 feet or more underneath home foundations in search for water.
2. Eucalyptus trees can cause property damage if branches drop during high wind events. Blue gum eucalyptus and Red Gum eucalyptus are invasive.
3. The Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolia) is invasive and expensive to maintain.
4. Fountain grass (Pennesetum setaceum) is flammable and invasive in So Cal. If you see this growing in your HOA common area, recommend immediate removal.
5. Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) is another invasive plant favored by homeowners for its beautiful white seeds waving in the wind.

Recommend planting shrubs that are appropriately-sized for the location.

Below is a partial list of California native plants that perform well on Southern California HOA common area property. Because you will likely NOT be able to influence landscape contractor’s watering practices, choose native plants that can survive summer water.

Be aware that because some of the native plants listed below are not commonly used in the landscape industry, the contractor may have trouble finding the plants you are calling out. If that happens, have another plant ready to offer as an alternative to the plant the contractor cannot find.

My hope is that when native plants become favored by landscape contractors, they will start using them more routinely in HOA common areas. Toyons and Coast live oak trees have come into favor and are now commonly planted and easily available compared to 20 years ago.

California native trees that do well in HOA common areas (especially on slopes) include:

1. Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis)
2. California Ash (Fraxinus dipetala)
3. Sycamore (Platanus racemosa)
4. Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia)
5. Engelmann Oak (Quercus engelmanni)
6. Scrub Oak (Quercus berbidifolia)

California native large shrubs that do well in HOA common areas include:

1. Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)
2. Laurel Sumac (Malosma laurina)
3. Lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia) (near the coast and inland)
4. Sugar Bush (Rhus ovata) (inland HOA’s)

California native shrubs that do well in HOA common areas include:

1. San Diego Marsh Elder (Iva Hayesiana)
2. Canyon Prince Wild Rye (Leymus condesatus ‘Canyon Prince)
3. Deer Grass (Muhlenbergia rigens)
4. Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia littoralis)

California native shrubs that do well in shady areas include:

1. California Coffeeberry species (Frangula californica) ‘Little Sur,’ ‘Mound San Bruno,’ and ‘Eve Case.’
2. Catalina Currant (Ribes viburnifolium)

If you HOA is willing to experiment, try these plants:

1. ‘Joyce Coulter’ ceanothus for sunny slopes
2. ‘Yankee Point’ ceanothus for shady slopes (inland HOA’s)
3. ‘Pacific Mist’ manzanita for sunny/partial shade slopes
4. ‘Sunset’ manzanita for sunny/partial shade slopes

Installing native plants in HOA common areas is not always easy. Your HOA landscape contractor might be willing to experiment and let you know which species are doing well and which are not. Recently, I was told that Dwarf Coyote Brush (Baccharis Pilularis ‘Pigeon Point’) wasn’t doing well in the long run, so we deleted it from our plant palette.

The landscape contractor at my HOA recently installed coast live oaks, sugar bush, toyons, prickly pear cacti, scrub oaks, and coffeeberry on hillsides in the community. This beautiful collection of native vegetation will grow and shade our community while providing important habitat for hummingbirds, butterflies, and bumblebees.

If you have experience with California native plants, I encourage you to join your HOA landscape committee and/or board of directors, and share your knowledge with your community. Also, learn about invasive plants here. This list is important to understand so you can help your HOA avoid planting invasive plants that spread into our wild lands.

Remember to be patient and don’t expect immediate success. By working slowly and in phases, you can influence the installation of native plants that will help the ecosystem of your community, add beauty, and life.