Introduction

The rainy season in Southern California usually begins in October/November, but in the past couple of years, the rain has waited until January to return. This winter, the combination of drought and multiple high wind events resulted in devastating January fires.

Even during normal weather conditions, people can be confused about how to care for California native plants in the landscape. Many folks mistakenly believe that native plants can thrive without any care. But native plants are like most plants–they must be thoughtfully tended during the first few years to assist their healthy establishment.

Watering California Native Plants

I spoke with Colin Dunleavy of LiveForever Landscape for advice about caring for the California native garden during winter drought. Colin started his career working with native plants as an intern and then as an employee at Tree of Life Nursery. He has an eye for beauty and began to design native gardens a few years after joining Tree of Life Nursery.

Colin founded LiveForever Landscape after seeing native plant installations fail due to lack of care. Colin creates the initial design, oversees installations, and provides long term care for the landscapes, helping ensure thriving and beautiful gardens. You can see more of Colin’s work at his new website.

I asked Colin to provide guidance to gardeners who may be confused about caring for their California native landscape during dry winter weather conditions.

Q: Do native plants need water when we don’t receive winter rain in Southern California? 

Yes. When we don’t receive winter rain, we should water our plants to get them through the dry spell. Mike Evans of Tree of Life Nursery advises, “When in drought, be the rain.”

Q: How should I water to “be the rain?”

The best way to mimic rainfall is to deep cycle soak or hand water your garden over three days. This mimics our rain cycles, keeps moisture levels below the surface, and encourages deep root growth that keeps plants healthy into the summer months.

Q: Is water from a sprinkler system/hose or rainwater better for watering native plants?

Always the rain. You can capture rain by installing rain barrels and cisterns. Building arroyos, swales and berms, percolation ponds, saw cuts, and permeable surfaces all help harvest the water on site and keep rainwater from flowing away and into the street.

Q: Is it safe to water native plants during the winter season? 

Yes, native plants thrive with water in winter because the plants are adapted to Southern California’s cool winter rainy season. However, once winter has ended and the weather begins to warm up in late spring and summer, some native plants are susceptible to pathogens from overwatering.

Q: Which native plants are susceptible to pathogens during the summer months?

Oaks, manzanitas, and ceanothus will have shorter lives if overwatered in the summer. Wet roots during the hot season are not natural for these trees and plants, and pathogens may make them unhealthy.

Q: How much water do the plants need when getting established?

When you first install native plants, it is best to water them deeply once a week. The root balls of newly installed plants should be hand watered because they dry out more quickly than the surrounding soil.

 Q: How often should native plants be watered once they are established?

Take cues from the earth’s rhythm. Wind, drought, rain…adjust accordingly. The general rule of thumb with a garden that has been growing a couple of years is to water deeply once a month when it is cool.

Q: How does native plant selection help improve the hardiness of the garden during stressful weather?

Besides “being the rain,” plant selection in the design goes a long way. Certain plants will improve the soil health over time, breaking down clay. Other plants are shorter-lived, shading and providing cover that allows slower growing foundation plants like manzanitas to take hold.

Get to know your native plants. They are forgiving. The California native garden is a communion with nature.

Colin Dunleavy will be presenting at Tree of Life Nursery on Saturday, March 15 on the topic of caring for your California native plant landscape. This presentation is free and open to the public and starts at 10 a.m.

If you have any tips about caring for your native garden, let me know by leaving a comment. Keep an eye out for future posts about pruning native plants. For more helpful information, go to The Orange County Chapter of the California Native Plant (OCCNPS) website.