Retrofit to Dry Shade California Native Plants - California Native Dry Shade Garden - Ep.01 

Thank you! And for the names of a few more CA native plants that are adapted for dry shade, here's a link: theodorepayne.org/nativeplantdatabase/index.php?title=Dry_Shade_and_Under_Oaks

Thank you, Susan! Good to hear!

Thank you so much for the compliment, and your interest! These videos are all about helping SoCal transform its urban and suburban areas into places that support the nature of where we live. If more and more people landscape native, there will be so much more of its beauty and richness in our daily lives.

We would love guidance and assistance in transforming our school lawn to a beautiful Native Plant Garden.

Hi, Dawn, That's great you'd like to convert... I would contact Amy Nettleton of Elemental Landscapes, in South Pasadena. Amy's own yard is dry shade, so she knows the subject intimately! Here's her contact info: www.elemental-landscapes.com/ You could also contact Zoe Melnick, the designer who did the landscape at Flintridge Preparatory School, through The Great Outdoors Landscape Design and Consultation. The company's phone number is 818 601-0838. Please let me know if you need further suggestions. Lisa

Thank you.

Hi Samantha, Here's the link to the plant list for the garden, which was on the Theodore Payne Foundation's 2016 Native Plant Garden Tour: www.2016.nativeplantgardentour.org/wp-content/uploads/plant-lists/garden-31-la-canada-flintridge-2016.pdf The four species of grasses and sedges are Carex pansa, Carex praegracilis, Festuca rubra, and Elymus condensatus 'Canyon Prince.' The tours are a wealth of inspiration and beauty!

Hi, Mike -- lawn kills oak trees because lawns are typically watered year-round, three to four times a week. This water, in combination with SoCal's summer heat, makes a fungus (Armillaria, that naturally lives on oak roots) grow. The fungus kills the tree. Normally, in the absence of irrigation, the fungus doesn't hurt the oak because the oak and fungus evolved together, with the oak and fungus only receiving rain water when the weather is cool. This kept the fungus in check. But heat plus summer water makes fungus grow, and so that's why lawn kills oaks. In Southern California, oaks evolved with no summer water (except for freak thunderstorms). Furthermore, oaks, like all Southern California native plants, prefer deep, infrequent soaks rather than frequent superficial watering. Giving oaks constant shallow moisture, even in the winter when it's cool, is not good for root structure and overall plant health. Once the plants are established, it's best to mimic natural patterns as much as possible. Please let me know if you have any more questions, or refer to the Plant Guide (under Nursery on the home page menu bar) about oaks (and what and how to plant under their canopy) on the Theodore Payne Foundation website, www.theodorepayne.org

Too much water from irregating the lawn kills oaks. Oaks need very little water, and certainly NO sprinkler system running regularly near them.

Not in oregon we had lots of oaks with lawn with no problems whatsoever .

Yeah, it's a different climate with different oaks.

Where is zone 10b? Please give your city location (not address), and what kind of soil is in your yard -- fast or slow draining.

@@life-landscapeintegrityfil6821 thank you for your reply. It's Wilmington CA 90744 -near Torrance. I have clay, but I have composted quite well and this has made the drainage faster. Both my lavender are still alive and are doing quite well.

@@slappinpumpkins Thanks for the info. Since you're in the coastal zone, you can plant anything clay-adapted for shade. Clay has a lot of advantages: it holds moisture and nutrients. The trick is not overwatering, and choosing clay-adapted native species. Here's a link for plants for coastal areas, from the Theodore Payne Foundation: us39.siteground.us/~theodo50/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/COASTAL-GARDENS_FINAL.pdf. For your clay soil and shade, check the Theodore Payne Foundation native plant database to see if those species grow in shade and clay. Here's the link: theodorepayne.org/nativeplantdatabase/index.php?title=Main_Page Here's a link as well for TPF's clay-adapted species list: us39.siteground.us/~theodo50/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/HEAVY-SOIL_FINAL.pdf Also, it would be best to refrain from putting more compost into your soil, because California native species are evolutionarily adapted to our so-called "nutrient-poor" soil (it's not nutrient poor for a plant species that has evolved in it -- it's just right!). Too many nutrients can cause too much top growth without compensating root growth. And finally, you might want to take a look at the coastal gardens that were on the virtual Theodore Payne native plant garden tour in March. Each garden has a plant list; here's a link to a list from a Santa Monica garden with dry shade species from the tour: www.nativeplantgardentour.org/plant-lists/2020-garden-11-santa-monica-plant-list.pdf. Hope this helps!

The folks at the Theodore Payne Foundation (www.theodorepayne.org) are a great resource. They can give you all the information you might need about properly caring for an oak, and they're in Sun Valley, a less-than-15-minute drive from where the video was filmed.

Agreed. Now the space is only about one-twentieth lawn compared to before, and now it supports biodiversity, rather than being a green wasteland. Sometimes complete transformation isn't possible all in one go, and it's important to let people see they don't have to "give up everything" to take an essential big step toward helping the Earth. Often, once people see all the good the native landscaping is doing, they voluntarily relinquish that last percentage, the emotional and ecological benefits vastly outweighing any previous misgivings.

@@life-landscapeintegrityfil6821The trend nowadays is towards gardens like yours. Thanks for sharing! My feeling is that when one uses native endemic species and perhaps a few hardy naturalized exotics in between and you replace lawn with hard ground covers such as cobbles/pebbles, rocks and various grades of aggregates, there's no need for an irrigation system, petrol lawnmowers or chemicals for pest control. The so-called "weeds" which really by definition are just wild herbs growing where they aren't wanted, should actually be given a place. Aphids and other sucking bugs use the wild herbs and don't bother any of the other plants. Also I find that without the use of pesticides in a garden there comes an amazing biodiversity of insects and spiders. It's amazing how nature just takes care of itself (maybe with a little help from her friends) :) Thanks again.

@@zeph6439 Local native species will always be best for optimally supporting biodiversity wherever one lives, because of the co-evolutionary specialized relationships that the native plants have with the native insects and other animals. Be careful with the naturalized exotics, because many of them are invasive and spread like wildfire, displacing the native plants that many native insects and other animals literally can't live without. Nature DOES take care of itself, if we do the right thing. Mulch of shredded leaves and branches is best for around the plants because, as it decomposes, it releases nutrients into the soil. Mulch also suppresses weeds, conserves water in the landscape and provides a protective layer for many insects essential for the food web. There's been a fashion in SoCal for using gravel as mulch around plants, but this fashion is harmful due to the fact that gravel increases the heat-island effect in our urban and suburban areas (adding to climate change through the use of more air-conditioning), stresses plants with more heat, and doesn't provide much needed nutrients through decomposition. In most native gardens, there is rarely, if ever, the need for pesticides because natural processes take over. Thank you so much for caring, particularly in light of the recent IPBES report. Would that everyone were cognizant of the nature of where they live and how they can support it!

@@life-landscapeintegrityfil6821 Yes native plants are best of course. What I meant by hardy exotics are plants which have been proven to be well adapted to one's growing area, you know, I couldn't imagine a garden without palm trees or other nursery favorites which provide color or architectural interest which are indigenous to other lands but which don't compete in a garden setting. I feel it's important to mention that new plantings, whether native or otherwise need regular watering until they are established. Gravel and other aggregates I find are ideal in certain situations, such as when replacing paving with gravel. Paving or tarmac probably radiates more heat due to it's flat surfacing and increases urban run-off. Paths are made very attractive with gravels of various colors and such. Naturally the materials used in any garden should be in harmony with the native environment. I take inspiration from the Japanese Dry Garden. The idea is to allow nature, which shouldn't be interfered with, to envelop the "less-is-more" garden itself, which is irrigation-free and contains mainly gravels, sand, rocks and a few plants which being native don't need any special attention. Thanks!

@@zeph6439 Yes -- less is definitely more. Japanese dry gardens amply demonstrate this. May your garden, and all the beings in it, thrive!

Possibly the dumbest comment I’ve ever read.