California Landscape Design

The decline of pollinators such as honeybees and monarch butterflies has been prominent in the news recently, and as a result I am frequently asked if I can design pollinator gardens. The good news is that different types of pollinators exist everywhere, and it does not take much space to provide a place for food, shelter and rest. If you have enough nectar-rich plants in your gardens, hummingbirds, butterflies and bees will find it. Pollinators are not only beautiful to have in the garden, they also increase flowering and the amount of fruit and vegetables your garden produces. A good pollinator garden design can make your yard a neighborhood hotspot and add to the mosaic of habitat available to these important creatures.

For some homeowners, landscape design is for the birds—literally. San Diego County hosts the most bird species of any county in the United States, with both land and shore birds adding to our impressive number of total bird species in this region. In some gardens, including my own, homeowners add lots of perks to attract birds, sometimes unwittingly (we’ll get to that later). Enjoying the sights and sounds of the winged ones is only one benefit in encouraging wildlife into the garden. The decorative elements that attract birds—especially bird baths and bird feeders—greatly enhance the look of the landscape, and often add just the right touch to planter beds. For this reason, we can certainly check off gardening for wildlife as a way to add personality to our outdoor spaces. 

The National Wildlife Federation offers a Certified Wildlife Habitat program that is really simple to participate in, and it offers other benefits that I would label as good marketing.   

It’s not a stretch to say that every member of the APLD California Chapter has been made aware, through local programming and initiatives, of the importance of the Watershed Approach to Landscape Design, regenerative practices, and incorporating native plants into their designs for myriad benefits. For many years, this has been a predominant conversation: a goal to build territory and awareness about designing healthy landscapes.

The requirements for this certification focus on supporting wildlife practices you have most likely already incorporated into your design:  providing food, water, cover, nesting, and Sustainable Practices. When a project meets these criteria, it entitles you to register the site on a map, obtain a certificate, and access options for outdoor signs.

While watering my garden when I noticed some small, gray brown forms on a twig of a new hypericum bush. The branch looked dead and I was thinking of pruning it off.  I looked closer and saw what appeared to be tiny pots formed as if with a tiny potters wheel and glued to the stem of my new plant.  I wondered how on earth they had gotten there, or what kind of creature had put them there.

As I poked around and snapped a few pictures there was a small, dark, mud dauber-looking wasp, circling around in the alstroemerias nearby. Wondering if this was the insect connected to the small structures, I took a step back and watched as she hovered closer to the Hypericum bush. She seemed to be carrying something. I watched closely and she flew up to the top clay pot-looking structure—the only one that didn’t have the top sealed over—and she put a wiggly little grub worm into the hole. What the heck was going on here?

We love to use Cuphea 'Starfire Pink' because it's easy, evergreen, and a non-stop bloomer. Hummingbirds are crazy about the tiny cigar shaped flowers that don't require deadheading. Sun or shade, low to no water.

Though hard to find in nurseries, Acacia podalyriifolia will quickly become a favorite with humans and bees. Non-invasive, drought tolerant, and fast growing, this small specimen tree is worth tracking down.

Host to monarch butterflies, Asclepias speciosa 'Davis' has bold textured, silver foliage and fragrant pink flowers. With low water requirements, an upright habit, and light shade tolerance, this plant could find a place in almost any garden.

Arbutus ‘Marina’

This tree is one of my favorites for providing habitat. The flowers bloom in the wintertime when bees and hummingbirds have slim-pickings in the garden. When in full bloom, the canopy hums with pollinator and hummingbird activity. Also, it grows into a nice shape quickly, has beautiful peeling bark, and tolerates even bad pruning gracefully. 

Salvia mexicana ‘Limelight’

This Salvia blooms in late summer through fall. The chartreuse calyx lights up the deep purple flowers, and hummingbirds love the tall flower spikes. It will thrive in morning sun/afternoon shade inland, full sun on the coast. I cut it to the ground in late winter/early spring. 

Kniphofia ‘Alcazar’ and Salvia ‘Winnifred Gilman’

In addition to being pollinator and hummingbird magnets, Salvias are also beloved by seed eating birds. Goldfinches visit Salvia clevelandii ‘Winnifred Gilman’ throughout the summer and fall. Kniphofia ‘Alcazar’ is a wonderful companion plant and attracts hummingbirds. Both thrive in full sun with low water.  

Chionanthus retusus – Chinese Fringe Tree

This is a magnificent small tree. It is covered with white flowers in the spring, which then mature into lovely blue drupes in October. Cedar Waxwings come in flocks and noisily gobble the fruits. Some years juvenile robins join the crowd as well; weirdly, I’ve never seen mature robins eating the berries. 

Lagerstroemia – Crepe Myrtles

Crepe Myrtles are typically included for their summer flowers, fall color, and winter bark interest, but seed eating birds love the dried seeds as well. I don’t deadhead or prune until just before the spring new growth, so the goldfinches have food through the winter.

Verbena bonariensis

While milkweeds are well known as host plants for larval Monarch butterflies, Verbena bonariensis also provides nectar for adult butterflies.  Monarchs, Gulf Fritillaries and all manner of insects and hummingbirds love the long-blooming flowers. If you leave the flowers to go to seed, goldfinches and other seed eating birds will visit as well. 

Lavatera maritima

Blooms all friggin’ year, no kiddin’. Does not mind heavy clay soils. Shelters small birds with its ‘ever-gray’ mass. California native plant.

Thymus x citriodorus ‘Lime’

One of my favorite habitat plants is Lime Thyme. It’s bright, yellow-green color lights up the garden, and pollinators love visiting the pretty light-purple flowers. The leaves are a delicious combination of lemony-citrus and thyme flavors. It is easy to use in cooking because the stems don’t get woody and there is no need to pull the leaves off before chopping up to use in your favorite recipe. It makes a low-maintenance border along raised vegetable beds, with year-round good looks even when other annual veggies come and go. It is great in combination with my other favorite ground-cover border, Dwarf Greek Oregano (Origanum vulgare ‘Compacta Nana’).