The room was charged with happy gardeners at our Organic Garden Club meeting with Bob Sussman, owner of Matilija Nursery in Moorpark. He has been growing California native plants and Pacific Coast Irises at his nursery for years. Native plants have adapted to their environment and can tolerate drought, poor soil, and floods, and therefore will take less maintenance.

Bob Sussman told us how to properly plant and care for native plants, like the Ceanothus, Columbine, and Pacific Coast Irises. The optimal planting time for natives is October through February, as it allows them to get established with the rainfall throughout the winter. When planting, fill the holes with water, water the plant itself, and then plant.  Do not break the roots. An overall guide to natives is to not use pesticide, water weekly down to the roots and keep that up through the summer.  

Instead of growing lawns, we can plant native plants, perennial veggies, berry bushes, and fruit trees in our yards. The long drought in California made native plants a good choice as they are attractive and do not need near as much water as a lawn. Make a plan for your yard, lay out the plants with the potential tall ones at the back and leave space for the ones that will grow large. Water your native plant seedling one a week for 30 minutes. During the following year, water them twice a month and cut back the plants, as needed, twice a year. Insect problems can come from overwatering your native plants or because they are in too much shade.  Ladybugs are terrific aphid eaters!  You can also use neem oil or soapy water to get rid of aphids and ants.  Use about 2 oz of soap to a gallon of water.

We can plant native plants to attract local beneficial insects, butterflies, bees, and birds which help our food gardens grow and bring beneficial bacteria into our environment. They need berries, leaves and stems, pollen and nectar flowers. Each butterfly, bird, and bee need certain plants, shrubs, and trees for food and shelter, such as milkweed, clovers, mallows, sages, lantana, prickly pear, salvia, lemon sage, and yarrow, that have not been sprayed with poison. The main food of adult butterflies is nectar from red, orange, yellow, blue, or purple wildflowers. Monarch butterflies need nectar plants and their caterpillars need native milkweed.

The native plants on the table are ones that can be planted in spring in our landscapes. We enjoyed the wonderful chocolate, lemon, and mint aromas! Plants which can be planted at this time of year include seaside daisy, California fuchsia, sun drops, grapevines, wooly blue curls, desert mallow, chocolate daisies, and native lilies. The California grape vine, Vitas Roger’s Red, is one that Bob says is especially tasty!