MY 3 FAVORITE NATIVE PLANTS

I thought about doing a blog post about my favorite native plants.  I had a whole list in mind until I realized that it would be much more fun and somewhat challenging to just narrow that list to 3. These are 3 California native plants that I have designed with, had luck with and would totally have in my own garden (when I move to my new home and have room to garden).

The first is Dudleya.  A succulent that has many different species.  What I love most about this plant is that it will grow in tight spaces.  It requires little water and till take sun or shade.  I had a bunch of these growing in woolly pockets attached to a railing in my old house and they grew just fine.  I have also heard that some varieties of this plant are edible but I have not tried.

The second is Cleveland Sage (Salvia clevelandii).  This plant gets 5' tall as wide and is a great plant to have as a medium sized screen with purple flowers.  It is also very (in a great way) fragrant.  You can also cook with this plant or use it as an air freshener.  There are also other varieties of this plant that are shorter but I prefer the standard variety.  This is also a great plant for attracting beneficial wildlife into your garden.

The third is Yerba Buena (Satureja douglasii).  This plant gets no more than a foot tall and about 3 feet wide with white flowers.  You can eat the leaves straight up or use the leaves however you would traditionally use mint leaves. Unlike traditional mint this plant is not invasive.