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Everett’s California Fuchhia is an example of a plant that doesn't like to have wet feet, meaning roots sitting in water. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Plants With Wet Feet and Dry Feet

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Plants and people have similar likes and dislikes when it comes to their feet.  

Of course, plants don’t literally have the kind of feet that take them on a stroll, but a plant’s roots are often referred to as “feet.” Just like most people enjoy a walk along the beach or wading in a pool on a hot day, plants like – and need – water on their roots to thrive.  

And just like people don’t like soggy feet in wet socks, plants don’t generally thrive with their roots in standing water. Horticulturists refer to plant roots in soggy soil as “wet feet.” Conversely, plants that can thrive without much water on their roots are said to have “dry feet.”

Excessive moisture at the roots can cause rot and other diseases; very few plants grow in wet areas. While that isn’t a common problem in the arid Southwest, plants can end up in standing water in poorly drained (or over-irrigated) areas of landscaping.  

That means it’s important to match landscaping plants to the environment of their feet.  

Five recommended plants compatible with wet feet 

The California Native Iris (Iris douglasiaria) is a plant that doesn't mind having "wet feet," or damp roots. Photo: Wikimedia Commons wet feet

The California Native Iris (Iris douglasiaria) is a plant that doesn’t mind having “wet feet,” or damp roots. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

  • Coyote Mint (Mondarella villosa) 
  • California Gray Rush (Junous patens) 
  • Joaquin Sunflower (Bidena laevis) 
  • Deer Grass (Muhlenbergia rigens) 
  • California Native Iris (Iris douglasiaria) 

Five recommended plants incompatible with wet feet  

Everett’s California Fuchhia is an example of a plant that doesn't like to have wet feet, meaning roots sitting in water. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Everett’s California Fuchhia is an example of a plant that doesn’t like to have wet feet, meaning roots sitting in water. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

  • Bluff California Lilac (Ceanothus maritmus) 
  • Everett’s California Fuschia (Epilobium canum) 
  • Sunset Manzanita (Arctostaphylos Sunset) 
  • Hairy Awn Muhly (Muhlerbergia capillans) 
  • Blonde Ambition Blue Grama (Boutelous gracilis)

Get advice from the local garden center or horticulturalists familiar with your area for other good choices.   

 

This article was inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook available at SustainableLandscapesSD.org. The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.    

 

 

  

Your plant choices should be governed by the individual hydrozones in your landscaping. Photo: Kelly M. Grow/ California Department of Water Resources

Playing by the Hydrozone Landscaping Rules

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Hydrozones are the different areas of your landscape with different irrigation needs. These needs can vary greatly in a single yard. By managing your water distribution to meet the needs of each hydrozone, you can minimize water waste and promote healthy plants.

For example, plants with similar growing requirements including water needs should be planned and planted together so water can be applied as efficiently as possible through rainwater catchment, supplemented by irrigation. 

The amount of sunlight and shade, temperature differences, soil conditions, slopes, and plant root depth should be considered, along with plant water needs, to create hydrozones. Even when the soil is the same, a full sun area is one hydrozone, full shade areas are another, and mixed exposure areas create yet a third zone.  

Within your irrigation system, each individual irrigation valve should water a separate hydrozone populated by plants with similar water needs, living conditions, and root depths. Plants with high water needs such as vegetables or lawns must be on their own hydrozone. Sprinklers or emitters on this zone shouldn’t water anything else, including hardscape areas such as sidewalks.  

Don’t overdo it with irrigation 

 Each hydrozone should have sprinklers or emitters generating the same amount of water, and they should be spaced out so that every plant in the zone gets the same amount of water. If the spray of two sprinklers overlap, plants receiving water from both will receive much more water than they need. In cases like this, sprinklers should be turned away from each other, or placed farther apart. Professional landscapers call this “matched precipitation.”   

This article was inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook available at SustainableLandscapesSD.org. The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.

Match your plant choices to the different microclimate areas in your landscaping. A microclimate map helps you make good choices. Photo: Water Authority

Match Your Landscape Plants To Your Microclimates

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A previous Conservation Corner article explained how to map the different types of microclimates present in your landscaping. This information can help homeowners effectively arrange plants in their sustainable landscapes. For the most efficient water use, plants should be grouped together with similar water needs in their favorite microclimate.  

In nature, plants that like lots of water are found along the banks of streams, or grouped together at the base of landscape depressions. Plants that need fast-draining soils so roots don’t rot might be found on hillsides. Plants that love lots of sunshine won’t grow in the shade of a tree.  

Follow the microclimate map  

Look to the Microclimate Map for guidelines on choosing landscape plants. Here is a hypothetical yard with three microclimates:  

  • A front yard in full sun most of the day. 
  • A moist, low-lying area in full sun. (This area will retain moisture more than the rest of the yard, so you may want to use it for rain catchment. Hillside areas surrounding the depression are raised slightly, and drain freely.) 
  • A slightly shady area under the canopy of a neighbor’s large tree, and another one near the front entry to the house. 

Three distinct plant communities 

Selecting plants for the yard in this example will require at least three different groupings:  

  • Sun-loving plants that like their roots dry and thrive in faster-draining soil
  • Sun-loving plants that can tolerate “wet feet” in winter months, and thrive in heavier clay soils
  • Plants that can tolerate dry, shaded areas 

There is another consideration before heading to the local nursery or garden center: How will these plants be irrigated? Check the Plant Factors for each of the plants to make sure their water needs are all similar in each area. Read this previous Conservation Corner story for information about Plant Factors. 

Plants speak Latin 

Low water use plants and succulents

Many plants have similar names. Rely on their Latin names to ensure you are getting the correct plant for your landscaping plan. Photo: Water Authority

Many plants have similar common names in English. Shopping for plants by their common names can lead to confusion between two very different plants. Instead, the best way to shop for plants is to use the Latin name. This reduces surprises in your landscaping.  

 

This article was inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook available at SustainableLandscapesSD.org. The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.    

 

 

  

Different areas of your landscaping are affected by shade, moisture, and temperature, creating a variety of microclimates. Photo: Water Authority

Map Your Microclimates

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Every garden has areas where plants flourish, and other areas where plants struggle. Structures, walls, fences and other plants can affect the amount of sun and shade in a garden. Every garden is completely different, even if it is located in the same general climate zone. 

There may be hills and hollows in your front yard that collect cold air. Or, if your property is sloped, you may not get frost when your neighbors do.  

The first step to a new or renovated landscape is walking around your property during the day and observing it closely.  

Which plants are keepers? 

Decide which plants work and which should be removed. Outline the canopy area of the plants being retained. Note the name, general size, and health of the plants. Which are more drought-tolerant? Many plants can thrive on less water when they are well established, with deep healthy roots. Old rose bushes and large shade trees are two good examples.  

Note sun and shade 

Areas of your landscaping under large shade trees become individual microclimates. Photo: Ken Lund/Creative Commons License

Areas of your landscaping under large shade trees become individual microclimates. Photo: Ken Lund/Creative Commons License

Mark the areas that receive sun all day, and areas that are shaded all or part of the day. Also note which areas receive only partial sun, or a few hours of direct morning sun, midday sun, or late afternoon sun. In choosing landscape plants, select those that are appropriate for the sunlight patterns of the garden. Plants marked as “full sun” will not be happy in full shade, and vice versa.  

Group plants for similar needs 

When selecting and grouping plants, note the water requirements of each plant. Make sure plants with different water needs are not placed together. Some sun-loving plants have moderate water needs, and some have very low water needs. If these are mixed together, one will always suffer if the watering routine works for the other types. 

 

This article was inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook available at SustainableLandscapesSD.org. The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.    

Encourage pollinators to visit your sustainable landscaping with plants that attract bees, butterflies, and others. Photo: Flickr/Creative Commons

Planting for Pollinators

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Plants and insects need each other to survive. Nature provides checks and balances in a garden. You can attract insects and creatures that help maintain the healthy balance of a garden without pesticides.  

Flowering plants rely on insects for pollination, and thus reproduction. In turn plants feed and house insects. Some bugs eat too much, destroying their plant hosts and spreading disease. Other beneficial insects fight off the destructive species, eating them or disrupting their reproductive process. 

Birds, bats and lizards help too, consuming pests both large and small.  

Actively cultivating a diversity of plants in the landscape that flower at different times of the year attracts helpful insects and predators. It also improves the resilience of gardens and reduces the need for chemicals.  

To attract more garden helpers, like mason bees and lizards, create habitat for them. Consider getting establishing a nesting box for bees. Leave a small rock pile for lizards to inhabit. Put a large tree branch in the garden and let it decompose naturally.   

Plant a Butterfly Garden 

Many specific of native Verbenas are excellent choices to attract pollinators to your sustainable landscaping. Photo: WIkimedia Commons

Many specific of native Verbenas are excellent choices to attract pollinators to your sustainable landscaping. Photo: WIkimedia Commons

There are many plants that support the lifecycle of butterflies. Try to use several in your garden to boost larvae and caterpillars as well as the full-grown, nectar seeking adults. Some good choices: 

Narrow Leaf Milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis) 

Island Alum Root (Heuchera maxima) 

San Miguel Island Buckwheat (Eriogonum grande var. rubescens) 

Cedros Island Verbena (Verbena lilacina) 

Island Bush Snapdragon (Gambelia speciosa)  

Got Bees? 

Not all ground needs to be covered in mulch. Try designating a five- to ten-square-foot patch of open ground for ground-nesting bees and insects, especially if your garden contains San Diego native plants.  

 

This article was inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook available at SustainableLandscapesSD.org. The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.    

 

 

  

Fruit trees, especially citrus, thrive in San Diego County’s climates with just a little bit of care. The Pineapple Guava (Acca sellowiana) is a good choice with spectacular blooms. Photo: WIkimedia/Creative Commons License Edible Plants climate zone

Incredible Edibles In Your Sustainable Landscaping

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You don’t have to be a farmer to enjoy edible plants in your sustainable landscaping. Many native plants and herbs have fruit and leaves you can harvest. They can be mixed into any climate-appropriate planting design.

Organic growing methods including sheet mulching (as explained in an earlier post) and integrated pest management ensure the health of the soil, crops, and people who enjoy them.

It’s smart to position edible plants together in your landscaping to take advantage of their irrigation needs in a limited area. If the rest of the landscaping is using minimal water, you can spare a little more for your fruits and veggies in their specific zone. Be sure to irrigate with the most efficient system possible.

Five fruit trees to enjoy

Improved Meyer Lemon trees (Citrus ‘Improved Meyer’) are popular sustainable landscaping features in San Diego County gardens. Photo: Wikimedia/Creative Commons

Improved Meyer Lemon trees (Citrus ‘Improved Meyer’) are popular sustainable landscaping features in San Diego County gardens. Photo: Wikimedia/Creative Commons

Fruit trees, especially citrus, thrive in San Diego County’s climates with just a little bit of care. Some top choices include:

Pomegranate (Punica granatum)

Chinese Date (Ziziphus jujuba)

Santa Rosa Plum (Prunus salicina)

Pineapple Guava (Acca sellowiana)

Improved Meyer Lemon (Citrus ‘Improved Meyer’)

 

This article was inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook available at SustainableLandscapesSD.org. The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.

 

 

Hold Onto Your Hillsides and Slopes

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Many San Diego County residents live near canyons, which are valuable natural resources. Native canyon hillsides should be not be disturbed.  

When planting in previously disturbed or built slopes and hillsides, low-water plants, trees, deep-rooted native plant species, and climate-appropriate plants with strong root structures should be selected. Their powerful root systems can help hold the soil together.  

If your slope is gentle with a 33 percent grade or less, coarse compost and mulch can be applied directly to hillside and slope surfaces. That will provide protection from rainfall and shade exposed soils. With occasional and gentle irrigation, mulch will “knit” together. 

Compost blankets are another type of erosion control mat applied that can protect and preserve soil surfaces. They can be used alone, with coir mats or other organic-engineered material with biodegradable grids for stabilization. Mats allow water to penetrate to the underlying soils while retaining loose soil and debris, preventing erosion. You can plant right through them, or use pre-seeded products.  

Hillside irrigation tips 

When preparing a hillside for planting, determine how you plan to irrigate before doing any work. Low-volume rotating spray heads are ideal for sloped areas, if the space is large and the groundcover is uniform. Inline emitter drip tubing can also be effective, especially for shrubs and trees spaced farther apart. 

Water can be applied in repeated short periods during any given day, so that it can be fully absorbed between applications. Runoff, erosion and efficient deep watering are always important issues to keep in mind, but especially on hillsides. 

NOTE: When using a drip irrigation system, emitters should be placed above the plant basin. Spray systems should have check valves in all lower heads to avoid low point runoff. Irrigation for the top of the slope and bottom of the slope should be on separate valves. 

This article was inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook available at SustainableLandscapesSD.org. The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.    

 

 

  

Outside its native African habitat, fountain grasses are an invasive species. In California it has no natural enemies and outcompetes native plant species. Photo: UCRiverside/Center for Invasive Species Research Invasive Plants

Avoid ‘Takeover Artists’ in Your Landscaping

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Just like people, many non-native plants love everything about San Diego County and choose to make it their home. They love it so much these invasive plants have moved in, stretched out, and are doing their best to take over.  

They do what they can to make room by hurting native plant species. They drain precious rainwater and soil nutrients away from the native plants, which are not as aggressive. Other invaders overrun habitat and keep other species out. Many, such as fountain grasses, have no natural enemies outside their native habitat to keep them in check.

The worst invasion plant offenders 

You may have unknowingly planted a few of these common plants in your yard. They are still sold commercially. Very few non-native species offer any benefits to our region’s environment. Local animals and insects are not interested in them. 

Vinca major (big periwinkle) is a spreading perennial vine or ground cover. In California, periwinkle has escaped from garden plantings, and lowers species diversity and disrupts native plant communities. Photo: Ghostcage/Pixabay - Creative Commons License

Vinca major (big periwinkle) is a spreading perennial vine or ground cover. In California, periwinkle has escaped from garden plantings, and lowers species diversity and disrupts native plant communities. Photo: Ghostcage/Pixabay – Creative Commons License

Here are some common problems: 

  • African Fountain Grass 
  • Mexican Feather Grass 
  • Brazilian Pepper Tree 
  • Scotch Broom
  • Periwinkle  

Invasive species and species that act like invasive plants should be removed from your landscaping. They should also be removed from commercial nursery stock, and shouldn’t ever be planted in the first place. Remove them at the soonest opportunity.  

How to identify non-native plants  

The California Invasive Plant Council maintains a list of invasive plants that cause problems through the state, though the list may miss regionally problematic plants. For more, go to the Plant Right website.

This article was inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook available at SustainableLandscapesSD.org. The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.    

 

 

  

Coral Aloe will protect your property from wildfire while it brightens your sustainable landscape. Photo: Don Graham/Flickr-Creative Commons license Firefighting plants

Call On These Five Firefighting Plants

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Wildfire is a real and constant threat in San Diego County year-round, but particularly in the late summer and fall months. This is especially true in wildland interface areas where homes are right next to the backcountry. Landscape design, plant selection, and maintenance must be done in accordance with fire-safe guidelines. 

Wildfire is a real and consistent threat 

Plan your landscaping according to principles governing three different zones:  

Zone 1: Through smart design elements and plant selection, landscapes should resist ignition and provide 35 feet of actively maintained defensible space around structures and access areas. This maximizes fire prevention and allows access by crews to protect your property from fire, if necessary. 

Zone 2: Your landscape should reduce the chances of airborne embers from catching fire through a careful thinning of native vegetation for at least 65 additional feet — a total of 100 feet of defensible space.  

Zone 3: Many of San Diego County’s native plant communities including chaparral can survive and recover from infrequent wildfires. Some plants use fire as a signal to begin growth and start the germination process after a fire.  

When fires occur too frequently, the ability to survive is disrupted for even the most well-adapted plants. Invasive, non-native plant species have made fires more frequent, of longer duration, and hotter. It is critical to remove invasive plants in fire-prone areas.

Use plants that resist ignition 

Some native plants have the ability to prevent airborne plant embers. They have a high salt or water content and low volatile oil content in their leaves. For instance, agaves, aloes, crassulas, and other succulents store extra water in their fleshy leaves.  

Five firefighting plant choices include: 

  • Daylily hybrids 
  • Coral Aloe 
  • Indian Mallow
  • Bush Morning Glory 
  • California Sycamore trees 

Avoid plants that can fuel wildfires  

Messy, oily trees and shrubs, such as eucalyptus and junipers, do the opposite. They ignite quickly, burning hot and long, releasing embers into the air and contributing to the spread of wildfire. 

Preventative maintenance includes regularly removing dry grass, thatch, brush, weeds, litter, waste, and dead and dying vegetation. Trees should be properly pruned. Shrubs should be thinned, with dead branches and leaves routinely removed. Leave root structures intact to avoid erosion. Dead leaves and branches are especially flammable on evergreen shrubs and vines such as bougainvillea. Avoid planting these close to homes or other structures. 

This article was inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook available at SustainableLandscapesSD.org. The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.    

 

 

  

Match your plant choices to the different microclimate areas in your landscaping. A microclimate map helps you make good choices. Photo: Water Authority

Sustainable Landscapes Takes Root in San Diego

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More than 225 San Diego County homeowners have transformed their landscapes into beautiful, climate-appropriate mini-watersheds through the Sustainable Landscapes Incentive Program developed by the San Diego County Water Authority and its partners.

Since the program launched in October 2016, more than 354,000 square feet of turf has been removed and replaced with sustainable landscaping. Approximately 100 projects are still under way, though the program isn’t taking new applications.

Instead, a new generation of rebates is available through the Landscape Transformation Program offered by the Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Residential rebates start at $1 per square foot, up to $1,500 per year. In the Water Authority’s service area, participants can receive $2.75 to $4 per square foot, depending on their retail water agency and funding availability. For more information, go to SoCalWaterSmart.com.

“We are leaders in developing innovative initiatives like the Sustainable Landscapes Program, and we are pleased to see other programs embracing the same holistic approach,” said Carlos Michelon, who leads the Water Authority’s conservation team.

Removing turf grass is one of the best ways to reduce outdoor water use – but it’s just a piece of the larger movement toward sustainable landscapes. A holistic approach to environmental stewardship involves enhancements such as reducing or preventing wasteful runoff by using rainwater capture or filtration systems, along with other upgrades.

In San Diego County, the Sustainable Landscapes Program helped generate substantial interest, and it set the bar for similar efforts to include education, technical assistance and incentives.

“As with the initial Sustainable Landscapes Program, the new incentive program requires that homeowners incorporate the four key components of sustainable landscaping: healthy soils, high-efficiency irrigation, rainwater harvesting and climate-appropriate plants,” said Jana Vierola, a water resources specialist for the Water Authority.

“People are putting much more thought and care into their landscapes,” she said. “It’s not just gravel and two plants. People are creating sustainable designs for much more of a long-term commitment.”

An example of the upgrades inspired by the Sustainable Landscapes Program:

Before and after views of a landscaping project in San Diego. Photos: Water Authority. Sustainable landscaping

Before and after views of a landscaping project in San Diego. Photos: Water Authority.

Free WaterSmart classes help homeowners achieve successful results

Vierola said homeowners interested in sustainable landscaping should take advantage of the Water Authority’s free WaterSmart classes and other resources.

“Residents who participate in our classes and follow the guidebook tend to have more successful projects,” Vierola said. “Through these educational programs and resources, customers get a better understanding of best practices and recommendations for a watershed approach to landscaping.”

The next Three-Hour Landscape Design for Homeowners workshops are August 28 in Encinitas, September 8 in Fallbrook, September 22 in Oceanside, and October 27 in Vista. Click here for details.