Welcome to August, typically Los Angeles’ hottest month. It’s already been hot every day for weeks, at least in my part of town, and it’s expected to get hotter this weekend. (Here are tips for staying cool.)
For some reason, though, local native-plant professionals often receive a question on repeat this time of year: Is it OK to plant this particular plant right now? (I actually received this exact query from Times outdoors reporter Jaclyn Cosgrove, who writes The Wild newsletter, while working on this story.)
Maybe people are eagerly anticipating cooler weather. Maybe folks who purchased houses in late spring’s peak real-estate season have settled in and set their sights on their yards. Or maybe parents are looking for a hobby to bequeath their children while school’s out and the sun’s still setting late.
Common buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum).
(Nicholas Hummingbird / For The Times)
So I decided to investigate whether it’s OK to plant natives plants right now. Last week, I spoke with Parker Davis, co-founder of Sierra Madre nursery and landscape design studio Hardy Californians. He said misconceptions abound about the perils of midsummer planting in Southern California and why plants struggle when transplanted now. It’s not just because of the temperatures, he said.
“These plants can handle the heat,” Davis said. “They are evolved for the dry [climate]. What they can’t handle is the heat and [getting] wet.”
Although it’s usually dry outside, wetness is a requirement for any new plant to thrive. But it’s that water requirement that causes problems.
“A lot of our California natives have not evolved resistance to the pathogens that appear in the soil when conditions are wet and warm,” Davis said. “You add water to a warm soil, all kinds of bacteria and fungi come to life in that soil. Some of those bacteria and fungi are beneficial, but many are not.”
California Sagebrush, a.k.a. Cowboy Perfume (Artemisia Californica).
(Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)
When soil temperatures near or surpass 70 degrees, he said, the likelihood of planting success decreases dramatically.
Davis has gleaned over the years that plants that survive a summer planting are likely to share a few choice characteristics. They are often semi-riparian, meaning they have evolved to thrive in somewhat wet transition zones. They are often herbaceous — not woody — meaning they have smaller concentrations of the carbon that fungi use to grow. And they often bloom in the late summer or early fall.
“You don’t have to water them as much to get them established,” Davis said. “That’s kind of the main thing.”
With those reduced water requirements come fewer opportunities for pathogens to grow in wet, warm soils.
If you’re going to plant now, Davis recommends planting small, no bigger than from a one-gallon pot, and focusing on the more foolproof varieties. He named three favorites: Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), California goldenrod (Solidago velutina ssp. californica) and narrow-leaf milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis).
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium).
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
“I encourage people to make mistakes too,” he said. “You’ll learn more from the things that died than the things that lived.”
On the other side of the San Gabriel Valley, Pasadena’s Hahamongna Native Plant Nursery typically closes to the public for all of June, July and August. The nursery did not respond to my recent request for comment but explained the decision to close during the summer online.
“We have found that California Native Plants do not thrive when installed during the extreme heat and dry conditions of SoCal summers,” their site reads.
It might not be quite that simple. Robert Sjoquist of Camarillo-based Soils Solutions has sold native sods to Southern Californians for more than two decades. Planting native grass now is possible, he said. It just requires patience to endure the six-week establishment watering period.
Every summer, Sjoquist sends interested customers a one-sheet disclaimer noting the grass will look “less green and vigorous” than at other times of year and stressing the “imperative” nature of immediate, consistent watering.
A monarch caterpillar on a narrow-leaf mikweed plant.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
“While adherence to these instructions will GREATLY increase the chances of success of the transplanting my sods are going through,” it concludes, “they are still in higher peril due to this time of the year planting.”
Well, it’s a perilous world out there.
Sjoquist estimated that between 60% to 70% of the grass he sells each year is installed during the summer, much of it by institutional customers. The upside, he said, is clear. If the grass survives this summer, it’ll be more equipped to handle next summer than if it were planted this winter.
“By planting now, you really set yourself up with a plant able to take advantage of the full growing season,” Sjoquist said.
If you are seeking a lower-risk activity, start seeds so they can be ready for transplanting into the ground come October. The seeds of a number of California native plants, including buckwheats and warm-season grasses like Purple Three Awn (Aristida purpurea), are known to prefer germinating in warm temperatures. The Theodore Payne Foundation keeps a shopping list of seeds to sow now.
Other garden bits
Theodore Payne Foundation discounts plants
While the Hahamongna Native Plant Nursery remains closed until Sept. 19, and the California Botanic Garden’s Grow Native Nursery is closed until October, the Theodore Payne Foundation’s two locations, in Sun Valley and Montecito Heights, are generally open throughout the summer. They do close during periods of extreme heat.
When the nurseries are open, tagged plants are discounted up to half off the normal price. All pottery pieces are discounted 15%.
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‘L.A.’s Garden’ exhibit open daily at Descanso Gardens
Descanso Gardens has introduced a new exhibition combining maps, documents, photographs and modern art to argue that the gardens’ plant history is entwined with its human history. Indigenous communities who stewarded the land and Japanese American nurserymen are part of that story.
The “LA’s Garden” exhibit, open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 29, was curated by local artist and community activist Rosten Woo. Woo recently created an immersive audio experience called “What Water Wants,” to be listened to while sitting along the Los Angeles River.
Upcoming events (Aug. 1-15)
Aug. 1
Alta Vicente Reserve Outdoor Volunteer Day, 9 a.m. to noon in Rancho Palos Verdes. Volunteers will help restore habitat across a 22-acre site for rare native birds and butterflies. Students can receive community service hours from the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy. pvplc.volunteerhub.com
Guided Garden Tour, 10 to 11 a.m. in Westwood. The Mathias Botanical Garden on the UCLA campus hosts a free tour. The tour meets on the garden’s north end at the La Kretz Garden Pavilion. botgard.ucla.edu
Aug. 6
Cinema Botanica: “FernGully: The Last Rainforest,” 7 to 10 p.m. in Claremont. The California Botanic Garden is putting on an outdoor screening of the animated classic as part of its nature-themed outdoor film series. Tickets are $21 for adults, $16 for seniors and students, and $7 for children. Each ticket includes popcorn with the option of a native plant-infused topping. calbg.org
Aug. 8
Imagining Santa Monica’s Next Great Park, 9 to 11 a.m. in Santa Monica. The Santa Monica Mountains Fund, Airport2Park and the Great Park Coalition will host a free event exploring what the future park on the site of the Santa Monica Airport could one day look like. eventbrite.com
Nature Walk at Abalone Cove Reserve, 9 a.m. in Rancho Palos Verdes. Join a free guided walk within recently restored wildlife habitats, searching for seabirds and dolphins from the cliffside. pvplc.org
Fruit Trees and California Native Plants: Landscaping Together, 10 a.m. to noon in Sun Valley. The Theodore Payne Foundation will host Fruitstitute founder Joanna Glovinsky for a lesson on incorporating fruit trees and native plants in a shared landscape at home. Tickets are $43. theodorepayne.org
Aug. 8 and 9
Inter-City Cactus and Succulent Show & Sale, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Arcadia. The Long Beach, Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Cactus and Succulent Societies collaborated to host the 40th annual show and sale at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. Access is included with admission to the arboretum, which costs $18 for adults, $14 for students and seniors, and $8 for children. arboretum.org
Aug. 11
Understanding Soil Health: Bioremediation in Urban and Post-Fire Landscapes, 6:30 to 8 p.m. online. Environmental toxicologist and applied mycologist Danielle Stevenson will lead an online conversation about soil contamination and ecological recovery. The Theodore Payne Foundation is hosting the free session. theodorepayne.org
Aug. 12
Chinese Medicinal Garden Open House, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in San Marino. The Huntington experts will be on hand to answer questions about plants used in Chinese medicine for millennia. Access is included with garden admission, which costs $29 for adults midweek, $24 for seniors, military and students, and $13 for children ages 4-11. Note: The event could be canceled because of rain or heat. huntington.org
What we’re reading
Times outdoors reporter Jaclyn Cosgrove spoke to some folks who recently visited Yosemite National Park for an updated look at what the park has been like this summer.
Writer Tim Chester compiled a guide of things to do in Malibu, including a visit to the Adamson House, where there is an expansive, historic garden that I’d like to see.
Times staff writer Ian James reported on the Colorado River reservoirs that are sinking to record lows, in what one academic called “a hell of a milestone.”
