Native plants can save water, attract wildlife

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• Learning from a garden’s living classroom

  Learning from a garden’s living classroom

  Named for the series of mountains visible in the distance, Garden of the Seven Sisters occupies a gently sloping half-acre adjacent to the University of California Cooperative Extension office. The garden is designed and maintained as a living classroom and working laboratory to teach the home gardener sustainable, science-based gardening practices.

  The sizes of the garden displays are created for the urban backyard. A small kitchen garden display shows how successive plantings in a limited space can provide a remarkable variety and plentiful supply of vegetables all year round.

  The orchard demonstrates how two or three fruit trees, planted in a single hole, can maximize use of limited space and lengthen the season of harvest. The garden also provides a variety of droughttolerant ornamental plants, including many California natives that attract birds, bees, and butterflies.

• Picking plants with water conservation in mind

  Picking plants with water conservation in mind

  Q:I have a large empty area in my yard that I would like to landscape but I don't want to use a lot of water. What kind of plants should I be looking for? — Bill Widner, Arroyo Grande

  A: The easy answer to your question is California native plants that are drought tolerant. The harder part will be choosing from among the beautiful myriad of drought tolerant natives available to us here on the Central Coast.

  Whether brilliant reds of California fuchsia, delicate hues of yarrows, or flamboyant blue clusters of Ceanothus, many of our native ornamentals have beneficial features suited to home landscaping. As natives, they have evolved over thousands of years to be naturally adapted to our Mediterranean climate of cool wet winters and hot dry summers. Their physiology and deeply spreading root systems permit them to flourish without summer watering. They tolerate occasional pest predation, and they are generally resistant to disease.

• May in the garden: Plant, feed, beware of frost

  May in the garden: Plant, feed, beware of frost

  May is a month for planting, fertilizing and controlling pests. But don’t be fooled by a late frost.

  Plant dahlias and gladiolus for summer color. For annuals you can plant dianthus and pansies. As the nights become warmer you can hang baskets of fuchsias and geraniums. For perennials, shop for summer and fall color with asters, coreopsis, and cornflowers.

  Now is the time to check the needs of your lawn. Aerate, feed and over-seed to get rid of bald patches. Around mid-month, feed your lawn with an even coat of highnitrogen fertilizer, watering thoroughly after application.

• Edible gardens will pay for themselves in produce

  Edible gardens will pay for themselves in produce

  Does your home landscape deserve the time, water and money you put into it? Consider increasing your rewards by developing an edible landscape — incorporating plants that can be eaten, with or without plants that are purely ornamental.

  The ongoing scarcity of water on the Central Coast, the rising cost of grocery store produce and the importance of conserving energy make it difficult to justify spending resources on gardens that do not pay their way in some fashion.

  Having a variety of beautiful, edible plants, trees and shrubs among the ornamental ones can add an element of beauty, functionality and fun to your landscape.

• February is the perfect time to prepare for spring

  February is the perfect time to prepare for spring

  Q. What should I be doing in the garden in February? Is it time to cut back perennials and shrubs? — Sharon Connors, San Luis Obispo

  A. February is already spring in many areas of the county. If not done in January, dormant pruning of roses and fruit trees should be completed now, before they bud out. Shrubs can be shaped and cut back now, as can salvias and lavenders and verbenas, when they have a flush of new growth at the base. Ornamental grasses, too, can be trimmed and/or divided.

  This is a good time to prepare beds, digging in compost and planning new plantings. Be sensitive to the water needs of your garden. During times of frost, it’s important to make sure that soil is not completely dried out. As growth begins in spring some areas may need water after a dry winter — or if we’ve had late rains, test the soil before working it. If it sticks together when squeezed, wait until it dries somewhat.