Here Are The Best Native Plants For Santa Monica Gardens

SANTA MONICA, CA — Planting season, as Santa Monica gardeners know, is officially upon us. And before you dig out those dusty trowels and gloves, take note of the plants that naturally grow in the area. We’re talking about native plants, which grew here long before Europeans started building settlements. They’re the foundation of the region’s biodiversity, and provide key food sources and shelter to birds.

Fortunately the folks at the National Audubon Society have done all the hard work to ensure gardeners have what they need to find the best native plants. The group has a database that includes perennials, shrubs, grasses, succulents, trees, vines and evergreens. Each entry also details what types of birds the plants attract.

The database allows users to filter results by plant type, resources and bird species they attract.
Regional Audubon experts hand-select the “best results” for each. In Santa Monica, some of the best flowers to grow this season include Apricot Globe-Mallow, Black Sage and Bladder-Pod Beeplant.

Here’s a roundup of some other great local options:

Blue Elderberry

• "Large, perennial, and deciduous, this shrub or small tree can grow up to 30 feet tall. It produces yellow or cream colored flowers in the spring and purple berries in the fall that provide an important food source for birds. This plant grows in full sun and partial shade, and in moist, well-drained soils."
• Birds they attract: Crows & Jays, Waxwings, Mockingbirds & Thrashers

Bush Sunflower

• "Also known as Coast Sunflower, this broad, perennial shrub grows 3 to 4 feet in height and width. Green, brittle branches grow out of the woody base and bear green, oval-shaped leaves, while yellow, daisy-like flowers bloom on long, leafless stalks. It grows best in full sun, and in sandy or well-drained soils."
• Birds they attract: Wood warblers, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Nuthatches

California Figwort

• "Also known as California Bee Plant, this evergreen perennial grows 4 feet high and 3 feet wide. Its red to maroon flowers bloom from February to May and produce seeds that are a food source for birds. It is drought tolerant and can grow in full sun to shade and in moist to dry soils. This plant also highly attracts bees, earning it its nickname."
• Birds they attract: Orioles, Waxwings, Humingbirds

These plants are key resources for birds and are relatively easy to grow. Perhaps just as importantly, many are available at local native plant nurseries, which the organization also lists. Here are some near Santa Monica:

• Tarweed Native Plants
  • 1307 Graynold Avenue Glendale, CA 91202
• The Huntington Botanical Gardens
  • 1151 Oxford Road San Marino, CA 91108
• Hahamongna Cooperative Nursery
  • Hahamongna Watershed Park 4550 Oak Grove Dr. (at Foothill Blvd.) Pasadena, CA 91103
• Stover Seed Company
  • 9180 San Fernando Road Sun Valley, CA 91352
• Theodore Payne Foundation
  • 10549 Tuxford Street Sun Valley, CA 91352
• Village Nurseries
  • 1589 North Main Street Orange, CA 92867

Americans spent a record $47.8 billion on lawn and garden retail sales in 2017, according to the National Gardening Survey. The average household spent more than $500 on gardening. And while older adults accounted for 35 percent of all gardeners, millennials were getting their hands and knees dirty at all-time high levels. Adults 18-34 accounted for 29 percent of all gardeners, the survey found.

Among the recent trends — more people are investing in raised beds as opposed to digging holes, and they’re spending money on apps rather than glossy gardening books.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.