By Pat Pawlowski, originally published in Let’s Talk Plants! December 2014, issue No. 243. Reprinted December 2024.
Narrowleaf Milkweed
Asclepias fascicularis. Calscape.org says, Copyright © 2012 Gary McDonald.
A wall, high or low, can be a good thing.
Maybe you want some peace and quiet and a little privacy while you read your National Enquirer; maybe you want to blot out the neighbors’ giant animatronic garden gnomes; maybe you want a “line of demarcation” between you and the neighbors to announce to the world that your garden is gnome-free.
A wooden fence or stucco wall would work, but those are sort of stark, so you might need something to liven it up – a gnome, perhaps? But wait. Instead, how about a beautiful living wall of green? And, decorating the living wall, how about your own version of animatronic gnomes: songbirds. They hop, they flutter, they sing their heads off – in addition to gobbling insects that might gobble your plants if they get the chance. Hey, can a gnome do that? But California native plants can; some kinds make wonderful hedges.
There are many varieties to choose from, and it’s impossible to include them all here. So, here’s just a few:
• Mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus betuloides) - great if you want a tall but narrow hedge
• Lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia) - amenable to pruning
• Sugarbush (Rhus ovata) - survives toasty inland summers
• Coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica) - handsome berries
• Hollyleaf cherry (Prunus ilicifolia) - decorative cherries
• Manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.) - tiny apple like fruits and beautiful reddish bark
• Quail bush (Atriplex lentiformis ssp. breweri) - soft silvery leaves
• All of the above are evergreen, attract birds and other wildlife, and are drought tolerant.
There are so many more choices, depending on what your situation is, so it’s best to visit a native plant nursery like Las Pilitas Nursery (www.laspilitas.com), and/or Tree of Life Nursery (www. californianativeplants.com). Also, the California Native Plant Society, San Diego Chapter (www.cnpssd.org) Calscape | California's Native Plant Gardening Destination is a good place to do some research; they meet every month, and their selection of native plant books for sale is awesome.
Speaking of awesome: how about hedgerows?
Always popular in Great Britain, a hedgerow is a line of shrubs and/or trees that includes an understory of subshrubs and/or perennials with flowers that provide nectar and pollen to native bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
Some understory plants are:
• Calfornia aster (Aster chilensis) - lilac daisylike flowers for butterflies
• California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) - luminescent orange flowers
• Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) - spreading groundcover
• Narrowleaf milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis) - Yes, yes, yes! Host for Monarch butterflies!
• Pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) - Host for Virginia Lady butterflies
• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) - fernlike leaves, flowers for beneficial insects
The above is only a sampling. Travel (remember the traveling gnome?) to a native plant nursery to see for yourself. They’ll help you select your green wildlife-friendly wall and achieve your own version of animatronic ecstasy.
Member Pat Pawlowski is a writer/lecturer/garden consultant who, at age 5, was frightened by a gnome in Philadelphia.
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