A Native Plant Demonstration Garden
- It helps to have a demonstration garden with a theme or several themes. Focus on the uniqueness of your area. Since the garden is to be native, your garden or gardens can be focused on what special plants grow in your climate. For example, a desert climate-oriented garden can include cactus and succulents or plants for wildlife.
If you are familiar with USDA Plant Hardiness Zones, but not Sunset Zones, it is important to note that USDA zones are problematic as they do not address the unique western climate and elevational differences within short distances. Sunset Western Garden Book provides growing zones that are far more applicable for western states, and are recognized by all plant nurseries. - A desert native butterfly garden could include pineleaf milkweed ("Asclepias linaria"), verbena ("Verbena gooddingii"), catclaw acacia ("Acacia greggii"), bee bush ("Aloysia gratissima") and kidneywood ("Eysenhardtia orthocarpa"). All of these attract either butterflies or provide food for their caterpillars. These plants are hardy in Sunset zones 10, 12 and 13.
- Native desert plants that attract birds include the desert hackberry ("Celtis pallida"), wolfberry (Lycium sps.) and condalia (Condalia warnockii) which all have berries birds love. The velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina) and desert willow (Chilopsis linerais) both produce food for birds either from their flowers or seed pods. They also are good nesting trees. The mesquite's bean pods also provide food for rabbits and ground squirrels. Don't forget to include wildflowers, which provide seeds for many birds. Desert bluebells (Phacelia campanularis), evening primrose (Oenothera speciosa), desert marigold (Baileya multiradiata) and desert sunflower (Geraea canescens) are not only for the birds, they will provide a beautiful show of flowers in the spring. All of these plants are hardy in Sunset zones 10, 12 and 13.
- No desert themed demonstration garden would seem complete without a spot for cactus and succulents. There are many choices, including the fishhook barrel (Ferocactus wislizenii), sahuaro (Carnegiea gigantean), ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), prickly pear (Opuntia species) and pincushion cactus (Mammillaria species). Don't forget one or two agave species, such as the century plant (Agave Americana) and Parry's agave (Agave parryi). All of these are hardy in Sunset Zones 10, 12 and 13.
