Sierra Foothill Garden

In our third year of drought in the Sierra foothills, we search for ways to allow our gardens to survive.   Here, you’ll see how to make your garden thrive!  Learn which plants to grow, how to water and how to preserve that water once it’s in the soil.  Included is a print and keep ‘ideal’ plant list.

Number one: Plant the right plants

Mediterranean climate has rain in the Winter and no rain in the Summer. Such a climate is rare on our planet. In addition to parts of California, it only exists in some places in the Mediterranean, in South Africa, and in parts of Chile and Australia. Those places have plants that are adapted to at least six months of dryness.
Mediterranean plants will feel right at home here. In reality, the most drought tolerant plants are usually the native plants of your area.

• Plant in zones…group sun loving plants together with shade lovers under the oaks ad pines (but ten ft away from the trunks) Place plants that need more water nearest the house.
• Water only before dawn and after dusk to reduce water loss due to evaporation and wind

Drip systems made simple:

1. Arrange the drip hose in a circle around a flower or shrubbery bed.
2. Attach flow regulator and a timer and connect the hose to a water faucet.
3. Fold the end over and attach the ‘figure eight’ drip hose end.
4. Assemble drip sprayers with a stake, a riser and a sprayer tip.
5. Attach in evenly spaced intervals along the hose with thin tubing and connectors

• Maintain sprinklers, valves and pipes. A broken spray sprinkler wastes 10 gallons per minute or 100 gallons in a typical 10 minute watering cycle.

Think about adding a dripper to your birdbath!

• Deep watering, less often,…the exact opposite that many schedule their irrigation.

• Place a 2- or 3-inch layer of mulch over bare dirt to reduce water evaporation, improve the soil, and help control weeds. Weed seeds cannot germinate without sunlight. Each year, I turn mine under and add new for better and better soil.

• Replace lawn areas with paths and ‘water-smart’ groundcovers, trees and shrubs whenever possible.

Give your trees a deep watering with a hose about every two weeks. If you lose your lawn, it’s not the end of the world, but if you lose a tree, you’ve lost years of a shade canopy, and a nice wildlife habitat.

Discover succulents! Succulents saved me when we’d travel and my patio pots suffered. I had tried annuals, then perennials and finally had success with succulents. The only caution, make sure they are at least Zone 6 or cold hardy to 10 degrees OR see what your neighbor can grow. Great for pots and in the ground.

Some cold hardy succulents are sedum, echeveria, aloe, sempervivum, agave, yucca and graptosedum.

An ideal list of plant perfect for the Sierra foothills

If you stick to this list, you’ll have the most easy care, unthirsty and colorful garden ever!

Lavender, Spanish
Lavender, French
Lavender, English
Rosemary, upright and prostrate
Rockrose, Orchid and Sunset
Santolina, grey and green
Buddleia
Wallflower
Black-eyed Susan
Coreopsis
Gaura
Ceanothus(wild lilac)
Salvia, Autumn sage, Blue oak sage
Penstemon
Catmint, Nepeta
Artemisia
Iris
Day lilies
Hummingbird mint, Agastache
Thyme
Blue fescue
Russian sage

More Ideal plants for the Sierra Foothills

Our climate is typical Mediterranean where summers are dry and winters wet. We’re having the driest Spring since 1895, so drought tolerant plants and good watering practices will be key this summer.

PRINT and keep this list!  All these plants thrive in my garden,…we have deer,…lots of deer.

Covering the ground (To prevent weeds)

Germander (Teucrium), sun to part shade

Snow in Summer, sun to part shade

Creeping thyme, sun

Lamb’s Ears, sun to part shade

True geranium, part shade

Creeping sage, ‘Bee’s Bliss’

The big guns

’Sunset’ Rockrose, sun to part shade

Rosemary,..the standby

Wild lilac, (ceanothus) creeping form, sun

Pyracantha, (Firethorn) pinned to the ground and pruned, sun

Dry shade:

What to plant under oaks and pines. (4-5ft from the trunk)

Iris, sun to part shade

Coral bells (Heuchera), part shade

Western Sword fern, part shade

Rosemary, sun

Bergenia, sun to part shade

Bugleweed (Ajuga), sun to part shade

St John’s Wort, sun to part shade

Part shade

Foxglove, part shade

Rhododendrons, Azaleas, part to open shade

Campanula (Bellflower), part shade

Penstemon, sun to part shade

Abelia, ‘Kaleidoscope’ and ‘Frances Mason’

Sun

Some plants may be new to you!

Catmint, sun

Spirea, sun

Santolina, grey and green, sun

Wild lilac (Ceanothus), all forms, sun

Wallflower, sun to part shade

Russian sage, sun

Butterfly bush (Buddleia), sun

Euphorbia, gopher repeller! sun to part shade

Artemisia, Dusty Miller, most herbs

Standbys: Lavender, rosemary, rockrose

Trees

Sycamore, sun

Box Elder, sun

Redbud, part shade

Japanese maple, part shade

More on perfect plants for our Mountain Community:

An ideal plant list for Sierra foothill garden