Summer-Blooming Natives
Content with little or no water, even in the heat of summer, these native plants put on a nice display in summer and early fall. Island Snapdragon (Galvezia) is an attractive plant with vibrantly colored leaves and blooms that beckon hummingbirds to the garden. 
California fuchsia (Zauschneria californica) a.k.a. (Epilobium californica) is another favorite of hummingbirds. 
Long-blooming California buckwheat (Eriogonum) attracts butterflies and many other beneficial insects.
Photos by Les Dublin.
Comments
thanks Les,
the Wild Buckwheat, autumn chaparral forest smell of maple syrup, has always been my local favorite.
Posted by: Millennium | July 23, 2008 03:46 PM
or is it the "Pearly Everlasting" that puts the maple syrup smell in the air? I always knew it as Wild Buckwheat ...
Posted by: Millennium | July 23, 2008 03:59 PM
I won't be attending your Rose Garden workshop.
So I'd like to know if they have developed a rose that doesn't need the large volume of water roses usually require and if so then I hope you'll post its name/variety here.
Posted by: Anonymous | July 31, 2008 05:12 PM
There is a special technique, developed by the Earthkind research project, that has successfully grown roses that require very little water. They used a control plant, the cultivar "Carefree Beauty" also known as "Katy Road Pink" in their study. Other roses certified as EarthKind include Belinda's Dream, Caldwell Pink, Georgetown Tea, Knockout, Lamarne, Marie Daley, New Dawn, Sea Foam, Mutabilis, Perle d'Or, and Spice. All certified EarthKind cultivars reduce the need for supplemental watering by 70%.
Posted by: Donna | August 1, 2008 10:57 AM
Thank you, Donna, for the info on roses which require less water.
Have any of these been successfully grown in Ojai?
Posted by: Anonymous | August 2, 2008 12:24 PM
I'll have to ask the local rose enthusiasts about that at next week's workshop.
Posted by: Donna | August 3, 2008 12:07 PM