By Debbie Arrington
Guest Writer
Western redbud Cercis occidentalis
Now is a great time to visit Summer Strong demonstration gardens at their best. From California natives to Mediterranean perennials, many low-water plants put on a huge show this time of year (especially after a wet winter).
Thanks to winter rain, water-wise public gardens are experiencing their own super blooms. That includes the new Master Gardener Demonstration Garden at the Loomis Library, Fair Oaks Horticulture Center’s WEL (Water-Efficient Landscape) Garden, and UC Davis Arboretum’s large water-wise collections.
Visit the gardens, get inspired, and put your favorites on your planting list for fall. That’s the best time to transplant these water-wise additions.
What makes these gardens “Summer Strong”? They’re packed with easy-care, water-wise plants that can take the heat while looking good and attracting wildlife.
Another benefit: Monthly or twice-monthly irrigation adds up to huge water savings. A perennial or shrub that needs only monthly summer irrigation uses 92% less water than a typical lawn.
Master Gardener Demonstration Garden (Loomis): Located at Loomis Library (6050 Library Drive), the new demonstration garden opened March 27 – just six months after ground-breaking in September. Plants were added in fall and winter by Placer County master gardeners.
Officially named the “UC Master Gardeners of Placer County Demonstration Garden at the Loomis Library and Community Learning Center,” the new garden replaces more than 11,000 square feet of lawn that had wrapped around the facility.
Open free during library hours, the demonstration garden shows how to grow a water-wise and wildlife-friendly garden that looks good year-round while attracting pollinators such as butterflies and bees as well as supporting birds. The garden also provides space to grow vegetables, fruit, berries, and herbs as part of educational displays. Learn more at https://pcmg.ucanr.edu/Demonstration_Garden/.
Horticulture Center (Fair Oaks): Sacramento County master gardeners have been tending the WEL Garden at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center in Fair Oaks Park (11549 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks) since 2003. Open from dawn to dusk, seven demonstration beds spotlight plants that grow well together because they share the same needs. Learn more at https://sacmg.ucanr.edu/Fair_Oaks_Horticulture_Center/
Arboretum and Public Gardens (UC Davis): Open free daily, UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden – which includes the entire 5,300-acre campus – has earned an international reputation for its water-wise gardens. With 20 themed gardens covering more than 100 acres, the arboretum emphasizes sustainability while spotlighting California natives and water-wise plants from the Mediterranean, Southwest, South America, Australia and other regions. Learn more at https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/.
Tips for Summer Strong Success
Besides the plants, pay attention to how they’re planted, says Ellen Zagory, the arboretum’s former Director of Public Horticulture and still a devoted volunteer. They can’t stand standing water. Too much irrigation can cause these low-water plants to rot.
Preparation and patience are key to Summer Strong success, Zagory says. “Prepare your site. The secret to a Summer Strong garden is no standing water in winter. You can (plant on top) of little mounds, just an inch or two high; that helps drainage. Don’t bury the plant’s crown (where the top and roots meet) when planting.”
Don’t plant and forget, she adds. “You need to carefully monitor them for their first year for the entire year. Check their soil moisture. Pay attention.”
“Remember: These plants need to get established. They need water for their first year. The rootball takes six to eight weeks to get out just two inches.”
‘Margarita BOP’ Penstemon or ‘Margarita BOP’ Foothill Penstemon
Penstemon heterophyllus ‘Margarita BOP’
A favorite Summer Strong example is foothill penstemon. A colorful perennial that bees love, Margarita BOP penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus ‘Margarita BOP’) – a natural foothill penstemon hybrid – bears bountiful spires of blue flowers in spring.
“When it blooms, it’s the most beautiful pink-purple-blue combination,” Zagory says. “It’s dazzling.”
It’s extremely durable – unless it gets too much water. “Penstemon either dies right away or you can’t kill it,” Zagory says. “It suffers if it gets too much water or in a spot with poor drainage or not enough light.” (Her solution: Plant penstemon on a small mound; that extra inch makes a difference.)
Want hummingbirds? Plant California fuchsias, says Zagory. Choose a hybrid such as Everett’s Choice (Epilobium canum ‘Everett’s Choice’), a low-growing variety that makes a great ground cover.
“California fuchsias are not all the same,” she says. “There are low flat ones that stay close to the ground and are completely deciduous in winter and others that are tall with silvery foliage. They all have beautiful red flowers that hummingbirds can’t resist.”
After it becomes established, Zagory recommends mowing ‘Everett’s Choice’ in May, then watering it once a month in summer. After a flush of spring growth, cutting the bush back in late spring keeps the plant from getting too lanky. It then blooms profusely in summer and fall.
Cleveland sage (Salvia clevelandii) is another of Zagory’s favorite Summer Strong plants. “I love that thing,” she says. “It smells fantastic, the foliage is really fragrant.”
With attractive blue flowers in spring, this bushy sage benefits from some early attention, Zagory notes. “It needs shaping when it’s young. Then cut by one-third each year. It’s good and dependable.”
In her own backyard, Cleveland sage supports wildlife in spectacular fashion. “My plant gets covered with pipevine swallowtails – big black and blue butterflies,” adds Zagory, noting the butterflies are native to the greater Sacramento area. “It’s super exciting.”
“It brought nature home. It’s wonderful to put in a plant that matches up with creatures around you.”
For more Summer Strong plants and water-wise ideas, visit BeWaterSmart.info.
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Debbie Arrington is a longtime home and garden reporter and co-author of the blog Sacramento Digs Gardening: https://sacdigsgardening.californialocal.com/
