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Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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Thursday - May 17, 2012

From: Moreno Valley , CA
Region: California
Topic: Groundcovers
Title: Groundcovers for Moreno Valley, CA
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Hi, I live in Moreno Valley, CA I have a huge flower bed area surrounding our grass I am looking for the best ground cover that will have minimal up keep.

ANSWER:

Las Pilitas Nursery, specializing in native plants with nurseries in Escondido and Santa Margarita, has lists of native groundcovers for Southern California that should do well in Riverside County.

Here are several from that list that occur in, or adjacent to,  Riverside County:

Corethrogyne filaginifolia (Common sandaster) and here are photos and more information from the Santa Monica Mountain Trails Council site, the Southern California Research Learning Center, and from Las Pilitas.

Monardella macrantha (Hummingbird mint) and here are photos and more information from the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers & Native Plants and from Las Pilitas.

Oenothera californica (California evening primrose) and here are more photos and information from the Theodore Payne Foundation.

Clinopodium douglasii [syn. Satureja douglasii] (Yerba buena) and here are photos and more information from the Southern California Research Learning Center and from Las Pilitas.

Epilobium canum ssp. canum (Hummingbird trumpet) and here are photos and more information from the Theodore Payne Foundation and from Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest.

 

 

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