Native Plants

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Wednesday - February 03, 2010

From: Carlsbad, CA
Region: California
Topic: Shrubs
Title: Shrubs to stabilize steep slope in California
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Suggest shrubs to stabilize steep bank that are drought resistant and resistant to too much rain. Cape honeysuckle? oleander? bottle brush? What?

ANSWER:

Tecoma capensis (cape honeysuckle) is a native of South Africa, Nerium oleander (oleander) is native to the Mediterranean and Asia, and Callistemon sp. (bottlebrush) is native to Australia. Additionally, oleander is listed in the California Invasive Plant Inventory Database as moderately invasive. So, since the focus and expertise of the Wildflower Center are with plants native to North America, Mr. Smarty Plants wouldn't recommend ANY of the above plants. We can, however, recommend plants native to Southern California that will work for you. Las Pilitas Nursery (with nurseries in Escondido and Santa Margarita) has a very good article called Simple Erosion Control for a Hillside or Garden Slope with suggestions for native plants. Here are some suggested native plants for your area from us and from that list:

Arctostaphylos patula (greenleaf manzanita)

Artemisia californica (coastal sagebrush)

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus (blueblossom)

Ceanothus leucodermis (chaparral whitethorn)

Salvia sonomensis (creeping sage)

Eriogonum fasciculatum (Eastern Mojave buckwheat)

Diplacus longiflorus (southern bush monkeyflower)

Epilobium canum ssp. angustifolium [syn. Zauschneria californica] (hummingbird trumpet)

You can find more native plants for Southern California on our Recommended—Southern California page.

Here are photos of the above plants from our Image Gallery: