Castaic Lake Water Agency - Water-wise Plants

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WATER-WISE PLANTS

HELP SAVE YOUR HOME FROM BRUSH FIRES

The plant list in the table directly below was created from the Eagle Scout Project of Timothy Hof of Boy Scout Troop 2 in Santa Clarita. It contains plants that we have tried in our Conservatory Garden, and should grow well in the Santa Clarita Valley. These plants are "fire retardant." NONE ARE FIREPROOF!

Click here to download the list.

Botanical Name	Common Name	Type	Height	Width	Flowers	Fruit	Leaf Description	Culture	Interest
AGAVE americana 'Glauca'	Century Plant	Succulent	Foliage to 4 foot, When flowering from 15 - 45 feet	10 foot	Flowers approximately every 10 years, yellowish green	Pod	8 -14 inches wide, 3 - 6 foot long ending in a very sharp tip. Blue green Variety 'Varigata' has yellowish boarders.	After flowering, the center plant dies leaving pups to replace it. May shrivel in drought, but perks right back with a little water.	Great boundary plant for corner houses or lot property lines.
ARCTOSTAPHYLOS densiflorus 'Howard McMinn'	Manzanita	Evergreen Shrub	5 - 6 foot	5 - 6 foot	Small, whitish - green, very showy in spring.	3/4 inch round berries, edible	Dark green, stiff	Hates water when established	Red bark, Native to Sonoma County
ARCTOSTAPHYLOS 'Pacific Mist'	Manzanita	Evergreen Shrub	2-1/2 foot	Spreading	Small, whitish	3/4" round berries, edible	Dark green, stiff	Hates water when established. Needs pinching to stimulate branching	Red bark, good ground cover.
AZINOGANTHUS flavidus	Kangaroo Paw	Evergreen, perennial	5 foot	Spreads by clumping	Red to yellow, fuzzy 1" to 1-1/2" on long clusters. Resembles a kangaroo's paw	Pods	Grass-like to 3 foot	Does not like wet feet. Keep crown area dry and clean.	Native to Western Australia. Attractive to Hummingbirds
BRAHEA (EYRTHEA) armata	Mexican Blue Palm	Palm	40 foot	6 - 8 foot canopy	Cream		Silvery blue to white	Tolerates aridity when established	Native to Mexico
CISTUS purpureus	Rock Rose	Evergreen Shrub	4 foot	4 foot	Magenta to purple, red spot in middle	Insignificant	1 - 2 inch, dark green on top, gray fuzzy on bottom	Hates water when established	Great in mass plantings or as accents to rock gardens.
DIANTHUS plumaris	Sweet William	Perennial	to 12 inches	18 inches	Various colors year round	Insignificant	1-1/2 inch, Lanceolate	Pinch off spent blooms	Borders and rock gardens
DIETES bicolor	Fortnight Lily	Evergreen perennial	Foliage to 2 feet, flowers to 4 feet	Spreads by clumping	Light yellow with maroon spots, Resembles Iris	Insignificant	Grass-like to 2 feet	Cut back by 1/3rd to keep foliage fresh	Flowers last 2 weeks (a "Fortnight")
FESTUCA ovina 'Glauca'	Blue Fescue	Ornamental grass	8 - 12 inches	Spreads by clumping	Cream colored to 16 inches	Insignificant	Blue green	Keep root crown dry. Cut to base annually	Other varieties available with variance in color. Try on hillsides, borders and rock gardens
HELITOCHRICON sempervirens	Blue Oat Grass	Ornamental grass	18 inches	Clumping	Bluish gray	Insignificant	Bluish gray	Prune to base annually	Accents and boarders
HETEROMELES arbutifolia	Toyon, Christmas Berry	Evergreen shrub or small tree	to 20 feet	10 - 15 feet	White on year old wood	Bright red berries on year old wood	Thick, leathery, glossy, serrate.		California's most beautiful native shrub. Birds relish the fruit.
IRIS germanica	Bearded Iris	Rhizome	18 - 24 inches	Clumping	Various colors are large and showy in spring and fall	Insignificant	Fleshy lanceolate to 14 inches	Keep crowns clean and dry. Remove old foliage annually. Divide clumps every 3 years
IRIS douglasianna	Iris	Rhizome	12 - 24 inches	Clumping	Beardless, purple to white	Insignificant	Lanceolate, grass-like to 24 inches	Divide clumps every 3 years	Native to California
IVA havesiana	Poverty Weed	Perennial	3 - 5 feet	4 feet	Inconspicuous	Insignificant	Olive green	Likes it dry	Native to Southern California. Use as a tall ground cover or accent on a slope.
LAVANDULA stoechus	Spanish Lavender	Evergreen shrub	3 feet	3 feet	Dark purple	None	Narrow gray	Prune immediately after blooming to keep tight. Does not like much water when established.	Native to the Mediterranean
LAVANDULA dantata	French Lavender	Evergreen shrub	3 feet	3 feet	Lavendar purple	None	Narrow gray green, square toothed edges	Prune immediately after blooming to keep tight. Does not like much water when established.	Native to the Mediterranean
LIMONIUM perezii	Statice or Sea Lavender	Perennial	3 feet	3 feet	Purple	Can self-sow	Large up to 12 inches long and 6 inches wide. Thick and fleshy green.	Flowers keep color after spent. Does not like much water when established.	Naturalized in Southern California.
MIMULUS longifolia	Monkey Flower	Perennial	1 - 2 feet	3 feet	Tubular, orange or red	Can self-sow	Narrow, sticky, glossy, dark green	Naturalize after 2 to 3 years	Native to Southern California
MUHLENBERGIA capillaria	Hairy Qwn Mullein, Deer Grass	Ornamental Grass	1 - 2 feet	18 inches	Red flowers on 3 foot tall stems give the appearance of smoke.	Can self-sow	Light to medium green	Handles just about any soil	Outstanding display when planted in clusters.
NANDINA domestica 'Harbor Dwarf'	Heavenly Bamboo	Evergreen or semi-deciduous shrub	18 - 24 inches	Spreads by rhizome	White	Red berries	Narrow, finely textured. Turns red to orange in winter.	May need chelated iron in alkaline soils. (We have not needed to add iron in our garden.)	Actually not a bamboo, but in the Barberry family.
OLEA europa	European Olive	Evergreen Tree	to 30 feet	to 30 feet	White	Olives. Inedible unless cured. (see "Culture" column at right)	Narrow, gray-green, willow-like.	Takes about any soil. Thin in winter to show off branch structure. Spray with fruit inhibitors when flowers appear in spring if you do not want the fruit.	Fruitless varieties revert to fruiting after a couple of seasons.
PARKENSONIA aculeata	Mexican Palo Verde, Jerusalem Thorn	Deciduous or semi-deciduous tree	15 - 30 feet	15 - 30 feet	Yellow in spring (attractive in cut arrangements)	Pods	Narrow, finely textured, almost fern-like. Turns red to orange in winter	Tolerate alkaline soils	Green bark and sharp thorns.
PITTOSPORUM tobira 'Wheeler's Dwarf'	Tobira	Evergreen shrub	18 - 24 inches	18 - 24 inches	White	Green to brown berries	Clean looking, dense	Easy	Good for low borders and arround pools
PLATANUS wrightii	Arizona Sycamore	Deciduous tree	to 80 feet	60 feet	Catkins	Seeds in balls	Wide, Maple-like	May need regular water in summer	Native to Southern and Eastern Arizona stream beds
QUERCUS lobata	Valley Oak	Deciduous tree	50 - 70 feet	50 - 70 feet	Catkins	Acorns	Deeply lobed, classic oak-shaped	Tolerates alkalinity, subject to root rot. Keep irrigation away from trunk and out of drip line in mature specimens. Subject to mistletoe.	Native to the foothills in Southern California. Oak balls are galls created by insect activity and are harmless.
SALVIA greggii	Autumn Sage	Evergreen shrub	3 - 4 feet	4 feet	Red or white	Self-sows	Narrow, finely textured, medium green	Needs little water once established	Attracts hummingbirds
SALVIA leucophylla	Purple Sage	Evergreen shrub	3 - 4 feet	Spreads much wider	Lavender	Red berries	White, wooly	Needs little water once established. Keep branches off ground if you do not want it to spread	Attracts hummingbirds
SESLERIA autumnalis		Ornamental grass	18 - 24 inches	Spreads by rhizome	Creamy green	Cream	Dark green	Prune to base annualy	Good for low borders or mass plantings on slopes
TRICOSTEMA lanatum	Wooly Blue Curls	Evergreen shrub	3 - 5 feet	3 - 5 feet	Purple	Self sows	Green on top, gray and wooly on the bottom	Needs no irrigation once established	Native to Southern California
TULBAGHIA violacea	Society Garlic	Perennial	18 - 24 inches	Spreads by rhizome	Lavender	Remove	Narrow, fine, grass-like.	Divide clumps every three years	While virtually indestructible, the plant emits an odor when crushed. (Repels many small animals, sometimes even gophers.) Keep outside and away from bedroom windows.
VERBENA tapien	Verbena	Perennial	18 - 24 inches	Spreads by rooting	Purple	Remove	Narrow, finely textured	Cut back or mow annually	Great ground cover
YUCCA WHIPPLEI	Our Lord's Candle	Evergreen perennial	12 - 21 inches	12 - 21 inches, Spreads by pups	Flowering stems to 14 inches	Bell-shaped pods	Thin, pointed at tip, stemless, gray-green	Thin periodically to keep from spreading beyond desired area	Native to Southern California
ZAUSCHNERIA californica	California Fuchia	Perennial or subshrub	1' - 2'		Orange to fuchia	remove	Narrow, gray	Naturalizes, no irrigation when established	Native to Southern California

The table below lists plants that are listed as fire hazards as found in three or more fire performance references. Avoid the following plants.

Botanical Name	Common Name	Plant Form
ABIES spp.	Fir	tree
ADENOSTOMA fasciculatum	Greasewood chamise	shrub
ADENOSTOMA sparsifolium	Red shanks	shrub
COPROSMA pumila	Prostrate coprosma	groundcover
CORTADERIA selloana	Pampas grass	grass
ERIGONUM fasciculatum	California buckwheat	shrub
EUCALYPTUS globulus	Blue gum	tree
LARIX spp.	Larch	tree
LONICERA japonica	Japanese honeysuckle	vine
PICEA spp.	Spruce	tree
PICKERINGIA montana	Chaparral pea	shrub
PSEUDOTSUGA menziesii	Douglas fir	tree
SPARTIUM junceum	Spanish broom	shrub
TAXUS spp.	Yew	tree
THUJA spp.	Arborvitae	tree
TSUGA spp.	Hemlock	tree