Southern California ’s rich soil is ideal for arise a variety of beautiful and tough ground covers . Although typically , the one-year rain does n’t exceed 15 inches , sure types of ground book binding do thrive in the sunny , yet mild climate of Southern California . footing covers are available in dissimilar shades of gullible and vibrant colouring . Take a here and now to consider one or more specie . Each one listed here is worth a second looking .
1 . California Poppy
The California poppy is a California aboriginal footing binding plant that attract butterflies , bees , and dame . Its scientific name is eschscholzia californica . The color variety are principally orangish and weak yellow or deep gold ; however , blood-red , rose , and ointment are also common .
While it ’s true that the California poppy ’s mature size of it may vary , it ’s not unusual for it to farm up to 2 feet high-pitched and 6 inches wide . This perennial requires full sunshine , and it grows fast in well - drained , sandy soils .
Even though the California poppy is drought - repellent , it postulate some summertime water to remain vibrant each year . It ’s dependable to water unexampled plants thoroughly , but infrequently , such as every few calendar week until the root ball and surrounding soil are saturate . Some gardener wet the root ball and soil prior to imbed .
The California poppy can thrive in every season , even when there is less rain if water more oftentimes after they are build . agriculturist can achieve this without overwatering by cautiously monitoring the moistness of the soil .
Fall planting season yields blooms in the coming springtime for a stunning ground cover garden . Adding mulch is an first-class style to protect the seeds from birds during winter . All year around , thin the gravid mass of the plant keep it manageable and less weedy . When plants become flowerless , trimming them back encourages new blossom .
2 . Creeping Barberry
The scientific name of the Creeping Barberry is Mahonia repens . The California native is flame - resistant and draws butterfly , bee , and birds , which enjoy eating the plant ’s blue fruit . The Creeping Barberry ’s leave resemble holly . They are bluish - green with a few wakeful orange or pink folio mixed in . Small yellow flowers blooming from April to July .
The Creeping Barberry tincture land cover shrub has a high-pitched drought tolerance and rise in well - drain , rocky , or sandlike territory . Extreme heat and dry winds may harm this perennial ; however , it thrives in respectable dirt and is very cold large-minded . This evergreen plant ground concealment can spread up to 3 feet high and wide-cut . Environments for thoughtfulness admit hills way above sea tier and undetermined woods .
3 . Dymondia
Dymondia , also referred to as Dymondia margaretae , is repellent to fire and drouth . The showy plant is wide known as the “ Silver Carpet ” because of its placeable ash gray and green color mix . Dymondia beautifies slopes and provides a cool tincture because it propagate low and wide . The colorful undercoat cover grows up to a height of 3 inch and spread up to 2 foot .
This perennial ’s flower resemble jaundiced daisies . Dymondia thrives in well - drained ground that is arenaceous , rocky , or loam . It will tolerate heat , as well as former wintertime temperature above 28 ℉ .
Other than ground covering , top uses for Dymondia include containers , patios and pathways , rock garden , and courtyards . Dymondia tolerates rocky ground , salinity , and deer . Its low sustainment is mainly due to its low water necessary and elevation .
4 . Rockrose
Rockrose is a flack - resistant evergreen shrub . It make a squeamish industrial plant covering for slopes . Its general scientific name is Cistus . There are different mintage of Rockrose with a host of varied scientific name , but all bloom pink , drear , or ashen flowers . The Cistus monspeliensis , is a popular species of Rockrose .
The plant life features small showy flowers and small , dark green farewell . Cistus industrial plant necessitate full sunshine , dry climates , and sandlike well - drain ground . rock rose grows up to 1 base gamy . This may vary because it bet on the soil . ironical grease produce smaller spreading . By line , moist grease repay with child spreading and tall plant .
Cistus works such as Rockrose have the flexibility to grow in container in the wintertime or as an annual or repeated in the summer . Although Rockrose is down sustenance , pruning is an of import task to do each class . Growers encourage the industrial plant to deliver healthy bloom and foliage when they remove about 6 column inch of the leaf before the growing season .
5 . Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea is a broadleaf evergreen plant ground cover charge with thorny stems and shiny leaves . Leaf colours may be green , light garden pink , purplish , abstruse Burgundy wine , red , magenta , or various refinement in between . Also commonly known as the newspaper flower , Bougainvillea attracts songbirds , butterflies , and bees .
Bougainvillea plants thrive in teetotal mood and are drought - insubordinate . However , until it is established , grower should water the plant well , and then rent it dry out before water it again . Bougainvillea require at least six hours of unmediated sunlight and grows up to 20 feet in high spirits .
spicy weather is n’t a trouble for Bougainvillea . When the temperature gets to 100 ℉ , it can take the hotness . The plant requires more water than some other drouth - immune plants . position where there is at least 25 inch of rain , start the undercoat masking to reach its potential . That say , Southern California remains a good geographical emplacement for Bougainvillea because of the warmer , dryer atmospheric condition conditions .
Planting a Bougainvillea land top is a great elbow room to manage out - of - control weed emergence on heavy hillside . It is also appropriate for lieu that are concentrated to access such as extortionate slopes . It make a marvelous borderline , roadblock , and hedge too . In urban area , the flat coat cover ’s beautiful flowers add interest when planted on commercial or residential social structure . Rooftops , near fences , and arbors are some additional examples of their diversified usage .
6 . Blue Grama Grass
This aboriginal Southern California prairie sens called Blue Grama is known for its low-pitched - alimony qualities . dispirited Grama ’s watering requirement are just once a calendar week from late spring to mid - fall . southerly California ’s rainfall is perfect for the Blue Grama because it prefers surround where there is limited rainfall of up to 15 in , but at least 8 in every year .
The scientific name for Blue Grama pasturage is Bouteloua gracilis . Blue Grama ’s blades are small and narrow and its flower initiate to bloom around July . This dry land cover can grow up to 20 inches tall in flaxen , gravelly , gamey - lime content , or rough , well - drain soils . grower might not demand to mow Blue Grama grass except once or double p.a. . If weeds appear , mowing more frequently is the good style to control their growth .
Blue Grama enjoys a non - private-enterprise plant space . Taller plant that obstruct its view of the sun will cause the plant to wither . Uses for Blue Grama let in livestock skimming and preventing or at least lowering the effect of sheet and confidential information corroding in susceptible areas .
7 . Phyla nodifora
Phyla nodifora is aboriginal to Southern California and tropic neighborhood . Phyla nodifora also goes by the name of crawl Charlie , frogfruit or fogfruit , and Capeweed . This evergreen ground cover is drought - resistant and used as a lawn substitute . It is broken sustainment since it only requires once - weekly watering between May and October after it is lay down .
The plant features wan fleeceable leaves and diminished peak . This ground cover charge grows up to 3 inch gamey . Because it forms into dumb mat , it lay down an excellent turf Mary Jane replacement and planting between stepping Stone . P. nodifora bask verbatim sunlight ; although it can stomach some shade . Sandy loam , which is a mix of guts , clay , and silt , offers satisfactory drainage .
P. nodifora is an invasive ground cover . It grows very tight and many consider it to be a weed . It can care some dry experimental condition , but moist environments aid the industrial plant circulate and form into dense matt . Another benefit of P. nodifora is that it tolerates salt found in the air .
Its flowers consist of a moody purple pistil ( centre ) and lighter pinkish , pale violet petal that bloom between spring in May and mid - fall around October . Butterflies enjoy P. nodifora ’s nectar . In retentive periods of cold weather , P. nodifora ’s flowers will colour , turning colored purple . However , when the weather gets warmer , they often bounce back .
8 . Blue Rug Juniper
The scientific name of the Blue Rug juniper is Juniperus horizontalis Wiltonii . This low ground cover shrub turn over a tallness of between 4 to 6 and a width of 5 to 6 feet .
Blue Rug is patient of to weave , common salt , and drouth . In addition , this retem stands up well to insensate weather . Juniper flora , in general , command moist dirt incessantly . This is where Blue Rug differs from other species of raetam . Whether the soil is dry , sunny , on a slope , or all three , Blue Rug will adapt to any of those precondition .
It ’s well-off to key out Blue Rug Juniper . Its thick branches and scale leave mature flat in one commission , and its leave are blueish and silver - gray . This juniper specie want direct sunlight for at least 6 hours per day and good ground drainage .
Bees are tender of Blue Rug . And sometimes web - making can occur when spiders make their home in the ground cover song shrub . To counter this , growers should spray down the plant when they see webs forming . Small landscapes in near proximity to building structures are perfect for Blue Rug because of its modified spreading .
9 . Ground Morning Glory
The scientific name for Ground break of the day glory is Convolvulus sabatius . Other first light glory plants may have unlike scientific name calling base on their coinage . Even so , they all belong to the same mob of morning halo plants .
This plant grows to about 18 inches tall and up to 3 feet wide depending on the cultivation . The ground cover features small-scale , hoar leaves and vibrant blasphemous blooms with a touch of lavender . efflorescence can also be purple or even a combination of colors including racy , blank , and pink . Common uses for Ground dayspring aura are rock candy garden and desert oasis landscaping .
Ground dawn glory is drought - repellent . Quick drain is essential , so sandy soils and soils containing gravel study best . Ground morning nimbus grows dauntless in full sunlight but can allow partial shade and low temperatures to around 15 ℉ .
10 . California Cranesbill
Cranesbill is another name for perennial geraniums . Perennial geranium have many different names away from crane’s bill . unwarranted geranium , wood geranium , spotted cranesbill , and alum root word and variations of those name calling based on the specific plant characteristics .
The California cranesbill ’s scientific name is Geranium californicum . The yield it delivers resembles a crane ’s bill ; therefore it is dearly call cranesbill for easy designation .
This ground cover exhibit pink and purple efflorescence in early summer around June and July . It uprise up to 3 feet gamey . Unlike other ground book binding recommended for Southern California , the California crane’s bill remains healthiest in moist soils . moreover , instead of full sun , partly shaded areas may fulfill their short requirements .
In Southern California primer cover plant life may be the root to reducing the neighborhood ’s weewee usage . reason covers are low maintenance because they require less lacrimation than many other plant . It ’s also one of the most affordable ways to flex anyone ’s dream of a beautiful landscape into a realness . Ground cover embellish outdoor spaces in both urban and suburban setting . While some ground cover version do well with fond shade , most call for full sunlight , and all require good soil drain . Southern California provides the staring environment for growing priming coat overlay successfully .
