Full
Sun GardeningThe showiest section of the garden is usually right out there in the full sun.
Keeping a section clear from the shade of buildings and large trees to give these sun loving plants
a spot to shine is reward enough. Keeping this section of the landscape from wearing out the water
meter is another issue.
Soil preparation is key to keeping even thirsty plants from sucking the meter dry. But most of the
rest of the plants appreciate a well tended soil as well. A season or two with a thick layer of mulch
yields results much like those of double digging. Fertilizing encourages the bacteria to work overtime
and all of that organic material that gives soil the looseness gets turned back into more bacteria.
In this world of increasing automation it is easy to program the timer to provide enough water so
that even the thirsty plants are quenched. One of the most surprising lessons in my gardening career
was when the local municipality told us to turn off all sprinkler systems. Predictably the lawns
turned brown and crunched while you walked on them. The surprising part to me was how many plants
actually did better. For years we have had drought tolerant plants produced by our local nurseries that
were often over-watered and rotted in our landscapes. Look to our review
of Smart Sprinkler Timers.
One of the greatest challenges for the plant buying public is to get well enough educated about the
plants that we go to a garden center knowing what we want to buy. Small plants that are not currently
flowering are probably the ones to we really want. In spite of sometimes looking rather awful in their
containers many drought tolerant plants will flourish in our sun filled landscapes. If we buy our plants when they are
big and overflowing their containers they often transition badly into the landscape. Many of the plants on this list have a relatively short life span. There is little point in having
the larger part of that plant's life spent distressed by being cramped into and nursery container.
Plants do not fare well with the chloramines and other water sanitizing chemicals. No surprise, the point
of the chemicals is to kill the microscopic plants and animals that might make us sick drinking the water.
The result so far as the plants are concerned, an inch of irrigated water or an inch of rain on the landscape
does not produce the same results. It is easy to see how happy the plants are when we finally get the natural
choice. I spend a significant part of my time in gardens trying to fix the soil chemistry caused by our water.
Fall is when a plant's roots will grow the most. This is the easiest time to get a drought tolerant garden
established. Healthy roots lead to robust foliage in the Spring and lots of flowers. Spring is when the plants
main energy is spent on flowers and seeds. If the roots are not fully established summer survival is a
trial, and a race between dehydration and rot. Drought tolerant plants are only capable of withstanding a
drought if their roots are well established into the surrounding soil.
Our full sun garden list is compiled from the plants that we have enjoyed in our gardens.
This list is by no means complete, but as you can see there are plenty of plants to fill your yard,
school, or park without bothering to repeat.
The Garden pictured above is planted in Ojai in a cold section of the
Valley on a South exposure. This picture was taken in the early
morning in May. The following plants are what you can see in the
garden.
Artemisia powis
Castle
Ceanothus
hearstiorum
Cistus salviifolius
Cistus skanbergii
Euphorbia
characias wulfenii
Euphorbia myrsinites
Lavandula Otto Quast
Miscanthus
variegatus
Miscanthus zebrinus
Nepeta faassenii
Rhynchelytrum
nerviglume
Rose Marjorie Fair
Rose Zepherine
Drouhin
Salvia lanceolata
Stachys
Silver Carpet
In addition there are a dozen or so different daylillies, the Rose
'Fairy' and a truckload of rock garden perennials tucked around in the
nooks and crannies. The rose on the fence in the background is Rosa banksii
Snowflake.
