What are the best plants to purchase? Which are more likely to thrive? Rest easy. Following are great plants for local gardens. Your tour de force begins with plant selection.
Greg Gayton, California Certified Nursery Professional, sales, marketing and plant nerd for Green Acres Nursery & Supply, can name 50 favorite plants for Sacramento. He narrowed the selections to a top five.
One is Walker’s Low catmint, which he describes as a bulletproof perennial. The catmint has violet-blue flowers and gray-green foliage.
“It blooms all summer and into fall,” Gayton says. “It stays nice and compact and never gets leggy. It has a low water requirement and is the perfect perennial for new gardeners.”
Gayton’s other favorites are Meerlo lavender, pincushion flower (scabiosa), Margarita BOP penstemon and Denim ’n Lace Russian sage.
The Russian sage is a dwarf cultivar that reaches only about 2 feet tall. Meerlo lavender is a spectacular plant with creamy green and variegated leaves. It stands out among lavenders and other plants. Margarita BOP is a hummingbird magnet and pincushion flower attracts pollinators.
My friend and fellow UC Master Gardener Jan Fetler recommends Peruvian lily (alstroemeria), Ascot Rainbow euphorbia, black-eyed Susan, Lenten rose and White Cloud muhly grass.
“Compact Peruvian lily varieties are common in garden stores, but searches, especially online, include long-stem beauties that are about the best cut flower you can buy,” Fetler says. “Intense color and easy care add to their appeal. In some cases, it can be invasive, but beautiful flowers can invade my garden all they want!”
Lenten rose is not a rose, but a hybrid hellebore that tolerates shade. It has evergreen leaves and flowers in February when not much else is going on.
“Snail bait is about the only care it needs,” she says.
Fetler’s favorite euphorbia flowers for about three months and is a standout in flower arrangements. Black-eyed Susan is another top-tier cut flower for arrangements, can be reseeded for the following year and attracts beneficial insects.
White Cloud muhly grass is a California native that blooms in fall.
“It is a relative of pink muhly grass, but I like White Cloud better because its airy panicles stay bright white all winter, adding appeal in the garden when most flowering plants are dormant,” Fetler says.
My favorite plants for the area are rose of Sharon paraplu violet, grevillea Coastal Gem, dwarf bottlebrush Little John, Crocosmia Solfatare and Mexican bush sage Santa Barbara.
Coastal Gem is a low growing, spreading evergreen shrub often called groundcover. Flowers are pinkish red to cream and bloom fall into spring.
Little John, a dwarf evergreen shrub with bright red flower spikes, attracts hummingbirds. It makes a striking border, hedge or interesting container plant.
Mexican bush sage, a compact perennial, boasts showy deep purple flowers spring into fall. Crocosmia is a perennial corm (a relative of bulbs) that emerges in late spring or early summer with chocolate-green foliage and apricot blooms.
My newest favorite is rose of Sharon. It’s a large flowering shrub (hybrid hibiscus) that needs space to expand. A fine choice for a privacy screen.
As you read nursery labels, be aware the plant likely will exceed its estimated height and spread in Sacramento’s magical climate. Check out our favorites online. Let me know your favorites.
Dan Vierria is a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener for Sacramento County. He can be reached at masterg29@gmail.com. For answers to gardening questions, contact UCCE Master Gardeners at (916) 876-5338, email mgsacramento@ucanr.edu or visit sacmg.ucanr.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
