Garden: Native Plants to Santa Barbara
By Soren Engstrom
Happy Earth Day! Late spring has arrived! The birds are singing and the bees are buzzing. Young animals are everywhere and the mountains are covered in luscious green. Santa Barbara is coming alive out of winter. The beloved poppies are everywhere adding splashes of color. On this Earth Day, let us think about how we can help the environment in our gardens. One way is through incorporating native plants into our yards and gardens, which ours happen to be coming out in full force right now.
Native plants are essential for maintaining biodiversity and preserving ecosystems. Native plants have evolved over a long period of time to thrive in their specific region, making them well-adapted to the local climate, soil conditions, and wildlife. By planting native species, we help restore and enhance natural habitats, providing food and shelter for native insects, birds, and other wildlife. This, in turn, fosters a healthy balance within ecosystems, supporting pollination, seed dispersal, and natural pest control. Additionally, native plants can help prevent soil erosion and filter water, contributing to the overall health of the environment.
Moreover, planting native plants can play a crucial role in mitigating the impacts of climate change. Native vegetation is often more resilient to extreme weather conditions, such as droughts and floods, making it better equipped to withstand climate-related stressors. As native plants grow, they sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which helps mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change — more so than non-native plants as native plants are better suited to their region. By incorporating native species into your gardens and landscaping, we can create resilient and sustainable environments that benefit both people and the planet.
Santa Barbara is home to many beautiful flowers and shrubs which spruce up your garden and yard, while providing habitat to native wildlife, such as Monarch butterflies, bumble bees, and Anna’s and Allen’s hummingbirds. Planting native flowers and shrubs brings in the local pollinators and will help your garden flourish. Some of the plants native to Santa Barbara include the California Poppy, California Lilac, Coastal Sunflower, and Salvias.
These plants will aid your garden and help you cultivate some delicious fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Now is the time to plant tomatoes, kale, peppers, cucumbers, beans, squash, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, and citrus trees. These plants all love the warm spring weather that comes towards the end of April and continues through May. The first plant ready to be harvested will be kale, which you can start picking outer leaves after 3-4 weeks for baby kale and after 6-8 weeks for larger leaves. The leaves will keep growing back throughout the season. The herbs, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and beans will be ready for a summer harvest, while the citrus trees and squash will be ready in late summer or early fall.
