Coyote Brush with Butterflies, (Baccharis pilularis consanguinea) Photo courtesy of Las Pilitas Nursery
In Southern California, we have a problem: There’s no green stuff in the summertime. Many of our native perennial plants die back and leave you with a garden that is, well, lacking for the color green. Most of us have this ńeed to see green in the garden, so much so that we would go with non-native plants if only they promised us green in the summer!
Not to worry, though. There are a number of native plants that you can include in your garden that stay green all summer and are drought tolerant once established. If you want to save water, but don’t want to go with a 100% xeriscape succulent garden, there are other green options out there for you.
One of my favorites is the Coyote Brush, Baccharis pilularis consanguinea or Baccharis pilularis pilularis.
Coyote Brush is always spring green even throughout summer. Besides being a great xeriscape plant, wildlife gardeners will appreciate it for its benefits to so many birds and animals in the coastal sage brush and chaparral areas of California. There are two main types of Coyote Brush, the bush type and the low-growing ground huggers.
Boyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis pilularis) Covering Hillside, Photo Courtesy of Las Pilitas Nursery
Baccharis piularis bushes grow to 3-6 ft and can be used as hedges at the back of the yard or between lots. Coyote Brush provides good cover for small animals, like rabbits and quail. Plant native bushes for your animal friends to use for cover from Coyote, the Trickster.
Blue Jays stash acorns underneath the bushes. Quail eat the seeds of Baccharis, as do other birds. Butterflies are drawn to its delicate flowers of white or yellow. Baccharis species are the nectar sources for most of the predatory wasps, native skippers (small butterflies) and native flies.
I remember one time watching a family of California Quail, disturbed by my approach, rise up all at once in a noisy flapping of wings! They flew low across the yard to settle in a Baccharis bush and safely disappear underneath.
If you plant low growing or dwarf Baccharis varieties, small rodents will make tunnels to hide from the warm summer sun. Lizards enjoy these cool shady spots, as well. Baccharis is a sturdy chaparral plant that is very drought tolerant after being established, only 1-2 years, and is very fast-growing. The low-growing varieties like Pozo Surf and Pigeon Point are pretty, maintenance-free ground covers, perfect on hillsides where maintenance could be difficult. Planting Baccharis stops soil erosion from winter rains and stabilizes steep banks.
Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis pilularis) Photo Courtesy of Las Pilitas Nursery
Baccharis “Pozo Surf” is a low growing variety that tolerates harsh soil, and takes both deep shade and 100+ dg heat & direct sunlight. Baccharis Pigeon Point grows into a one foot tall by twelve foot wide dark-green ground cover. This is the preferred form of Dwarf Coyote Brush for slope stabilization and landscaping in most areas.
If you are gardening for wildlife in So California, Coyote Brush Baccharis is a plant you cannot afford to leave out of your garden. If you are looking to green-up a hillside, make a green hedge, or add focal- point bushes that will add green to your landscape all summer without water, Coyote Brush Baccharis is an excellent choice to go with. Fortunately, Coyote Brush is available at most nurseries that specialize in native plants.
Baccharis is also a pioneer plant. If you are trying to start-up an area that has been disturbed by construction and bulldozers, Baccharis is first to re-establish itself, tolerates poor soil, is fast-growing, and its deep green carpet is pleasing to the eye. You can expect to leave it in place for a life-time. You will want to water about once every two weeks just to wash the dust off of the foliage. Coyote Brush, like many native plants, hates dust.
Baccharis has a place in many different garden locations. It is at home in a rural setting near a fence, or it can be trimmed up near walkways for a neater look and to encourage more flowers. In a hedge, it partners well with other summer-green natives like Toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia, Ceanothus, and Sugar Bush Rhus ovata. Put Coyote Brush in an area where you want to sit and watch wildlife. These plants sing’ with life. You will see the weirdest bugs: from green beetles to 1 inch long flies with short wings and no middle to their body.
Oh, did I mention the deer won’t eat them?
© 2014, Kathy Vilim. All rights reserved. This article is the property of BeautifulWildlifeGarden.com We have received many requests to reprint our work. Our policy is that you are free to use a short excerpt which must give proper credit to the author, and must include a link back to the original post on our site. Please use the contact form above if you have any questions.
