Using more native plants in the landscape is an easy way to get on the road to sustainability.

Here are my top five native plants for Tehachapi:

1. Deer Grass- Muhlenbergia rigens

I have found this grass growing at several job sites in West Golden Hills and Bear Valley. It is a lovely evergreen grass that takes on a buffy tan color in winter. It thrives in full sun and looks great with little irrigation. Grows to four feet high and wide in three years. it does not have to be cut back. I prefer to take a rake to it in spring and rake out the thatchy undergrowth that turns brown.

2. Coyote Bush- Bacharris pilularis ‘Pigeon Point’

Coyote Bush is a bright green that is hard to find in drought tolerant plants. Prune it back every spring, and cut it back to only occasional water after it is fully established. Wash the dust off it a few times in the summer, and you have a thriving evergreen that grows to six feet wide and two feet tall in three years. It is also great at controlling erosion. Another bonus is that it attracts all kinds of beneficial insects.

3. Creeping Sage- Salvia ‘Gracias’ or ‘Bee’s Bliss’

A large silver leaf and purple spring flowers make this a perfect foil for  the finer texture of Coyote bush. Also a great pick for controlling erosion and thriving on little water. This is another evergreen that gives back a lot of beauty for little water and maintenance. It grows to six feet wide and two feet tall in three years.

4. Creeping Oregon Grape Holly- Mahonia repens

Native to the mountains from Oregon down into California, I like to use this plant because it is evergreen and slowly sends out runners that control erosion. The leaves take on a red hue in cold weather and the plant has early, yellow, spring flowers and summer berries that look a bit like blueberries. They are edible, so of course I had to try one. I found them bitter and spit it out immediately. Yuck!! On the up side, Quail love them! This plant grows two feet wide and tall in three years.

5. Rose Sage- Salvia pachyphylla

I really like the blooms on this Sage! They are big and showy and last a long time; from late spring well into summer for me, here in west Golden Hills. The evergreen foliage looks a bit sparse in Winter but seems to fill in quickly when the weather warms up. The specimen pictured grew two feet tall and three feet wide in two years. Attracts bees and other beneficial insects.