Inland gardens can be difficult to plan for. High heat in the summer, frost in the winter, heavy soil and constant wind along with drought are all possible on one site. Choosing the right plants to survive all of these elements can be tricky, but using Moosa Creek’s search engine can help you find the perfect plants.

One site that has all of these factors had a native garden geared for attracting birds planted in March of 2019. If you want to attract birds, then you need to plant for insects, upon which most birds feed, and which will pollinate plants to produce berries as well.  The plants have an array of colors, textures, forms and bloom time. Plants that work in this situation are the light lavender-flowered WR Seaside Daisy, different forms of spreading ceanothus such as Anchor Bay, the dark red spears of Hummingbird Sage, the stunningly vivid blue spikes of  Woolly Blue Curls, and the contrasting grayish foliage and brilliant array of yellow flowers of Incienso. For height the garden features the tall evergreen shrub with red berries called Toyon, a privacy hedge of the nearly indestructible Lemonade Berry, and the columnar spikes of the very handsome grayish needled Arizona Cypress.

Irises, grasses, sages and many other plants fill this large landscape and give seasonal delight. Most importantly, the plants offer habitat for birds and insects which increases as the tall shrubs grow. The combination of vivid flower colors and leaf shades give year-round interest and beauty. Once established, this landscape can tolerate occasional summer watering only. Cutting back the flower heads may make the garden look tidier, but would deplete the seed and insect harvest the birds will enjoy later in the year, so waiting for after winter to deadhead can help feed the wildlife.