Ensuring you can still enjoy an attractive garden when you are under water restriction rules can be more difficult for anyone living in the San Fernando Valley and surrounding areas. Being water-smart with your gardening not only helps your landscaping look great, but also stays in accordance with all water regulations in your local area.

Native Plants

When it comes to native California plants, there are a wide range to choose from. Not only do native plants look great in a variety of different landscaping areas, but being native they are naturally drought tolerant and perfect for areas that have very low water allowance.

  1. Indian Mallow is a striking blooming flower that produces bright yellow and gold flowers atop the shrub-like plant. It’s great for extremely hot areas with direct sun, and can also thrive in poor soil conditions.
  2. California Yarrow is an eye-catching fern that grows up to 6 inches in height. It produces clusters of pastel flowers which smell great and can attract butterflies and other beneficial insects. Yarrow is also a suitable option for a lawn substitute.
  3. Mountain Lilac is a wonderful option for very heavy soils and does well in forested areas where oaks or pine trees block a lot of direct sunlight. The pastel purple and blue color of the blooms is appealing to a wide range of insects and wildlife.
  4. Bush Poppy is a uniquely colored shrub that has gray colored leaves with bright and highly contrasting yellow flowers. It is somewhat rare which makes it a suitable centerpiece plant in your landscaping.
  5. Apricot Mallow does very well on heavy slopes and in butterfly gardens. It is extremely drought tolerant and thrives through heavy cutting, mowing, and other abuse that may happen.
  6. White Sage is a very tall stalk-like plant that bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds love. The flowers are snow-white and can stand up to 6 feet in height making this a truly stunning plant to consider.

Cactus and Succulents

In addition to California native plants, there are a wide range of cactus and succulents that can do very well in extremely dry conditions. These plants can be found naturally in the Southwest, Mexico, and other countries but all grow well in the San Fernando Valley.

Cactus and succulents use their thick stalks, stems, and leaves to collect large amounts of water which sustains them over long weeks or months of complete drought-like conditions. If you only get water once per year, or have heavy restrictions on how much watering you can do on your lawn, cactus and succulents are an outstanding option to consider.

Cactus and succulents come in a huge range of sizes and shapes, and many can create colorful blooms. They can do very well in open landscaping, rock gardens, mulched areas, and container gardens to suit your needs. Most cactus and succulents do very well in direct sunlight. They can also thrive on either flat ground or slopes equally well.