Fall in the desert, is there anything more beautiful? As the air chills, some of our local flora are at their finest. Grey Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa), a rounded shrub, with cheery yellow flowers and soft grey stalks offer shelter and sustenance for pollinators. Snow Buckwheat (Eriogonum niveum), a low growing perennial, blankets the hillsides with showy snowlike blossoms that turn rusty as the weather cools. Hoary Aster’s (Dieteria canescens) purple flowers make a final appearance before turning into tiny white seed puffs that disperse in the wind. Green Rabbitbush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus), a low growing green shrub, boasts silver-grey seed heads that catch the winter sun in a most becoming way. Big Basin Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) towers over the others with it’s featherlike fragrant leaves. One of the largest in our shrub-steppe, this slow growing shrub can stand upwards of 9 ft tall and reach over 100 years old! All these plants work together to create habitat and shelter for pollinators and critters facing a long winter ahead.
Don’t forget, now’s the time to plant! We’re entering our rainy season which means native starts and seeds will need to get in the ground. That way, they’ll stay warm and hydrated while they build strong, deep root systems that will help them withstand the dry summer heat. Email us for available inventory if you feel inspired to add these drought tolerant fall bloomers to your garden.
