- Needs little or no water once established. Chaparral plants are generally quite drought adapted after a few years.
- Favors full sun
- Good on slopes. Being drought-adapted, chaparral plants often develop deep roots, which help protect from erosion.
- Low maintenance. This is because chaparral plants needs no fertilizer and are often slow growing, so less pruning.
- Adaptable to firesafe landscaping. Chaparral favors non-flammable surface materials, such as rock and gravel.
Chaparral
Tips for chaparral gardening
- Site in places that have full sun, good drainage, and no established plants that need regular water
- Favor shrubs and ground covers, using few trees. In nature, chaparral often has too little water to sustain large plants.
- Plant in fall. Many chaparral plants are intolerant of summer water when it’s hot, so time your planting to take full advantage of the rain in cooler months.
- Mulch with light-colored inorganic materials. As observed in natural chaparral, this helps keep plant roots cooler in sunny areas.
- Avoid fertilizer, even organic fertilizer. Chaparral plants are well adapted to working with mycorrhizae in the soil to slowly extract nutrients from the rocks and soil. Using fertilizers can significantly shorten the life of plants.
Keystone species for chaparral
Chaparral health depends on the presence of certain “keystone” plant and animal species. Using these native plants strengthens the ecosystem, as does providing the habitat needed by these birds and other animals.
Buckbrush (Ceanothus cuneatus) is a beautiful blue-flowering tree, shrub or ground cover supports over 120 species of butterflies and moths, as well as attracting birds.
Buckwheat (Eriogonum spp.) Depending on location, California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) and sulphur buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum) are popular. This shrub blooms in fall when other shrubs have gone dormant and hosts 56 species of butterflies and moths.
- Coyote brush (Baccharis pilularis) is an insect “magnet” attracts predatory wasps, skippers and native butterflies.
Keystone bird and animals
Keystone bird species
California thrasher
California towhee
Western scrub jay
Wrentit
Keystone mammals and other animals
California vole
Giant kangaroo rat
Western fence lizard
Learn more about chaparral
