How about some native scent in the garden?
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Diane Lynch
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Salvia clevelandii is fragrant all year long and produces purple blooms all summer. Photo: Diane Lynch
Probably the largest group of fragrant natives are the sages, or Salvias: S. spathacea, or hummingbird sage, blooms in early spring, depending on your location. S. clevelandii has fragrant leaves, purple flowers, and favors a bit of shade. Sonoma sage, S. sonomensis, is a sage green ground cover with lavender flowers. Black sage, S. mellifera, is highly aromatic with vertical whorls of tiny white flowers that are bee magnets. Salvia brandegei is an early spring bloomer with bluish to lavender flowers, which can grow to 6’. Purple sage, S. leucophylla, blooms pink in some gardens, with gray/silver foliage. White sage, S. apiana, is known to seed, giving you free plants; flower stalks can grow to 6’. Hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies are often attracted to sages. Sages and salvias occur around most of the world and some are more fragrant than others—give them the sniff test at the nursery.
Romneya Coulteri produces spectacular flowers in the summer months. Photo: Diane LynchCalifornia sagebrush, Artemisia californica, has gray-green foliage and small yellow flowers and doesn’t need much water once established; nicknamed cowboy cologne, what some call the smell of California, and is sometimes used as a moth repellant.
Among the largest fragrant natives are Ceanothus or California lilac, which comes in many cultivars ranging from ground-covers to small trees. Its early spring beautiful blue or purple flowers are enticing to bees and butterflies.
Another large native is the buckeye tree, Aesculus californica, which leafs out in early spring, followed by large white, fragrant flowers. It loses its large leaves as early as July or August, prompting people to wonder if it’s dead, but this is how it protects itself from our customary summer droughts.
Yerba buena likes shade and creeps around the garden needing very little water. Photo: Diane LynchThe unappealingly named California mugwort, Artemisia douglasiana, prefers partial shade and some moisture, making it suited for a creek bed should you be lucky enough to have one. The leaves smell of sage and are considered a topical antidote to poison oak if you’re fortunate enough to find some after a brush with the dreaded plant.
Yerba buena, Satureja douglasii, is a delightful little creeping plant that favors shade, especially under oaks. It needs very little water from the get-go, maybe a monthly drink for the first year. Little white flowers abound, and its leaves are reported to make a lovely mint tea.
Black sage has bright green foliage and lovely whorls of white or lavender blooms all summer long. Photo: Diane LynchMonardella villosa, commonly known as coyote mint, blooms from spring to fall in subtle purples and pinks, attracting butterflies and other insects. M. villosa var. obispoensis has round gray leaves enrobed in white fuzz. M. odoratissima, also called western pennyroyal, and M. undulata, also known as California bee balm, are other Monadellas worth considering.
Western spice bush, Calycanthus occidentalis, has flowers that resemble water lilies and, according to Glenn Keator, “the odor of old wine at close range.” Keator is a noted California native plant specialist, author, and educator.
This article barely scratches the surface of fragrant natives to consider for your garden. Right now, we’re coming into prime planting season for natives especially, so consider what you plan to add to your garden, and let’s all hope for rain this winter…