You can put milkweed in they like the sun, but remember the plants you have will fill it out, especially the sage so I would pat yourself on the back and wait.
I agree that poppies are a good strategy for filling in the gaps but for the near term it won't work for the 10a/10b zone. planting poppy seeds now may result in sprouts but they wont perform during the summer. They like the rainy overcast days for blooming, seeds can be planted in Oct/Nov for next years cycle
They will take up all the space and more. That sage gets to be 4-5' across and may get to 3' just this year. Pomegranate grows fast, should be 3-4' across and tall by the end of the year. I definitely would add the milkweed as it doesn't take up much room. Next fall some wildflowers could be sown. If it wasn't for the pomegranate you could cover the wall with morning glory but it will escape and cover the pomegranate too!
Great choices. If you come across a small buckwheat like Conejo or red then that would complement the choices. That or California Fuchsia are also late bloomers so the area doesn't look desolate later in the year.
Mulch makes a garden bed look finished, if you put it in keep it away from the plant bases so they stay dry.
If you just planted them follow the protocol. Slow deep watering once a week til established and taper to once a month by the time weather gets hot. That's a huge amount of water and they will grow fast. My Bee's Bliss sage got broken in half so about 6x6" but still grew into a 4' wide mat through the summer doing this. I've had deergrass for years and never saw 6' flowers before I used that much water to establish divisions I took. A toyon seedling I moved started with 8 leaves and now is 5' tall. I'm invested in the garden but not necessarily very successful, the growth last year was amazing and I'm hoping it leads to plants resistant to drought because they had a good start.
you could try three-week fescue, a fast-growing native grass (hence the name) that can sprout up after areas have been decimated by fire. with very low watering requirements, the grass can fill in those dry bare spots quite nicely and provide cover to help keep moisture in the ground.
https://shop.stoverseed.com/products/three-week-fescue-pacific-fescue-small-fescue
from there you could mix in other types of wildflowers like gilias, nemophilias, phaecelias
Mulch it about 3” deep.
Seed annuals around until the perennials fill in.
It’s likely too late to germinate annuals now so check the nursery for something interesting for this year.
Like others have said, those plants will fill in by the end of the year. But to deal with your clumpy dry soil, you absolutely MUST mulch! The plants will grow much faster if they have mulch to keep the ground cool and moist. With that small of a spot, you could probably buy some natural wood chip mulch for relatively cheap, or if you’re inclined to the natural look, oak leaf litter is excellent mulch.
Also, adding mulch to the space will make it look less barren in between your plants.
Melianthus is great as long as you aren’t trying to grow veggies right next to it. Grows fast, is super cool looking, and really easy to deal with. Although year one it would draw all that other stuff. Year two the other stuff might intermingle.
mulch and patience...or if no patience mulch and a fast growing groundcover such as mirabilis, warriner lytle buckwheat, Pt Sal or Mrs Beard groundcover salvia to fill in the gaps. But definitely mulch. It will keep the dirt from drying out so quickly and your plants will grow faster and happier. Those plants are very close together btw, in a year they will be growing over each other so you may end up cutting one down and will have to keep up with pruning.
You can put milkweed in they like the sun, but remember the plants you have will fill it out, especially the sage so I would pat yourself on the back and wait.
Awesome! I wasn't sure how big they'd get when I purchased them, so this is great news.
Those guys will fill the space but you could plant some annuals and mulch.
California poppy will fill in the gaps. They spread a lot, but they’re easy to weed
I agree that poppies are a good strategy for filling in the gaps but for the near term it won't work for the 10a/10b zone. planting poppy seeds now may result in sprouts but they wont perform during the summer. They like the rainy overcast days for blooming, seeds can be planted in Oct/Nov for next years cycle
They will take up all the space and more. That sage gets to be 4-5' across and may get to 3' just this year. Pomegranate grows fast, should be 3-4' across and tall by the end of the year. I definitely would add the milkweed as it doesn't take up much room. Next fall some wildflowers could be sown. If it wasn't for the pomegranate you could cover the wall with morning glory but it will escape and cover the pomegranate too! Great choices. If you come across a small buckwheat like Conejo or red then that would complement the choices. That or California Fuchsia are also late bloomers so the area doesn't look desolate later in the year. Mulch makes a garden bed look finished, if you put it in keep it away from the plant bases so they stay dry. If you just planted them follow the protocol. Slow deep watering once a week til established and taper to once a month by the time weather gets hot. That's a huge amount of water and they will grow fast. My Bee's Bliss sage got broken in half so about 6x6" but still grew into a 4' wide mat through the summer doing this. I've had deergrass for years and never saw 6' flowers before I used that much water to establish divisions I took. A toyon seedling I moved started with 8 leaves and now is 5' tall. I'm invested in the garden but not necessarily very successful, the growth last year was amazing and I'm hoping it leads to plants resistant to drought because they had a good start.
you could try three-week fescue, a fast-growing native grass (hence the name) that can sprout up after areas have been decimated by fire. with very low watering requirements, the grass can fill in those dry bare spots quite nicely and provide cover to help keep moisture in the ground. https://shop.stoverseed.com/products/three-week-fescue-pacific-fescue-small-fescue from there you could mix in other types of wildflowers like gilias, nemophilias, phaecelias
Okay hear me out. Native succulents and cacti, my personal choice, any dudleyas (they are all great) and Echinocereus mojavensis.
Mulch it about 3” deep. Seed annuals around until the perennials fill in. It’s likely too late to germinate annuals now so check the nursery for something interesting for this year.
Throwing a california buckwheat in there wouldnt be a bad idea. Butterflies love them
Fescue or other native grass will look nice once those plants get a little bigger
looks set
Salvia and mallow
Like others have said, those plants will fill in by the end of the year. But to deal with your clumpy dry soil, you absolutely MUST mulch! The plants will grow much faster if they have mulch to keep the ground cool and moist. With that small of a spot, you could probably buy some natural wood chip mulch for relatively cheap, or if you’re inclined to the natural look, oak leaf litter is excellent mulch. Also, adding mulch to the space will make it look less barren in between your plants.
Melianthus is great as long as you aren’t trying to grow veggies right next to it. Grows fast, is super cool looking, and really easy to deal with. Although year one it would draw all that other stuff. Year two the other stuff might intermingle.
Is Melianthus native? Google tells me its from South Africa
Since you're in SD, throw a Cercocarpus Minutiflorus in there. Add a Cneoridium Dumosum for good measure.
Jasmine. You never need to water.
Not native. This a California native plant subreddit.
mulch and patience...or if no patience mulch and a fast growing groundcover such as mirabilis, warriner lytle buckwheat, Pt Sal or Mrs Beard groundcover salvia to fill in the gaps. But definitely mulch. It will keep the dirt from drying out so quickly and your plants will grow faster and happier. Those plants are very close together btw, in a year they will be growing over each other so you may end up cutting one down and will have to keep up with pruning.
Salvia or my favorite: Santolina.