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The Easiest California Plants to Grow in Your SoCal Yard
Written by Kelsey W.
Are you jealous of your next-door neighbor’s beautiful front yard? Do you envy those homeowners who seem to have an entire garden center growing right outside their house? Do you have trouble keeping your plants alive even when you try to pay attention to them every day?
Well, not to worry because there are some amazing plants out there that love the Southern California sunshine but don’t require an ounce of complex care. Not everyone is a natural gardener, but not every plant requires knowledge of soil chemistry, sun patterns, and watering schedules.
In fact, there are some plants out there that are happiest when you leave them alone, watering them infrequently and only remembering to fertilize them on rare occasions. These plants are resilient and beautiful, and they’ll happily populate your yard, balcony, or windowsill.
Let’s take a look at some of the easiest plants to grow in your SoCal garden.
Can You Create a Truly Set It and Forget It Garden?
Some plants require daily care and get quite angry when they’re not positioned perfectly for light and humidity. Other plants require a bit more attention when you first bring them home, but eventually, they get settled and don’t require any specific or regular care.
Succulents and cactuses are some of the most obvious, but even these plants can get a little angry if you don’t treat them right. In most cases, the larger plants that are very established will always require the least amount of care. So your trees and bushes can grow with wild abandon, and you’ll rarely need to give them a second glance.
If you’re truly worried about remembering to take a watering can out to your garden, installing a drip line on a timer is a lifesaver, especially if you’ve got a busy job and family life. However, what if you don’t have a yard and you’re trying to greenify your balcony?
Are there plants you can forget about on your balcony that won’t get angry and die on you? Your best option is to look for “drought tolerant” plants, which you can often forget about for a month without the plant getting too angry. Snake plants are an ideal option. Philodendrons, too, are almost indestructible.
Two Low-Maintenance Plants for Your SoCal Yard
The king of low-maintenance and drought tolerant plants is the agave plant, which is a perennial that requires almost zero attention once it gets established. Not only are agave plants grown in all sorts of beautiful color combinations and shapes, but they’re right at home under the SoCal sun.
You can even grow your agave plant inside if you’re short on yard space or reside in an apartment or condo. You just need to make sure the plant gets as much sunlight as possible. You should put your agave in the brightest place in your home, whether that’s on a balcony or right in a window.
If you’re living in one of the areas of Southern California where the temperatures dip to freezing, you do have some options, as there are some very hardy agave plants out there. The golden flowered century plant, or “Agave chrysantha,” is one option for cold weather spots. The Harvard agave or “Agave harvardiana” is another.
Another plant that’s incredibly tolerant of total and complete neglect is stonecrop or “sedum.” Also known as ice plant or orpine, this type of plant can grow for years without any attention at all, especially in Southern California.
There are a few different types of sedum that grow in various ways, which means you can use the plant in multiple displays around your home. The creeping variety is excellent for hanging baskets with its trails and tendrils. Another version grows upright and is beautiful in a flower bed. The third type grows in a large mat close to the ground and pairs well with larger, taller agave plants.
But the best part about stonecrop isn’t the fact that you can ignore it and enjoy its beauty; it actually produces flowers year after year. The agave plant, while beautiful in its architecture, is a somewhat severe-looking plant. Sedum, on the other hand, is the ideal way to bring color to your easy garden.
Pay Close Attention to Your Plants Today & Reap the Rewards Tomorrow
If you’re willing to put some effort into your gardening today, you can enjoy many years of easy growth with plants that just take a few years to get established before they become quite self-sufficient. The best example is the cactus, but it actually matters what type of cactus you choose as far as the easiest to grow.
Overall, most cactuses just need soil that drains well, a lot of sun, and the occasional watering. However, a few of the easiest and most forgiving cactus varieties are the hedgehog cactus (also known as the sea urchin cactus) and the chin cactus or “Gymnocalycium.” These cactuses will give you the classic round ball shapes for your garden.
If you’re searching for a cactus that grows upward in a column shape, a great option is the cereus, which is a genus of cacti that has more than 30 different species of cactuses within it. One of the coolest features of these plants is that some of them bloom at night and produce huge flowers.
The great thing, too, about cactuses is that you can virtually ignore them in the winter. Even if you forget about them for an entire month or more, they probably won’t mind. In the summer, they still only need attention infrequently with the watering can. You just need to make sure they become established before you completely abandon them to the elements.
Another way to make your garden green and easy is to plant some shrubs. As long as you choose varieties that grow well in Southern California, you can completely neglect them once you get them established, and most will fare just fine outside of a particularly hot spell or sustained temperatures over 100 degrees.
Boxwood shrubs are an excellent option because they give you the choice of letting them grow with wild abandon or trimming them back into a shape. You can shape them into almost anything, but you can also forget about them and let them grow as they want. Just remember to water them when they’re young and until they get established.
More Flowers for Your Beautiful Outdoors
If cactuses and agave plants aren’t to your liking, don’t worry. You’ve got quite a few options for filling the flower beds of your yard with beautiful blooming plants. Most of these plants do need water occasionally, but much less often than complicated plants like roses and orchids.
One option for a worry-free yard that just takes a little effort once a year with fertilizer are daylilies. During a rainy year, you don’t need to water them at all, and you only need to fertilize them once a year to ensure they bloom. They are surprisingly tough and drought-tolerant.
One fun aspect of daylilies is that you can plant them at virtually any time of the year, and the more attention you give them, the more beautiful they get. However, if you just want an easy flowering plant for your yard, just remember to fertilize them in the spring, and you’ll be golden.
Another plant that almost grows itself is the black-eyed Susan or “Rudbeckia hirta.” You’ll enjoy flowers from these plants all summer, and they look amazing when you fill an entire flower bed with their yellow blooms. Make sure to water them frequently at the very start, and then you can back off with the watering can as they get comfortable.
Another incredibly hardy plant that also produces really beautiful flowers is dianthus, which has blooms that look like tiny dark and light pink roses. Technically, dianthus is supposed to bloom in the spring and summer, but you can get it to bloom well into the autumn in Southern California.
It’s Easy to Get a Beautiful Garden with Help from Green Thumb Nursery
Growing a beautiful garden around your Southern California home doesn’t mean you have to get a degree in horticulture. Let the experts at Green Thumb Nursery show you all the fun options for easy-to-grow plants that love the SoCal climate. It’s easy to get started whether you’re a gardening novice or a planting pro.
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