San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
Catering to homeowners’ growing love for California native plants
There was a time when selling native plants in Southern California was like trying to get homeowners to buy weeds.
Today, as hearts and minds are more tuned to the natural world, Jose Cohen scrambles to meet wholesale demand for the native plants that were often removed by garden lovers eager to landscape with thirsty exotics.
As the new owner of Moosa Creek Nursery in Valley Center, Cohen is happy with the growing focus on native plants.
“It wasn’t too long ago that people just cleared native plants from their property like they were weeds,” he said.
But that has changed. Now, homeowners anxious to conserve water, attract birds, bees, butterflies and wildlife are clamoring for native plants.
The nearly 400 species offered by Moosa Creek include everything from waterwise ground cover to native trees and decorative shrubs that attract birds, butterflies and bunnies, and require little or no supplemental watering. They are supposed to be here.
Many of the Moosa Creek plants are grown from seeds, either purchased commercially, often collected from private property, or obtained from plant enthusiasts who have legally gathered in the wild.
On a warm spring morning recently, I enjoyed chatting with Cohen and two of his key employees in the yawning shade of an old wisteria vine, one of the few nonnatives at Moosa Creek.
It didn’t take long to realize they are more about the heart than the bones of the native plant business.
Cohen is new to native plants. He was born in Mexico City and was in the orchid business, in addition to importing vegetables.
He moved to San Diego, where he discovered the growing interest in native plants and maintaining the ecosystem. This led him to purchase the nursery that was founded 10 years ago by Hank and Su Kraus when they could not find native plants for sale. They have retired now, but Su Kraus still serves as the “knowledge base” for the company.
Today, the Moosa Creek wholesale operation supplies 17 nurseries in Southern California including 10 in San Diego County. Check the Moosa Creek website, moosacreeknursery.com, for a list of local nurseries that they supply.
Karen Parke is the manager and calls herself the “pest scout” at Moosa Creek. She is admittedly a “native plant nerd.”
“I’ve learned a lot since I began, and the only plant I knew then was a poppy,” she said.
She came from the office supply business, but “I needed less stress and wanted to be outside,” Parke recalls.
Amid the fluttering butterflies, chirping birds and the collection of native plants, she has that now.
Renee Murphy is the sales and marketing director at Moosa Creek and left a long career in fashion to earn a Master of Plant Science degree.
“My heart needed nature,” she said.
While volunteering at a nature center in Orange County she was shocked at how disconnected kids were from nature and had no understanding of the importance of native plants.
“Kids loved learning about the soil and plants and how natives are not taking anything from the soil, but are all part of nature’s big puzzle,” she said.
This awareness is now seeping into household gardens, as well as government regulations requiring that landscapes cleared for housing and highways be restored with native plants.
Rising water costs are also stimulating interest in native plant gardens.
Local native plants thrive in a warm, arid environment. They have adapted to periods of drought and extreme heat, while many exotics require huge amounts of water to survive.
“In fact, the biggest problem with natives is you can’t plant them near lawns because they get too much water,” Cohen said.
Indigenous plants are also part of the bigger ecosystem that helps wildlife thrive by providing the natural food, shelter and nesting sites they require.
While demand grows for native plants, it can be challenging to select the right ones. San Diego has a broad range of climates ranging from mild and damp coastal regions to hot and dry deserts. Not all native plants will grow well everywhere.
Parke suggests homeowners visit calscape.com, an excellent source of information, including the best locations for growing, water requirements and what birds, butterflies and animals will be attracted by natives.
Once selected, the best time to plant is in the fall, so the natives are established when the spring growing season arrives.
One of the plants in most demand is milkweed because it is a host to monarch butterflies. Because of high demand it is frequently out of stock and requires special order.
Some of the more popular species of natives include sages, herbs and roots used for medicinal purposes.
My expanding native plant garden on Mt. Whoville now has palo verde, brittlebush, monkey flower, manzanita, coffeeberry and lemonade berry. Both berry bushes will attract birds and colorful moths. Manzanita has delicate lantern-like flowers, but also small fruit resembling tiny apples that coyotes enjoy.
There are several species of brittlebush, and it’s important to plant the right one, depending on location.
Desert species require no supplemental watering, while the bush sunflower is a brittlebush species more suited to coastal areas.
For homeowners wishing to enhance their habitat, attract more wildlife, and conserve water, native vegetation is one of the most important elements to consider.
Thankfully, there is a place like Moosa Creek that sells weeds.
Email ernie@packtrain.com or visit erniesoutdoors.blogspot.com.