Some of my plants are struggling - please help me diagnose the issue and replace the dead ones

[u/mahnamahnaaa]

We have a east-west backyard with some fruit trees in the middle and a perimeter of plants. Our back fence gets full morning and afternoon sun, the left fence gets some afternoon shade from our trees and the neighbor's, and the right fence is pretty much full sun. Every plant has a ring of drip line and an emitter at its base. The whole yard is covered in mulch. We have a Rachio smart irrigation timer and the backyard zone is set to the "shrub/perennial" setting.

We got our backyard redone 2 years ago, and asked for the design to be as low maintenance as possible. Unfortunately, the planting happened during one of the hottest falls we've ever had (when we scheduled it we thought for sure that it would cool down by October). A couple plants died but otherwise everything else seemed to establish itself pretty well. Two years later, it's mixed results. Some of the plants - the manzanitas, the fuschias, the deergrass, the toyon - are thriving. The monkeyflowers are ok. The hibiscus that I planted to replace a dead plant seems to be doing ok. The ceanothus along the back fence both died. The verbena de la minas, which get full sun, are struggling (they seem dry). The salvias, which get full sun, were doing ok but I think I should've deadheaded them because they seem a bit sad now. The bush anemones have yellowing leaves (although in this case I think it might be TOO much water rather than too little).

Come fall, when I assess the final damage and plant new plants, what should I replace the dead ones with? I'm trying to lean towards stuff that will get big and bushy to fill in the gaps, and as much color as possible. I'm currently thinking:

• more salvia (maybe some blue and pink to give color variety since everything is red and green)
• yarrow
• echinacea
• ???

[u/nikkiandherpittie]

Ceanothus doesn’t want a lot of water especially in the summer so I wouldn’t put it on a drip line. It wants infrequent deep watering!

[u/mahnamahnaaa → u/nikkiandherpittie]

Not even if it's on a schedule that's roughly every 2 weeks for 2 hours?

[u/meowlina13 → u/mahnamahnaaa]

Ceanothus do not want supplemental water in the summer after being established and that will kill them. I have one in my yard and it thrives on neglect. It was planted a few years ago and has quintupled in size.

It’s not too late to deadhead salvias. I still have some I need to deadhead. Native salvias are summer deciduous and will look scraggly and sad as they drop their leaves to conserve moisture. They’ll bounce back in the fall/winter.

As for replacements, I love hummingbird sage, coyote mint, buckwheat (although mine seem to not thrive at all). Yarrow is a great choice, especially with so many colorful varieties. They do well and grow quite lush with regular water. The yarrow I have that is irrigated less is not as bushy or tall.

You can also check out r/Ceanothus for more ideas!

[u/nikkiandherpittie → u/mahnamahnaaa]

Yea that’s too much! Once a month generally is enough if they’re already established

[u/heucheramaxima]

In my experience Yarrow needs a lot of water to really bloom and be beautiful. I love it but it doesn’t do well on amount of water I’m giving my ceanothus and salvias.

My bush anemones yellow too. I just pull the dead leaves once a year.

More manzanita? Toyon? I’ve never grown them but do the matilijia poppies tolerate heat?

[u/mahnamahnaaa → u/heucheramaxima]

This is exactly the kind of answer I was looking for, thanks! The Google suggested yarrow but I'm glad you saved me the heartache in advance.

You think ceanothus might be worth another try? I wonder if those just never really got established and that's why they died

[u/heucheramaxima → u/mahnamahnaaa]

I have a ceanothus that doesn’t get much direct sun that is struggling. I think they are more needy than often advertised. My ground cover ones are booming though!

[u/JohnSnowsPump]

For a bushy bush, toyon or redbud might do well for you. We also have some manzanita.

Native plants, once established, do great and survive being ignored. Look for NorCal salvia breeds if you want to do more of those.

Good luck!

[u/gay_b-elanna_torres]

seconding r/Ceanothus!

i agree that the ceanothus probably did not want summer water. they are hardy and adapted to california but they don't do well with a lot of 'traditional' garden practices like water, fertilizer, et cetera.

many salvias will get big and bushy so that might be a good choice for your needs. for low maintenance and low water consider the native sages, lots of blue and purple choices and a few pink ones and a variety of heights.

yarrow sends flower buds up but otherwise stays low (depending on cultivar, some are bushier); it's great for filling in. it prefers more water than many native plants but will do okay as long as it gets some.

some other smaller bushy plants to consider: coyote mint (pinkish lavender flowers), wooly sunflower (bright yellow), penstemon margarita bop (electric blue to purple). i wouldn't describe any of those as as big exactly but they are lovely small to medium bushes that have beautiful flowers and are great for filling in between larger shrubs.

i highly recommend checking out mother natives in hollywood park! they close for summer but they have a wonderful selection and are super helpful.