On the East Coast, in winter, plants are dormant, leafless, or dead. In California’s winter, plants get plenty of rain, and their root systems grow like crazy.

In summer on the East Coast, plants grow lush green, helped along by periodic showers, high humidity, and sunshine. In California’s desert-like summer, there is sun all right, but not a drop of rain. Plants that do best in California know how to survive six months or more without water.

This simple but subtle fact is lost on many gardeners, especially those accustomed to the East Coast climate. They go nuts trying to make sense of California’s seasons, wondering why a California garden needs so much water in summer. Gardening books are of little help, most having been written by and for East Coast gardeners.

Happy are those who grasp the essential facts about California’s unique climate, and who learn to adapt to California instead of forcing California to adapt to their ideas.

“Being from New York I always used to say that I missed the seasons back East,” recalls Barbara Springer of San Jose. “What I didn't realize was that I was overlooking the seasons of California and trying to make them fit into the East Coast model. I now have a new perspective where I look forward to each new ‘season’ of rains, germination and growth, blooms, seed collecting, and dormancy.”

Gardening with nature brings great rewards, not the least of which is a deeper knowledge of the place one calls home. Anyone can create a lush summer garden by watering, watering, watering. The real challenge lies in creating a garden that is appropriate to its environment, to its soil and its climate. Such a garden thrives without consuming large quantities of scarce natural resources.

The secret to keeping a California garden looking beautiful through summer lies in picking plants appropriate to the site. You can’t go wrong by choosing locally native plants, which are naturally adapted to your soil and climate. California is blessed with a great diversity of native plants, which have unique evolutionary mechanisms for staying alive during the long dry summer. Some like Holly-leaved Cherry grow extremely long, deep roots even as seedlings. Others like the Buckeye go dormant by dropping their leaves as early as July. Yet others like Sticky Monkeyflower reduce their rate of growth.

In this article, I will introduce you to five native shrubs and trees that will be, in your garden, the most unthirsty of plants, adding greenery without requiring frequent water. Best of all, they will increase the habitat value of your garden, attracting birds, bees, and butterflies. I am growing them all in my San Jose home, and can vouch for their reliable, unfussy nature.

By fall, the flowers turn a reddish-brown, easily deadheaded, if desired, or retained for the change of color. Its large size and floppy habit make it suitable for placing in the back of large beds. Cutting it back to 6” in late fall keeps the woody growth to a minimum and the plant looking its best the year round. A garden visitor remarked that it would be a good alternative to the commonly grown Rosemary. For me, a true summer favorite.

Many selections are available. ‘Mound San Bruno’ is a compact variety. We are growing one from seed collected from Barbara Springer’s Ranch up the hill from our house. Although it has not fruited yet, it is one of the highlights of the front yard. Its lovely, upright shape is all natural, without any help from pruning shears. Every California garden deserves one.

What makes the Elderberry particularly suited for the garden is its amenability to cultivation. Left to itself, it becomes a multi-trunked shrub. With suitable pruning of suckers, it can be trained as a single- or double-trunked tree that can grow to 20 feet. I have stood next to a massive specimen that could have been mistaken for a live oak! It can easily survive low water conditions, but it is also water tolerant and fast growing. Our 2-year-old specimen is already 10 feet tall. It is winter deciduous, so a good place to plant it would be to the south of a location where summer shade and winter sun are desired.

This remarkable California native remains shiny green even at the height of summer. It does so with the help of deep roots that can find water even when the surface is parched dry. Last year, we transplanted several grown from seed, and had the chance to observe their roots closely. A seedling barely an inch tall had a taproot a foot long. Now you know how this California native succeeds where other water-challenged plants fail. On the flip side, its growth rate is slow. You can help it along with periodic watering, but you’ll need to be patient and give it time to reach its full size.

The cherries, while not appealing to humans, are loved by birds. Its branches, impenetrable to large predators, create a safe space for our feathered friends. When young, this plant resembles a dense shrub, and can easily be shaped into a hedge. As a tree, it casts a dark shadow and makes for a good year-round shade tree.

There you have it - a few more plants to add to your garden without increasing your water bill.

Remember that all young plants, native and otherwise, require moisture to grow and get established. If you plant in summer, you must water the young plants a few times a week until they are established. Native plants do not achieve their full drought tolerant status until their 3rd or 4th year when their root systems develop fully.

These plants are easily available at native plant nurseries such as Yerba Buena Nursery (Woodside) (http://www.yerbabuenanursery.com) and Native Revival Nursery (Aptos) (http://www.nativerevival.com). It won’t hurt to check with your local nursery first; some like Payless Nursery (San Jose) do carry a selection of native plants.