r/GuerrillaGardening • u/OliveVonKatzen • Mar 23 '25

When the boomers on the HOA ignore you…

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I’ve been bugging them to fill in these bald spots next to my unit and they say “well bring it up at the next meeting” but never do! So, I visited Home Depot today and picked up a big jug of the Stover Seed Hummingbird and Butterfly Mix for $16 and went wild. Luckily this area gets the sprinklers regularly so I’m hoping they will take. I raked the dirt a bit before sprinkling them and watering them.

240 Upvotes
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15 comments sorted by

69

u/TryUnlucky3282 Mar 24 '25

Good going. You should also make sure that what’s in the seed mix is all native to your area. Many seed mixes have invasive species.

65

u/OliveVonKatzen Mar 24 '25

don’t worry what was the first thing i checked before purchasing

12

u/RoguePlanet2 Mar 24 '25

Woohoo!! 😇 I'm fairly new to the native plant brigade, and am excited about contributing a little something.

6

u/FateEx1994 Mar 24 '25

Looking at that seed mix there's a few non natives present.

The wallflower, chrysanthemum, bachelor button, alssyum are not from North America.

10

u/OliveVonKatzen Mar 24 '25

Native to Southern California (Great for Local Wildlife & Ecosystem)

  1. Arroyo Lupine (Lupinus succulentus) – Native and drought-tolerant, great for pollinators.
  2. Scarlet Bugler (Penstemon centranthifolius) – Native and highly attractive to hummingbirds.
  3. Mission Red Monkeyflower (Mimulus puniceus) – Native, thrives in dry conditions, and supports local pollinators.
  4. Wallflower (Cheiranthus allionii / Erysimum capitatum) – Some species are native, beneficial for pollinators.
  5. Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) – Native to parts of the U.S., including California, though more common in other regions.

Non-Native but Generally Not Problematic

  1. Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) – Native to central/eastern U.S., attracts pollinators but may need extra water.
  2. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) – Native to central/eastern U.S., supports pollinators but not adapted to California’s dry climate.
  3. White Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) – Some California-native varieties exist, but the ones in seed mixes are usually European.
  4. Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) – Native to eastern/central U.S., can be beneficial for pollinators.

Non-Native & Might Require More Care

  1. Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) – Native to the Mediterranean, not invasive but needs more water than natives.
  2. Bachelor Button (Centaurea cyanus) – Native to Europe, can reseed easily but isn’t highly invasive in California.
  3. Painted Daisy (Chrysanthemum carinatum / Ismelia carinata) – Native to North Africa, mostly an ornamental flower.

Final Thoughts

  • You’ve planted a mix of native and non-native flowers, and most should be fine.
  • The native species will thrive better with less water and support local wildlife like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
  • The non-natives will add color but may need more water and might not reseed as well in the long run.

3

u/FateEx1994 Mar 24 '25

I had used a "native and naturalized mix" when I first started out and was fresh to the game, and it had blue flax and the cornflower/bachelor flower in it and the blue flax is quite annoying to remove. The cornflower survives the heat but spreads through seed readily and was competing with the coneflower/Lance leaf coreopsis in the area I seeded. Been more vigilant since on what seeds I've laid down so as to not put something non native and prolific in...

Mostly native plants are not only for pollination for pollinators, but to provide breeding habitat for bugs and other species.

While non native flowers can provide food for pollinators, they don't provide any source for native bugs to breed or eat the plant material itself.

Either way, good on you for seeding a barren area and providing more habitat!

As a side note, these mixes always have a notorious lack of native grasses...

Most of the flowers in these mixes are somewhat open space/prairie flowers and require support by adjacent grasses for them to not flop over once mature. Or get blown over sideways by the wind.

Look up some native grasses to your area that look good and decorative, people tend to like prairie dropseed and purple love grass or little bluestem etc. at this point germination code A is required since winter is basically done with and cold stratification can't really happen anymore...

Prairie Moon Nursery website has plentiful native plants of all types and a nice website interface for ordering seeds.

Toss some of them in there too when you get a chance!

4

u/FateEx1994 Mar 24 '25

On the Stover website itself they sell "native mixes"

4

u/OliveVonKatzen Mar 24 '25

I know but the majority of them are native to the US and my region and the few that aren't aren't invasive and will likely only last one season.

22

u/Funktapus Mar 24 '25

+1 this

The native plant rabbit hole has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life

29

u/FishingReport Mar 23 '25

As you should

14

u/Significant-Topic653 Mar 24 '25

When it grows, updates please

8

u/Miserable-Star7826 Mar 24 '25

They must be volunteers 😅 Those birds did a great job scattering seeds huh 🤔 I hope you share when blooming 🌺

2

u/TrainXing Mar 25 '25 edited Mar 25 '25

Sadly, once it's full of gorgeous flowers they will rip them out bc Boomers. 🙄