Sea Lettuce

• Enters summer dormancy: rosettes shrivel to conserve moisture, and plants must remain dry until winter rains revive growth — summer watering can cause fatal rot.
• At planting (fall): Place in rocky, well-drained soil. Do not water in after planting — let the rains do the work.
• First rainy season (fall through spring): Natural rainfall alone will establish roots. No supplemental irrigation is needed.
• Summer dormancy (first summer onward): Keep completely dry. Never water during dormancy.
• Following years: The plant is considered established after its first rainy season. From then on, it will cycle naturally with rain and drought, needing no supplemental water at any stage.
• Best sited on rocky outcrops, slopes, walls, or containers with excellent drainage, echoing its natural cliff and bluff habitat.
• Leave dead leaves around rosettes and flower stalks through winter; they help conserve moisture and may provide microhabitats for invertebrates. Chop-and-drop stalks in early spring to return organic matter and support soil life.

• Waxy, fleshy leaves resist desiccation and sunburn
• Striking architectural rosettes create sculptural form in rocky gardens while anchoring shallow soils.
• Firewise: compact, low-growing succulent with minimal fuel load that burns at very low intensity.
• Fun Fact: Succulents are widely documented as fire-resistant, low-fuel plants, making them excellent choices for fire-wise landscapes.
• Striking architectural rosettes add sculptural form to rocky gardens and dry slopes.
• Colonies live for decades, gradually expanding into mats of rosettes that stabilize shallow, rocky soils.

These associations replicate the natural coastal bluff and dry slope communities of the SLV, supporting soil health, seasonal fluctuations, and biodiversity.

Grasses & Sedges

• Blue Wildrye (Elymus glaucus)
• Slender Hairgrass (Danthonia californica)

Perennials

• California Fuchsia (Epilobium canum)

Shrubs

• California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica)
• Black Sage (Salvia mellifera)
• Sticky Monkeyflower (Diplacus aurantiacus)

• Readily propagated by division: carefully separate rosettes and replant in gritty, well-drained soil during the cool growing season.
• It can also be grown from seed, which requires 4–8 weeks of cold stratification for improved germination.

For home gardeners in the SLV:

• Timing: Seeds ripen in late summer (July–August) as capsules from the yellow flowers dry and mature.
• How to collect: Watch for capsules to turn brown; harvest entire stalks before they split. Place stalks in a paper bag in a dry, airy location until seeds finish drying, then shake out.
• Seed characteristics: Tiny, dust-like seeds — handle carefully to avoid loss.
• Storage: Keep seeds dry and cool until sowing.

Sowing: Requires 4–8 weeks of cold stratification (mix with moist sand, vermiculite, or perlite in refrigeration). Sow in shallow trays with gritty, well-draining soil in fall or early spring to match the rainy season.

• Excellent for hot, dry slopes, rocky outcrops, retaining walls, and rock gardens where few other natives thrive.
• Striking accent plant for habitat gardens, containers, and fire-wise landscapes.
• Useful for erosion control and soil stabilization in shallow, rocky soils.

• Protect young plants from trampling and invasive grasses, which can easily outcompete seedlings on rocky soils.
• Do not water during summer dormancy — excess moisture causes rot and disrupts its natural survival cycle.
• Leave flower stalks and surrounding vegetation through winter, then chop-and-drop in early spring to return organic matter and support soil life.
• Plant in clusters on rocky slopes, walls, or containers to mimic natural colonies, stabilize soils, and maximize habitat value.
• Allow clumps to expand naturally, stabilizing rocky soils while creating long-term shelter for invertebrates.