Deer grass
Plant Type: Native, Grass
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 2 ft. - 4' (to 5' with flowers) Width: 4 ft. - 5 ft. (to 6 ft. with flowers)
The Butterfly and Songbird Garden provides food sources and shelter for a variety of butterflies and small birds while providing you with a source of beauty and color. This all California native plant palette requires little water and is easy to maintain. This garden embraces the casual and colorful feel of a classic cottage garden, with a modern and eco-friendly plant palette that gives back to the local environment!
For maximum support to songbirds, be sure to have at least one elevated birdbath, and ideally change the water daily, especially in warm weather, to keep it clean and sanitary for the birds, and to prevent mosquitos. If you have room for more than one, baths of different sizes or depths will attract a wider range of birds. A more affordable way to provide this is to use ceramic saucers (like what would be underneath a potted plant) placed on top of large logs or anything else to elevate them approximately 2 or so above the ground.
A saucer filled with a combination of sand and gravel, and then filled with water will sometimes be used by butterflies for a drink. However, I have also had gardens where the butterflies never seem to use these when they can find a wet spot of mulch or garden soil for a small drink.
This plant palette is available as an option for the Waterwise Community Center's Landscape Design Assistance Program. Visit cbwcd.org/desgin for more details.