Vince Scheidt’s San Diego Garden
CNPS Garden Ambassador: Vince Scheidt
CNPS San Diego Chapter
Garden Location: Front and back yard
Garden Size: 4,300 sqft.
Year Planted: 2000
By using some tough-as-nails pioneer natives, I have been able to establish vegetation on otherwise barren slope areas without any soil amendments. This has been a huge challenge, but it has been super rewarding to see the habitat develop.
Vince has been an active member CNPS since 1980. He currently serves on the Board of Directors and is the designated expert for San Diego chapter’s annual plant sale. He lives in San Diego, where he owns a small private environmental consulting firm specializing in biological studies and endangered species surveys.
He enjoys growing hundreds of native plant species, most from seed. Vince’s botanist friend and his own field experience in wild California helped to inspire his garden. His garden is filled with diverse and uncommon native plants, which are both beautiful and require less irrigation and upkeep. Vince’s favorite moments in the garden are watching the summer sunset from his shaded gazebo and the early mornings in the spring.
Vince’s favorite California native plants
- Sage (Salvia)–fragrant, colorful, and easy
- Manzanita (Arctostaphylos)–beautiful branches and green year-round
- Buckwheat (Eriogonum)–so diverse, many cultivars, and easy to grow
About the garden
Garden Location: Front and back yard
Garden Size: 4,300 sqft.
Year Planted: 2000
Lawn Removal: No lawn existed
Design and Installation: I did both myself
Style Inspiration: Wild California
Go-to Native Plant Nurseries: CNPS Chapter plant sales. Most of my plants a grew from seeds or cuttings.
Irrigation: I only need to hand water on occasion. I do this when I want to spruce things up a bit — wash off foliage. I avoid watering in the hottest days of summer.
Maintenance: On an as-needed basis
Wildlife Spotted: Local birds, butterflies, lizards, and occasional snakes.
Favorite Element: Gazebo
Biggest Challenge: I have had to deal with difficult soils, including a concrete-like hard pan and ancient marine conglomerates that are basically impossible to grow much on. By using some tough-as-nails pioneer natives, I have been able to establish vegetation on otherwise barren slope areas without any soil amendments. This has been a huge challenge, but it has been super rewarding to see the habitat develop.
Advice: How you plant your native plants is critical. The first thorough ground soaking your new plant receives is the most important watering the plant will ever receive.
California native plants in Vince’s garden
- Shaw’s agave (Agave shawii)
- Del Mar manzanita (Arctostaphylos glandulosa var. crassifolia)
- Nevin’s Barberry (Berberis nevinii)
- Golden-spined Cereus (Bergerocactus emoryi)
- Anacapa Pink Morning-glory (Calystegia macrostegia ‘Anacapa Pink’)
- Wart-stemmed Ceanothus (Ceanothus verrucosus)
- Giant Coreopsis (Coreopsis gigantea)
- Tecate cypress (Cupressus forbsii)
- Island tree poppy (Dendromecon harfordii)
- California sunflower (Encelia californica)
- Santa Cruz Island buckwheat (Eriogonum arborescens)
- Island giant buckwheat (Eriogonum giganteum)
- Cedros Island buckwheat (Eriogonum molle)
- Baja goldenbush (Hazardia berberidis)
- San Clemente Island Hazardia (Hazardia cana)
- Northern Channel Islands Hazardia (Hazardia detonsa)
- Santa Susana Tarplant (Hemizonia minthornii)
- Davis Gold toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia ‘Davis Gold’)
- Baja Island tree mallow (Lavatera venosa)
- Santa Cruz Island ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus asplenifolius)
- San Clemente island bush mallow (Malacothamnus clementinus)
- Wishbone bush (Mirabilis californicus)
- Lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia)
- Matilija poppy (Romenya coulteri ‘White Cloud’)
- Small-leaved rose (Rosa minutifolia)
- Cleveland sage (Salvia clevelandii)
- San Diego sunflower (Viguiera laciniata)