LUSH BUT NOT THIRSTY; NURSERYMAN WROTE THE BOOK ON SCV GARDENS.

Byline: Cynthia Teed Daily News Staff Writer

Newcomers to Santa Clarita should know the garden here doesn't grow like the one at the old house. Even those who moved from the San Fernando Valley find mild climate-loving plants - citrus, for example - don't do well in the Santa Clarita Valley.

It gets far too cold in Santa Clarita for the oranges and lemons that weigh down trees in the Valley - and just to the west in Piru, said Richard Green, owner of Green's Nursery in Saugus.

``But that area's in a coastal valley,'' Green said. ``Citrus groves won't work here because we're in a high desert valley and it's too cold.''

And then there are those hot, dry summers. Gardeners landscaping a Santa Clarita home should look to native plants, those that don't need a lot of water, said Green, who co-authored a booklet on plants and water conservation in the Santa Clarita Valley.

City Arborist Omar Davis mentioned the coastal oak and the California sycamore as common to the Santa Clarita Valley.

For a drought resistant tree that will grow in almost any condition, Green recommends the Mexican fan palm.

``I've seen those palms grow on around the freeways in all sorts of conditions, they're tough plants, really drought resistant,'' he said.

Green served on the Castaic Lake Water Agency board's drought committee, which helped establish a seven-acre Water Conservatory Garden and Learning Center at agency headquarters in Saugus. The garden provides residents with all the tips they need for gardening that suits Santa Clarita's climate and soil conditions.

``If people will minimize their (grass) area and plant drought tolerant plants, they can save money by not having to replace the plants,'' he said.

For newcomers ready to landscape, Santa Clarita Park Supervisor Dale Sargent suggests the following drought resistant ground covers: myoporum, also a fire retardant for slopes, an evergreen with small white flowers seen on Valencia Boulevard; rosemary, a small green plant with light blue flowers, an herb also used in cooking; and acacia, an evergreen with vibrant yellow flowers.

For drought resistant shrubs, the landscape expert suggests an upright evergreen plant with a white flower, dietes (moraea); Indian hawthorne with its pink and white flowers, considered a ``bullet proof'' shrub by Sargent who said ``we never see anything destroy it;'' and the shrub photinia or red top, an evergreen with red tips that turn copper-colored in the winter.

The tall green hedges with red tips are seen throughout the paseos in Valencia.

Gardeners first should prepare the ground by breaking up dirt clods and removing rocks that compete with roots and interfere with nutrient absorption, Sargent said. Soil and mulch like wood shavings should be added together with a tablespoon of all purpose slow release fertilizer or plant tablets, which will feed the plant for six months to a year. Gardeners should plant shrubs without burying the crown.

A good rule of thumb, Sargent said, ``is to not bury the plant any deeper than how it arrived from the nursery in the container.''

A watering schedule is a hard thing to specify, he added, because in the Santa Clarita Valley the soil texture runs from sand to clay.

``Me, I use the house plant test, I stick my finger into the soil and if the soil feels dry, I water it.'' he laughed.

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PHOTO (1--2--Color) Juan Desantiagos, left, and Sabino Baltazar put in drought resistant plants at a home in Valencia. Below, drought tolerant plants will thrive best here in the Santa Clarita Valley because of the hot climate.

Eric Grigorian/Special to the Daily News