I am not from california but I do have acreage in a semi arid area that is hot as h_ll. I usually plant in fall any plants unless they are marginally cold hardy , or in early spring, I let them establish roots over the winter and give them a bi weekly watering if there is no rain in the heat of summer for the first year, Then they are on their own. I am not a Californian and I do not plant californian natives. I live with a rain water system for ALL my needs so irrigation of plants are only for the young ones.

Thank you! I'll plant seeds in fall and hopefully the rains will get them started!

I'm not a fan of going down that treacherous hill, but I'd love to view some pretty wildflowers in the canyon and across. I have a hiking staff for stability and to flip off the occasional snake I may encounter.

Good advice!

Suzi

Seeds in the Fall will be a good idea. When on our big property I would buy the small plants when ever I found them, repot them to 1 gal size container and allow to grow a really good root system over the summer. Then in the Fall, when very little is available, I would plant my now bigger, more robust plants in the landscape trying not to disturb the root-mass anymore than necessary. If you don't get enough rain you will need to water over the winter. This was the only way I could keep new plants alive over our hot, dry summers.