The artichoke was able to out-compete and displace other plants. Before any transplanting or seeding of the coastal scrub could begin, the artichoke had to be completely eliminated. A herbicide was applied to kill all of the artichoke plants. Following this, the entire area was raked to remove the artichoke plants and to minimize the amount of artichoke seed left prior to the herbicide spraying. Once the area had been cleared, native plants were introduced.
Plants can show genetic variation within their range.
By selecting local plants one minimizes adaptation to local conditions, and one does not disturb the genetics of nearby plants of the same species. By using plants from a site which possesses similar physical properties as the restoration site, scientists can improve the success of the restoration process. Two common ways to introduce the native plants to the site is by planting seeds or to transplant mature plants. The latter method was utilized in this project. Many, young plants of each species were selected and soil from the source site was transferred with these plants to maintain soil quality.