In the garden, and RAIN!!! (2) by SIGNYM

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In the garden, and RAIN!!! (2)

POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Friday, November 22, 2024 23:52
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Friday, November 22, 2024 5:39 PM

BRENDA

Back and done for today after laundry.

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Friday, November 22, 2024 11:52 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Believe it or not, I've been spending a lot of time picking out plants for the front landscaping. My problem has been I fall in love with a lot of different plants and keep changing my mind! But since I decided on a general "look" for the front yard, I've been able to narrow down my choices. So here they are, for posterity, so I don't change my mind. Again.

I already have an Island Oak (quercus tomentella). It was one of the first things I planted, and I picked it for entirely practical reasons: it's very drought tolerant and wildlife friendly, but narrower than the most common oak around here (Coast Live Oak, quercus agrifolia) and will shade the yard and still fit.

I'm also keeping two of three Catalina Island cherry. Also planted for practical reasons: drought tolerant, wildlife friendly very narrow form that I planted to screen the ugly McMansions from view. Two grew true to form (altho one seems to have a little hollyleaf cherry in the mix) and one grew in as a "weeping" form. Absolutely bizarre, but when you propagate from open-pollinated seed I guess you never know exactly what's gonna come up.

A couple of other plants I'm keeping: purple trailing lantana, and creeping Oregon grape (berberis repens), a lovely low-growing plant with holly like leaves, bright yellow flowers and blue berries.

Some plants I'm getting rid of: I was sold three plants as "repens", and they're now 6' + tall, and that's AFTER being pruned down a lot last year!
Also, Ashy leafed California buckwheat. Nice little bush, but absolutely in the wrong place.

So...

Ground covers to replace the lawn:

Dwarf coyote brush (baccharis pilularis)... nice, low, evergreen ground cover but with small flowers that drive pollinators wild.

Spreading sage "Gracias" (salvia Clevelandii X Leucophylla) a beautiful silver- leafed low growing sage with whorls of blue-lavender flowers in spring.

Low-growing California buckwheat, Seacliff buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium) with gray leaves and pinkish-cream small pompoms of flowers that fade to deep, rich rust color. Host to small blue butterflies and great nectar source for lots of bees and butterflies in late summer.

California fuchsia. A narrow-leaf cultivar from somewhere around Hollywood hills, with trumpet-shaped scarlet flowers in late fall/ early winter. (Like, blooming now.) Great 'pops" of color and loved by hummingbirds.
All can get by on water once a month.

I'm still deciding on what my accent plants are going to be, but it's going to be one of the awesome smelling sages (salvia Clevelandii and cultivars or mixes).

Also, thinking about a bunch grass. The ones of the right size are bad for pets, so I'll probably just go with a sterile fountain grass.

Foundation plants will be coffeeberry (not a real coffee bean).

Some plants in the front will go in the back. I have a spot where the downspout dumps a lot of water, so: goldenrod, yarrow, chrysanthemum.
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