California Home Landscaping, Fourth Edition E-Book

Roger Holmes

• Herausgeber: Creative Homeowner
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Seitenzahl: 409

Beschreibung

Learn how to make a Californian home landscape more attractive and functional with California Home Landscaping, 4th Edition. This must-have resource is an updated edition of Creative Homeowner's award-winning best seller on landscaping California-style. The 48 featured landscape designs are created by professionals from the region and use more than 200 plants that thrive in California's climate. Detailed instructions for projects, such as paths, patios, ponds, and arbors, are also included. Over 400 full-color photographs are complemented by easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions. Updates to this edition include an emphasis on native plants and those most suitable to the region, updated plant profiles, the impact of climate change, and the challenge of planting natives in California landscaping, creating pollinator and wildfire landscapes, current heat and hardiness zone maps, and more.

Leseprobe

Inspiration for Your Home Landscaping

Inside you’ll find designs to enhance entrances, decks, and patios by using colorful annuals and perennials, trees, and shrubs. Forty-eight home landscaping designs are included, created by landscape professionals who live and work in California.

Front-Door Makeover

Sometimes the simplest landscaping projects pack a surprisingly big punch. This design uses only a few plants and can be easily installed in a single weekend. Potted shrubs and upright viburnums with a skirt of candytuft frame the doorway, while low masses of pinks and daylilies border the walkway. This design has pretty flowers and a variety of foliage textures to catch the eye, as well as a subtle mix of scents.

An Outdoor “Living” Room

In California, opportunities for year-round outdoor living abound. This design demonstrates how a patio next to the house can become a true extension of your living space with the addition of an arbor and plants that create an attractive setting. A boxwood hedge, clipped trees, and shrubs in terracotta pots reinforce the formality of the gridwork paving, while annuals and ground covers spilling onto the pavement soften the effect.

Arbor

An arbor offers a cozy shelter for several chairs or a bench and supports vines that provide shade. The designs for fences, arbors, and trellises are simple, the materials are readily available, and the tools and skills will be familiar to anyone accustomed to ordinary home maintenance.

:Other titles available in the Home Landscaping series

MID-ATLANTIC

MIDWEST

including South-Central Canada

NORTHEAST

including Southeast Canada

NORTHWEST

SOUTHEAST

SOUTHERN COASTAL

TEXAS

WESTERN

Publisher’s Note

I am pleased to present the newest edition of this classic book on California home landscaping. In this edition, you will find new content, including information on the impact of climate change on California landscaping and detailed descriptions of plants to avoid so you may cultivate the healthiest garden possible. Perhaps the biggest change to this book, however, is what you won’t find: invasive plants that we removed from designs and plant profiles and replaced with California natives or non-invasive plants. As you read and begin your landscaping journey with us, you can feel confident that no matter the home, it will be surrounded by lush, vibrant plants that invite pollinators, guests, and yourself into your yard every day of the year with a warm welcome. Also, I would like to give a special thank you to Claire Splan, the technical editor for this edition, for lending her expertise in home landscaping.

Alan Giagnocavo, CEO and PublisherFox Chapel Publishing

COPYRIGHT © 2011, 2016, 2023

This book may not be reproduced, either in part or in its entirety, in any form, by any means, without written permission from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts for purposes of radio, television, or published review. All rights, including the right of translation, are reserved. Note: Be sure to familiarize yourself with manufacturer’s instructions for tools, equipment, and materials before beginning a project. Although all possible measures have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the material presented, neither the author nor the publisher is liable in case of misinterpretation of directions, misapplication, or typographical error.

Creative Homeowner® is a registered trademark of New Design Originals Corporation.

CALIFORNIA HOME LANDSCAPING, FOURTH EDITION

Managing Editor

Gretchen Bacon

Editor

Madeline DeLuca

Technical Editor

Claire Splan

Designer

Freire, SL

Manufactured in China

California Home Landscaping, Fourth EditionPrint ISBN: 978-1-58011-597-1ISBN: 978-1-63741-288-6

CREATIVE HOMEOWNER®www.CreativeHomeowner.com, is an imprint ofNew Design Originals Corporation and distributed exclusively byFox Chapel Publishing, 800-457-9112, 903 Square Street,Mount Joy, PA 17552.

About the Authors

Roger Holmes is the founding editor of Fine Gardening magazine. He co-edited the monumental Taylor’s Master Guide to Gardening and other highly regarded gardening books, and produced the landscaping series of which this book is part. He also co-wrote Creative Homeowner’s Creating Good Gardens.

Lance Walheim lives in California and has authored or contributed to more than 30 gardening books, including Lawns for Dummies, Roses for Dummies, The Natural Rose Gardener, and Citrus. He has also been a staff editor at Sunset magazine.

About the Technical Editor

Claire Splan is an award-winning writer and Associate Editor of The American Gardener, the magazine of the American Horticultural Society. She is the author of California Month-by-Month Gardening and California Fruit and Vegetable Gardening, both published by Cool Springs Press. Her articles on gardening topics have appeared in The Designer, the San Diego Union-Tribune, Age of Awareness, The Startup, and Tenderly.

Safety First

Though all concepts and methods in this book have been reviewed for safety, it is not possible to overstate the importance of using the safest working methods possible. What follows are reminders—dos and don’ts for yard work and landscaping. They are not substitutes for your own common sense.

Always use caution, care, and good judgment when following the procedures described in this book.

Always determine locations of underground utility lines before you dig, and then avoid them by a safe distance. Begin by calling 811, a free service managed by Underground Service Alert and available to everyone. After you call, Underground Service Alert will contact utility companies that have underground lines in your area. Representatives will then mark the location of their underground lines so you can avoid them and dig safely. Note: previous owners may have installed underground drainage, sprinkler, and lighting lines without mapping them.

Always read and heed the manufacturer’s instructions for using a tool, especially the warnings.

Always ensure that the electrical setup is safe; be sure that no circuit is overloaded and that all power tools and electrical outlets are properly grounded and protected by a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). Do not use power tools in wet locations.

Always wear eye protection when using chemicals, sawing wood, pruning trees and shrubs, using power tools, and striking metal onto metal or concrete.

Always read labels on chemicals, solvents, and other products; provide ventilation; heed warnings.

Always wear heavy rubber gloves rated for chemicals, not mere household rubber gloves, when handling toxins.

Always wear appropriate gloves in situations in which your hands could be injured by rough surfaces, sharp edges, thorns, or poisonous plants.

Always wear a disposable face mask or a special filtering respirator when creating sawdust or working with toxic gardening substances.

Always keep your hands and other body parts away from the business ends of blades, cutters, and bits.

Always obtain approval from local building officials before undertaking construction of permanent structures.

Never work with power tools when you are tired or under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Never carry sharp or pointed tools, such as knives or saws, in your pockets. If you carry such tools, use special-purpose tool scabbards.

The Landscape Designers

Michael Buccino has been designing desert landscapes since 1966. A landscape architect and graduate of Cal Poly, Pomona, he and the members of his small Palm Desert firm, Michael Buccino Associates, undertake residential, commercial, and public projects. His designs appear on pp. 38–41 and 94–97.

Susan Romiti and Ross Holmquist are the principal landscape designers in the Landscape Design Division of Mike Parker Landscape in Laguna Beach. They work on projects from small beach cottages to large estates and have produced award-winning designs throughout southern California. Their designs appear on pp. 30–33, 46-49, 50–53, and 62–55.

Jana Ruzicka operates her own landscape design business in Laguna Beach, specializing in residential projects. Trained in Czechoslovakia, she has been a landscape architect in California since 1969. Before establishing her own firm in 1980, she worked on residential, public, and commercial projects. She has won several design awards, and her work has appeared in regional publications. Her designs appear on pp. 90–93, 98–101, and 110–113.

Carolyn Singer owns Foothill Cottage Gardens, a nursery she developed from her own gardens in the Sierra foothills near Grass Valley. Since 1980, she has sold perennials and taught gardening classes at the nursery as well as designed landscapes for foothill and valley residents. She lectures widely and has written about gardening for national and regional publications. Her designs appear on pp. 26–29, 42–45, 50–53, and 80–85.

John Valentino and Bob Truxell are principals in Truxell and Valentino Landscape Development, Inc., founded in 1979 and located in Clovis, in the central valley. Their work encompasses private, public, and corporate projects, including a number of award-winning designs. It is regularly featured in regional publications. Their designs appear on pp. 22–25, 66–69, 74–76, and 114–117.

Jenny Webber is a self-employed landscape architect in Oakland. Also trained in horticulture and fine arts, she specializes in ecologically balanced and creative landscapes. She has won several awards for her designs and has written about gardening and design for national publications. Her designs appear on pp. 54–57, 86–89, and 102–105.

Richard William Wogisch is a landscape architect and founding partner of Oasis Gardens, a landscape design firm in San Francisco. Since 1989, he has concentrated on designing intimate gardens in the Bay Area. His work has been featured in numerous publications. His designs appear on pp. 34–37, 58–61, and 106–109

Contents

About This Book

As Your Landscape Grows

The Impacts of Climate Change on California Gardens

Fire-Smart Landscaping

Making Your Garden Wildlife and Pollinator Friendly

Caring for Native Plants

Beware of Invasives

Asian Citrus Psyllid and HLB Disease

Portfolio of Designs

An Elegant Entry

Garden geometry transforms a small front yard.

Front-Door Makeover

Enhance your main entry in a weekend.

Foundation with Flair

Flowers and foliage create a front garden.

A Welcoming Entry

Make a pleasant passage to your front door.

An Entry Oasis

Extend a friendly desert welcome.

On the Street

Give your curbside strip a new look.

An Eye-Catching Corner

Beautify a boundary with easy-care plants.

Gateway Garden

Arbor, fence, and plantings make a handsome entry.

A Pleasant Passage

Reclaim a narrow side yard for a stroll garden.

Down to Earth

Harmonize your deck with its surroundings.

Garden in the Round

Create a planting with several attractive faces.

Landscape a Low Wall

A two-tier garden and patio replace a bland slope.

Beautify a Blank Wall

A vertical garden makes the most of a narrow site.

A No-Mow Slope

A terraced planting transforms a steep site.

Poolside Pleasures

Privacy plantings enhance a swimming pool.

A Beginning Border

Flowers and a wall make a traditional look.

An Outdoor “Living” Room

A patio and shady arbor provide open-air opportunities.

An Island Retreat

Create a freestanding patio garden.

Backyard Makeover

Get a lot out of a small, frost-free lot.

A Shady Hideaway

Build a cozy retreat in a corner of your yard.

Back to Nature

Create a wooded retreat in your backyard.

Splash Out

Make a water garden the focus of outdoor activities.

Under the Old Shade Tree

Create a cozy garden in a cool spot.

Planting in the Pines

Surround your woodland deck with flowering shrubs.

Plant Profiles

Descriptions of all the plants shown in the Portfolio of Designs, plus information on how to plant and care for them.

Guide to Installation

Organizing Your Project

Introducing the tasks involved in a landscape installation; how to organize them for best results.

Clearing the Site

Removing turf, weeds, and other unwanted. material

Water for Your Plants

Water-wise practices; water systems.

Making Paths and Walkways

How to choose materials, prepare the base, install edgings, and lay the surface.

Laying a Patio

Employing the same materials and techniques as for walks and paths; ensuring proper drainage.

Installing a Pond

Siting, excavating, installing a flexible liner or fiberglass shell, and growing pond plants.

Building a Retaining Wall

How to lay out, excavate, and assemble a precast modular wall system and steps.

Fences, Arbors, and Trellises

Everything you need to know to construct fences, trellises, and arbors, including plans for building them, shown in the Portfolio of Designs.

Preparing the Soil for Planting

How to dig and improve the soil, and how to create edging for beds.

Buying Plants

Where to go, what to look for, how to get the best quality and price.

The Planting Process

When to plant, steps in the planting process, spacing; annuals as fillers.

Planting Basics

Plants in containers, balled-and-burlapped plants, bare-root plants, ground covers, and bulbs.

Basic Landscape Care

Mulches and fertilizers; controlling weeds; watering.

Caring for Woody Plants

Basic pruning for trees, shrubs, vines, and roses; how to make a hedge.

Caring for Perennials

Routine care, pruning, and dividing.

Problem Solving

Understanding common problems with animal and insect pests and diseases; winter damage.

Glossary

Credits

About This Book

Of all the home improvement projects homeowners tackle, few offer greater rewards than landscaping. Paths, patios, fences, arbors, and, most of all, plantings can enhance home life in countless ways, large and small, functional and pleasurable, every day of the year. At the main entrance, an attractive brick walkway flanked by eye-catching shrubs and perennials provides a cheerful send-off in the morning and welcomes you home from work in the evening. A carefully placed grouping of small trees, shrubs, and fence panels creates privacy on the patio or screens a nearby eyesore from view. An island bed showcases your favorite plants, while dividing the backyard into areas for several different activities.

Unlike with some home improvements, the rewards of landscaping can be as much in the activity as in the result. Planting and caring for lovely shrubs, perennials, and other plants can afford years of enjoyment. And for those who like to build things, outdoor construction projects can be especially satisfying.

While the installation and maintenance of plants and outdoor structures are within the means and abilities of most people, few of us are as comfortable determining exactly which plants or structures to use and how best to combine them. It’s one thing to decide to dress up the front entrance or patio, another to come up with a design for doing so.

That’s where this book comes in. Here, in the Portfolio of Designs, you’ll find designs for twenty-four common home-landscaping situations, created by landscape professionals who live and work in California. Drawing on years of experience, these designers balance functional requirements and aesthetic possibilities, choosing the right plant or structure for the task, confident in its proven performance in similar situations.

Complementing the Portfolio of Designs are the Plant Profiles, the book’s second section, which gives information on all the plants used in the designs in the book. The third section, Guide to Installation, will help you install and maintain the plants and structures called for in the designs. The discussions that follow take a closer look at each section; we’ve also printed representative pages of the sections on pp. 9-10 and pointed out their features.

Portfolio of Designs

This section is the heart of the book, providing examples of landscaping situations and solutions that are at once inspiring and accessible. Some are simple, others more complex, but each one can be installed in a few weekends by homeowners with no special training or experience.

For each situation, we present two designs, the second a variation of the first. As the sample pages on the facing page show, the first design is displayed on a two-page spread. A perspective illustration (called a “rendering”) depicts what the design will look like several years after installation, when the perennials and many of the shrubs have reached mature size. (For more on how plantings change as they age, see “As Your Landscape Grows,” pp. 12–13.) The rendering also shows the planting as it will appear at a particular time of year. A site plan indicates the positions of the plants and structures on a scaled grid. Text introduces the situation and the design, and describes the plants and projects used.

The second design, presented on the second two-page spread, addresses the same situation as the first but differs in one or more important aspects. It might show a planting suited for a shady rather than a sunny site, or it might incorporate different structures or kinds of plants to create a different look. As for the first design, we present a rendering, site plan, and written information, but in briefer form. The second spread also includes photographs of landscapes in situations similar to those featured in the two designs. The photos showcase noteworthy variations or details that you may wish to use in the designs we show or in designs of your own.

Installed exactly as shown here, these designs will provide years of enjoyment. But individual needs and properties will differ, and we encourage you to alter the designs to suit your site and desires. Many types of alterations are easy to make. You can add or remove plants and adjust the sizes of paths, patios, and arbors to accommodate larger or smaller sites. You can rearrange groupings and substitute favorite plants to suit your taste. Or you can integrate the design with your existing landscaping. If you are uncertain about how to solve specific problems or about the effects of changes you’d like to make, consult with staff at a local nursery or with a landscape designer in your area.

PORTFOLIO OF DESIGNS

PLANT PROFILES

GUIDE TO INSTALLATION

Plant Profiles

The final section of the book includes a description of each of the plants featured in the Portfolio. These profiles outline the plants’ basic preferences for environmental conditions—such as soil, moisture, and sun or shade—and provide advice about planting and ongoing care.

Working with the book’s landscape designers, we selected plants carefully, following a few simple guidelines: every plant should be a proven performer in the region; once established, it should thrive without pampering. All plants should be available from a major local nursery or garden center; if they’re not in stock, they could be ordered, or you could ask the nursery staff to recommend suitable substitutes.

In the Portfolio section, you’ll note that plants are referred to by their common name but are cross-referenced to the Plant Profiles section by their scientific name. While common names are familiar to many people, they can be confusing. Distinctly different plants can share the same common name, or one plant can have several different common names. Latin-based scientific names, therefore, ensure greatest accuracy and are more appropriate for a reference section such as this. Although you can confidently purchase most of the plants in this book from local nurseries using the common name, knowing the scientific name allows you to ensure that the plant you’re ordering is the same one shown in our design.

Guide to Installation

In this section, you’ll find detailed instructions and illustrations covering all the techniques you’ll need to install any design from start to finish. Here, we explain how to think your way through a landscaping project and anticipate the various steps. Then you’ll learn how to do each part of the job: readying the site; laying out the design; choosing materials; addressing basic irrigation needs; building paths, trellises, or other structures; preparing the soil for planting; buying the recommended plants and putting them in place; and caring for the plants to keep them healthy and attractive year after year.

We’ve taken care to make installation of built elements simple and straightforward. The paths, trellises, and arbors all use basic, readily available materials, and they can be assembled by people who have no special skills or tools beyond those commonly used for home maintenance. The designs can easily be adapted to meet specific needs or to fit in with the style of your house or other landscaping features.

Installing different designs requires different techniques. You can find the techniques that you need by following the cross-references in the Portfolio to pages in the Guide to Installation, or by skimming the Guide. You’ll find that many basic techniques are reused from one project to the next. You might want to start with one of the smaller, simpler designs. Gradually, you’ll develop the skills and confidence to do any project you choose.

Most of the designs in this book can be installed in several weekends; some will take a little longer. Digging planting beds and erecting fences and arbors can be strenuous work. If you lack energy for such tasks, consider hiring a neighborhood teenager to help out; local landscaping services can provide more comprehensive help.

CALIFORNIA HARDINESS ZONES

This map represents the most recent climate data compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The map divides the state into numbered “hardiness zones” based on minimum winter temperatures. California’s zones range from winter minimum temperatures of -20°F to 40°F. Most of the plants in this book will survive the lowest temperatures in Zones 8, 9, and 10. Others are hardy to Zone 6. To ensure successful plantings, confirm with a local nursery that plants you choose are reliably hardy in your area. (Note: Hardiness zones only apply to perennial plants. Annual plants do survive over winter so they can be planted during the growing season anywhere in the state.)

This is not an official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

As Your Landscape Grows

AT PLANTING

Landscapes change over the years. As plants grow, the overall look evolves from sparse to lush. Trees cast cool shade where the sun used to shine. Shrubs and hedges grow tall and dense enough to provide privacy. Perennials and ground covers spread to form colorful patches of foliage and flowers. Meanwhile, paths, arbors, fences, and other structures gain the comfortable patina of age.

Constant change over the years—sometimes rapid and dramatic, sometimes slow and subtle—is one of the joys of landscaping. It is also one of the challenges. Anticipating how fast plants will grow and how big they will eventually get is difficult, even for professional designers, and was a major concern in formulating the designs for this book.

To illustrate the kinds of changes to expect in a planting, these pages show one of the designs at three different “ages.” Even though a new planting may look sparse at first, it will soon fill in. And because of careful spacing, the planting will look as good in ten to fifteen years as it does after three to five. It will, of course, look different, but that’s part of the fun.

THREE TO FIVE YEARS

At Planting—Here’s how the corner planting (pp. 46–47) might appear in spring immediately after planting. The branches of the Carolina jasmine, 2-3 ft. long, have been tied to the fence. The roses are about 18 in. tall, their canes already beginning to arch. Bought in 1-gal. containers, the lavender and heavenly bamboo have yet to reach a foot in height. The pomegranate is 3-4 ft. tall; the ground morning glories are little tufts about 6 in. tall. In addition to mulch, you can fill the spaces between the small plants with some short annuals during the first few growing seasons.

Three to Five Years—As shown here in fall, the planting has filled out nicely. The Carolina jasmine creeps along much of the fence. The roses sprawl, covered now (and for much of the year) with red flowers. The lavender and heavenly bamboo have become bushy plants, with handsome foliage, flowers, and berries. At about 6-8 ft. tall, the pomegranate displays colorful foliage and a crop of edible fruits in fall. The ground morning glory has filled in beneath the tree and the planting no longer has space, or need, for annuals.

Ten to Fifteen Years—Shown again in fall, the pomegranate, now 10-12 ft. tall, is the focal point of the planting. Its lower limbs have been removed as the tree has grown, making room for the roses, which have been allowed to overtake some of the ground morning glory under the tree as well as the two heavenly bamboos at the corner (which have been replanted elsewhere on the property). The third heavenly bamboo has been removed to allow the ground morning glory to spread. Annual pruning has kept the height of the roses in check and prevented them from overgrowing the lavender. Judicious pruning has also kept some of the fence visible around the vigorous Carolina jasmine.

TEN TO FIFTEEN YEARS

The Impacts of Climate Change on California Gardens

There is no denying that climate change is impacting how we live and garden. Following years of severe drought, Californians are facing increased pressure to conserve water and, with the millions of trees that have died from lack of water, many communities throughout the state are under dire threat from wildfires. That’s why it’s imperative that California gardeners learn to be water-wise and fire-safe.

Water-Wise Gardening

The basics of watering, including deciding whether water is needed and how much to water, are covered on page 168, but water-wise gardening goes a few steps further. The following tips will help you stretch your water usage and make it as effective as possible:

• The best time to water is early morning, just before dawn. Water will have time to penetrate the soil before it can evaporate, and plants will have the moisture they need during the heat of day. Also, roots are less likely to rot when they haven’t been sitting in water throughout the night.

• The best method of watering is drip irrigation or soaker hoses, which get the water directly to the root systems with little or no evaporation and no splashing water to carry fungal diseases.

• Consistency matters. Inconsistent watering can stress a plant and cause fruit to split.

• If you recycle water from your household (grey water), do not use it on your edible plants. Use the grey water on ornamental plants and lawns and save the fresh water for your fruits and vegetables.

• Infrequent and deep watering beats frequent light watering. Why? Because deep watering encourages deeper, healthier root systems. For trees in particular, a deep root system will lead to better overall health and fruit production.

With this information in hand, as well as an understanding of your soil type and particular plants’ water needs, you can create an optimum schedule for watering.

Use a soaker hose like this one to transport water directly to root systems, conserving water in the meantime.

Fire-Smart Landscaping

Safely using a shredder will help deal with stray branches and leaves that could be a fire hazard in your garden.

Fire safety is always an issue in California and never more so than after the years of severe drought that have taken a heavy toll throughout the state. Addressing the fire risks in your landscape may save your home—and even save your life.

Fire-safe landscaping requires the removal of excess “fuel,” that is, grasses, brush, dense shrubs, woodpiles, or any flammable debris around your property. California state law requires that you keep a 100-foot “defensible space” around your house that will minimize fire risk and create a safer space for firefighters to defend your home in case fire does break out. They break it down into three zones: Zone 0 is an Ember-Resistant Zone 0 to 5 feet all around your home; Zone 1 is the Lean, Clean and Green Zone, which extends from 5 to 30 feet from the home; and Zone 2 is a 70-foot zone around that called the Reduced Fuel Zone. Following are the most essential steps for each zone:

• In the Ember-Resistant Zone, limit plants to low-growing, non-woody plants and remove all dead and dying plants. Use noncombustible mulch materials like gravel—no bark or woody mulch.

• In the Lean, Clean and Green Zone you should clear out stacks of firewood, compost piles, building materials, woodpiles, stacks of paper, or collections of other flammable items. It is essential in this zone that you eliminate any fire ladders, which are dense plantings increasing in height as they go toward your house. Landscapes should instead have lower plants near the house with shrubs and trees getting taller further away from the house.

• In the Reduced Fuel Zone, you should cut down high grass, prune low-hanging limbs of trees and thin out dense shrubbery.

Safely using a shredder will help deal with stray branches and leaves that could be a fire hazard in your garden.

Here are some additional tips to create a more firesafe landscape:

• Prune tree branches to keep them at least 10 feet away from the chimney.

• Clear roofs and gutters of piles of needles and leaves.

• Remove vines from exterior walls of the house.

• Take care when using power tools to remove dry brush. Have a water source at hand in case a spark ignites a fire.

• If cost is an issue regarding removing trees and brush that are a fire hazard, check with local agencies—public funds may be available to homeowners and neighborhoods to help pay for removal.

• For more information on fire-smart landscaping, go to the Cal Fire website at www.fire.ca.gov/programs/communications/defensible-spaceprc-4291/.

Making Your Garden Wildlife and Pollinator Friendly

For many of us, one of the biggest benefits of gardening is that it creates a point of contact between us and the creatures of the wild. But when people think of encouraging wildlife to come into their gardens, they’re often thinking only of birds, bees, and butterflies. To really establish your garden as a place that is welcoming to wildlife, you need to broaden the scope and make it habitable to all kinds of creatures, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and yes, even insects.

A garden that is wildlife-friendly provides for all the needs of the animals within—that means food, water, shelter, and places to raise their young. Follow these general principles and practices to welcome as many kinds of wildlife as possible:

• Ban chemical pesticides from your garden. This is the single biggest step you can take to creating a healthy garden for wildlife. While you may use pesticides with the intention of killing only the “bad bugs,” beneficial insects will inevitably die as well, and larger animals may be affected as well. In addition, by killing the bad bugs, you’ve removed an important food source for other animals.

• Be aware that even some organic pest controls can be harmful to beneficial insects. Learn to live with a certain amount of pest damage and try to use sprays of any kind only when absolutely necessary.

• Remove or reduce the lawn. Large lawns don’t provide areas of shelter or as many food sources for many animals. Using that space to grow a more diverse palette of plants is like opening up a smorgasbord for wildlife.

• Use native plants to attract native wildlife. Native plants tend to attract a greater number of insects that in turn attract larger animals.

• When planting to provide food sources for wildlife, consider all types of food—pollen, nectar, berries, seeds, stems, leaves—and the bugs that are attracted by these foods.

• When planning a water source for wildlife, keep in mind that moving water attracts more wildlife than still water. If a still water feature is all you can arrange, make sure it is kept clean and consistently refilled.

• Although it’s important to practice good sanitation in your garden, a certain amount of dead and decaying plant material provides both shelter and food for all kinds of wildlife, particularly in the winter months. Postpone doing a really thorough cleanup until the spring.

• Diverse plantings offer the optimum setting for wildlife, but don’t just plant different types of plants. Select plants that will grow to different heights and have different flowering times, shapes, and sizes.

• While you should grow a wide variety of plants, it’s also helpful to plant some things in mass rather just one or two of everything.

Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

Caring for Native Plants

As gardening with native plants grows more and more popular, some myths and mistaken ideas persist. Some people think that native plants require no maintenance—just stick them in the ground and leave them alone. Sorry, but no. All plants in a garden setting require some degree of care, although native plants that are correctly planted usually need less tending than exotics.

The term “California-native plant” is misleading. California has many vastly different ecoregions, from coastal to alpine, riparian to desert, and everything in between. If you put a plant that is native to the Southern California desert region in a Northern California coastal garden, you’re not truly growing a native plant, no matter what the plant tag may say. However, growing plants that are native to your region is a good first step to creating a healthy and harmonious garden community that will be welcoming to pollinators, especially native ones, and other wildlife.

Begin by selecting natives that are appropriate for your region. The California Native Plant Society (www.cnps.org) is an excellent resource for information on native plants of all types and can help you identify the best plants for your region. Once you’ve selected your plants, ensure that you get them off to a good start by planting them in an area with the right sun exposure and soil type. Some California-natives are fussy about the soil they grow in, while others are extremely adaptable, even to poor soil. Once you’ve got the plants in the ground, water them. Even plants that are drought-tolerant need regular watering to get established, and that may take as long as a year.

Most California-native plants are conditioned for summers that are warm and dry. To provide ideal conditions for them, you should withhold supplemental water from most native plants (once they are established) from June through October. Some natives are more flexible than others, but the most sensitive ones can develop root or crown rot if watered regularly at this time, particularly if they’re in poorly draining soil. This can be difficult to accommodate if they are interplanted with nonnatives that do require watering. Hydrozoning (grouping plants according to their water needs) is the best way to handle these differing watering requirements. A two-inch layer of mulch will also help to prevent water evaporation and suppress weeds that will steal moisture away from the other plants, but be sure the mulch doesn’t bury the base of the plants’ stem, which can encourage rotting.

Although native California plants generally don’t require additional fertilization, especially when planted in heavy clay soil, winter-blooming natives growing in sandy soil can benefit from a light feeding in the winter. Apply a side-dressing of compost or, if using a commercial fertilizer, choose one with a low-nitrogen formula and apply half the recommended amount.

Given the right start, native plants should thrive with minimal maintenance and help to create a balanced and healthy ecosystem in your California garden.

Ceanothus is a California-native plant that is both beautiful and drought tolerant.

Beware of Invasives

California’s mostly temperate climate makes it all too hospitable to plants that can become invasive bullies in the garden. Spreading via prolific reseeding or fast-growing rhizomes, these foreign plants can squeeze out native plants, starving native insects and other wildlife and wreaking considerable havoc on the local ecosystem.

Some of the plants that were recommended in the first edition of this book, such as butterfly bush, purple fountain grass, and calla lilies, are now considered invasive in California and should no longer be planted. In their place in this edition, we have recommended similar plants that are native to the region.

The California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) maintains a list of plants that have been determined to be invasive in all or certain regions of the state. To check the current list, go to https://www.cal-ipc.org/plants/profiles/. For information specific to your region, check with the Cooperative Extension Office or Master Gardeners program for your county.

Buddleia davidii ‘Black Knight’BUTTERFLY BUSH

Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’PURPLE FOUNTAIN GRASS

Zantedeschia aethiopicaCALLA LILLY

Asian Citrus Psyllid and HLB Disease

In the past decade a new disease has moved into California that threatens home-grown citrus trees of all kinds, as well as the state’s multibillion dollar citrus industry. Huanglongbing (HLB) disease (also called Citrus Greening disease) is a bacterial infection spread by the Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri), a tiny insect about the size of an aphid. The disease is, so far, incurable and ultimately fatal to any tree that becomes infected. While there’s nothing that you can do to treat the disease, it’s important that you inspect any citrus trees in your garden every month for signs of infection or the presence of the psyllid.

The first symptom to look for is yellow splotches on the leaves. Unlike the yellowing that’s caused by mineral deficiencies in citrus, the yellow markings on HLB-infected leaves appear mottled and asymmetrical and can extend through the leaf veins and down the leaf shoots to the branches. As the disease progresses, the fruit will become small, deformed, and not fully colored. Both the flesh and the juice of the fruit become more bitter and inedible. Eventually, entire branches will turn yellow and die, and ultimately the entire tree will die.

If you suspect that your citrus tree is showing symptoms of HLB, call the CDFA hotline at 800-491-1899. Inspectors will come out to your home to inspect the tree and if it is infected, they will remove it. For more information visit the Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program website (www.CaliforniaCitrusThreat.org).

One citrus variety has been shown to have its own natural resistance to HLB. The Australian finger lime has a unique protein that appears to kill or slow the progression of the bacteria. Researchers are hoping to develop a method of deploying that protein into other citrus plants to develop a similar HLB resistance, but that or any other solution to the problem is still far in the future. In the meantime, vigilance is the best defense.

This plant is heavily infected with HLB disease. Notice the large yellow splotches on the leaves.

Since HLB so far has no cure, the best you can do is take some simple steps to avoid the spread of the disease to your garden:

• Check the quarantine status. Several California counties are under quarantine for the Asian citrus psyllid—yours may be one of them. Before you move citrus plants or fruit over county lines, call the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) hotline at 800-491-1899 to find out what counties are currently affected. Knowingly violating the quarantine could result in a whopping big fine anywhere from $1,100 to $60,000.

• Examine your citrus trees monthly to look for signs of the disease or the presence of the Asian citrus psyllid, which has already been found in parts of Southern and Central California, or its eggs. The psyllid and its eggs are more likely to be found on new green shoots, so check those carefully.

• Purchase new citrus plants only from reputable, licensed California nurseries.

• When you prune your citrus trees, dry the clippings for a few days in the sun or double bag them and dispose of them in the trash. Do not compost citrus clippings.

Portfolio of Designs

This section presents designs for twenty-four situations common in home landscapes. You’ll find designs to enhance entrances, decks, and patios. There are gardens of colorful perennials and shrubs, as well as structures and plantings that create shady hideaways, dress up nondescript walls, and even make a centerpiece of a lowly mailbox. Large color illustrations show what the designs will look like, and site plans delineate the layout and planting scheme. Texts explain the designs and describe the plants and projects appearing in them. Installed as shown or adapted to meet your site and personal preferences, these designs can make your property more attractive, more useful, and—most important—more enjoyable for you, your family, and your friends.

An Elegant Entry

GARDEN GEOMETRY TRANSFORMS A SMALL FRONT YARD

Formal gardens have a special appeal. Their simple geometry can be soothing in a hectic world, and the look is timeless. Homes with symmetrical facades are especially suited to formal makeovers, which complement and accent the architecture.

This design enhances both approaches to a front door—from the sidewalk and the driveway—while echoing the symmetry of the house facade when viewed from the street. The result is more playful and unpredictable than a “classic” formal landscape design.

Visitors approaching from street or drive are drawn toward the leafy crape myrtle canopy at the intersection of the two walkways. From here, you can proceed to the door, or enjoy a few minutes of conversation and relaxation in a grassy semicircular courtyard nearby, with its central birdbath or fountain and bench tucked into an evergreen hedge.

Overcrowded, intricate plantings can make a small space seem smaller. So here, a limited palette of plants is arrayed in bold masses to impart a comfortably spacious feel to a small garden. Flowers are abundant from late winter through fall, and the balance of deciduous and evergreen foliage ensures a year-round presence. For much of the year, fragrant lilacs, gardenias, and roses reward a stroll around the garden.

Plants & Projects

Once established, the plants in this design are not particularly demanding. Clip the hedges regularly to keep them tidy. Prune trees and shrubs as needed to maintain size and shape.

ACrape myrtle (use 4 plants)This deciduous tree offers something in every season: pink, red, or white flowers in summer; colorful foliage in fall; eye-catching bark in winter. See Lagerstroemia indica,p. 143.

BSaucer magnolia (use 2)This handsome deciduous tree accents the front corners with bold foliage and striking flowers. Blooms appear in spring on bare branches before the leaves expand. See Magnolia x soulangiana,p. 146.

CCommon lilac (use 2)Marking the corners of the house, this upright deciduous shrub produces sweet-scented flowers in spring. See Syringa vulgaris,p. 158.

D‘Veitchii’ gardenia (use 6)These compact evergreen shrubs won’t outgrow the space under the windows. Dark foliage showcases very fragrant white flowers from spring through fall. See Gardenia jasminoides,p.138.

E‘Iceberg’ rose (use 9)A floribunda rose, it bears clusters of fragrant white flowers all year. It forms upright clumps and makes a fine mid-height ground cover. See Rosa,p. 155.

F‘Ballerina’ Indian hawthorn (use 14)This low evergreen shrub is another excellent ground cover. It bears numerous clusters of pink flowers in spring. See Rhaphiolepis indica,p. 153.

GTexas privet (use 9)The glossy leaves of this evergreen shrub make a handsome formal hedge. Though clipping as a hedge diminishes their numbers, scented white flowers will draw you to the bench in early summer. See Ligustrum japonicum ‘Texanum’, p. 145.

H‘Winter Gem’ boxwood (use 48)The small leaves and dense habit of this evergreen shrub are ideal for a small clipped hedge like this. See Buxus microphylla var. japonica,p. 126.

IDaylily (use 18)The grassy foliage of this perennial contrasts pleasantly with the clipped hedges and bushy shrubs nearby. Choose cultivars with flower colors and bloom times to suit your taste. See Hemerocallis,p. 140.

JDwarf periwinkle (as needed)The glossy dark-green leaves of this low, spreading perennial ground cover are evergreen. Lilac-colored flowers bloom in late spring. Plant 6 in. apart. See Vinca minor,p. 160.

KWalkway extensionMade of precast pavers (see p. 170) or poured concrete, this short extension creates symmetry at the crossing of the two front walkways.

Formal and fresh

In this design, a paved courtyard and a planting of handsome trees, shrubs, and ground covers have transformed a site typically given over to lawn and a concrete walkway. The result is a more dramatic entry, but also one where you can happily linger with guests.

Like the previous design, this one is simple, comprising mass plantings of a limited number of plants. Small trees shade the paving and, with the low hedge and underplanting of shrubs, create a cozy atmosphere in the courtyard without walling out the street. A birdbath garnished with colorful annuals provides a focal point in the courtyard. A pair of benches offer perches for enjoying the results of your landscaping labors.

Replacing the lawn with an evergreen perennial ground cover completes the transformation from front yard to front garden. While the ground cover will not stand up to games of touch football, it will look good year-round with less water and maintenance than a turfgrass lawn. The deep-green foliage adds an attractive texture to the garden. And, as a bonus, in early spring it becomes a carpet of small white flowers.

Plants & Projects

ARedbud (use 6 plants)Branches of this small deciduous tree are covered with tiny bright-purple flowers in early spring before the leaves appear. The leaves turn gold in fall. Tracery of bare branches is handsome in winter. See Cercis canadensis,p.130.

B‘Vanilla Spice’ summersweet (use 2)This deciduous shrub bears long spikes of fragrant white flowers from midsummer through fall. Butterflies and hummingbirds love them. See Clethra alnifolia, p. 132.

C‘Tuscan Blue’ rosemary (use 6)This evergreen Mediterranean shrub is prized for its aromatic foliage and attractive upright form. It bears small dark-blue flowers in spring. See Rosmarinus officinalis, p. 155.

D‘Munstead’ lavender (use 19)Bushy mounds of silver-gray aromatic foliage make an attractive mid-height ground cover beneath the redbuds. Spikes of lavender-blue flowers scent the air in late spring. See Lavandula angustifolia,p. 144.

EBoxleaf euonymus (use 23)Neatly clipped to form a low formal hedge, this evergreen shrub reinforces the geometry of the design. See Euonymus japonicus ‘Microphyllus’, p. 136.

FPincushion flower (use 8)Planted as a ground cover next to the walkway, this perennial offers airy foliage covered with light-blue flowers from late spring through fall. See Scabiosa caucasica,p. 156.

G‘Little Gem’ evergreen candytuft (as needed)Replacing lawn grass, this perennial ground cover forms a low mat of fine dark-green leaves. Bears bright white flowers for a few weeks in early spring. Space plants on 2-ft. centers. Lightly trim plants with a weed whacker after bloom and whenever the foliage needs rejuvenation. See Iberis sempervirens,p. 142.

HAnnualsPlant seasonal annuals at the foot of the birdbath (or other garden ornament) in the center of the paving. For spring, try combinations of salvia, phlox, snapdragons, alyssum, and purple basil.

IPavingWe’ve shown square precast concrete pavers here. Poured concrete, scored to form the gridwork patterns, is a more expensive but very durable alternative. See p. 170.

VARIATIONS ON A THEME

A formal design can serve intimacy or expansiveness. It may be open, light, and gay, or subdued and contemplative.

This serene courtyard entry is a pleasing combination of simplicity and subtle detail.

In this large, cheerful garden, the lawn forms paths around planting beds of tree roses, shrub roses, and perennials.

This is a formal entryway garden in the classical tradition, complete with a fountain and stone benches.

Front-Door Makeover

ENHANCE YOUR MAIN ENTRY IN A WEEKEND

Sometimes the simplest landscaping projects pack a surprisingly big punch. This design uses only a few plants and can be easily installed in a single weekend. Yet this small investment of time and money can transform one of the most important parts of your property, welcoming visitors to your home as well as presenting a pleasing face to passersby.

Small plantings often suffer from busyness—too many different kinds of plants in too little space. This design makes a bold display with just five different plants. Potted shrubs and upright viburnums with a skirt of candytuft frame the doorway, while low masses of pinks and daylilies border the walkway. There are pretty flowers and a variety of foliage textures to catch the eye, as well as a subtle mix of scents. The planting is enticing to visitors, but not overpowering. And it offers a pleasant spot to chat as guests enter or leave the house.

Plants & Projects

This simple planting is easy to maintain. Clip the candytuft after its spring bloom to encourage rebloom in the fall. Deadhead the daylilies and pinks to keep them tidy. As the years pass, you may need to prune the heavenly bamboo and viburnum in spring or fall to keep them an attractive size.

A‘Spring Bouquet’ viburnum (use 2 plants)This compact evergreen shrub blooms from late fall to spring, bearing white flowers with a rosy pink tinge and light fragrance. Dense, dark-green foliage looks good year-round. See Viburnum tinus,p. 160.

B‘Little Gem’ evergreen candytuft (use 6)Forming a solid mass at the feet of the viburnums, the dark leaves of this evergreen perennial are covered with white flowers for several weeks in spring; in some areas they bloom all year. See Iberis sempervirens,p. 142.

CCottage pink (use 6)This perennial is prized for its delicious scent. Single or double flowers in shades of white, pink, and red float on wiry stems above a mat of graygreen foliage from late spring into autumn. See Dianthus plumarius,p.134.

D‘Stella d’Oro’ daylily (use 6)