Christiane Holmquist Landscape Design

  • Home
  • Portfolio
  • Projects
  • How I Work
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

Wow your mother with a plant that lasts – beyond Mother’s day

May 6, 2012 By Christiane Holmquist Leave a Comment

Browsing at my neighborhood garden center for a special Mother’s Day plant, I notice the pink and purple/lilac flower clusters of Hydrangeas strategically placed at the entrance. I’m impressed by their gorgeous petal ‘bombs’ and think that this old stand-by would probably wow my host, too.

But then a thought steels itself into my mind: How long will my gift decorate my host’s table?  Will she throw it away when the bloom is over, or will she plant it? This frilly one wants much more water than our rainfall provides, and many of our local micro-climates and soils are anything but easy on it. The farther away from the coast it grows, the sooner it will require shading from the hot afternoon sun, and then it wants coddling with acid-forming fertilizer to keep its color, and regular and pricey water.

Matilija Poppy Romneya coulteri

Matilija Poppy

As landscape designer San Diego that practices xeriscape landscaping and sustainability, I love plants that wow me AND have a good ROI, that are attractive low maintenance plants for the low water landscape. Check out these:

Romheya coulteri Matilija Poppy in the drought resistant landscapeA Matilija Poppy Romneya coulteri  in full bloom makes your jaw drop, and bloom is now starting, right in time for Mother’s Day.  The fist-size flowers are carried atop 6-10 ft stems, for several weeks, exuding a strong fragrance of fresh apricots. This perennial shrub needs no additional water once established; it fits into all zones except mountains and deserts, likes sun or partial shade, and is adaptable to all soils except those that drain poorly.  Establishment can be difficult, but once successful, it will send out underground stems in sandy or rocky soil and more slowly in clay soil and is thus difficult to contain. It is best planted along barely cultivated margins, on slopes as erosion control, in dry areas or along parkways. It should be cut down to a few inches above ground in fall to remove old foliage.

Consider also our native wild lilacs, the Ceanothus family that equally fit well into xeriscape designs. The members of this group can be evergreen groundcovers or small trees; some species have brilliant blue flowers, others range in hues of purple, violet and white. They keep their great form year-round, survive the greatest summer heat as true drought resistant plants; they make valuable contributions to any habitat garden by providing food (butterflies, insects, seeds) and cover.

Ray Hartman Wild Lilac Ceanothus arboreus ‘Ray Hartman’  is striking with glistening green leaves, a height of up to 18 ft, and with rose-colored buds and profuse clusters of sky blue flowers. It grows reliably in both interior and coastal sites.

California natives bring a sense of heritage and a connection to the future; they have an incredible potential in all sorts of garden designs if we understand which plants perform in which conditions. With lots of different foliage, flower colors and textures they’ll make your garden interesting in all seasons, and with careful selection you can get year round color because some plant will be in bloom any time of the year. With little needs to additional water or maintenance they are choice candidates for the residential landscape design that satisfy us for years to come and have a high ROI.

For other exceptional non-native plants for drought resistant landscaping, see my previous posts on My favorite plants for Southern California , on Gardens Exciting and Alive – Year round,  Water-wise roses and more.

Check these links for recommended growing conditions, descriptions and sources:

Moosa Creek Nursery

Las Pilitas Nursery

Tree of Life Nursery

Theodore Payne Foundation

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Filed Under: Drought Resistant Landscaping, Drought resistant plants, Low Water Landscape, Plants for San Diego and Southern California, Sustainable Landscape Design, Xeriscape designs Tagged With: drought resistant landscaping, drought resistant plants, landscape designer San Diego, low maintenance plants, low water landscape, residential landscape design, xeriscape, xeriscape landscaping

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search our blog articles

Get your free eBook “15 Things To Do Before You Hire A Landscape Designer”

san diego landscape design
Schedule your free 30 minute phone consultation

san-diego-landscape-designer

Recommendations

“Our garden is wonderful. I find being in the backyard incredibly peaceful and rejuvenating. The bamboo is thickening out nicely too, so the privacy is almost complete.”

F. Todor

Blog Contents

  • Backyard Landscape Design
  • Container Gardening
  • Design Awards
  • DIY Landscape Design
  • Drought Resistant Landscaping
  • Drought resistant plants
  • Gardening tips for San Diego
  • Landscape Design
  • Landscape Design San Diego
  • Low maintenance plants
  • Low Water Landscape
  • Outdoor Kitchen
  • Places to visit
  • Plants for San Diego and Southern California
  • San Diego Landscape Design Portfolio
  • San Diego Landscape Design Projects
  • Shade Structures
  • Special architectal landscape elements
  • Sustainable Landscape Design
  • Trees for San Diego and Southern California
  • Uncategorized
  • Water Features for San Diego County Gardens and Yards
  • Xeriscape designs

Blog Index

backyard landscape design California Friendly Plants color in the garden desert plant species diy landscape design drought resistant landscaping drought resistant plants drought tolerant gardening drought tolerant gardening in San Diego County drought tolerant landscape design drought tolerant perennials drought tolerant plants drought tolerant shrubs drought tolerant trees dry climate design garden design gardening ideas home landscape design landscape design landscape design consultations landscape designer San Diego landscape design help landscape design ideas landscape ideas landscaping in San Diego County lawn removal limited water resources low maintenance plants low water landscape low water landscaping Mediterranean-type plants perennials Shade sails sustainable garden design Sustainable landscape design water-wise landscape design Water Conservation Water Conservation Garden Water Conserving plants xeriscape xeriscape design xeriscape designs xeriscape landscaping xeriscape plants xeriscape San Diego

san-diego-landscape-designer

"Christiane, your design is beautiful. Viewers love the design and color. Thank you so much for all your support while the project was being developed. It would have been more stressful for me had you not held my hand regularly.”

Rachel Michel


Contact Me
I’m available to my California clients offering phone consultations, plant lists and, in some cases, onsite visits and design.

To my Montana clients, I offer phone and/or onsite consultations and landscape design.
Phone 760-586-6065 (cell) & 406-246-6065

Christiane Holmquist

Christiane HolmquistLandscape Designer
Landscape Designer
I'm published in San Diego Home and Garden Lifestyles Magazine!

Latest Articles

  • Starting my new life in Montana
  • A Bench and How It Came to Be
  • Gardening Offers Abundant Health Benefits
  • It’s Raining – It’s Pouring : Protect Your Landscape from Excessive Rain
  • Dry Shade Plant Design with Pizzazz – Not a Headache with these Gems

Connect with me

Follow Us on Facebook

Copyright © 2018 Christiane Holmquist · Privacy Policy · Credits · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.