Christiane Holmquist Landscape Design

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Dry Shade Plant Design with Pizzazz – Not a Headache with these Gems

August 31, 2016 By Christiane Holmquist

Creating an appealing plant composition , especially when aiming for a low water needs design, can be tricky in the shade. Dry shade plant design poses more challenges: Plants grown here have different irrigation needs than their colleagues in the sun; the competition for light and nutrients from trees or large shrubs can be strong, and the choice of suitable plants that are not the “tried and proven” Agapanthus, Indian Hawthorn or Clivia is limited.

dry shade plantsPink Gaura Gaura lindheimeri ‘Siskyou Pink’

Adventurous gardeners will have discovered that a surprising number of drought tolerant plants that we might only expect to see in the full sun can tolerate and even welcome a good amount of shade, adapting to the lower light, (although they might respond with reduced flowering and sparser growth), but who can do all that experimenting to find out which ones work and which ones just won’t? It’s therefore great to know that a few growers of tough and beautiful plants for our climate, soils, and limited water supply have done this work for us and that they make their findings freely available. Here are the ones whose plants I use most often in my designs, and whose search tools make the selection of shade-tolerant plants easier!

One of the first to come to mind is San Marcos Growers in Carpenteria, CA. Since 1979 they have been growing “plants appropriate to California’s Mediterranean climate, including many California native plants, as well as vines, trees, shrubs, ferns, perennials, succulents, ornamental grasses and grass-like plants from other areas around the world.”

Their website offers a full plant inventory with photos and descriptions; it includes an “Advanced Search” tool that helps you zero in on their plants that tolerate shade: Check, say, ‘shrub’, and ‘tolerates drought’, and ‘shade’, then click on ‘submit’, et voilà! You’ll get a list of 348 shrubs tolerant of various degrees of shade, with their full descriptions.

This is an impressive number of dry shade tolerant shrubs! Here are a few that I found exciting because of their either unusual foliage or appealing form:

Dry shade plant Acacia cognata Cousin Itt to 3 ft by 4-6 ft sun shadeLittle River Wattle Acacia cognate ‘Cousin Itt’

2-3 ft tall and 4-6 ft wide, its amazing foliage in low undulating mounds has an unusual, grass-like appearance, and I appreciate its appealing texture contrast to plants with fleshier foliage such as Honeybush, Aloes or large-leafed Bromeliads, or the rounder, hardy foliage of Coffeeberry or Creeping Barberry. As the grower says, it’s a “great plant for informal mounding along a dry stream bed, rock garden, tumbling down a slope or as a large potted specimen.”

Here are a few more shade-tolerant, water-wise shrubs and perennials:

Dry shade plant Ceanothus_griseus_horizontalis_Yankee_Point

Yankee Point Ceanothus Ceanothus griseus horizontalis ‘Yankee Point’

A “fast-growing, durable groundcover.. 2 to 3 feet tall and spreads 8 to 12 or more feet … glossy, dark green leaves and bright blue flower clusters in winter through early spring. .. will grow inland with no watering once established when sited in partial shade. Especially effective as a large-scale groundcover where salt-laden ocean spray is a factor. Hardy to about 15° F… Judicious pruning is recommended to maintain a dense form and promote vigor. “

Yankee Point can also be used as a formal hedge and tolerates shearing with a hedge trimmer well. (It doesn’t like hacking though, a couple of hard prunings can kill it. Keep the garden hacks away from it.)

Dry shade plants Myrsine africana African Boxwood rev (2)African Boxwood Myrsine africana

Here’s the “backbone” shrub that I described above, and what a versatile shrub it is! Evergreen, adapted to sun and shade, with an upright, slightly arching form, not too tall (5-7 ft), dense small-leaved foliage. It is a welcome backdrop to colorful and more ephemeral perennials planted in the foreground. It could be hedged if that fits your design.

Dry shade plant garryaelliptica_evie

Evie’s Silk Tassel Garrya elliptica ‘Evie’s’

Here’s a large evergreen shrub or small tree, 8 to 10 feet round (could get larger in perfect conditions.) It is useful as background or specimen drawing the eye. Catkins of creamy white flowers with a maroon tinge appear each winter. Full sun or part shade, quite drought tolerant although it can handle summer water. Salt and wind tolerant. Use it as an excellent screen, informal hedge, or espaliered. It’s a Bay Area native.

dry shade plant Geranium_incanum self seeds sheer every 2-3 yearsCarpet Geranium Geranium incanum

This is a tender South African perennial that forms bushy 10-inch tall mats of delicate wiry leaves and pale mauve flowers that appear from spring to fall. Trim plants after bloom flush to prevent seeding. Cut to the ground every other year to tidy up the clumps. A very tough plant in the coastal garden, tolerating drought and neglect. It makes a good groundcover in full sun. It is hardy to about 20 degrees F. A most beautiful weed!

Although only a wholesale nursery, San Marcos Growers deliver to many local nurseries, and you can order here your favorites. (See their Retail Nursery Locator as well as their Online Nursery Page)

dry shade plants Gaura lindheimeri Siskyou Pink dry shade plants

Pink Gaura Gaura lindheimeri ‘Siskyou Pink’

What’s not to like about this airy and delicate native from Mexico/Texas? In the spring it sends up arching sprays of small orchid-like blooms and continues to flower throughout the summer. It loves the sun but is also ideal for planting beneath desert trees. Just remember to give it enough room so you can enjoy it fully (3-4 ft spread).

Mountain States Wholesale Nursery, in their work of over 43 years, they have grown desert-adapted plants that “include hues and forms which far surpass our earlier hopes of adding texture, refinement, brilliance – pizzazz, if you will – to already proven durability…. To assist you in your selection process, Mountain States Wholesale Nursery offers over 450 taxa of desert-adapted trees, shrubs, ornamental grasses, accents, flowering perennials, groundcovers, and vines. We specialize in providing landscape plants that combine beauty and water economy.”

Dry shade plants Muhlenbergia rigens Deer Grass

Deer Grass Muhlenbergia rigens

I love ornamental grasses. Nothing else softens boulders, sturdy cacti, and fleshy succulents more naturally and evokes water having just vanished in a seasonal creek… As MSWN describe it at their website: “ Dependable and adaptable, Deer Grass is the backbone of many desert gardens… Native to the Southwest at elevations up to 7000 feet, Deer Grass thrives in varied conditions. It flourishes in full sun, difficult reflected heat exposures and tolerates quite a bit of shade. Deer Grass is extremely drought tolerant, although the foliage browns out if adequate water is not available in the summer. It also handles high rainfall, virtually any soils, and is hardy to -10ºF, USDA Zone 6.

Here’s what Wendy Proud, MSWN’s California Sales Representative wrote in her recent newsletter:

“Changing over from a water loving landscape to one which is less thirsty can be tricky in the shade. Dry shade probably has the least amount of plants available compared to other possible zones in the landscape.  Specific irrigation needs are key along with reasonable expectations about the speed of growth, blooming and eventual size of the plants being chosen.  Mountain States certainly offers plants that can handle some shade and actually many would say they like it…. if they could speak. 🙂  Attached is a list of those plants who like shade, which can also be found on our website.

There’s a tab labeled “Information Sheets” on the left side of our homepage that will direct you to more groupings of plants for specific issues or areas of interest such as, Salt Tolerant, Rabbit Resistant or Hummingbird Paradise.  Really helpful lists when you’re needing suggestions. “

And here the entire MSWN plant list for dry shade.

Although MSWN is a wholesale grower, their plants are either available through local retail nurseries or can be ordered here. And here’s the list of retail nurseries that MSWN delivers to: http://www.mswn.com/links/more

Mountain States Wholesale Nursery Dry Shade Plants

A retail & wholesale nursery that is a delight to visit (with a much shorter drive) is Waterwise Botanicals in Bonsall (WWB).  The “acres of beautiful nursery and growing grounds, including demonstration gardens, ponds, and a shade house full of creative treasures to inspire you“ will put any plant lover to the resistance test; the signage on their plants is excellent, as is their online plant catalog with photos and descriptions.

Here I found lots of dry shade tolerant plants, and I was especially surprised to find a shrub here that’s a smaller version of the very popular Tea Tree, growing in the shade!

Dry Shade Plant Leptospermums coparium 'Dwarf Pink' 2 x 2-3 ft sun or shade
‘Dwarf Pink’ Tea Tree Leptospermum scoparium ‘Dwarf Pink’

I like its dainty appearance, its convenient size (only 2 ft tall by 2-3 ft wide) and delicate foliage of tiny burgundy leaves, all attributes that invite to combine it many other colors. Imagine how appealing it would look placed next to a fleshy purple/burgundy succulent such as Aeonium ‘Silk’.

Don’t wait to visit this nursery! Regular events for the garden enthusiast also make this a great place to visit. Most entertaining are their ponds that the manager Tom Jesch built himself without filters, without pumps, beautifully balanced with aquatic plants, fish, and turtles. These ponds draw lots of wildlife and invite to take a seat alongside and observe the goings on.

The WWB blog contains entertaining and useful information. Here’s one that I especially appreciated: Summer maintenance of ornamental grasses!

I hope that putting a satisfying low-water-use plant composition together for the shady parts of your garden is a bit easier for you with the above-listed websites and tools. Even here, I’d suggest to strive for balance of size, texture, form and color. I myself start “from the top”: After making sure that there is an overhead shelter or roof of sorts (the eaves of a house, or the canopy of a tree or large shrub), I start with one or more woody shrubs as background structure (Myrsine f.e. – see above) that sort of glue and hold all together. To me, woody plants also add the sense of longevity and permanence. Then I consider the midground, if there is room, such as a mid-size shrub. Finally, I work on the foreground where I place a shorter perennial or succulent (by nature the more short-lived plant – for ex. Gaura – see above). Lastly, color is often something I find least important in these compositions, as it always seems to fall into place, and insisting on the perfect color simply reduces the number of available plants to nothing.

It feels good to recommend these growers; their dedication to offering a wide range of water-wise plants that are well suited to our soils and environment, be they in the sun or the shade, on the coast or in the desert, helps me contribute a small part to the preservation of our natural resources, without sacrificing the delight in our gardens.

Filed Under: Drought Resistant Landscape, Drought Resistant Plants, Uncategorized Tagged With: diy landscape design, drought resistant landscaping, drought tolerant designs specialist, drought tolerant landscape design, Low water plants

DIY Landscape Design: Breathe New Life into Your Garden, Part 2

January 31, 2014 By Christiane Holmquist

Boundaries – Defining your space

boundries

A fence encloses, shelters and says “Here I’m safe”

As mentioned in the last post, the word ‘garden’ means enclosure. You are perhaps among those that enjoy a front lawn that is shared with their neighbors…

Other people need more of it, telling the world “This is my space” and “This is where I create my personal world.” To them boundaries imply that this space could be defended; they feel their personal space is intimate only when it is enclosed and when the fences or hedges restrict the access to their home. For them, even the front garden needs to be delineated, marked and enclosed, even if it is only with the hint of an enclosure, such as low fence or a row of shrubs.

If you feel more comfortable with an enclosure, consider that its type depends on your need for privacy or protection, as well as the style of your home. It should complement the house and garden that it protects, in design, scale, level of formality, materials or overall character.

This could also be the opportunity to show off your creativity or personality with some whimsical or artful accents.

Your outside living rooms

outdoor living room

Isn’t a pond so much more interesting than a lawn?

Rather than seeing your garden as a static picture from inside your breakfast nook or from your patio, it might be time to view your landscape as an opportunity to create “rooms” for different purposes:

Perhaps you could have a private reading nook? A hammock under a tree might be all that’s needed… Or you have dreamed of a yoga/meditation nook? A small deck or paved area hidden away behind some large bushes might work for that. Or you have fantasies of loosing the old lawn and creating garden scenes that you can discover on an meandering pathway? If there’s too little room for separate spaces, perhaps it’s time to create your dreamy and forever soothing and entertaining pond, right next to your patio?

Now add personality and character (Accents & plants)

accent plants

A bench placed under a tree and surrounded by foliage and flowers promises relaxation and comfort.

In shaping your garden, your fantasies and desires should be your guides: Now is the time to dream and then figure out how to bring your vision to reality.

You might have already assembled many cut-sheets, photos and magazine articles on landscape scenes that have appealed to you, and it will help to examine them for a common theme. I’d note why these images speak to you: Is it the intimacy of a space? The romantic feeling of a nook? The privacy of a green arbor? The intriguing textures of a plant scene? The playfulness of a whimsical fountain and a bench nearby inviting you to sit down with a magazine?

garden statues

What object can give a garden a greater personal touch than your own fountain design?

By looking at these images, you can better evaluate your own garden and improve it by giving the whole your personal stamp and style.

For example, a stone ball could be an energetic and self-contained sculpture that’s a whimsical and a forever appealing counter point in the midst of your flowers. A glass ball could add a gleam of light among them, too.

Strolling past a whirligig, or a found object, or … (you fill in the blank) would be fun. This special thing will make you happy and will reveal just a little about your personality to the visitor.

water-wise perennials

Here, succulents and water-wise perennials surround the play lawn.

Ideas for colorful plantings abound online or in print in plant books and beautiful gardening magazines, or you can find them in botanical displays (such as the Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon , or the San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas), so I’d like to add mainly these ideas:

Shrubs make good “bones”: they are part of the backbone of a garden, can provide privacy and screening; they add the permanence to the otherwise ephemeral plant material; Smaller shrubs and perennials then provide the décor, color, more temporary interest; they remind us of the passing of time and the never-ending cycle of natural processes.

All of these plants are vital to our gardens; but none should overpower them.

Time to plant a tree? (Or: Anchor your home to the environment; it might “fly off” otherwise…)

trees for san diego county

A tree can balance the proportions of a house, and “anchor” it to its environment

One of the most overlooked features often missing in gardens, especially in front yards, is a tree that embellishes the home. I don’t mean a tree that’s growing into the power lines or breaks up your driveway… nor a Eucalyptus long forgotten in the back yard, or a Pine tree that’s shedding needles onto your porch or roof either. I don’t mean a monster that has been topped and that can’t throw any shade on your home, in summer.

san diego trees

Trees organize, give structure and reinforce the character of a garden

Trees provide structure and organization to the garden, they add “weight” and character. They give shelter and shade to people, animals and plants; they screen out unwanted views or frame desirable ones.

Here’s what I would look for: A tree, in proportion to your home (for a one story home that means a tree that doesn’t get bigger than 25-30 ft), placed where it cools your home in summer. I would choose a deciduous tree: In winter then the sun will warm your house.

Don’t forget that the height of a tree, say 25 ft, usually means that the roots will spread AT LEAST as wide, but most trees’s root systems spread 1-2 times that far… It’s therefore very important that you plant the tree at a distance of at least half of its height from any trees for san diegostructure (foundation walls, patios, walkways, driveways) that could restrict its growth, or where the roots could do damage later down the road.

A tree like that can ‘anchor’ your home to the surroundings and firmly ‘plant’ it in its environment. The tree’s canopy will be a shelter for anybody walking under it; which is why I would try to plant it close to porches or terraces.

Now you’re (almost) there: You can already look for the new hammock to hang in that tree…

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: diy landscape design, landscape design help, landscape designer San Diego, Sustainable landscape design

DIY Landscape Design: Breathe New Life into Your Garden

January 28, 2014 By Christiane Holmquist

January is a perfect time for winter clean up  and fresh home landscape design ideas.  This post shows you how to breathe new life into your garden.

Erythrina bidwillii Coral Tree 3Coral Tree (Erythrina bidwillii) A Coral Tree in full bloom is a gorgeous sight, and seeing it you might have felt a stir of desire for such a punch of color in your garden? And did you realize that you haven’t enjoyed it much lately, that it is stale, and that much about it bothers you? But how do you breathe life into it?

 

January, for us Southern Californios, is a perfect time for winter clean up and fresh landscape design ideas: Although this winter  is warmer than usual, it is still a better season to plant than summer. So should you start your refresher with plants?

The Power of Structure

garden structure

A beautiful plant scene is seductive, but without a structure is does not become a garden.

It’s easy to be seduced by the gorgeous plants at a specialty nursery or in a magazine, and many gardeners have the impression that introducing new exotics or the latest hybrid would be the solution to a satisfying outdoor living space. However, in my consultations at the Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon I meet many homeowners who, much more urgently than with plants, accents or atmosphere, need help with the basic “bones”. That is, with the structures that give shape and form to a garden:  As the original meaning of the word ‘garden’ implies,  it’s the ‘enclosure’ , the pathways and edgers, gates and transitions, pergolas and fences, patios and shelters that create the garden.  Only when they can fulfill their functions of giving definition, protection and organization to the garden would I be ready to flesh it out with plants, accents, personal style.

low hand built retaining wallThus, starting with the structure(s) can remedy the underlying defects or shortcomings of any landscape. But should you begin in the front yard, or rather the backyard?

In practical life, it’s only you who can answer this questions:  If your front yard is not inviting any longer and you get upset every time you come home, it’s time to invest here.

However, if you can accept the idea that the front yard isn’t perfect but it’s really your backyard that bothers you most because you don’t find the peace and comfort here that you dream of, it’s wiser and more satisfying to create that sanctuary first.  From the enjoyment of that space it will be the easier to tolerate the imperfect front yard!

Elements to consider

beautiful garden path to front doorIf it’s the front yard that needs refreshing, ask yourself:  What’s there to invite a visitor to walk up to my front door?  Could the trash cans be hidden behind their own enclosure? Are the irrigation valves out of sight? Is it safe for walking; are the steps even, the lighting sufficient, the path wide enough?

Is there a genuine walkway, or do your visitors walk up to your front door on your driveway?  If so, now is the time to give your walkway the “weight” it deserves:  To approach a front door on a driveway that’s just wide enough for the owner’s cars feels to me as though visitors aren’t really expected.  Creating a walkway allows you to show off your landscape and to create a ‘discovery’ path makes the journey more memorable:  Let the visitor get a feel for your personal touch and appreciate your love for details, by planting attractive plants, setting out yard art perhaps, or displaying an attractive container.

The garden underfoot

flagstone stairs

Here, a beautiful flagstone on concrete walkway is leads safely to the front door.

Don’t forget also to look at your pavement: Is it comfortable, safe and in harmony with the style of your house?

The options for the pavement materials are numerous: Prefabricated concrete pavers; porcelain or stone tile; brick or flagstones on concrete or placed directly on sand; DG or concrete…Even decking material (as in wood/timber or synthetic  lumber) can work and give a beautifully warm and naturalistic touch to the landscape.

 

Flagstones “sand-set” with inter-planting lend naturalism to a landscape

flagstone with inter-plantingAs a response perhaps to the stress of urban life and our isolation from nature, I get a lot of requests for flagstone and DG as pavement material because they are perceived as more naturalistic, and flagstone is very “in” these days.  A flagstone path with green plants between the flat stones can look very attractive. The reality, unfortunately, is that these “inter-plantings” are rarely successful: As these plants need to be watered, this kind of pavement doesn’t contribute exactly to water savings, and it’s advisable to apply the irrigation at times when any puddles on the irregular surfaces of the stones can evaporate before the morning use.

Fait back garden path and bench crop

DG used in a naturalistic garden path fits well into a relaxed landscape

More of a nuisance are the weeds that invade these inter-spaces often and that are difficult to eliminate; most often they need to be pulled by hand. Leaving sand, DG (decomposed granite), or coarser gravel between the stones would be the easiest solutions.

flagstone pavers

Flagstone as garden path is attractive material, with or without inter-planting

DG is made from weathered granite. In the landscape industry it is most often used in pavement as a naturalistic material that, if not “stabilized” by additives, is permeable.  It is mixed with color and sold in several earth tones,and when compacted it is a material widely used in landscaping.  Unfortunately, despite of the compaction and binding agents used in it, the surface grains sit loosely on top and therefore the DG should only be used on a flat area; in my opinion it’s not suitable for any ramped area as one could easily slip and fall.

As material used for a path leading  to a front door I myself don’t use it much; I find it too ‘loose’ and relaxed for most front yards, and hesitate to recommend it when it is likely that feet and shoes carry the coarse sandy grains into the house.

Flagstone, firmly set in concrete in a walkway, is costly in comparison to interlocking pavers, or colored concrete, or laid “on grade” (on sand/without concrete base). With inter-spaces, and sand between the flags, it is not as foot-friendly and trip-safe as I would want it to be, in a space that’s accessible to the public.

Concrete pavers (“interlocking”) are a very popular paving material

concrete interlocking paversInterlocking (or segmental) pavers are much in demand these days because versatile and attractive. (Actually, pavers made from stone, concrete or brick have been in use for thousands of years.) The varying degrees of tumbling of the paving stones that define the texture, and the pattern and size define the character of the paved areas, and you can achieve effects from an elegant smooth pavement to a historic-looking ancient cobble stone effect.

concrete paversThe pavers are easy to remove if necessary (for instance when you want to add a footing for a shade structure or other features later); cracking can never occur (as would be possible with concrete pavement).

Colored concrete is also used; I find the sandy “sand finish” or “acid wash” on colored concrete very attractive and fitting into a contemporary as well as a classic look.

Whether colored acid-wash concrete, concrete pavers or cut stone pavers laid directly “on grade” (directly on native soil or sand), you’d benefit from the help from an experienced craftsman/mason.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: diy landscape design, home landscape design, landscape design help, landscape designer San Diego, landscape ideas

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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

CHRISTIANE HOLMQUIST LANDSCAPE DESIGN


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