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Endless Summer: Landscape Design With Water Conservation

August 14, 2015 By Christiane Holmquist Leave a Comment

A journey to transform a garden and find beauty, serenity and sustainability.

Problem:

An East-Coast garden under a California sky; Soulless, uninviting, and thirsty.

Solution:

Start with a blank slate.

Welcome with a lively tapestry of fascinating, region-appropriate plants that put nature back into the garden and help rediscover its soul.

At some time after purchasing this Southern California home, it occurred to the homeowner how unwelcoming its existing landscape was:

The East-Coast landscape with lawn and roses didn’t work for this Ranch-style house, nor did it respond well to the need for water conservation.

This home, whose architecture, materials, and siting have more of a Frank Lloyd Wright feel to them, invited a simpler and serene landscape that would thrive even with parsimonious amounts of water and would incorporate California landscape elements: Clear skies and brilliant light, rugged nature with canyons and arroyos, boulder-strewn mountains, deserts, and a host of interesting native plants that are known worldwide.

Designed by Ken Ronchetti, whose architecture has “a soft strength in its simplicity”, the homeowner was ready to explore how to make her garden more inviting and how to capture its soul: Could succulents, California natives and other water-wise plants, until then unknown to her, complement and hold up to this architecture?

The first priority was to integrate the existing Live Oak and Paperbark Trees; both have reached a beautiful maturity. The stone cladding of walls and pilasters create a strong element, and we knew that incorporating boulders would play up their strength and be part of the landscape.

Knowing the client’s love for plants, I subdivided the area into separate spaces to be discovered on a path. This path is important to put the visitor into the landscape, not just view it from the edges.

She’d be able to wander through individual garden rooms and planting scenes or stop at the bench under the Oak tree, inviting rest and discovery of a tapestry of perennials, woody California native shrubs, and succulents that are endlessly entertaining and consume very little supplemental water.

The courtyard is walled in, resulting in the need for the landscape to be open and allow a feeling of depth. Therefore the plant compositions stay mainly low so that the can eye can wander across the tapestry of interesting plants.

Visible here are Sundrops Calylophus drummondii, Agave ‘Blue Glow’, Blue Bedder (Beard Tongue) Penstemon heterophyllus ‘Margarita BoP’ , against the foliage of Velvet Elephant Ear Kalanchoe beharensis, and Golden Breath of Heaven Coleonema pulchellum ‘Sunset Gold’.

Many beautiful boulders now echo the rugged stone element used for walls, walkways, and pilasters. Among them a bubbling boulder is the focal point upon arrival. It is surrounded by plants that highlight its beauty and ruggedness.

The heavy downpour during a recent thunderstorm tricked a Mountain Lilac here into re-bloom several months after its first bloom this spring. It makes a lovely companion to other drought tolerant plants: Agaves, Sundrops Calylophus drummondii, Crassula coccinea ‘Campfire’, Echeveria Ruffles, and Blue Oatgrass Helictotrichon sempervirens, Silver Spurge Echeveria rigida, Aloe Little Gem Aloe rudikoppe.

It is a balancing act to create harmony and cohesion with a limited plant palette, but limiting it is important to avoid a hodgepodge and mere plant museum. Here, drought resistant ‘Pink Spice’ Geranium Pelargonium ionidiflorum mingle with Echeveria ‘Ruffles’, Verbena ‘Little One’ Verbena bonariensis ‘Little One’, and Sundrops Calylophus drummondii.

Always conscious of sustainability, the existing picket fence was kept; Although more befitting the previous Victorian landscape style rather than the new one, it was found useful to accentuate the feeling of intimacy and keep rabbits and raccoons out as much as possible.

This garden is very much an experimental site: It is growing, evolving and confirms our trust in the future as the plants mature. Some of these plants, such as Blue Sedge Carex flacca have shown to be the wrong choice for this garden (they never stopped sprawling).

Finding the right amount of supplemental water is a bit of a challenge as with varying sun exposure, tree canopies and roof overhang there are more individual watering zones than one might expect.

I’m passionate about juxtaposing different textures and forms to create tension and interest, so placing a wispy grass or delicate perennial next to a heavy boulder is a knee-jerk gesture.

Also appealing to me is placing a fleshy succulent next to the rugged mass of a boulder; I feel that both complement each other, and although the Sunset Jade Crassula argentea in this picture can’t hold up to the sturdiness of the rock, its equally robust and ‘weighty’, and both plants heighten up their individual qualities.

Evoking the mountains and their delicate windswept plant companions, Agave ‘Blue Glow’ and Foothill Penstemon Penstemon heterophyllus ‘Margarita BOP’ nestle between these boulders.

Against the canopy of the Paperbark Tree Melaleuca quinquenervia the perennials,grasses and succulents, this feels like the relief of a sunny clearing in the forest.

I am very happy that the owner has asked me to keep an eye on this garden and help it mature with monthly maintenance. Looking at these photos and considering the time that has elapsed since the garden was first planted, I’m struck again at how exciting it is to care for all these plants.

What will the garden mature into? Will the plants keep their promise?
I’m delighted by the garden’s serenity, and the homeowner’s words give me great joy: “You couldn’t have captured my vision any better.”

Photography courtesy of Emma Almendarez.

Endless Summer: Landscape Design With Water Conservation

July 31, 2015 By Christiane Holmquist Leave a Comment

A journey to transform a garden and find beauty, serenity and sustainability.

Problem:

An East-Coast garden under a California sky; Soulless, uninviting, and thirsty.

Solution:

Start with a blank slate.

Welcome with a lively tapestry of fascinating, region-appropriate plants that put nature back into the garden and help rediscover its soul.

At some time after purchasing this Southern California home, it occurred to the homeowner how unwelcoming its existing landscape was:

The East-Coast landscape with lawn and roses didn’t work for this Ranch-style house, nor did it respond well to the need for water conservation.

Finding the right amount of supplemental water is a bit of a challenge as with varying sun exposure, tree canopies and roof overhang there are more individual watering zones than one might expect.

I’m passionate about juxtaposing different textures and forms to create tension and interest, so placing a wispy grass or delicate perennial next to a heavy boulder is a knee-jerk gesture.

Evoking the mountains and their delicate windswept plant companions, Agave ‘Blue Glow’ and Foothill Penstemon Penstemon heterophyllus ‘Margarita BOP’ nestle between these boulders.

Against the canopy of the Paperbark Tree Melaleuca quinquenervia the perennials,grasses and succulents, this feels like the relief of a sunny clearing in the forest.

Photography courtesy of Emma Almendarez.

Getting Back To Nature – Xeriscape Landscaping with California Natives

June 16, 2015 By Christiane Holmquist 2 Comments

A flowery meadow at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden

A recent visit to the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden brought me much delight and revived my old love for a landscape type that we rarely see here in Southern California: An urban haven entirely dedicated to the cultivation and exhibition of a California native-scape.

This is a jewel of a garden situated south of the San Gabriel foothills which offers a great example of xeriscape landscaping. The 86 acres are beautifully designed and entirely planted with cultivars and wild species of native plants, whose exploration leads you through various habitats and a mosaic of vegetation patterns, such as desert, chaparral, grasslands, forest, and riparian (areas on the banks of fresh water).

(Truly) Majestic Oak Quercus agrifolia var. agrifolia

I had come to the Garden with several designer friends who, like me, were interested in refreshing our knowledge of California natives and finding inspiration for new landscape design ideas. And those we found! Conifers and oaks, Manzanita and Buck eye… Sage and Monkey flower, Anemone and Woolly Blue Curls, and on and on…

Smelling the flowers under a Palo Verde Parkinsonia aculeata

After wandering through the gardens the entire day, I was convinced that here are the drought resistant plants that can thrive in all of our gardens, no matter how tricky the situation. With these I can create any type of home landscape design, whether formal Mediterranean or California “eclectic”, whether modern restrained or flowery-cottage-y or romantic country, and create a feeling in them of satisfaction and being ‘at home’.

Here’s a selection of the Natives that I noted for their beauty, versatility and design interest:

California Buckeye Aesculus Californica

California Buckeye Aesculus californica

California Buckeye branch structure

Type: Deciduous tree. Mature trees can reach 15 to 45 ft with greater spread. Sun. Soil: Adaptable.

Water: Drought tolerant to regular.

Natural habitat: Woodland mostly away from the coast and below 4,000 ft.

This tree responds to heat or drought stress by dropping its leaves which reveals the pretty trunk structure and silvery smooth bark. In spring, branches clad with bright apple green foliage carry bottle-brush flower white (rarely pink) clusters, 4-12 inch long. The heavy round fruit ripens in late fall and splits to reveal shiny, 1-3 inch chestnut-brown seeds that gave the tree its name.

Design interest and uses: One of the showiest flowering trees: Grown as single or multi-trunked tree or large shrub with rounded crown which makes a complement or counterpoint to coast live oak, foothill pine and California Bay. It is an excellent choice to shade south or west side of a house.

Hummingbird Sage Salvia Spathacea

Hummingbird Sage Salvia spathacea

This herbaceous allergenic perennial is a pretty work-horse. It is chiefly noticed for its whorls of showy bracts and flowers with hairy, softly sticky pointed leaves that all exude a spicey and fruity fragrance.

Water: drought tolerant to occasional.

Goundcover: Only 10 to 30 inches tall, it spreads in a dense colony and is easily controlled by pulling up the new plants at the end of the rhizomes. In the warm season it flowers almost continuously with pagoda-like stalks bearing several dense whorls of dark maroon or ruby red bracts that offset the 1 to 1 ½ inch long magenta to salmon flowers. Deadheading the dried flower stalks keeps this plant tidy if desired (and the bloom coming).

Design interest/uses: Successful in the sun or shade, as groundcover or erosion control on banks or under the canopy of oaks and other trees where it contends with root competition and lack of direct sunlight. It draws bees, other insects and hummingbirds and works also as container plant. It mixes well with plants that won’t be smothered by its large leaves, such as bunch grasses, irises, manzanitas and coffeeberries.

Salvia Clevelandii ‘Bee’s Bliss’

Salvia ‘Bee’s Bliss’

Type: Perennial

Water: Drought tolerant to occasional.

When in bloom with lovely periwinkle blue flowers on 1-foot-long stalks, Salvia ‘Bee’s Bliss’ (hybrid of Cleveland Sage and purple Sage) draws insects and birds. This cultivar (hybrid between Cleveland and purple sage) reaches 1 to 2 ft tall and spreads quickly to 8 feet wide. It is subject to powdery mildew during cool weather, but the mildew disappears as temps heat up.

There are a couple of hybrids available in nurseries. Other cultivars are ‘Allen Chickering’ ; ‘Pozo Blue’, ‘Aromas’, ‘Mrs. Beard’ has masses of plae blue flowers and a similar form, and more reliable than ‘Dara’s Choice’ which grows in partial shade.

Design interest: Low, sturdy and attractive groundcover for sunny slopes where it is used as erosion control; rarely browsed by deer.

A Coyote puppy soaking up the warm sunshine.

To plant or not to plant (now) – that’s the question

Working with California native plants, I’ve learned that in some ways they are not that different from non-native species. Find the right plants for the garden’s soil, sun, and water, and they are easy to grow and maintain. The further you stretch out of a plant’s comfort zone, the higher maintenance it will require.

Here’s what the experts at Las Pilitas Nursery say:

“In years like 2013, if you have the water, plant from about December to February in the hot interior, plant all year in the rest of the state, particularly if you’re replacing a lawn or something else that needs a lot of water. If you’re replacing the lawn you’re going to save a lot of water in just a few months so do not feel guilty about using that water for change. New plantings need to be watered once a week for the first season in a dry year like 2013. So as long as you can do that, you can replace that dead looking non-native landscape.”

We are lucky that several local nurseries not only grow California Natives, but that they offer help with diy landscape design offering expert instructions and workshops. At Tree of Life Nursery, you can find many clear and useful planting and maintenance guidelines. Moosa Creek Nursery also makes guidelines available. Recon Native Plants grow California native plants for the landscape and the habitat restoration industry.

Powerfully fragrant : Matilija Poppy Rhomneya coulteri

Back in the Garden, as I was soaking in the sunshine that was bathing a large stand of Matilija Poppy, my eyes were drawn to the brilliant color splashes of yellow Palo Verde bloom, deep pink of Desert Willow trumpets and vibrant-orange blossoms of Desert Cholla. It struck me how harmonious the composition was, in color, texture and form, and I marveled at how appealing this scene was to me.

A flowering Palo Verde dancing with Desert Willow; Desert Cholla trying to get a foot in

What is then the essence of this landscape that so draws me? Is it the idea that this landscape has thrived without our pruning, watering and fussing, for millions of years? Is it because of this California flora providing such a rich source of beautiful, diverse and durable garden plants? Or is it that it is the only sustainable landscape design that feels “right” in our bright light, growing out of our rustling leaf litter under oaks or Sycamore, or in the fragrant shade of pine trees, or the between the crunchy leaf litter of our chaparral? For me, it is the only landscape type that I feel nurtured with, and that gives me the strongest ‘sense of place’.

Photos courtesy Koby’s Garden Alchemy and Christiane Holmquist

Fun Things To Do In The Spring Landscape

April 23, 2015 By Christiane Holmquist 1 Comment

(Early spring edition of Garden Design magazine)

With my latest edition of “Garden Design” in hand and another beautiful spring just begun, I thought I’d let you know about this exciting magazine and share some ideas and finds that I hope will energize and enthuse us for many months to come.

(Pitcher Sage in full glory at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden)

After a break of several years, Garden Design has been re-launched in a much improved version. The sheer volume of the latest and hottest plants, examples of contemporary outdoor furniture and amazing garden art, must-reads about design- or plant-related literature, fascinating interviews with design experts and beautiful photography makes me enthusiastic about my profession, and many ideas in this magazine can be applied in the garden or spring landscape. Here are a few that I picked up this time:

(A working concept drawing)

Landscape designer Rob Steiner muses about the “Rules of the Game” of garden design. He makes the point that although we all have very individual ideas of what our dream garden should look like, and that although one could assume that garden design is too much a personal expression of one’s likes and dislikes, there are fundamental rules of how to organize the space, enclose it, find the right proportions, determine the right size of plants, and take into consideration that gardens evolve.

Although I myself was taught these rules, it is easy to treat them in a theoretical way, or assuming that we can tweak or ignore them, and so it’s helpful to reflect on them again once in a while. His first rule is “Obey the ‘law’ of significant enclosure”, and he calls it not only a rule, but a law: It “is absolutely critical in creating a sense of refuge and of feeling oneself within nature’s embrace”.

(A working concept drawing, in colored version)

For me, this rule is very important as it’s rooted in my personal experience: It was in the tall hedged seclusion and privacy of my parents’ garden that I fostered the deepest emotional connection with nature that allowed complete abandon to a fantasy world.

Rob goes on to postulate that “we feel enclosed when the vertical height of an elements is at least one third the length of the horizontal space”. He then describes how he applies this rule to a patio that needs screening from a play area: As the patio is 17 ft wide, he determines that the screening hedge needs to be at least 6 ft high.

Another few pages that I flagged in the latest edition showcase “Great Gardens Across America”. Here I find plenty of examples of contemporary design style: Outdoor spaces used as extensions of the home and seamlessly connecting them; “simple and refined” spaces; emphasis on beautiful accents and details, in materials and garden art; distinctive and unfussy furniture and accessories, and successfully blending different styles.

(Great flowering meadow at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden)

For those shopping for exceptional, modern, perhaps whimsical furniture, there are plenty pictured here: The almost retro-looking /mid-century modern chaises by William Haines Designs; also Hive Modern; or Design Within Reach.

Malibu Chair from the collections at William Haines Designs

I also enjoy the “unfussy”, succinct interviews with designers from different parts of the country who talk about their design inspirations and share their favorite new things, what to read, or what’s going on in their part of the gardening world.

There’s an Earth Day at Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge on April 25; there’s the Butterfly Festival at the Water Conservation Garden El Cajon on May 9; also the Spring Garden Festival on April 25 at Cuyamaca College across the street.

Over 40,000 blooming bulbs will be on display including Allium, Camassia, Cardiocrinum, Cyclamen, Muscari and more at the Blooms and Bulbs Festival in Salt Lake City, UT, April 10-26. These are only a few picks from a much longer list of fascinating events in the design and gardening world.

Mt. Cuba Center, Delaware, created by Doug Tallamy

To me, most thought-provoking in this edition was the article, “Professor of Biodiversity; Doug Tallamy teaches America how to restore habitat for wildlife – start in your garden”. The main photo shows a sun-lit pond where the surrounding trees and wildflowers at the water’s edge are reflected. This is a scene in Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware, where Doug Tallamy has created a habitat for wildlife.

Trees of varying heights create a protective, delightful canopy under which chairs have been placed, in viewing distance of the shore, where water tumbles, through a stone bed, into the lake, past stands of wildflowers and patches of meadow. The hand of the designer is definitely visible, but the setting is so carefully created that is feels like each design element has been carefully investigated before execution to assure the least interference with nature.

(Beetles on California native milkweed)

Here, Mr. Tallamy has restored several acres to their natural beauty, by removing all “aggressive alien plants” and replacing them with local, native trees, shrubs and wildflowers that, within a decade, have lured back a thriving population of graceful, boldly striped swallowtails and native birds, their songful predators that in our traditional gardens, filled with many exotic and nonnative ornamentals, provide neither food nor shelter for animals.

(A bird perched on a branch of Rhamnus Redberry)

The message is clear, and Mr. Tallamy repeats it on lectures and even in his writing: You can do a lot to conserve and restore biodiversity in your own garden.” The secret is the recognition that it is the native plants that are eaten by the local native insects, and once their food sources have been restored, the birds will follow!”

Mr. Tallamy’s current research focuses on the “impact of non-native plants on the terrestrial food chain”, quantifying how much alien plant species are reducing populations of native insects and the creatures that depend on them. “Grow the native plants that insects in your area depend on”. (See also his book ‘The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden’, Timber Press 2014, co-written by Rick Darke).

(Bee on Live Oak flower tassel)

(Monarch Butterfly on host plant)

His ideas make complete sense, and I feel motivated to make my message about designing with California natives stronger and more convincing. But that’s food for another article.

When in drought: Fall in love with water wise landscape

February 21, 2015 By Christiane Holmquist 2 Comments

With the recent rains, it’d be easy to forget last year’s water worries – if it weren’t for the memory of our ever rising water bills! Winter isn’t over yet and more rain is in the forecast, but our overall water shortage and Southern California’s water dependence are a serious problem that is not likely to go away any time soon.

This challenge shouldn’t fill your hearts with dread however: In the following I’m going to show you how water conservation can be turned into a pleasurable task that makes you fall in love with your garden again.

Martin J. Wygod, a racehorse breeder, and his wife, Pam, in their Rancho Santa Fe garden. With more than 100 acres, they have replaced much of their landscaping with succulents, cutting their water consumption in half from what it was in 2004.
Credit Sandy Huffaker for The New York Times

The New York Times recently focused on Rancho Santa Fe in a report on efforts to reduce water use during the drought. The initiative taken by Martin and Pam Wygod is highlighted. I’ve worked with the Wygods since 2012 and accepted their challenge to redesign their landscaping to achieve a significant reduction in water use.

When I started the collaboration with Mrs. Wygod, she had selected the entrance courtyard because it seemed particularly well suited to her goals. With great determination she had already removed all previous plants so that the empty space would allow her to better visualize the alternative: A garden that would express her love for a more naturalistic and intimate space and her dream of repose and calm; one with a rich variety of textures and colors, of more wildlife and quiet stimulus for the senses, every time you walk through it.
Moreover, creating a symphony from the great variety of beautiful water-conserving plants that our climate allows us to grow would be so much more exciting than the traditional lawn-cum-roses that had been there before; and importantly, this garden would also satisfy her desire for greater water conservation.

Above a ”teaser” concept sheet used to help the client visualize the general feel and theme of her garden

In the following weeks, I collaborated with my client on several drafts and concepts to help her capture her vision. Initially, inspired by the beautiful rock veneer on the house façade and perimeter wall, I drafted a naturalistic landscape with several low mounds, boulders and a rock fountain, and with stone-edged gravel paths winding through the garden, inviting discovery and contemplation.

Above, one of the draft concepts showing gravel paths and gently mounding planter beds

This undulating landscape would be alive with exceptional drought tolerant plants from Mediterranean-type climate zones. The existing mature Live Oak would need to be preserved as well as the big Paper Bark Tree. For the latter finding companion plants would be a bit of a challenge because the root competition under its canopy is fierce. On the other side of the garden, under the Live Oak Quercus agrifolia, the plant selection would have to be extra careful: Already stressed from the lawn removal and the shut-off of the regular lawn water we needed to avoid disturbing the Oak’s roots even more and provide the irrigation solely timed to the needs of this California native.

Initially very fond of this first concept and after a few weeks of consideration, my client realized however that she preferred a quieter, more dreamy and calming landscape. I suggested to play the stone element down a bit by removing gravel and rock edging, thereby calming the scene. Also, we agreed that the mounds made the landscape design “too busy”, and that they took away from a generous sense of space.

We did retain the large boulders and winding path ways, while putting the paving selection for the pathways on hold; my client couldn’t “feel” yet what material she’d want to walk on in her garden.

A walkway, still undefined, winds through this xeriscape design.

While I was working on the re-design, Mrs. Wygod found a beautiful bench; placed invitingly in the shade under the Oak, traveling the garden paths would be even more irresistible.

Above, the same garden scene, photographed a year later: The pathways havs become more defined by adding a narrow black edging and a soft, small-pellet fir bark.

Once we had communicated and understood the layout of the garden beds and determined most of the hardscape elements, creating the planting plan was exciting: Putting together a plant list that attempts to incorporate the client’s very personal preferences for textures and colors, and that is suitable for the various micro-climates in this garden (shade under overhang and under trees; root competition, seasonal sun exposure in other places etc.) is a like a challenging piece of music, and you’re thrilled when you have done well.

Of course it helps when your client is as fond of plants, too, and open to a certain measure of experimentation where you hope that a certain plant will like the situation you place it in and then wait to see how it performs.

I couldn’t have been luckier than with this client: Experienced and fond of her gardens she is aware that gardens need time to grow in and that each plant choice is an investment in the future that requires patience.

The garden in its third year; it’s coming together

Now in its third year, the garden is still evolving: Plants are growing in and need to be pruned and gently directed; some haven’t liked the micro-climate and needed to be replaced (it’s too hot in this garden for Blue Oat Grass Helictotrichon sempervirens); Blue Sedge Carex flacca proved to be too much of a spreader and started to engulf the neighboring plants. The perennial Penstemon heterophyllus ‘Margarita BOP’ is a delicate plant that is not easy to find the right amount of irrigation for, so it often displays dried leaves around the base and is in my mind too ‘unkempt’ looking. Perhaps ‘Little One’ Verbena will be more satisfying?

And the long-considered fountain will be added next; it will be a stunning addition to this garden.

Penstemon heterophyllus ‘Margarita BOP’, a temperamental perennial

As the NYT article points out, the water savings achieved in this garden are considerable. Moreover, the homeowners’ pleasure that they derive from this garden is real:

“We are thrilled with the front garden. You were able to take my thoughts and transfer them to a stunning garden. A friend of mine from NJ who is head of the Garden Club was so impressed with the garden she took photos to share with her members.

The fountain will be a project for when I am here to look at the stone with you. Step by step we are building the garden."

The bench is still an important focal point of the garden, but not much longer: We are about to add the long-awaited boulder fountain. Soon!

Get ready for a most promising planting season: Here are some beauties for plant-aholics to drool over Part III

December 31, 2014 By Christiane Holmquist 4 Comments

(In my previous posts Get ready for a promising planting season: Here are some beauties for plant-aholics to drool over Part I and Get ready for a promising planting season: Here are some beauties for plant-aholics to drool over Part II I presented a selection of promising plants that have fascinated me for a long time and that I find useful for many landscape designs. The following is the next installment to my previous posts.)

After the long summer months, the cooler days after a rain are so invigorating, and gardening gets much easier. The light has a special brilliance to it, and the ground is still moist from the first rains this fall. This is my most productive gardening time outside, and when I hear again the sweet, drawn-out Tzeee of the White-crowned Sparrow who recently returned to our gardens after spending spring and summer in the northern regions, I can zone out and be completely at peace.

This is also a very productive time for the plants although we don’t see much of it: With cooler weather plants don’t get stressed (if not hit immediately by Santa Ana winds); the roots are actively growing and will be ready to push out new growth above ground come spring.

Before people get too much wrapped up in the upcoming holiday preparations, I’d like to continue my look around at my magazine clippings, flagged articles and photo gallery and share with you more promising plant discoveries or other interesting tidbits from the landscape and gardening world.

First of all I’d like to mention my delight that this magazine is available again: Garden Design Subscribe to Garden Design magazine, after a hiatus of a couple of years it’s being published again in a revised format. It is in my opinion the only American magazine that educates and makes us dream; without any ads, the close to 130 pages feel substantial like a book, with scrumptious photos and detailed articles. They highlight garden creators and great gardens across America. The garden writers and contributing editors, oftentimes garden artists themselves, cover art, exceptional plants, plant-travel and publish a calendar of landscape events offered in several distinct gardening zones. I find it a must-read for anybody who is interested in the landscaped environment and our interaction with it.

Here now a few more exceptional plants that I’ve found worth my investment of time, money and muscle:

Chondropetalum tectorum Small Cape Rush, Bamboo Rush

Chondropetalum tectorum Small Cape Rush, Bamboo Rush

At the recent Fall Festival at Waterwise Botanicals www.waterwisebotanicals.com, local grower of outstanding garden plants for water-stared Southern California, I saw how this fascinating Bamboo Rush complimented the beautiful pond that Tom Jesch, manager of this operation, has built.

It’s a lovely pond, full of life with small and larger fish, aquatic plants and many insects and other wildlife that come to drink here; it’s built without liner, pump or mechanical filters. The pond alone is worth a visit; the nursery is open to the public.

Against the pond’s background, Chondropetalum tectorum (Small Cape Rush) from South Africa is a remarkably attractive plant that brings movement and stature to any landscape, be it a naturalistic/eclectic Californian; modern/contemporary or minimalist. It would demand attention planted in mass or as single accent. It is a low maintenance, low water-use plant that evokes the water without necessarily needing its presence; the grass-like plant looks equally good sited along a dry stream bed or a seasonal pond.

Cape Rush forms dense tufted clumps from which arise 2-3 foot tall dark green unbranched stems. The dark brown sheaths at the joints drop off in summer leaving a dark band. Late in the season the stems arch gracefully from the weight of clusters of small brown flowers at the tips.
Plant in full to part sun. It is drought tolerant, and appreciates supplemental water in spring. It is hardy to about 20-25 degrees F. It can be successfully planted in seaside gardens, used in relatively dry landscapes or used as a plant in the shallows of a water garden. Tolerates a wide soil pH range.

Summary:

3-4 ft high x 3-4 ft wide; sun or shade exposure; drought tolerant; hardy to 2-25 F.

(Don’t confuse this plant with the larger Chondropetalum elephantinum; it is a more robust form up to 6 feet tall.)

Leptospermum scoparium ‘Apple Blossom’ ‘Apple Blossom’ New Zealand Tea Tree

Leptospermum scoparium ‘Apple Blossom’ ‘Apple Blossom’ New Zealand Tea Tree

In this garden where we used many succulents and drought tolerant Mediterranean and California natives, the tall shrub in the background with the pink flowers is Leptospermum scoparium ‘Apple Blossom’ (New Zealand Tea Tree ‘Apple Blossom’). This shrub seems to shelter the smaller plants in the foreground, and it makes a pleasing link between them and the canopy of the oak. It also provides a long-lived contrast with the ruggedness of the boulders and the fleshy structure of the Agave desmetiana ‘Variegata’ on the right.

‘Apple Blossom’ Tea Tree is evergreen with double light-pink flowers that appear in a very strong flush in the spring as well as in the fall. Its tiny needle-like green leaves are often tinged with pink (especially during cold temperatures). It requires good drainage, is drought tolerant, and is hardy down to about 20 degrees F. This shrub can also be used as container plant.

Summary:

Upright shrub to 8 ft tall x same width; full sun; drought tolerant /requires good drainage.

Aeonium hybrid ‘Cabernet’

Aeonium hybrid ‘Cabernet’

Aeonium hybrid ‘Cabernet’ with its deep green & wine colored foliage is a low-growing, rounded shrubby succulent that gets to about 2-3 ft wide and to 8 inches tall; in late winter it blooms with brilliant yellow flowers. Here it shows off its tight form against the chartreuse fronds of Coleonema ‘Sunset Gold’, Lavender and the red branches of ‘Apple Blossom’ New Zealand Tea Tree.

I use it as useful contrasting and unifying plant against which more delicate perennials, grasses or more fine-textured shrubs can display their beauty.

Aeonium Cabernet needs full sun in more coastal areas or part shade; in hot inland locations it’s best to protect it from the hot sun. It is summer dormant which means it rests here; over-watering will damage it. Leaves will just tighten but plump right up again with the cooler season. It’s front tender and is quite water-wise; too much water makes it flop.

Summary

9 inch tall x 2-3 ft wide; full sun / part shade; regular water to water-wise. Front tender

Crassula capitella ‘Campfire’

Crassula capitella ‘Campfire’

In this photo, you can see the reddish tips of the fleshy upright succulent branches of Crassula capitella ‘Campfire’ (Campfire Crassula). This groundcover-type produces propeller-like leaves that mature from light green to bright red.

It grows prostrate, forming mats about 6 inches tall to 2 to 3 feet tall wide . Clusters of white flowers rest on the leaves in the summer. It does best in well-draining soil that is allowed to dry out in between watering. If it can’t dry out regularly, it will produce black spots and floppy growth.

It does well in part sun but also in full sun with minimal water as I observed in my hot inland garden where its growth was much tighter and the foliage color more intense. In gardens where it was not allowed to dry out between watering, I noticed that it produce black branch tips and a very floppy growth.

This Crassula is not very hardy and will be damaged below 30 degrees F°.

Summary:

6in x 3 ft wide; full sun / part shade; well draining soil; drought tolerant to regular water.

I hope that these selections will inspire you and assist you in your landscape design.

I wish everyone a fun and healthy planting season, and much satisfaction next year when these plants come into their own.

And my best wishes to everyone for a lovely holiday and a prosperous New Year.

Get ready for a promising planting season: Here are some beauties for plant-aholics to drool over Part II

October 30, 2014 By Christiane Holmquist 1 Comment

In my previous post, I wrote about very enticing plant discoveries that will make our drought resistant landscape designs more varied, interesting and satisfying. Here are more of these plants:

Caesalpinia gilliesii (Poinciana gilliesii ) Desert Bird of Paradise

On a recent visit to Waterwise Botanicals, respected nursery/grower of California friendly plants in Bonsall , I noticed the delicate form and pretty flowers of a small tree crowning a planting vignette of succulents and waterwise perennial grasses , on a small mound. Here’s how the grower describes it:

“This shrub/small tree, growing to 6-8 ft tall and wide [I saw it as an about 10 ft tree] is a perfect water-wise choice for a landscape. It is prettiest when pruned out as a very small, multi-trunked tree. Soft, lacy, fernlike foliage provides the back-drop for exotic yellow flowers with long, protruding red “feathery” stamens that bloom repeatedly for most of spring through fall. Loves full sun; drought tolerant when established. Hardy to 10s. Excellent as a mountain, valley or desert plant. Attracts butterflies; distasteful to deer. Will go winter deciduous in cold climates.”

This little tree is also offered by Mountain States Wholesale Nursery, whose great desert adapted plants are well suited to our local climate and are being sold at local nurseries. Their website describes this plant:

“Caesalpinia gilliesii Yellow Bird of Paradise

This upright, fast growing deciduous shrub originated from Argentina and Uruguay, and has naturalized in sub-tropical areas of America. Clusters of bright yellow flowers with long red stamens are produced in the summer. Its natural growth habit is irregular and open, but pruning will encourage dense growth. Older plants may attain a height of 10 feet and nearly as wide.

This long-lived and durable plant is tolerant of cold, heat and drought, and performs best in full sun exposures. All parts of this plant are toxic. It is root hardy to -10°F. “

I’d use this plant as patio tree in small spaces, or as accent in a xeriscape design with other drought resistant plants. Its canopy would allow more delicate succulents such as Echeverias and Aeoniums to profit of its dappled shade; it could also be planted against a hot wall and soften it.

9Adenanthos cuneatus ‘Coral Drift’ Flame Bush

Here’s another promising plant that caught my eye at the September meeting of the San Diego Horticultural Society: Adenanthos cuneatus ‘Coral’ Drift Flame Bush.

The speaker at this meeting was plantsman Randy Baldwin of San Marcos Growers in Goleta Valley, north of Santa Barbara. He presented a selection of their fantastic “Plants Appropriate to the California Garden”. (I’ll be writing more about these exciting plants in my next blog post.) Here’s what their website says about Flame Bush:

“Adenanthos cuneatus ‘Coral Drift’ (Flame Bush) – A low-growing shrub to 2 to 4 feet tall by 3 to 5 feet wide with wedge-shaped silver-gray leaves that flush bright pink when in new growth and small red flowers with green at their base. The species is a common coastal plant along the south coast of Western Australia and this selection was made for its outstandingly bright pink new growth and compact low spreading habit. Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil. Drought tolerant once established. Though a coastal species, it has been grown in England since 1824 and is listed as hardy to winter temperatures – we speculate that it will likely prove hardy to at least 15 to 20 degrees F. A nice low plant for a rock garden or in a mixed mediterranean climate garden – very useful in beachside conditions.” Also described here as evergreen and deer tolerant.

San Marcos Growers’ have a well-known track record of providing the most interesting, climate-adapted and diverse plants that are sturdy and long lasting, and that I can purchase at a local nursery. With its rounded form and medium size, I think it would echo the rounded form of the boulders in my garden and make an attractive companion to the more delicate succulents or ephemeral perennials in my garden. Can you imagine how pretty it could look as under-story shrub under the canopy of the Desert Bird of Paradise?

Randy showed many more exciting drought resistant plants suitable to many different landscape styles, and I’ll continue to list them in my next blog post; keep looking out for it!

Get ready for a promising planting season: Here are some beauties for plant-aholics to drool over Part I

October 4, 2014 By Christiane Holmquist Leave a Comment

Roger’s Red Grape

The recent untimely heat wave is barely forgotten, but I‘m noticing the first signs that many of our water-wise plants have awakened from their summer beauty rest: Their green branch tips and new leaves are proof that they are actively growing again.

With the cooler nights and fresh breezes announcing fall, my impatience is growing to be out in the garden; I’d want to be planting and trying out some of the exciting plants that I have noticed in the recent months and that I could barely stop myself from buying.

The gardeners among us know that there’s always room in our gardens to improve and tweak, to improvise and create, or to replace those plants that have proven to be not so sturdy or are otherwise unsatisfactory. This provides us with a welcome excuse to compile our wish list, research these plants and see which ones we’ll fall for this year!

With plant sales happening now and some great growers offering their new releases, it would be easy to get carried away and come home with trunks full of exciting plants. I have done this myself and given in to plant cravings that I later regretted: A garden that is a collection of plants can look really disjointed, and I have come to prefer a garden that shows a theme and some continuity, and repetition of colors and textures does make for more soothing calm.

So with the following list I hope to highlight a few of the plants that make me drool. Besides drawing from my own notes, I have asked a couple of landscape designer friends to share their favorites.

All these plants have many wonderful attributes in common: They are xeriphytes from all over the world that share many desirable attributes: They are drought resistant plants (also marketed as “waterwise plants”), hardy, with a good structure and undemanding in maintenance (that includes fertilizer and pruning) and provide year-round interest.

Landscape Designer Marilyn Guidroz of Marilyn’s Garden Design says:

Leucophyllum langmaniae ‘Rio Bravo’ Texas Ranger ‘Rio Bravo’

‘Rio Braco’ Texas Ranger is a fast growing, dense screen shrub that needs no pruning after the initial shaping to become established. At maturity it reaches 5 ft ht x 5 ft wide.

This is a drought tolerant shrub that only requires a once a month deep watering in the summer months once it is established.

The lovely lavender flowers cover the shrub in intermittent waves during the hot humid months of summer and fall. [In my experience in dry summers, the flowers are more sparse.] The evergreen foliage is a soft mint green all year long.

I like to use this plant as a dry garden border, a screening shrub and a colorful focal accent.

Vitex californica ‘Rogers Red’ Grape ‘Roger’s Red’

This is my favorite fall color plant. It is great as a screen on fencing. It takes moderate water and can even handle regular water if in an area that receives more. It is best in full sun and can handle partial shade. A deciduous native plant that has edible fruit and climbs by tendrils. Has gray-green leaf color all summer and then turns brilliant red in fall.

Owner/landscape contractor Mark Sterk of Columbine Landscape Inc. recommends:

Rosmarinus ‘Roman Beauty’ Roman Beauty Rosemary

Rosemary ‘Roman Beauty’, dwarf to 2’, they say, and grows in an upright, roundish form that is consistent and easy to keep in place. It also has a more graceful appearance and a bit of a different color than the usual look.

Here’s more about ‘Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Roman Beauty’ (‘Roman Beauty Rosemary):

A compact and slow growing semi-upright Rosemary with slightly arching stems bearing narrow mid-green leaves and violet-blue flowers in late winter and spring. This plant will likely get somewhat larger but 2 year old plants only measured 16 inches tall by 12 inches wide. Plant in full sun. As with other Rosemary it is resistant to deer and rabbit predation, tolerant to salt spray, alkaline soils and drought. Hardy to 15°F.

This shrublet could add that “needle-like” element that coniferous plants introduce (great contrast to a rounder, fleshier foliage), or allude to a classic Mediterranean landscape. I’d use it as an important connector and “glue” that, frequently repeated, can hold all your other plants together. (See my previous post about the role of shrubs: Better Beds with Shrubs).

Abelia x grandiflora ‘Kaleidoscope’ Glossy Abelia Kaleidoscope

Mark goes on to recommend:

“Abelia ‘Kaleidoscope’ — variegated, dwarf, same kind of form as the Rosemary, but grows to 4-5’, I believe. White flowers, gold variegated foliage — good pop! Not sure if it’s low water, but we’re using it that way and it seems to do well.” (San Marcos Growers list this plant as needing ‘moderate water’.)

Please keep an eye out for my follow-up post where I share more exciting plants that promise to make a great show in your gardens next year.

Rhomneya coulteri Matilija Poppy

Also: Next month, October 13, at the monthly meeting of the San Diego Horticultural Society I’ll be one of three landscape designers giving a presentation about design options for those who are considering removing their lawn.

Here’s more information: http://sdhort.org/

I’d love to see you there!

Help! My Gardener is Ruining My Garden! Part 2

August 25, 2014 By Christiane Holmquist Leave a Comment

In this post I continue to examine how to protect your garden’s beauty and value and how to avoid maintenance headaches.

Communication with the maintenance service

Things to review with the supervisor:

Let the supervisors know of your preferences (see above).

Can they explain the irrigation system to you so that you can run the timer yourself if you so choose? (In fact, it is absolutely essential that you understand your irrigation system and do periodic check-ups on timing. This way you remain aware of the seasonal changes in your landscape’s water demands or determine the irrigation cycles yourself in an emergency.)

Do they plan regular walk-throughs with you?

How easy is it to reach the supervisor, and how promptly do they respond to an emergency?

How often is the supervisor on the site? If not regularly, how trained are the maintenance workers?

Soil and Irrigation

Many of the gardens that I see suffer more from over-watering than from too little water (the symptoms = wilting and tip die back look pretty much alike initially). It seems particularly tricky to water “infrequently but deeply” and then letting the top 3-4 inches dry out between irrigation cycles…

This Aeonium Cabernet is showing signs of summer dormancy with leaves dropping along the stems; if it gets overwatered now, the stems will get ‘mushy’ and wilt, and the plant will die from the center out.

I’d ask the maintenance professional about their familiarity with modern irrigation technology: Are they open to contemporary components such as a “smart” irrigation controller that helps you calculate water needs?
Also: Taking a soil tests with an auger or ‘soil tube’ should happen at regular intervals on a job site; it helps determine the moisture content of the soil as well as possible rot or pests.

Interfacing with Other Specialty Service Providers

Will the maintenance integrate their services with other specialty providers, such as arborists, irrigation specialists, or plant pathologists as the case may require? (Do they perhaps have their own certification in arboriculture?)

Outdoor Lighting

Can they also repair outdoor lighting? Perhaps even install it as a retro-fit?

(Photo courtesy Watersedge Landscape)

Mulch

Do they know the value of proper mulching, and will they vouch to keep it at the height specified in the design?

Here, two different mulches were used as organic groundcover between the plants and as pavement for the walkway, outlined with black aluminum.

Weeds and Invasives

Do they know their weeds? Will they pull a Mexican Feather Grass before it goes to seed?

Stipa tenuissima Mexican Feather Grass is a popular ornamental grass that has been recognized as very invasive.

Will they recognize an Oak seedling, or some other invasive plant species, such as Salt Cedar?

A Salt Cedar can be an attractive shrub that is highly invasive with many attributes that are harmful to our natural environment.

Plant Expertise, Training and Certification

Of the many local landscape maintenance service providers that I checked online some mention their training in pest control and fertilizer applications; few however list training in horticulture (which would include knowledge of new plant introductions for Southern California’s limited water resources), irrigation or arboriculture.

Here, in its 2nd summer after installation, plants are beginning to fill in, and the textures and forms are taking shape.

As our understanding of xeriscapes deepens and our appetite for exciting low water-use plants from South Africa, South America, Australia or our own south-western states grows, more and more nurseries and growers offer these, and what was exotic five years ago is becoming common-place in our new gardens.

Here are some important questions for the maintenance candidates:

Is their knowledge of standard and new introductions of low-water use plants up to speed?

Are they aware of current trends and tools of the industry?

Do they have any training in ornamental horticulture principles and maintenance standards (“specialty” pruning of trees and shrubs included)?

This training is locally available, through many community colleges or organizations in the landscape industry: The California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) and the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) are two of the leading professional associations that test and certify members of the green industry. Landscape Industry Certified Technicians have proven their know-how to do the job right. They have passed a series of written and hands-on tests covering safety and technical aspects of the job.

Seasonal Color

If you need seasonal or special occasion “color splashes” into your garden, ask the service provider if they could be counted on providing these services.

References & Licenses

Before you entrust this maintenance company with your property,

Ask for several reference addresses and visit these;

Ask whether they have a training program for their employees, and what it consists of;

Do they have any type of certification from an accredited learning institute in the horticultural industry?

Talk to at least two if not three of their clients to get a good sense of the responsiveness and quality of this candidate.

At a minimum, ask for letters of appreciation from their previous work.

Your maintenance company should be licensed and insured; without it, you might be liable for any damages or injuries that they sustain on your property (and your homeowner’s insurance won’t cover you here).

All these qualifiers exclude the “mow-and-blow” crews… It’s unfortunate that they haven’t done much to not deserve this name.

The Long Haul

A garden will never be ‘finished’, yet that it will grow and evolve. In order to protect the investment that you made into your landscape, much consideration goes into the selection of your maintenance service. Will they commit to helping reach a beautiful goal over time and to not let short-term interests ruin it? And will they continue to loyally support you with honest professionalism as your garden grows and matures?

These are surely questions worth asking. Read part 1 of Help! The Gardener is Ruining My Garden.

Help! My Gardener is Ruining My Garden!

July 25, 2014 By Christiane Holmquist Leave a Comment

Ingredients for your own Eden: Take a bit of space, add an inviting piece of furniture, surround with a beautiful plant screen and groom well.

Just recently I got an SOS call from a client who is desperate to find help with a nightmare she is experiencing with her present maintenance company: Plants in various states of wilt or decay, with bare spots in the landscape; succulents drowned, groundcover smothering everything in its way, and most offensively, “alien” plants willy-nilly planted, presumably as substitutes, that have nothing to do with her landscape design and that she never approved.

A sorry sight: There are bare spots on this slope where the groundcover died; the succulents are the wrong ones, and other plants are missing from the original design.

She is very upset that the trust that she placed in her grounds-person was wasted and is worried that the quality of her landscape is seriously endangered. As I’m working out a plan to help her, the horror litanies from other clients come to mind: “My landscaper has hedged this shrub into a blob although I told him to leave it alone”, or “My gardener doesn’t know how to prune these perennials”, and “My slope is all washed out and plants are dying on it; should I just pave it over?” and “I don’t know why he chopped my tree”.

Obviously, these home owners don’t have a maintenance company that is well trained; their crew’s work might actually harm the long-term health and beauty of the landscape, instead of safeguarding their investment.

Spotty irrigation has caused bare spots in the lawn; shrubs under the trees have been pruned into unnatural shapes.

For these homeowners it is frustrating to realize that, after several years of ‘care’ by their gardening service the actual state of their landscape is far removed from the one they once dreamed of. What happened to original design intent? How is it possible that these landscapes are ‘monotonous’, overgrown or disfigured? Obviously, the regular mowing, weeding, trimming and blowing weren’t what was needed. What went wrong?

Perhaps it helps to consider the type of gardens that we want today: In my view, the showcase gardens (most often lawn-centered) in which we display exceptional roses, exotic palms or other specimen plants are no longer relevant, at least here in Southern California. On their way out also are the gardens designed with stately foundation plants around a lawn that highlight our social status, or that are plain buffer-zones between us and our neighbors.

The gardens of today that many people dream of are extensions of our living spaces. Here we play and entertain, relax in privacy and seek a modicum of nature. For our landscapes to become true sanctuaries to recharge in, we need to create gardens that engage our senses. These are no longer areas to be tamed and trimmed but places to work in with nature, using light, rhythm, space and texture, and where we respect and enjoy the changes that come with time.

A beautiful example of what excellence in maintenance can achieve. Photo courtesy Watersedge Landscape.

So how do we find this maintenance professional who understands this and who will respect the original intent of the design, and who will safeguard our investment? Who nurtures the landscape, rather than whipping and hedging it into shape? Who we can rely on to insure that the landscape matures and thrives as planned?

Communicate with your designer

The shrub by this front door is just too big, and its maintenance will eventually result in suppressing its growth leading decline and eventual death. This obviously was not the best design choice.

When you create your landscape plan (whether with the help of a professional designer, or with your own energy and creativity), you will have the opportunity to consider many elements that will inform the design and that ultimately will determine the amount of maintenance:

How controlled do you like the plantings to be? More formal, or more naturalistic?

What feel? Urban, woodsy, tropical, southwestern, California relaxed, formal Mediterranean, etc…

How densely do you like it planted? With a dense plant cover, or more with recognizable “individualistic” plant quilt?

Are you comfortable with the old standards, or do you prefer new exotics?

Do you like the natural, relaxed shape of shrubs that sometimes can be picturesque with unusually angled branches, or do you prefer it tight and controlled?

Would you be a friend of seedheads, or do they look too weedy to you? (Many perennials require regular deadheading to look good and keep blooming.) Can you stomach wispy grasses, or do you want them at all times neat and clean looking?

What type of growth on your trees can you expect (this will tell you how soon you need to consult an arborist)?

How will the garden look right after installation; what look can I expect at maturity and how long might it take to see a definite change towards fullness of growth?

Which plant is supposed to be a single-stem plant; which one will need to be trained into multi-trunk specimen?

Who is going to do the maintenance? You yourself, or a maintenance service? Are you interested in protecting your garden, or would you think that the type of work needed in your garden requires specialized training and education?

Your responses to these questions help determine the selection of plants and the amount of maintenance. It will then be important to communicate this design intent to the maintenance service.

These questions will also influence your selection of the right maintenance company that has a track record of doing quality work.

A barren slope despite of regular irrigation… Most likely the irrigation water was applied so fast that it ran off before it had time to sink into the earth… which left plants on this slope to die from thirst.

In my next post I’ll write about the other pieces of the maintenance puzzle.

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A journey to transform a garden and find beauty, serenity and sustainability.

A journey to transform a garden and find beauty, serenity and sustainability.

California Buckeye Aesculus Californica

Hummingbird Sage Salvia Spathacea

Salvia Clevelandii ‘Bee’s Bliss’

Chondropetalum tectorum Small Cape Rush, Bamboo Rush

Leptospermum scoparium ‘Apple Blossom’ ‘Apple Blossom’ New Zealand Tea Tree

Aeonium hybrid ‘Cabernet’

Crassula capitella ‘Campfire’

Communication with the maintenance service

Soil and Irrigation

Interfacing with Other Specialty Service Providers

Outdoor Lighting

Mulch

Weeds and Invasives

Plant Expertise, Training and Certification

Seasonal Color

References & Licenses

The Long Haul

Communicate with your designer

Christiane Holmquist

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