Blog Archives - Page 14 of 15 - Summer-Dry | Celebrate Plants in Summer-Dry Gardens

28 09, 2015

Manzanita

Manzanita

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:25:22-07:00Categories: Blog, shrubs|Tags: california native, nora harlow, shrubs|

Arctostaphylos pajaroensis branches in Tilden Park Every garden needs a “backbone” – usually trees or shrubs that provide enduring form and structure as perennials and annuals lose their seasonal impact. Native to much of the West Coast, manzanitas (Arctostaphylos) are the perfect backbone plants for California – graceful form, picturesque bark, showy clusters of small winter to early spring flowers, and handsome green or gray-green leaves year round. Arctostaphylos hooveri bark Why are manzanitas not in every California garden? Perhaps because they often fail to thrive under gardening practices considered normal for East Coast or English gardens

11 09, 2015

Ceanothus

Ceanothus

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:25:21-07:00Categories: Blog, shrubs, California Native|Tags: california native, nora harlow, shrub|

Ceanothus griseus horizontalis 'Yankee Point' If you’re looking for a plant that provides masses of spring flowers, stays green year round, takes little to no summer water, and thrives on benign neglect, it’s hard to beat California’s wild lilacs (Ceanothus). There are so many kinds of ceanothus that it takes a little research and some trial-and-error to find one that will do well in your garden. Fortunately, most grow quite fast, so an initial failure is not irreparable. Some ceanothus are wide-spreading ground-huggers. Others are medium-height mounds. Still others are tall, upright shrubs that can be gently trained

26 08, 2015

Epimedium

Epimedium

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:25:20-07:00Categories: Blog, perennials|Tags: nora harlow, perennials|

Epimedium x rubrum Dry shade is said to be difficult for gardeners. But shade, even deep shade, provides singular opportunities not available to those who garden in hot sun. Epimediums are a carefree, long-lived, and distinguished choice for dry shade. Their oval to heart-shaped leaves are outstanding combined with shade-tolerant plants such as strap-leaved irises, lacy ferns, or cool-season grasses such as fescues. Once established, many epimediums will get by happily with little to no summer water in part to full shade. They compete well with tree roots where other plants fail. If cut back in winter, they

14 05, 2015

Echium candicans

Echium candicans

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:25:19-07:00Categories: Blog, shrubs|Tags: nora harlow, shrubs|

Echium candicans (aka. E. fastuosum) (Pride of Madeira) flowering along dirt path in summer-dry waterwise garden At its most luxuriant in mid to late spring is Echium candicans. Hailing from Madeira and the Canary Islands, this magnificent plant has spread into wildlands and untended landscapes in some coastal California areas and is sometimes mistaken for a native. Big, bold, and fast-growing, this ultimately massive shrub can overwhelm a small urban backyard at maturity, but if you’ve got the space and appreciate vegetative drama, this is a plant worth considering. E. candicans grows quickly to six or eight feet

31 03, 2015

Matilija Poppy

Matilija Poppy

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:25:18-07:00Categories: Blog, perennials|Tags: california native, perennials|

You will hear that Matilija poppy (Romneya coulteri) is hard to start and hard to stop, and to some extent this is true. But if you plant this magnificent California native from one-gallon cans in late fall or early winter, and the spot you choose has excellent drainage (hillsides, mounds, raised beds), you should have self-sustaining plants by the second year. Plant carefully without disturbing the roots. Water thoroughly at planting and weekly through the first summer. The huge (4-6 inches across) white, crepe-papery flowers with bright yellow stamens each last about a week and then cleanly drop all their

23 02, 2015

Dwarf Coyote Brush

Dwarf Coyote Brush

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:23:53-07:00Categories: Blog, groundcovers, shrubs|Tags: california native, nora harlow, shrubs, ground covers|

In the world of living plants and landscapes there is no equivalent of the little black dress – the absolutely carefree plant that goes anywhere with the right accessories – but this has never stopped us from looking for one. Nor has it stopped us from believing we’ve found such a plant, from embracing it with too much enthusiasm and then rejecting it outright when it fails to live up to impossible expectations, moving on to the next high fashion. Nowhere is this trend more obvious than in our vain attempts to completely cover the ground. In the 1960s we

3 02, 2015

Gardening Where You Are

Gardening Where You Are

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:23:23-07:00Categories: Blog|Tags: california native, nora harlow|

As the deadline approached for publication of the EBMUD plant book, Plants and Landscapes for Summer-Dry Climates, I found myself without an introductory chapter, nothing to set the tone or communicate to readers our intentions for the book. Consumed with a growing sense of panic, I headed off for the southern California desert, where I tend to go when I need to rest and recharge. Staying with a friend in Twentynine Palms, I spent mornings hiking in Joshua Tree National Monument and afternoons on the guest house deck staring at my laptop. Days passed and