Re: planting for street "island"

--- Christine Caliandro <ckc@sonic.net> wrote:
> I am a member of the landscape committee of the PUD
> where I live in Santa
> Rosa, CA. (Sunset Western Garden zone 14)  There is
> an island in the street
> that runs through the development.  Most of the
> plantings need replacing and
> we are looking for ideas to make an attractive, low
> maintenance  space.  Can
> you help? 

Christine, 

It would help to also know whether you will be subject
to deer browsing, suffer from gophers/moles and
whether you will be hand watering or have automatic
drip/spray irrigation.  Deer tolerance will reduce the
choice of plants considerably, and if you intend to
hand water, the best window for planting is already
passing.  New plantings at smaller sizes will
establish much more readily if planted in late fall,
spring plantings will need more regular and frequent
first and second summer irrigation.

Many plants associated with olives would do well in
your situation, such as Lavandula species(stoechas,
angustifolia, 'Goodwin Creek Grey'), Rosmarinus as
suggested, Euphorbia characias wulfenii, Cistus,
Santolinas, Phlomis, Myrtus communis, etc.  You could
combine these with some tried and true California
natives such as Ceanothus, Arctostaphylos, Baccharis,
California Poppies, etc.  Mediterranean climate bulbs
such as Scilla peruviana, Amaryllis belladona,
Sparaxis, Ixia, etc also are easy low care plantings,
but may also need some protection if you suffer from
goghers and/or moles.

You might find the EBMUD book, Water Conserving Plants
and Landscapes particularly helpful, it has good
photos and cultivation info for many of these and
similar plants.  

I personally am attracted to big bold plants for
accents and architectural pattern plantings, using
plants such as Agaves(americana, bracteosa, parryi),
and Aloes such as A. striata, A. saponaria, A.
marlothii and things like Dasylirions (wheeleri and
longissima), in combinations with succulents such as
Sedum dendroideum or Echeveria agavoides, along with
feathery grasses such as Muhlenbergia dumosa and M.
capillaris, Nassella tenuissima and the blue leaved
Leymus condensatus 'Canyon Prince'.  Some of the
Restios such as Chondropetalum tectorum or Elegia
capensis could also be nice.  For flowering accents it
is hard to beat some of the California natives such as
Salvia clevelandii or Salvia greggii hybrids.  The
Mexican sage, Salvia leucantha is also foolproof in
your conditions.

Groundcovers which root as they spread or remain very
dense and low growing to suppress weeds are also
useful.  Myoporum parvifolium 'Dwarf Pink Form' and
Scaevola 'Mauve Clusters', and Erigeron moerheimii are
particularly nice.  The South African succulents such
as Bulbine frutescens and Crassula multicava can also
be useful for winter/spring blooming accents or large
scale/low water use succulent groundcovers.   Another
accent for vivid spring color, are Lampranthus
spectabilis or L. aurantiacus.  All of these would
work well in the narrower 3 foot sections where larger
growing groundcover shrubs such as Rosemary would need
more restraining.

A combination of blue foliage from the Agave
americana, A. parryii and the blue grass Leymus
condensatus 'Canyon Prince' and some blue
flowered/gray leaved lavenders such as L. stoechas and
L. 'Goodwin Creek Gray' could combine nicely with 
Scilla peruviana(deep purple blooming now), a few
Ceanothus such as C. 'Concha' or C. 'Julia
Phelps'(also blooming now), adjacent the larger
boulders.  The groundcovers Scaevola 'Mauve Clusters'
and/or Erigeron moerheimii would continue this theme. 
Yellow flowers as contrast and complement to the blues
and grays could use Bulbine frutescens and Bulbinella
robusta, Phlomis fruticosa and Sparaxis grandiflora or
Freesias/Ixias.  Other South African bulbs that are
particularly showy as well as easy for spring bloom
would include the Watsonias.

All of these plants could easily survive on two to
three times a month summer irrigation in Santa Rosa,
with attention to adding a good amount of soil
amendments and mulch, and planting out to anticipate 
maximum winter rains. 
 


__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more
http://taxes.yahoo.com/
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index