Reply to David F.Dear David, Again I had such pleasure inreading a description of your newly designed garden! I live in PalosVerdes with very similar temperatures and lots of fog and cool west winds. Unfortunately I don't have a glass fence. Is the deck made of wood orconcrete? I had wooden planter boxes along a very long north-facingwooden deck. They soon rotted out their own bottoms as well as theunderlying deck. I gave them all to a friend who set them on concretewhere they are still going strong after 15 years. I now have a collectionof pots that provide air circulation or sit in impervious saucers. Iassume you knew how to deal with this problem.The draping plants soundbeautiful. I planted Plectranthus neochilus by my front gate but couldn'tstand the smell. Its flowers are enticing in their subtle coloring, and Ilike the leaves as well, so I have moved it to a slope farther from mynose.Someone gave me cuttings of Calandrinia grandiflora a year ago. Iput them in the ground thinking they would root easily, but they keptrotting off and getting shorter and shorter as I moved them around tryingto find the right spot. In desperation I put them in a pot in almost pureperlite where they finally rooted and are now in flamboyant bloom. Do youthink I dare try again in my heavy clay?I gave my son in San Franciscosome tillandsias to grow on his palm trunks but I don't really like thelook of the gray leaves. How about T. secunda with is quite large,clustering, and has green leaves which would harmonize better with thepalm. I grow Laelias on the multiple trunks of Fuchsia paniculata (mostpeople call it F. arborescens), and I think they would be good on thepalms also.Thank you for your inspiring description. Cathy> From: davidfeix > Reply-To: davidfeix@yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 23May 2003 11:15:17 -0700 (PDT)> To: medit-plants@ucdavis.edu> Subject: Anew container garden in coastal northern California> > One coastal gardenI have just designed and planted is> in ideal coastal conditions right atthe edge of a> lagoon, with a 6 foot tall wall of glass protecting> theplants from the stronger gusts of wind. This> location has never gottenmuch below 40F in winter,> and during this recent past 4 days of 90Ftemps> inland, it remained a balmy 75F here. The location is> a poolsidedeck about 25 foot wide by 40 foot long,> and is towered over by several 50 foot tall Canary> Island Date Palms, and views of 80 foot tall>Washingtonia robustas in the> distance, across the adjacent lagoon. Thedistant> view includes abit of San Francisco across the bay,> but theoriginal shoreline views were lost when the> bay was filled in to createthis system of closed> lagoons and newer houses(circa 1960's) along theGold> Coast of Alameda. The one acre grounds also include a> 100 year oldAracaria heterophylla and equally old> Pinus radiata; which unfortunatelyneed to be removed> due to old age and disease. > > The planter boxes atthe deck overlooking the pool and> lagoon include lots of long bloomingperennials and> succulents, chosen for ease of growth in the daily> coolafternoon winds, and for long bloom along the> coast. The pots are leftin plastic nursery cans and> hidden inside the wood planters to reduce theweight> of the soil over the existing deck, and allow for easy> switchingout of plants over time. > > My plant choices may have been undulyinfluenced by> what was blooming in nurseries at the time, (as they> oftenare). Lampranthus spectabilis is in full> blinding magenta bloom,alternating with deep true> blue bloomingScaevola aemula with trailing 3foot> stems covered in flowers, and drapes over the wood> planters.Another planter contains Asparagus> densiflorus 'Sprengeri' combined with Verbena hybrida> 'Tapien Blue', which is really more of a purple along>the lines of Sea Lavender/Limonium perezii. Erigeron> x 'Moorheimerii'also weaves in amongst the other> trailers, with the deep purple trailerPlectranthus> neochilus below the Metrosideros collina. All were>selected for fast growth. extra long bloom season and> ability to drapewell over planters, giving a lush> look quickly.> > The Asparagus waschosen to rim the base of the Date> Palms, for its ability to absorb the100's of small> dates/nuts rained down upon them by the squirrels. >Temporary Osteospermum fruiticosum 'Pinwheel' and> Arcototis hybrid'Purple Torch' are planted along side> the Asparagus for immediate filler,before the> Asparagus completely fill the 15 gallon containers.> > Longflowering perennials include several Lavenders> such as the everbloomingSpike Lavender/Lavandula> pinnata,(not frost tolerant away from thecoast), L.> stoechas 'Quastii', Verbena 'Tapien Blue' and Limonium>perezii in full bloom. Another succulent from Chile,> Calandriniagrandiflora has shocking magenta poppy> like flowers on tall 3 foot stems,along with> succulent trailing stems and glaucus foliage, and will> remainin bloom nearly all year, with hundreds of> flower spikes on matureplants. The saturated pure> reds and blues and magentas are cooled downby the> bolder leafed succulents such as Agave attenuata> 'Nova',( a namedcultivar with even bluer foliage than> normal), luminous trailingPachyveria 'Opalina' and> Lampranthus spectabilis planted in jadegreen/streaked> aquamarine blue large Malaysian urns 3 foot tall and> setagainst a textural grapestake wood fence overhung> by Jasminum polyanthumin full bloom. (I am tempted to> add some royal purple notes to the fencewith the> addition of Distictis 'Rivers', or Petrea volubis). > > Theother plantings are all in large 15 gallon> containers set within a formal arrangement of large(5> foot square and 10 foot by 2.5 foot)freestanding> redwood planters on top of the existing deck, and set>against the 6 foot glass wind fence overlooking the> lagoon. At eachcorner planter, amongst all the> lavenders, sit 3 individual Metrosideroscollina> 'Springfire', with softly grey pubescent leaves on> arching stemsand continual sprays of red stameny> flowers more reminescent ofCallistemon than other> Metrosideros. It is surprisingly happy here in>California given its native tropical Tahiti habitat. > The othersucculents chosen include the soft powdery> white Cotyledon orbiculatawith its round succulent> leaves and lovely nodding turbular soft orange>flowers, the similar Cotyledon macrantha with red> tipped green leaves. Ablue leaved Aloe hybrid called> Aloe 'Blue Elf' picks up the orange/coralflowers of> the Cotyledons, but comes a month earlier. Aeonium> undulatumwas chosen to be a huge sculptural accent,> similar to the Foxtail Agavein the urns, with its 2> foot diameter undulate apple green rosettes on3> foot stalks. > > At the center point of the long glass windscreen sita> matched pair of 4 foot diameter large rustic Thai> ceramic water bowlson raised metal supports. These> are another focal point along the windscreen,> repeating the large urns with the Agaves as a contrast> to thebuilt in wood planters. These bowls are filled> with floating waterhyacinth, Oenanthe javanica> 'Flamingo' and Equisetum hyemale, and somegoldfish. > The Oenanthe will provide a frothy pink and white> variegatedmass of ferny foliage completely obscuring> the water if not pruned back,and remains evergreen in> our climate. The plantings should look verymuch the> same regardless of the season, with perhaps the spring> bloomingLampranthus and Cotyledons being the only> seasonal giveaway. Theplantings should also be> fairly low water use, and will be given 5minutes a> day automatic drip irrigation in the warmer months.> > Thegarden planters could have just as easily featured> a mix of SouthAfrican/Australian proteaceae plants,> or perhaps restios, but I thoughtthe mix chosen would> be easier to maintain long term, and more colorful>over a longer season. Perhaps I will add some> epiphytes such asTillandsias to the trunks of the> Date Palms, but am uncertain as towhether it will> appear too unnatural given the scale of the palms. I>also consider it somewhat ironic that this deck and> garden will be solittle used, with the clients almost> never home to enjoy it except onSunday afternoons. > Such is often the case with high end clients such as>these two physicians.> > Its fun to install gardens like this, that lookmature> instantly, and will look like it was always there> within just acouple of months... As well, not having> to worry about frost or heatmakes it so much easier> to create a garden with year round flowers. Thisis> also such a complete contrast to another recent garden> installationoverlooking the bay high up in the> Oakland Hills, also in another one ofa kind setting> that makes me appreciative of being a garden designer> andgetting to spend

Dear David,

    Again I had such pleasure in reading a description of your newly
designed garden!  I live in Palos Verdes with very similar temperatures and
lots of fog and cool west winds.  Unfortunately I don't have a glass fence.

Is the deck made of wood or concrete?  I had wooden planter boxes along a
very long north-facing wooden deck.  They soon rotted out their own bottoms
as well as the underlying deck.  I gave them all to a friend who set them on
concrete where they are still going strong after 15 years.  I now have a
collection of pots that provide air circulation or sit in impervious
saucers.  I assume you knew how to deal with this problem.

The draping plants sound beautiful.  I planted Plectranthus neochilus by my
front gate but couldn't stand the smell.  Its flowers are enticing in their
subtle coloring, and I like the leaves as well, so I have moved it to a
slope farther from my nose.

Someone gave me cuttings of Calandrinia grandiflora a year ago.  I put them
in the ground thinking they would root easily, but they kept rotting off and
getting shorter and shorter as I moved them around trying to find the right
spot.  In desperation I put them in a pot in almost pure perlite where they
finally rooted and are now in flamboyant bloom.  Do you think I dare try
again in my heavy clay?

I gave my son in San Francisco some tillandsias to grow on his palm trunks
but I don't really like the look of the gray leaves.  How about T. secunda
with is quite large, clustering, and has green leaves which would harmonize
better with the palm.  I grow Laelias on the multiple trunks of Fuchsia
paniculata (most people call it F. arborescens), and I think they would be
good on the palms also.

Thank you for your inspiring description.  Cathy

> From: david feix <davidfeix@yahoo.com>
> Reply-To: davidfeix@yahoo.com
> Date: Fri, 23 May 2003 11:15:17 -0700 (PDT)
> To: medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
> Subject: A new container garden in coastal northern California
> 
> One coastal garden I have just designed and planted is
> in ideal coastal conditions right at the edge of a
> lagoon, with a 6 foot tall wall of glass protecting
> the plants from the stronger gusts of wind.  This
> location has never gotten much below 40F in winter,
> and during this recent past 4 days of 90F temps
> inland, it remained a balmy 75F here.  The location is
> a poolside deck about 25 foot wide by 40 foot long,
> and is towered over by several  50 foot tall Canary
> Island Date Palms, and views of 80 foot tall
> Washingtonia robustas in the
> distance, across the adjacent lagoon.  The distant
> view includes abit of San Francisco across the bay,
> but the original shoreline views were lost when the
> bay was filled in to create this system of closed
> lagoons and newer houses(circa 1960's) along the Gold
> Coast of Alameda.  The one acre grounds also include a
> 100 year old Aracaria heterophylla and equally old
> Pinus radiata; which unfortunately need to be removed
> due to old age and disease.
> 
> The planter boxes at the deck overlooking the pool and
> lagoon include lots of long blooming perennials and
> succulents, chosen for ease of growth in the daily
> cool afternoon winds, and for long bloom along the
> coast.  The pots are left in plastic nursery cans and
> hidden inside the wood planters to reduce the weight
> of the soil over the existing deck, and allow for easy
> switching out of plants over time.
> 
> My plant choices may have been unduly influenced by
> what was blooming in nurseries at the time, (as they
> often are).  Lampranthus spectabilis is in full
> blinding magenta bloom, alternating with deep true
> blue bloomingScaevola aemula with trailing 3 foot
> stems covered in flowers, and drapes over the wood
> planters. Another planter contains Asparagus
> densiflorus 'Sprengeri' combined with  Verbena hybrida
> 'Tapien Blue', which is really more of a purple along
> the lines of Sea Lavender/Limonium perezii.  Erigeron
> x 'Moorheimerii' also weaves in amongst the other
> trailers, with the deep purple trailer Plectranthus
> neochilus below the Metrosideros collina.   All were
> selected for fast growth. extra long bloom season and
> ability to drape well over planters, giving a lush
> look quickly.
> 
> The Asparagus was chosen to rim the base of the Date
> Palms, for its ability to absorb the 100's of small
> dates/nuts rained down upon them by the squirrels.
> Temporary Osteospermum fruiticosum 'Pinwheel' and
> Arcototis hybrid 'Purple Torch' are planted along side
> the Asparagus for immediate filler, before the
> Asparagus completely fill the 15 gallon containers.
> 
> Long flowering perennials include several Lavenders
> such as the everblooming Spike Lavender/Lavandula
> pinnata,(not frost tolerant away from the coast), L.
> stoechas 'Quastii', Verbena 'Tapien Blue' and Limonium
> perezii in full bloom.  Another succulent from Chile,
> Calandrinia grandiflora has shocking magenta poppy
> like flowers on tall 3 foot stems, along with
> succulent trailing stems and glaucus foliage, and will
> remain in bloom nearly all year, with hundreds of
> flower spikes on mature plants.  The saturated pure
> reds and blues and magentas are cooled down by the
> bolder leafed succulents such as Agave attenuata
> 'Nova',( a named cultivar with even bluer foliage than
> normal),  luminous trailing Pachyveria 'Opalina' and
> Lampranthus spectabilis planted in jade green/streaked
> aquamarine blue large Malaysian urns 3 foot tall and
> set against a textural grapestake wood fence overhung
> by Jasminum polyanthum in full bloom. (I am tempted to
> add some royal purple notes to the fence with the
> addition of Distictis 'Rivers', or Petrea volubis).
> 
> The other plantings are all in large 15 gallon
> containers set within a  formal arrangement of large(5
> foot square and 10 foot by 2.5 foot) freestanding
> redwood planters on top of the existing deck, and set
> against the 6 foot glass wind fence overlooking the
> lagoon.  At each corner planter, amongst all the
> lavenders, sit 3 individual Metrosideros collina
> 'Springfire', with softly grey pubescent leaves on
> arching stems and continual sprays of red stameny
> flowers more reminescent of Callistemon than other
> Metrosideros.  It is surprisingly happy here in
> California given its native tropical Tahiti habitat.
> The other succulents chosen include the soft powdery
> white Cotyledon orbiculata with its  round succulent
> leaves and lovely nodding turbular soft orange
> flowers, the similar Cotyledon macrantha with red
> tipped green leaves.  A blue leaved Aloe hybrid called
> Aloe 'Blue Elf' picks up the orange/coral flowers of
> the Cotyledons, but comes a month earlier.  Aeonium
> undulatum was chosen to be a huge sculptural accent,
> similar to the Foxtail Agave in the urns, with its 2
> foot diameter  undulate apple green rosettes  on 3
> foot stalks.  
> 
> At the center point of the long glass windscreen sit a
> matched pair of 4 foot diameter large rustic Thai
> ceramic water bowls on raised metal supports.  These
> are another focal point along the wind screen,
> repeating the large urns with the Agaves as a contrast
> to the built in wood planters.  These bowls are filled
> with floating water hyacinth, Oenanthe javanica
> 'Flamingo' and Equisetum hyemale, and some goldfish.
> The Oenanthe will provide a frothy pink and white
> variegated mass of ferny foliage completely obscuring
> the water if not pruned back, and remains evergreen in
> our climate.   The plantings should look very much the
> same regardless of the season, with perhaps the spring
> blooming Lampranthus and Cotyledons being the only
> seasonal giveaway.  The plantings should also be
> fairly low water use, and will be given 5 minutes a
> day automatic drip irrigation in the warmer months.
> 
> The garden planters could have just as easily featured
> a mix of South African/Australian proteaceae plants,
> or perhaps restios, but I thought the mix chosen would
> be easier to maintain long term, and more colorful
> over a longer season.  Perhaps I will add some
> epiphytes such as Tillandsias to the trunks of the
> Date Palms, but am uncertain as to whether it will
> appear too unnatural given the scale of the palms.  I
> also consider it somewhat ironic that this deck and
> garden will be so little used, with the clients almost
> never home to enjoy it except on Sunday afternoons.
> Such is often the case with high end clients such as
> these two physicians.
> 
> Its fun to install gardens like this, that look mature
> instantly, and will look like it was always there
> within just a couple of months...  As well, not having
> to worry about frost or heat makes it so much easier
> to create a garden with year round flowers.  This is
> also such a complete contrast to another recent garden
> installation overlooking the bay high up in the
> Oakland Hills, also in another one of a kind setting
> that makes me appreciative of being a garden designer
> and getting to spend so much of my time out in
> beautiful mediteranean climate gardens.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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