Re: [Perennials]USDA Zones & the desert/Display gardens in so.California

Title: Re: [Perennials]USDA Zones & the desert/Display garden
    We're moving to Orange County, CA, which appears to be USDA zone 10.
I have a book that seems to indicate that virtually no perennials are
suited for this climate! Many of the plants listed are for a range of
zones, but the upper range is usually 8 or 9. Does that mean the plants
*must* experience freezing to grow well?
    The lawns in this area have stiff, scratchy grass. Is that the only
choice for the desert?
    Do you know a *convenient* way to store rinse water from the washing
machine, then send it to the garden?

Whoa, Janet, don't believe everything you read!  : }

Orange county is not desert in any way shape or form.  It is more accurately a Mediterranean climate and I encourage you to join the Mediterranean plant discussion group (many on the perennial group are also Medit plant participants) and start reading about gardening in Mediterranean climates.  Visit http://www.support.net/Medit-Plants/discuss/main.html to subscribe.

Almost anything will grow in Orange county (zone 11), as long as you give it the right amount of water.  (okay, we can't grow meconopsis).  Where specifically are you moving?  There are many microclimates in Orange County as in all of Southern California so you are best to discard the USDA zones and use those published by Sunset Western Gardens (A must read).  You'll be Sunset zone 22 or 23.

In terms of grasses, unless you have children that need play areas, you are best off to avoid grass altogether.  Gardening in the south west is quite different from gardening elsewhere though folks that come from the  midwest and east always start out trying to recreate what they had in those wetter and more humid climates.  For one thing, our light is different and the soft pastels don't play as well here as they do where there is more water in the air.  In addition, water is a real issue here and becoming more so.  Grass is one of the most water intensive (and resource intensive) plants around.  That said, if you do need a lawn, there are many very nice fescues and bentgrasses that will work.  When you arrive, contact the Orange County Master Gardeners for their advice on selecting grasses.

Storing rinse water is typically done in a 30 gallon drum and I believe there are a number of websites that deal with managing gray water though I don't have available right now.  I recommend doing a search on northernlight.com to see what you can find.

In terms of gardens to visit, there are a bunch of them, start to the north in Santa Barbara at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.  Going south (I know I'll forget some), visit the Getty Museum garden in Los Angeles and the Midred Mathias garden at UCLA (they are right near eachother).  The LA County Arboretum is in Arcadia, Huntington Library and Gardens is in the Pasadena area, Descanso Gardens is nearby and so is Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (mostly natives).  In Orange County, there is the Sherman Library and  the Fullerton Arboretum.  Continuing south, there is Quail Gardens in Encinitas (my neighborhood), the San Diego Wild Animal Park in Escondido and the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park which itself is a huge botanic garden.  The Zoo and Wild Animal Park have fabulous plant collections.  Finally, further south is the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College in San Diego County.   To the east and truly in the desert is the Living Desert Museum in Palm Desert near Palm Springs.   The Santa Barbara Bot Garden will be about 3 hours north of you while the rest of these gardens will probably be within a one or two hour drive or less.

Hope this helps.  Email me off line if you need any more help.

Nan

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Nan Sterman
San Diego County California
Sunset zone 24, USDA hardiness zone 10b or 11
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