Good morning! Each Saturday, I enjoy waking up to this blog instead of my usual ritual of checking the news.
Our garden is in the SF Bay area about 30 miles north of the Golden Gate. We are in a canyon which protects the garden from winter cold. The shade from the Bay, Madrone, and Oak forest helps keep the temperature cooler in the summer. This morning, I will share the garden transformation over the 2 years we have lived here.
This is my only true “Before” picture. It is from the real estate brochure before we purchased the house in the spring of 2016. I added plants immediately so most of my before pictures include new plants.
Two years later
We removed all grass, ivy, and poison oak in the summer of 2016. A hillside path was created and the entire area was converted to drip irrigation. We added a patio at the top of our hill to relax and another one for the dogs to sunbathe. Since we do not usually have rain from May until November, most of the plants are drought tolerant.
A few of my neighbors and friends have asked me how I keep the hillside so green when everything turns brown for the summer in California. They know I prefer to convert the lawn into a garden and that I do not want to use irrigation to support the ground cover.
Santa Barbara daisies (Erigeron karvinskianus) spread in the sunnier areas and are an amazing ground cover. Pinkhead Smartweed (Polygonum Capitatum Punching Balls) likes a little water and does well in the sunnier and flatter areas where it magically appeared. Bacopa is doing well in some small, sunny, flat areas and I have had more luck with the white version. I am also experimenting with various succulents.
The previous owners put in honeysuckle which is not too invasive here because we don’t have rain for about 6 months and I pull it back very aggressively in the spring. I am always removing sprigs of ivy they put in which I despise (not a strong enough word).
In the shade, I prefer Vinca Minor (Periwinkle) to Vinca Major. Both were established as a main ground cover before we took ownership. I also give the native ground covers and wildflowers space when they appear. Lamium and Lamium Aster are good in shade but like some water. In retrospect, I probably would have chosen the yellow variegated Vinca Minor instead of either Lamium since it takes less water.
“Limelight” Licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare) really brightens the garden but does not tolerate traffic. My Violets and Black Mondo grass are filling in small areas and I am moving the newer plants around. I planted mint, hoping it would take off and help with erosion control but it has been very well-behaved. The chocolate mint and variegated peppermint even disappeared on the slope. Different types of strawberry ground cover as well as Baby’s tears were established before we moved. When the winter rains begin, I love to sprinkle seeds like Alyssum, California poppies, Siberian Wallflowers, Shasta daisies, and a variety of wildflower seeds to fill in areas.
In my first year of gardening at this house, I added purple and silver foliage for visual interest. During my second year, I realized that I needed more white and yellow foliage to brighten up the hill. Having a sloped lot has been a learning experience. I discovered many plants do not like to be on a slope and smaller plants can disappear or get washed out from winter rains. Our previous home was only an hour away but some plants that performed well in a rocky, heavy clay soil with frost and high winds do not seem to like a more hospitable environment.
Besides falling downhill on occasion, has anyone else encountered surprising challenges while landscaping a slope?
The shrimp plant is fun but probably not ideally suited to my area. From what I have read, it is usually larger and more productive. Furthermore, it looked better the first year.
If you have a thriving shrimp plant outside, where do you live?
We are pleased with how our garden turned out after only two years. A few more of our favorite photos from 2018…
Hot Lips Littleleaf Sage (Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips') and Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) are two of the easiest plants to grow in this area. I have planted both under Redwoods and in horrible soil at two houses and they always deliver. The pineapple sage grew to about 5-6 feet tall at our new home which is twice the size I expected. I would have chosen a different location for some of those plants had I known.
I love the Rock and Roll Peruvian Lilies (white variegated foliage and red flowers) near the frog fountain. Different types of poppy seeds are sprinkled in this bed (Corn, Icelandic, California...) to create interest until the Hardy Plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides) takes over later in the summer.
The neighbor’s cat is like me, trying to figure out if he likes the yard art. That is a whole other garden blog topic!
Thanks to estreya for answering questions and providing instructions. Between her help, the information available through the Daily Kos Knowledge Base, and the way blogging was designed on this website, the process was straightforward. I would highly recommend creating a diary to anyone who has thought about sharing their gardening experiences.
How have you transformed your garden or what do you want to change?
What is going on with your garden?