Designing a drought-tolerant landscape
go a garden from scratch is a big challenge . But it was one that garden designer Rebecca Sweet looked forward to when she and her married man , Tom Urban , move to Granite Bay , California , 7 year ago . The 1 - Akka dimension had plenty of room and potential , so she brought a rental truck full of plants from the erstwhile garden and started ticking off others that had been on her wish list . Rebecca was delirious to try out with new plants and design combination in her zone 9 garden to find the single that are tough , drought - tolerant and resilient . She shares the results with her clients as well as those followingher blog , Harmony in the Garden . Watch theTalk & Tour videoabove to get a personal tour of the attribute , and read on to get a line more about how she went about designing this impressive garden .
Sunny drought-tolerant slope
It can be hard to know where to begin when the whole yard necessitate oeuvre . So Rebecca jump with the large berm next to the private road because it was well delineate and the area she sees most often . The 6 - invertebrate foot - magniloquent southwest - face up berm above is one of the hot billet in the yard — it ’s in full Sunday with deal ofreflected heat from the driveway . This region can go without rain for months , and temperatures regularly gain 110 degrees F in summer , so flora growing in this point have to be tough .
Spring bulbs kick off the growing season , play along by the pink blush of ‘ Long John ’ grevillea . The Stoke ’s aster ( Stokesia laevis ) andtall sedum(Hylotelephiumhybrid ) are in full swing by summer , with ‘ Wynyabbie Highlight ’ westringia ( Westringiahybrid ) blooming off and on all year . ‘ Meerlo ’ lavender ( Lavandula allardii ) does n’t flower , but its variegated foliation is a real chief - turner and has a secure fragrance .
The hardy shrubs provide lot of structure for the design and screen the view from the neighbour ’s backyard . And now that the plants are establish , their extensive root system help stabilize the slope along with a line of carefully selected stones help keep erosion . Rebecca found the Stone in the yard and likes the coloring , soma and textures they add to the border .
Water wise front yard
The driveway flip-flop has become one of Rebecca ’s favorite spots to enjoy her morning coffee . It does n’t rain down much in this area during the summertime — some old age not at all . On the other hand , winter often make downpours . Rebecca expanded a abject blot in the border here to create a rain garden . It catches the water from the driveway so it does n’t flood the neighbor ’s yard or hurry into the street .
Design a garden border with multiple seasons of interest
Layers of trees , shrubs and perennials around her morning coffee bench aid dampen the strait from the street and provide seclusion . It looks especially fairly in fall when the Nipponese maple burn with color . Oak tree ( Quercusspp . ) bring home the bacon dappled shade , but Rebecca and Tom have lost six of the master copy since they moved in due to eld , storm and disease . Though she ’s always deplorable to lose a matured tree , there is the consolation of new planting opportunities . Japanese maples(Acer palmatum ) are one of Rebecca ’s go - to plants for filling empty speckle in the garden and turn beautifully in full Dominicus to part shade . If the loss of an oak tree leaves Rebecca with the indigence for some showing , she chooses evergreen plants , such as knife - leaf acacia ( Acacia cultriformis ) that has blue - gray leaf and fragrant yellow bounce efflorescence . tusk spurge ( Euphorbia ceratocarpa ) is another favorite with svelte racy - dark-green leafage and long - endure yellow - light-green bloom .
The front grounds slop down to the street . A 3 - foot - wide landing strip with a slightly higher weewee table along the front of the thou allows Rebecca to grow plant that , while drought tolerant , need more wet to prosper than the ones at the top of the incline , near the house . It ’s a great place to grow the Little Lime panicle hydrangea ( Hydrangea paniculata ) , Arkansas amsonia ( Amsonia hubrichtii ) and New Zealand sedge ( Carex tenuiculmis ) above . In dip when the hydrangea ’s blooms fade to brown , the genus Amsonia has bright yellow foliage .
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Repetition creates unity in the garden
Trying out lots of dissimilar plant in a space is fun but can leave in a garden that does n’t look pull together . Rebekah ’s solution is to dumbfound with a color pallet of yellow and pick . wind flowers and foliage with a similar chromaticity through all the borders creates a cohesive smell , even if the plant themselves are unlike . Repeating a pet planthere and there helps too but is n’t strictly necessary . ‘ Meerlo ’ lavender ’s creamy yellowish edge in the photo above echoes the bright yellow of the Jerusalem sage ( Phlomis fruticosa ) , ‘ Peaches and Cream ’ grevillea and quirky drumstick flower ( Craspedia globosa ) throughout the garden .
Rebecca’s favorite yellow plants
Here are some of Rebecca ’s go - to flora with yellow flower and foliage and what she likes about each .
mantle flower(Gaillardiaxgrandiflora)Perennial ; yellow and ruby daisy - influence blooms in summer ; 1 to 3 ft . tall , 1 to 2 ft . across-the-board ; cold hardy in USDA zone 3 to 10.“Its long - hold out salad days attract every butterfly in town . ”
Drumstick flower(Craspedia globosa)Perennial ; yellow Earth - shaped heyday summertime to frost ; 24 to 30 in . tall , 12 to 24 in . widely ; moth-eaten brave in USDA zone 7 to 10.“Ball - forge blooms appear to float above lower - growing flora . ”
Jerusalem sage(Phlomis fruticosa)Perennial ; bright yellow blooms at each leaf joint in late spring to summer ; 2 to 6 ft . magniloquent , 2 to 5 foot . wide ; dusty stalwart in USDA zone 7 to 10.“Whorls of jaundiced bloom provide a unique flower shape , and the felty leaf is soft to the tinge . ”
‘ Peaches and Cream ’ grevillea(Grevilleahybrid)Shrub ; spidery pale lily-livered to peachy pink blooms all year ; 6 to 8 ft . marvelous , 8 to 12 ft . wide ; cold hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11.“This variety blooms off and on through the class and is a hummingbird ducky . ”
‘ Wynyabbie Highlight ’ westringia(Westringiahybrid)Shrub ; small lavender bloom all yr , variegated green and pick foliation ; 3 to 4 foot . tall and wide ; cold hardy in USDA zone 9 to 10.“The variegate green and cream evergreen foliage complement neighboring canary - yellow blossom . ”
Backyard makeover
The backyard sits just off the driveway and several step down . Thousands of cobblestone pavers , which Rebecca scream “ articulatio talocruralis twisters ” surrounded the pool when the duo moved in , and she find out that they needed to go . But because of all the steps , they could n’t just rip a truck up and start thrash about them in . Rebecca and Tom hauled them all out by hand , occupy 5 - gallon buckets and dragging them up to the drive . Sometimes they come up early to get a distich of hours of work done before point to their Clarence Day jobs . It take on them several month to eat up the projection . Tom forecast they move 5 to 6 tons of cobblestones , offer them detached to anyone who was concerned . They replaced the cobble pavers with mortared stone and steps that are smooth and easy to walk on .
Designing with boulders in the garden
Several alone bowlder — some are up to 5 feet tall — place upright in and around the terrace . The challenge has been to recover ways to dampen the looking of these behemoths and bring them into scale with the surrounding terrace . Rebecca tried lots of plant around unlike stones but is happy with the event of this grouping above . The maple ’s burgundy leaf turns a wonderful wraith of orange in fall and as it grow , it will screen the thought of the puddle ’s pump menage behind . Even now the tree helps make these 4 - foot - improbable rock seem somewhat less monumental . Midsized Lime Tight flatness rush ( Lomandra confertifolia ) and ‘ Silver Mound ’ artemisia ( Artemisia schmidtiana ) step step down to the patio for a more graceful connection to the landscape .
Super succulents
A craggy honest-to-god oak tree near the house creates a wonderful aspect from the kitchen window . But it was surrounded by lawn , and the irrigation that keeps sod happy often kills oak Tree . So Rebecca replace the turf with teetotal - jazz succulent . And with all the Harlan Fisk Stone in the backyard , there ’s not a lot of room for margin , but there ’s plenty of space for containers . heavy stool filled with drought - resistant incandescent lamp , perennials and small shrubs are hooked up to adrip irrigation organization . Rebecca keeps smaller pots filled with succulents and cacti near the planetary house so they ’re easy to irrigate by hired man . Even these tough customers need afternoon shade to fend off burned leafage . Find more of Rebecca ’s growing secrets below . She ’s learned by test and wrongdoing which ones knead best — just like the eternal rest of her garden .
5 Tips for growing succulents successfully
Succulents and cacti are well-to-do - care container plant , specially when it ’s red-hot and dry . Here ’s what Rebecca does to keep hers looking great :
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