I knew you would enjoy seeing the rest of the pictures I took of my friends garden sans grass.  It truly is inspirational and may give you ideas for your own yard.  Enjoy!

Japanese Maple trees are a challenge to grow in Southern California but my friends have done an amazing job.

Who would have guessed that from the destruction one darling puppy managed to wreak on this yard such beauty would emerge.

Clematis vine and vibrant petunias.

The fountain provides a background for cooing doves.

The sun exposure here is East facing.  Ideal morning sun and then shade from the hot afternoon sunset.

The final picture below.  Have fun creating your own garden sanctuary.

An Angel to watch over the garden is essential.

It’s easy to think of gardening strictly in the context of amending the soil, dealing with grass (if there is any) and determining the ‘hardscape’ (stack stone, brick, or even hedges that form distinct spaces for planting) areas.  But there are other options.

Grass, who needs it when you have a setting so beautiful.

One of my dearest friends decided years ago to get rid of her grass.  Lots of eco-friendly gardeners say that grass uses too much water and there are other issues.  Personally I love the coolness of grass and would probably go to the new, synthetic stuff if grass was outlawed in Southern California. My friend’s decision was helped by an addition to the family, a yellow Labrador retriever puppy.  Tilly, the darling puppy, destroyed my friend’s backyard within a few months of his arrival.  Wanting a pretty backyard became a challenge.

Tilly, she looks innocent doesn't she?

So my friend combed magazines and tore out countless pictures of more formal gardens that featured containers filled with beautiful trees, shrubs, ferns and flowers.  Her yard, to this day, is one of the most spectacular gardens I’ve ever seen.  She and her husband had brick runners added to the patio and concrete poured, gravel pathways formed and plenty of space for large concrete planters.

My Friend's Secret Garden

Her garden has evolved over the years and she has added layer upon layer of detail that makes a visitor want to sit on one of the many garden benches and spend time listening to nature’s song.

I am always amazed at how fresh and new the garden looks in spring.  I shouldn’t be surprised since it happens every year…still, there is something so encouraging about seeing roses as they add beautiful green leaves and buds, with promise of lovely blossom.  Vines and shrubs that looked sleepy in the winter now have a freshness about them, washed clean from the rains we’ve experienced here in Southern California.

Some of the perennials are putting on new growth and will bloom shortly.  The grass is an emerald green that is incomparable (again thanks to the rain).  I think this is nature’s way of enticing us into the outdoors and it certainly inspires me to get busy working on some of the flower beds that could use some new plant material.

Foxglove

Since I work full time (am I starting to sound like a broken record?) I’ve started planting things that require less attention and manicuring such as:

Iceberg roses – a shrub rose (I love white but it comes in other colors) that really is remarkable in its ability to bloom time after time for about 8-9 months of the year.

Iceberg Rose

Penstemon – a perennial plant with beautiful spikes of bell shaped flowers.  I particularly like ‘blue midnight’ for its growth pattern (more upright than rambling).

Foxglove – I buy ‘foxy’ a more compact version of the traditional foxglove.  I’ve had some success with this plant regenerating new blooms if cut back after the initial bloom.

Impatiens – I know this is considered by some to be nearly a weed and not worthy of the serious gardeners cast of ‘garden stars’.  I find it to be beautiful and it provides me with big splashes of color in semi-shady areas with little or no work, what could be better?!

Impatiens

Herbs – If you love to cook and entertain its worth planting a few of your favorite herbs.  Basil, Italian flat leaf parsley, curly parsley (I personally don’t find much of a difference but enjoy both varieties for different reasons), dill, thyme and mint are my ‘go-to’ herbs.  WARNING:  Mint must be planted in pots unless you want mint growing everywhere, including the grass!  I know this may sound lovely but trust me, you’ll be pulling mint out of your yard 10 years form now if you put it in the ground.

Japanese Boxwood – since we have never gotten around to “hardscaping” the back yard so I use the Japanese boxwood to provide architectural structure in my yard.  These little plants  are wonderful and when hedged regularly set off the flower beds with architectural flair.

Our Secret Garden

These are just a few of the proven winners I’m growing in my garden.  I’ll keep you posted as I discover new plants that will keep your garden looking pretty with very little work.  What are you planting this spring?

Most gardening experts agree that you really should not attempt planting new plants in the month of August.  I even abide by this rule, at least most of the time.  However, our local warehouse store had 2-gallon hydrangeas available for only $9.99 and I decided some time ago that I wanted to plant hydrangeas around the outer perimeter of our knot garden, so I bought 3 of the plants home.  I love hydrangeas and have seen pictures of a variety of colors and species (available in various regions of the country).  The hydrangeas I purchased had burgundy colored blooms and the plants looked very healthy.  If  these work out I’ll buy more when I find them.

I read on the internet the best way to plant them and when.  The first site I viewed strongly advised that you not plant hydrangea in summer, best to plant in spring or fall but sometimes you have to strike when the iron or weather is hot.  If you live in Southern California, Zone 10, you should plant your hydrangea in well-draining soil.  The plant likes some sun but not full sun (6-8 hours).  That said, if they are in full-shade they will not bloom.  Fertilize them once or twice during the summer months with 10-10-10 fertilizer.  A slow-release fertilizer such as Osmocote is a good choice.  Don’t spread the fertilizer too close to the trunk and always water thoroughly after applied.

There are a variety of hydrangeas and I am planting the  ‘Mophead’ variety.  I have an Oakleaf Hydrangea and it is very pretty with its elongated blossoms and large maple-leaf like leaves.  I hope to find an ‘Annabelle’ (large round, white blossoms) to plant sometime next spring.  There are pages of facts on hydrangea available online if you want or need more information.  Just Google the word ‘hydrangea’l and you’ll find sites with color pictures and detailed descriptions outlining the care and feeding of the plant.  Wish me luck.

More perennial plants details:  Scabiosa ‘Butterfly Blue’ is a wonderful addition to the cottage garden.  If Scabiosa is dead-headed (spent bloosoms removed) it will bloom from spring until fall.  If planted in full sun the blossoms will bloom on 10″ stems that make wonderful additions to a bouguet for indoors.  I had experirence with this plant when I was consulting on ‘cottage gardens’.  It was nearly pest free and seemed to thrive and bloom, as we all wish every plant we plant in our yards would.  I hadn’t grown scabiosa in my own yard for some time however I happened to purchase some cut flowers from the wholesale florist for a dinner party.  I found white scabiosa, sold in bundles.  They were so pretty, especially when mixed with other flowers.  I began to search the nurseries around my area for white and so far have turned up nothing.  I will continue to search but meanwhile I will enjoy the blue in my garden.  If you know of a source for white scabiosa I would appreciate hearing about it.

As mentioned previously, I recently planted some new (to me) varities of perennials in my garden.  Salvia nemerosa or Meadow Sage is a low growing plant with blue spires.  It’s perfect for borders and seems to hold its blooms for a longer time than some.  The average height of the plant is 8-10″ tall and can spread to 18″ wide.  Salvia prefers well-drained soil and I used peat moss to amend the existing garden soil.  Peat moss is a natural organic soil amendment that, when mixed with your regular garden soil, seems to create a happy environment for the plants.  Full sun is ideal but the plant will tolerate some shade.

The second perennial on my list of easy care plants is the Angelonia. My nursery stocked 3 different colors, violet, white and pink.  The plant has small clusters of  flowers on spikes.  The leaves on the plant are delicate and the prettiest color of emerald green.  I have had experience with this perennial during my landscape days.  Once the plant begins to look leggy and disorderly you only have to cut it back and it will send new growth.  I would leave at least 6-8″ of height when you cut it back.  It will reward you with new growth and begin to bloom again.  It is a solid performer in the garden and rests in the winter months, which works for me since I’m in the garden less during those months.  The average height is 12″ and will prosper if planted with some composted planting mix to enrich the soil.

To be continued…