Floral cottage garden, 2008, La Mesa, three months after planting. Composed of herbaceous perennials and annuals, including Lavender, Yarrow, Daisies, Chrysanthemums, Pelargoniums, Geraniums, Plectranthus, Catharanthus, Penstemon, Alyssum, Nasturtiums, Lobelia, Kangaroo Paw, annual Morning Glory, Salvia 'Hot Lips', and more.   Irrigation is by adjustable micro-sprays inserted into blank 1/2" tubing which is attached to the 'wavy' fence top by plastic loop fasteners.

Busy verdant floral woodland, as per client preference, 6 months after installation, 2008, Pt. Loma. Fern on left is Woodwardia fimbriata, small ferns in foreground are Blechnum occidentale, taller silvery ferns are Polypodium aureum, smaller bluer silvery ferns are Polypodium aureum ‘Blue Crisp’ (grows about half the size of standard ‘aureum’), variegated 'Firecracker' Fuchsia in foreground, and elsewhere, non-variegated Fuchsia to the left is ‘Gartenmeister’, some volunteer perennial viola and annual blue lobelia by foreground wall edges, baby tears is the main groundcover, Jasminum polyanthum vine on right, pink impatiens right center, white impatiens with pinkdotflowercenter left center, blue Hydrangea in right background, Malvaviscus arboreus behind Hydrangea. Pre-existing trees: Orange in foreground, Persimmon on right, edible Fig behind Malvaviscus, Magnolia grandiflora in background center, Pyrus kawakamii on left.  Irrigation is by both Rainbird spray knozzles on risers, popups, and stationary non-adjustable micro sprays on blank 1/2" tubing, raised by 1/4" stiff tubing.

Same place as photo 5, Summer 2008, Pt. Loma, 15+ years after installation. Wild Algerian Ivy on left and far right. Pineapple Guava right center, Cherimoyas behind it, yellow Strawberry Guavas at left, Loquat behind it, Guadalupe Palm left center. Perennial Alfalfa in front of PG and in parking strip. The low spreading groundcover in the parking strip is a long lived aromatic perennial that dies back in Winter and grows back from the root crown in Spring, and, grows through Summer with no irrigation in typical dryish built areas, such as neighborhoods.  It's a volunteer 'weed', and appears to be Chenopodium multifidum, native to mid latitudes of South America, but not an annual(the references are mixed on that designation, though it's clearly a winter dormant perennial in this yard). Watering in the Orchard for the fruit trees is/was by hose on the ground, on occasion if at all, and where done, no more than five times per year max.  Some of the plants mostly or entirely tap into groundwater due to the availability at this location, and then rain during winter. (volunteer Robinia trees on property to right)

Dymondia margaretae groundcover growing between marble squares which were already present, January 2009, Mt. Soledad. Installed August 2008. Drip irrigation tubing under Dymondia sod is Netafim brand, techline cv 0.6gpm @ 12" emitter spacing.

Rolando neighborhood yard, three years after installation; purpose is low maintenance, simple, and fairly water-wise over the long term and some flowering year-round; flagstones for pathway and to give some 'slack' to the groundcover for walking on; groundcover is Dymondia, which gives a unique lawn effect with occasional tiny yellow flowers and needs no mowing, staying about an inch or two in height depending on watering frequency and quantity, and is moderately walkable without damage after some establishment within months; purple, pink, and yellow Arctotis in middle island; Geijera trees and two boulders(Palm Springs Gold) in middle island; Lavatera maritima at right(which is next to the front door, just out of picture to right), and Rhaphiolepis 'Harbinger of Spring' and Pittosporum tobira 'variegata' at foundation of house.  Bougainvillea 'Torch Glow' at base of fence at left.   Flagstone is 'Regular Tan'.  Boulders and light-beige 1/8" crushed rock(California Gold) from KRC Rock in Lakeside.

Irrigation is with Hunter MP Rotator nozzles, - rotary multi-stream multi-trajectory nozzles -, which are the lowest precipitation-rate sprinkler nozzles available, which apply water more slowly and also more uniformly than conventional sprays.   And, even though the precipitation rate of the rotator nozzles is 4 times less than (or in other words, 1/4 that of...) standard spray nozzles, their greater efficiency has been found to make the necessary run-time increase, for equivalent distribution, to be close to '3-times', instead of '4-times', that of standard spray nozzles, due to the larger streams of water(which are rotating) which reduces evaporation during application compared to standard sprays of equal radius, and, slower precipitation rate which can make for a more uniform absorption of the water into the soil.  The irrigation controller used is a Hunter Smart Irrigation Controller, with six stations.  Smart Controllers use sensors and transmitted weather information to automatically manage watering run times to help insure most efficient water use in a given landscape.  Also, the Smart Controller cancels the ability of the valves to turn on during rainy weather.

Photo below, other angle:

Closeup of flagstone 'patio', with the Dymondia growing within:

Directly across the street from photos 10 and 11, Rolando, new install, Spring 2009, purpose is to focus on flower color. Light pink flagstone and light beige 1/4" - 3/8" crushed rock from KRC Rock in Lakeside. Bougainvillea 'La Jolla' at left. 'Balcon Pink' Ivy Geraniums with Alyogyne in middle islands. House foundation bed has pink, red, and yellow Argyranthemum daisies (aka Chrysanthemum), Baja Bidens(B. nudata), Blue Daisy(Felicia), magenta colored Mimulus aurantiacus, pinkish-red Ivy Geranium, 'Balcon Pink' Ivy Geranium, pink and yellow Arctotis'.  180° micro-sprinklers(both spray and stream) in house foundation beds on 1/2" tubing, Netafim Techline CV drip tubing with 0.4gpm @12" emitter spacing on street-front edges watering Bougainvillea(two additional 1g/hr emitters inserted per Bougainvillea) and Statice.

Same plot as above, Spring 2009, looking westerly, from right near: yellow Calylophus, red variegated Salvia greggii, regular red Salvia greggii, Arctotis 'Zinfandell', yellow Bidens nudata, very fragrant pink Barbara Streisand rose, silvery Tanacetum haradjanii, Penstemon h. 'Margarita BOP', silvery Buddleja/Buddleia bush, variegated Gaura, yellow Gaillardia,....

In Coronado Cays.  Intent is to make a fairly simply arranged succulent and cactus landscape.  Notice the separate plant groupings are African(aloes, crassula, euphorbia(out of picture), and American(cactus, agave, palo verde).

Bed in foreground with:    Aloe plicatillis, like a little 'tree'.  Aloe 'Blue Elf' on left and right of picture.  Aloe brevifolia behind(forward in photo) center of plicatillis.  Dudleya hassei on both sides of brevifolia.  Aloe 'Donnie' on left and right, other side of boulders, one per boulder.  Crassula falcata also other side of boulders, left and right, one per boulder(only a leaf-bit of left-one visible in this photo).

All rock materials, - decomposed granite, gravel, boulders -, are Palm Springs Gold from KRC Rock.   The d.g. was used to make the mounds; 3/8" rock is about 1" deep; and then the boulders.   Plants were planted a bit high, as appropriate, to allow for the 3/8" rock to cover the rootball surfaces.  

Irrigation is by micro-stream and micro-spray adjustable emitters, 360° and 180°.

Note:  This planting was planted in fall of 2009.  No more irrigation is necessary, except maybe a bit on the Aloe 'donnie' very infrequently, maybe a few times at the most per summer.  Watering the A. plicatillis during the warm season could cause it do poorly or rot.   

South side corridor planting, same property as photos 16 &17, shaded for the most part, and entirely for much of it.

Nestled by the house on the left are Sansevieria schweinfurthia, and along the wall on the right are Sansevieria trifasciata, and two tall-ish clumps of Dracaena marginita, - one clump further down the corridor, essentially out of view.  Irrigation:  two 1gph emitters per S. schw., two 2gph emitters per S. tri., three 2gph emitters per Dracaena, and an additional 180° stream emitter per Dracaena on a separate zone run time that would water every week or two, depending on the weather.  The Sansevierias were only watered once initially, then a couple times during the first summer after planting, and basically never again, except for rain, and, the light to moderate seepage that 'drifts' over from the neighbor.  

Ferny woodland garden.  Blechnum occidentale in foreground, Polypodium aureum 'blue dwarf'  scattered in background.  Reddish colors by Fuchsia tryphalla on left, Acalypha in center, Malvaviscus arboreus in far background to right, Hypoestes(also white on right).  All beneath a mini -forest of  Pyrus kawakamii, Citrus Orange, Hachiya Persimmon, Magnolia grandiflora, and Ficus carica Fig.  Irrigation is by both Rainbird spray knozzles on risers, popups, and then stationary non-adjustable micro sprays on 1/2" blank tubing, raised by 1/4" stiff tubing.  November 2009.

Different angle, same property as photos 16 through 18.  Crassula falcata and Aloe 'Donnie' forward of rocks, Aloe 'Blue Elf' at far right and left of rocks, Aloe plicatilis 'tree' in middle, Aloe brevifolia behind A. plic., Dudleya hassei on both sides of A. brev. (all not really visible in this photo).   All rock, including decomposed granite soil beneath to soil level is 'Palm Springs Gold' from KRC Rock in Lakeside.  Installed fall 2009.   No watering besides rainfall, except limited in first year after planting.  A. plicatillis should have no watering during dry season, otherwise it doesn't do so well or rots.

 Same place as photos 10 and 11, six months later, one year after install.  Yellow Arctotis in the center, having made massive growth over the winter.  The south side of the house is getting worked on, so I didn't include that, though the Bougainvillea are doing fine.  Early Spring 2010.  The pink Raphiolepis and variegated Pittosporum together are meant to have a 'neopolitan' ice cream color combo effect, - pink-whitish-yellowish-dark.

Close up showing Salvia canariensis(purplish), yellow flowered silver-leaved Gazania groundcover, and red flowered Salvia greggi(at left along house, flowers too small to show in the photo), yellow flowered 'Moonshine' Yarrow at right, yellow flowered Calylophus left of Yarrow, and miscellaneous other plants in background, including Gaura, Salvia greggi, and more.

Glaucous-scape, with a few red accents, mostly composed of South African plants.   Intended as a very durable, low water use, low maintenance, relatively simple and low budget, moonscape/cloudscape/glaucous-scape that distinctively connects with the white and blue of the house.  Plants listed in Photo 31.  Surface material is the greyish manufactured sand from Gravel'nGrit, and, the salt & pepper boulders are from Alpine Rock and Block, both in Lakeside(not Alpine).   Irrigation is by subsurface drip using the new coppershield dripline from Rainbird, which allows for infrequent irrigation due to the copper shielding of the emitters which repels root intrusion, rather than by water super-saturation by frequent irrigation such as daily or every other day as generally required with other makes for root repellancy at the emitter. However, except for the palm tree, and the initial irrigation soakings, the rest of the plants will rarely be watered for the rest of their life, because they are so drought tolerant, in addition to the mulching effect of the manufactured sand which greatly helps in retaining moisture from substantial rainfall or occasional hand watering.   If the succulents might ever appear to get too dry during Summer-Fall, they'll get watered by shower-watering with a hand held hose.  The cycads will be given more water through the dry season, maybe once every two weeks, for faster growth.  Because Aloe dichotoma ssp. ramosissima is in the succulent irrigation zone, that zone will not be watered by the irrigation system during the warm half of the year due to ease of succumbing to rot and hence death in warm moist soils.   Only if there is very minimal rainfall during winter would the irrigation system for that zone be turned on in late winter to early spring, no more than once, for about an hour and a half, and only for the purpose of boosting rate of growth, since the plants will survive anyway.  Typically if the succulents get more water than needed they can sometimes grow gawkily and become less intensely colored in the white and red tones.  Some succulents can tolerate a fair amount of warm season watering, some succulents don't tolerate as much.

With Aloe dichotoma ramosissima, Kalanchoe beharensis, and Senecio mandraliscae(blue iceplant).   These plants will only receive natural rainfall and some possible hand water showering on rare occasion otherwise the Aloe d. r. could die, especially if it gets a soaking of water during the warm half of the year due to intolerance of moist warm soil.  It's native seasonal rainfall occurs in winter.  However, some infrequent shower watering by hand held hose is acceptable if it's just a moderate soaking to the non Kalanchoe and Senecio for keeping up plumper/fresher appearances, and the Aloe can tolerate some infrequent lighter shower hand watering.  Rains in winter can take care of the deeper soaking.  If there's not much rain, then it can be okay to have the irrigation system on once in late winter for, say, an hour or less, but wouldn't be necessary, but can help freshen up appearances and make for more growth (again, the system is 0.61gph with emitters at 18" intervals, and it's looped around the planting bed for a full distribution.

Perspective from entering driveway from street.

Makeover new design-install, front of house is north side of house and overhang shade, composed of seedling Nandina(Heavenly Bamboo), bedding Begonias, Richmondensis Begonias, Hemerocallis Daylilies in the rouge range of colors, Clivia in center which was already present in yard, Blechnum occidentale fern for its pinkish new growth, - at inner bases of posts and sides of Clivia, Liriope gigantea at forward side of post bases, and Arizona Coral river rock, from KRC Rock, to moderate the rainfall runoff from the roof.  Irrigation is micro-streams on 1/4" tubing coming from blank 1/2" drip tubing.  Shredded wood-bark mulch from Walter Andersen Nursery.  Bonita, January 2011.

 Other side view

Roses in growth, after winter pruning, early spring, one year later

Intended as a rustic-naturalistic 'cottage garden' composition, composed of a select group of plants native to the Southern California Coastal Floristic Province which extends from Santa Barbara county to Central Baja/Cedros Island, with many being native to the islands within this range.   More photos can be seen by clicking on 'SoCaL Nativescapes Photos' on the 'AddNames' page

Spring time is the main 'show time', though with adequate rains it can begin to take on a full character by early winter, and carry on a varying good show through mid to late summer.  Fall time is a relatively dormant 'down time'.  Part of 'the show' is from annual plants and fresh-n-floral growth flushes, which get cut down in fall as they go dry or get tattered.  

The palm is Brahea edulis, which is endemic(native only to) to Guadalupe Island, which is about 220 miles southwest of this location which is in Pt. Loma.   The rest of the plants in this plantscape are the following(though not all evident in the photos):   

Yellow flowers in front of left photo are Camissonia bistorta, aka 'foothill suncup'. 

Island endemics:  Ceanothous arboreus, Dendromecon harfordii, Epilobium 'Catalina', Eriogonum arborescens, Eriogonum giganteum, Eriogonum grande rubescens, Galvezia speciosa(glabrous and tomentose), Lavatera assurgentiflora(and subspecies glabra also), Leymus condensatus 'canyon prince', Perityle incana, Verbena lilacina.

Both islands and mainland natives:  Calystegia macrostegia ssp. macrostegia, Camissonia cheiranthifolia, Constancea nevinii, Cucurbita foetidissima, Datura wrightii, Diplacus puniceus, Dudleya brittonii, Dudleya pulverulenta, Encelia californica, Heteromeles arbutifolia, Isomeris arborea, Keckiella cordifolia, Marah macrocarpus, Mirabilis laevis/californica,  Prunus lyonii.

Mainland only:  Calystegia macrostegia ssp. arida, Camissonia bistorta, Comarostaphylis diversifolia ssp. diversifolia, Dendromecon rigida, Dudleya pulverulenta, Eriodictyon crassifolium ssp. crassifolium, Penstemon centranthifolius.

Planted over the course of May 2011 through June 2012.  Photos, spring 2012.

Photo below shows:

Dudleya brittonii in front, Dendromecon harfordii(island bush poppy) yellow flowers behind Dudleya and right back, Camissonia bistorta(foothill suncup) - the other yellow flowers, Mimulus aurantiacus red flowers behind front Dendromecon, Eriodictyon crassifolium behind Mimulus, Eriogonum giganteum at left in pre-bloom bud stage, Calystegia macrostegia ssp. arida below the Eriogonum, Leymus 'canyon prince' (blue wild rye) at right, Mirabilis laevis, bush form from north Baja, at left diagonal behind of forward blue wild rye.

Alternate perspective

Alternate perspective

Different perspective

New design-install in San Carlos neighborhood, summer 2012, near Cowles Mtn., - though with the olive tree in middle and pyracantha screen at right previously existing.   The main area is planted with very young plants of Eriogonum giganteum, Leymus condensatus 'canyon prince', Epilobium canum 'catalina' and 'plain' canum species, Eriogonum arborescens, Constancea nevinii, and Camissonia bistorta.  Plantscape/landscape of main area chosen as a cottage floral character, to go with the already existing woodsy(old olive and pyrachantha) elements.  So, in sum, it could be called a woodsy cottage floral landscape.

Foundational planters have Comarostaphylis diversifolia. ssp. div., Venegasia carp., Keckiella cordifolia, Galvezia speciosa, Satureja chandleri, and non-native fern Dryopteris erythrosora(native to east Asia) which is used to mimic the locally native but commercially unavailable Dryopteris arguta.  (And just think, though a bit of a stretch for biological parallelism, First Nation Native Americans came from east Asia).

The cobble stones at the base of the Olive tree are from digging out of the ground for the irrigation system and planting plants.  Desert Gold decomposed granite is used for the raised pathways(from RCP Rock) with Autumn Gold flagstone(from KRC Rock) settled halfway into the DG.  The DG is about four inches higher than the base soil level.  The mulch is from the Miramar Dump, it's composed of random tree trimmings mainly composed of 1/2" diameter by a few inches long and smaller plant pieces/particles.

 Other perspective.  Old olive tree in middle, old Pyracantha screen in background.

Allied Gardens neighborhood, summer 2012, a few months after installation, showing an entry way with south sunny exposure and north facing shady exposure.  Using Hypolepis punctata fern on the sunny side, with Dypsis lutescens palm on both sides, Polypodium(Phlebodium) aureum fern on shady side.  Some Viola odorata is at groundlevel on both sides.

Showing Hypolepis fern, with Phlebodium fern and Davalia fern(right) in forward part of planter.  Accompanying plants are Strelitzea reginae(bush bird of paradise) in middle of fern planting, and Cycas revoluta at left, which was a thicket of leaves and pups, which I majorly thinned out to a only five leaf-bud-rosettes.  Each of the ferns are spreaders.  The Davalia fern is the low spreader.   Of course some growth management and grooming will be done for best appearance, especially with the Hypolepis fern, but it's easy infrequent maintenance.  Davalia ferns are on both sides, at ground level, nearest to the bird of paradise.  These ferns like some water every week.

Perspective from front door.  Boulders and flagstones from KRC Rock Lakeside. 

Entrance to Southwest Boulder(for your rock, dirt, and paving supplies), east Pacific Beach/Bay Ho area.  Rock-creek work by Advanced Waterscapes.   New install.  I did the plantscape composition, with all local regional natives, which are the following:   Eriogonum fasciculatum(local buckwheat bush/San Diego/flat-top buckwheat bush), Laural Sumac, Toyon, Lemonade Berry, Jojoba, Epilobium canum, Bergerocactus emoryi, Dudleya edulis, Dudleya lanceolata, Dudleya brittonii(northern Baja Norte native, nearly the same habitat community as San Diego; the only one not native to San Diego used in the composition not counting the pre-existing Aleppo pines and iceplant in background).   Photo below is of Bergerocactus emoryi and Dudleya brittonii, - a super duo matchup.   Also, as an artistic aside of concept, think of their use together as conveying a theme of 'The Jewel', a nominal theme I'm just making up in concept,.... with inspiration coming from their potential use in particular yet to be built native plantscapes in La Jolla.

 Same place as earlier photos above, early May 2013.