IRWD CLIENT GARDEN UPDATE

In October I decided to visit a garden that was installed 9 months ago.  This garden is a mixture of California natives and a few non natives.  In this case the homeowners were awarded $5 per square foot by the Irvine Ranch Water District for removing their turf, installing a sustainability feature and drought tolerant plants. This garden is for sure the envy of the neighborhood.  This is an updated video of what the garden looks like.  

This is the original video that I posted about the garden just after the installation

This is the video I shot in Oct. showing the garden update. 

MY FAVORITE CA NATIVE PLANT

 I love using native plants in any garden design.  There are many varieties to choose from and I never thought I could pick just one.  But here we happily are and I have.   This Gambelia juncea 'Gran Canon' (Baja Bush Snapdragon) is my favorite California native plant.  

This one gets 3-4' tall and wide with beautiful red flowers in the spring.  It gets watered weekly in my potted garden and I have 2 in full sun and 2 in mostly shade.  What I love most about this is that it has a funkiness to it.  There is one in my garden that get purposely in your face as you walk up to my front door.  

KURAPIA

Kurapia is my one of my favorite groundcovers, simply because it is a fabulous alternative to lawn.  You can walk on it and so much more.  It's really hardy and once established requires minimal water and maintenance.  You can mow it to mimic the look of lawn or just let it be.  

It typically gets no more than 1' tall and blooms most of the year.  Because it blooms, it will attract pollinators.  This is why some people who may be allergic to bees chose to mow it right as it is about to bloom.  But you don't have to.  You can just let me do it's thing.