Professional and polished garden design principles

Polished Garden

2,000 words approx.

Creating the Professional and Polished Xeriscaped Garden in Claremont

My friend Jay Pocock of Claremont let me take a snapshot of his lawn and talk to him about water usage and xeriscaping. Because of a recent hike in his water bill, Jay was definitely interested in hearing what I had to say about beautifying his lawn with natural, native flora. As his place is near Rancho Santa Ana, it made the whole experience more fitting. What is even more interesting is that Jay was describing how the increase in water usage rates has affected everyone and upset many people -- including groups like Claremont Taxpayers for Common Sense. This paper, therefore, will be a kind Claremont Xeriscapers for Common Sense: it will discuss the amount of money that can be saved by having a virtually water-free yard, the ways in which a yard can be aesthetically pleasing with native California flora, and will give a rough pictorial idea of what such a lawn/garden could look like.

Water Usage

The anger with which Jay relates his water woes is not surprising -- after all, considering the details with which he supplies any audience willing to listen, Jay makes a case for what appears to be the swindling of Claremont citizens: "Goldensate paid 86 cents per 100 cubic feet (748 gallons) of water, and sold it for $2.67 per 100 cubic feet…Goldensate made half a million dollars in pure profit off Claremont." Without getting into the politics of the matter, Jay's basic problem boils down to this: Claremont citizens are getting stuck with the bill. When I asked Jay about how much water he uses, including to feed his lawn, he answered: "Look at your bill: The average house uses 1/2 acre foot per year -- that's 164,000 gallons -- 220 cubic feet." Basically, to water his lawn, Jay will be spending 10 cents a minute. A water-free garden started sounding like a great idea to him.

If Jay were to water his lawn 1-3 inches per week (or 15-20 minutes per day) at -- as he says -- 10 cents a minute, Jay could be looking at a monthly water bill of over $60 -- just for watering his lawn alone (that does not include water usage inside the house!). As he points out, his monthly bill is now over $100. That means the price of keeping a green lawn for Jay is over $700 a year.

How would you like that $700 back in your pocket, Jay?

Xeriscaping

I had first off to explain to Jay exactly what xeriscaping is. I took it from the beginning (being sure to impress him with my knowledge of Greek roots -- xeros means dry), and told him that xeriscaping is like dry landscaping: it is a means of producing a beautiful lawn or garden by using flora native to the climate in which you live. California has a dry climate; therefore, if one were to use the natural flora of California, he could save himself heaps of cash because such flora is often "drought smart."

"Yes, but what kind of flora are talking about?" asked Jay. "A superb question," I answered. I suggested we take a trip down to Rancho Santa Ana to see exactly what types of native flora we could purchase for Jay's lawn to help reduce his water bill. "Let's just see some pictures first," said Jay -- not wishing to waste gas. (Jay is becoming so conservative these days).

While on the Net, I allowed Jay to do some of his own researching into xeriscaping. He came across the Seven Principles of Xeriscaping -- as established by Denver Water. These principles gave him a good idea of what having a xeriscaped lawn encompassed: the principles, he learned, begin with Planning and Designing. As I myself told Jay -- no one should have a lawn or garden that is not aesthetically pleasing -- and finding the right native flora for you is part of the process and delight of having a xeriscaped garden.

Once you've planned a design for yourself, the next step in xeriscaping (so the Principles tell us) is to lay compost if necessary. This will depend upon the types of flora you pick, as some native Californian plants do not require soil that has been fertilized. Researching the plants you decide upon will tell you what you need to do as far as altering or leaving your soil as it is.

While xeriscaped lawns and gardens are acclaimed for driving down water costs, some native flora may still require a little irrigation or regular watering. Understanding what you're planting will help you to know.

When planting, it may be helpful to group certain flora together: putting plants that require more or less water together in the same area will help conserve water. Also, some plants may require more sun than others, and some will require a better draining soil than others. At the same time, (and while keeping all these things in mind) you can still adjust the way your garden will look by varying plants according to height, color, and seasonal bloom. You can have lots of fun with xeriscaping, Jay! Indeed, Jay was getting very interested.

Mulch (the Principles told us) is a good way to keep plants cozy and comfortable -- and it provides an aesthetic charm. One can use anything from wood chips to gravel -- although the latter traps heat (something to remember -- so do it sparingly).

Then, to add to the texture of the garden, it might be reasonable to explore what is available in a native turf selection. And finally, just because it is xeriscaped does not mean it does not need to be maintained. Maintenance, after all, is part of the fun -- and there is no better way to get to know your area's native flora better than by xeriscaping your own lawn and garden.

That was my pitch to Jay! How did it work? Before I knew it, we had been on the Internet for over an hour looking at pictures of what Rancho Santa Ana had to offer. Xeriscaping definitely seemed like the way to go. Not only was it affordable -- it was also a way to increase one's knowledge of and experience with that natural, native landscape. Not being one to shirk the intellectual, Jay was immediately on board with a xeriscaping project.

Designing Our Garden

Jay has a natural flair for design. He was instantly matching colors and varying styles of flora. We both worked on a color palette that would be pleasing to the eye. I suggested colors that were opposite one another on the color wheel -- and yellow (a primary color), I advised, would be beautifully off-set by the secondary color of purple. He was especially attracted to the purples and yellows. We also wanted something that could vary the look of the lawn and garden and make it a place where one could walk and admire: The "Creeping Thyme" immediately went to the top of his list: we loved the look of the scattered stones and the weaving thymus praecox arcticus. This we decided should go in the center of the garden, with stone steps leading to the tree toward the edge of the garden and to the walkway surrounding the garden.

Hedging in the "Creeping Thyme," Jay liked the look of the "Cape Sebastian" Seaside Daisies. He could easily picture these Erigeron glaucus bordering the walkway and stone path into his garden -- plus the yellow and white flower would perfectly accentuate the purple of the "Creeping Thyme" and the De La Mina Verbena he wanted to hem in the edges of his garden.

In the center, separating the "Creeping Thyme," I convinced Jay to place Bush Monkeyflower. This would offset the thyme and the daisies. And then on the opposite side of the garden -- and on the other side of the path (directly across from the Monkeyflower) -- it was a no-brainer to plant Fleabane. Erigeron, like the daisies, this yellow and white flower would bring symmetry to the garden and make it perfectly aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

Now Jay had purples, yellows, and whites: his garden looked just right -- at least on paper. Since we had designed our garden according to looks, we now had to design it according to practicality. Would these plants work in such a layout? Would they each require different soils and different levels of maintenance? Were they all actually native to California? And how much would such a garden cost initially? It was back to the drawing board!

The first thing we found at the Theodore Payne Nursery was the Seaside Daisy. As we thought, the Nursery recommended this flower for borders and parkways -- and assured us that it was a flower that would be around all year long. Plus, it was highly affordable: one seed packet cost only $4.00. Las Pilitas also sold the Seaside Daisy for $7.99 per one gallon. Although recommended as a coastal plant, we decided to give it a try anyway. We liked the idea of its attracting butterflies. To keep the daisies healthy, Las Pilitas suggested watering and washing them "every couple of weeks." Jay was very pleased to hear that.

Next, we spent some time researching the Verbana lilacina. It is a drought tolerant plant -- good for Jay -- and requires little water. A perennial, its peak bloomtime is in the spring and summer. This would be a good plant for the shade -- which is exactly where we planned to keep it. Native to Cedros Island, off the coast of Baja, this plant should have no problem in the garden. The only problem now is finding it!

Meanwhile, I tried looking for "Creeping Thyme." There were many varieties of creeping thyme available from different outlets, and it was certainly considered a water conserving plant with a small height that would contrast well with the Verbana lilacina and the daisies. A 3-inch pot was available from Mountain Valley Growers for $4.50, which described it as a full sun plant. That would work well for Jay's garden, and I passed the news on to him.

Then we set to work looking for information on the Bush Monkeyflower. This perennial would have its peak blooming period around the same time as the Verbana lilacina, which would make the garden look just right at just the right time. Native to rocky coastal regions, it does not require much water -- plus, it would likely attract hummingbirds -- another point that Jay was pleased to hear. The Bush Monkeflower would also come in at a good height for Jay's garden -- at around 3 ft -- and would off-set the "Creeping Thyme" and the Verbana lilacina. The Fleabane that we planned on planting behind it and across the walkway would give unity to the color scheme. Plus, the Bush Monkeyflower was, like everything we found, easily affordable. We were having no problem discovering what we needed for our project.