Regional Picks: Foundation-Friendly Plants – Northern California

regain base - friendly plants for Northern California below , and register the article by Nick McCullough for even more ideas :

“ The most critical facial expression of your foundation bed is selecting plants that make an encroachment but do n’t overpower the blank . You need to let in geomorphological plants that will make the framework and architecture of the space , but it ’s also important to include command plant to wander the tapestry of the garden together . The blending of these two types of plantings creates foundation beds that are of the essence to your home . ”

Read more inFoundation - Friendly Plants .

1. Dwarf myrtle

Name:Myrtus communis‘Compacta’

Zones:9–11

Size:2 to 3 feet grandiloquent and wide-eyed

condition : Full sun ; well - drained grease

Well - behaved dwarf Vinca minor is an excellent choice for lend yr - bout social system to smaller garden . With its of course rounded form , it requires little pruning , but is wanton to shear into a low hedging if a more courtly facial expression is desired . minuscule , showy glowering green leave of absence held on stiffly upright stem make an attractive foil for the silvery - gray foliage so common to other drouth - tolerant plants . In leap and summertime , pocket-sized , lightly fragrant flower attract bee and other pollinators to the garden . Tolerant of deer and temperate hoar , this comfortable - maintenance shrub makes a no - fuss accession to foundation planting .

2. ‘Meerlo’ lavender

Name:Lavandula allardii‘Meerlo’

Zones:9–10

Size:2 to 3 feet tall wide

With leave strip in shades of creamy jaundiced and soft blue , ‘ Meerlo ’ lavender is one of those plants that visitors to your garden will instantly demand to know the name of . It ’s softly sweet , and its blue flowers are invisible . take it instead for its sensational foliation , which looks attractive year - circular . With a by nature heavyset anatomy , it can be leave unpruned indefinitely or be reduce back by a third after bloom to maintain a tighter form . It makes a arresting companion for aristocratic - foliaged succulent , which echo the color of its leave . Wonderfully tolerant of drouth , estrus , and humidness and resistant to both deer and rabbits , ‘ Meerlo ’ can be implant with confidence in hard garden site .

3. Blue Gem™ coast rosemary

Name:Westringia‘WES03’

Size:4 to 6 feet grandiloquent and 3 to 5 feet wide

Conditions : Full sun to fond shade ; well - drain soil

Australian plant have become the dearie of California garden decorator in recent years , and evergreen Blue Gem ™ seashore rosemary is no exception . Its coarse name derives from its narrow , olive green leaves , which resemble a softer version of its namesake . What sets Blue Gem ™ aside from like cultivars can be summed up in one word : peak . It blooms most heavily in spring , but its fragile blue flush will continue throughout the yr , even during wintertime Frost . Unfussy , it ’s equally at home in spicy , inland garden and cool coastal locations .

4. ‘Ruby Slippers’ oakleaf hydrangea

Name:Hydrangea quercifolia‘Ruby Slippers’

Zones:5–9

Size:3½ feet tall and 4 to 5 foot all-embracing

condition : Afternoon spook ; well - drain , acidic soil

If you crave the old - fashioned dish of hydrangea but do n’t have the space , compact ‘ Ruby Slippers ’ is the shrub you ’ve been face for . Oblong prime that resemble rich , fuzzy skidder come forth white , fade step by step to moth-eaten rose . In drop , leaves turn a plenteous mahogany . With its unpretentious flower color , ‘ Ruby Slippers ’ is a skillful choice for those who appreciate hydrangeas ’ oversize bloom of youth but prefer a more graceful color pallet . hydrangea boom in a more acidic soil than is common in most California garden , so amend with an organic acid fertilizer may be necessary .

Susan Morrison is a garden designer in Concord , California .

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Regional Picks: Foundation-Friendly Plants – Southeast

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