This article has suggestions for landscaping in Southern California.
Water is the most important consideration when planning to landscape your yard, as in how to minimize the use of water. Southern California in its natural state is a semi-arid desert. Since Southern California goes through periods of drought and imports most of its water, it makes sense ecologically to use as little water as possible. And, it saves money on your water bill.
Ideas, tips and advice for southern california landscaping
Grass is a big water hog. Some experts say that grass needs about an inch of water every week. This might not seem like a lot, but multiply one inch times the square footage of all of the grass in your yard, then add in some more for hand watering brown spots, and finally throw in more water for runoff, and you have probably used more water than you realize. If you have a 10 by 20 foot lawn, you should be using a minimum of 2,400 inches of water a week to keep your grass green. That is a lot of bathtubs full of water! Does this mean that you have to give up your grass? No. But, you might want to reduce the area of your traditional lawn by planting combinations of low water drinking grasses like Blue Wildrye, Buffalo Grass, Bear Grass, Blue Oat Grass, or Giant Feather Grass. Planting these grasses will not only save on your water usage, you will be also be spending less time mowing and you will be making your yard more visually interesting by varying the textures, the colors and the heights of your grasses.
What about flowering plants? Sages do not require a lot of water, have different colored flowers, and are also fragrant. Look into Baja Blanco Cedros Island Sage, Black Sage, or Creeping Sage. What about flowers that attract hummingbirds? California Fuchsias, Royal Beard Tongues, and Bladder Pods do not require huge amounts of water and attract hummingbirds. How about plants that attract butterflies? Try Baja Fairy Dusters, Golden Yarrow, or Hearst California Lilacs and save on water. Don’t forget California Poppies. Add some White California Poppies for a nice annual bed.
What about a cactus or a succulent garden? Cacti like the Barrel Cactus, the Blue Blade, and the Hildemann Cactus have contrasting shapes, colors, and flowers, and all three like part sun and part shade. Your succulent garden might combine Chalk Dudleya, Colorado Four o’Clock, Felt Plant, Purple Stonecrop, and Medicinal Aloe, all presenting different shapes and sizes. Some of these succulents will even attract more hummingbirds. You might also consider combining your succulents and cacti to give the area a more exotic look.
Now that you have different areas of interest in your yard, put in stepping stones to go from one area to the next. Or, plan a rock path to a shady tree and put a bench underneath to catch the evening breeze. And since you are saving so much water, you might want to install a wall fountain so that you can hear the soothing sounds of gentle splashing when you are at home.
Water is a precious resource in Southern California. You will be saving water and money by changing your plants to ones that require less water, not to mention saving some mowing time. Remember to turn on those sprinklers in the morning and in the evening, but not during the middle of the day to maximize the amount of water that actually can be used by your plants and minimize evaporation. Enjoy your new yard.
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