By Julie Orr and Stephanie Morris

1) Winnifred Gilman Salvia, Salvia Clevelandii ‘Winnifred Gilman’ – This cultivar related to Cleveland Sage is evergreen and shoots out sprays of tall blue-violet flowers drawing delicate hummingbirds, butterflies and helpful insects.

2) Saint Catherine’s Lace, Eriogonum giganteum – The evergreen is valued for rapid growth, gray foliage and white blooms.

3) California Fuchsia, Epilobium canum- Easy to grow, this flower is most alluring to hummingbirds. It has red flowers and sweet nectar.

4) Deer grass, Muhlenbergia rigens – This excellent accent plant features long seed heads, and you can enjoy seeing them sway under a gentle breeze.

5) Ray Hartman Ceanothus, Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’ – A popular California lilac, this small tree makes an excellent focal point for tiny gardens. Also looks amazing against a wall or fence as an espalier.

6) Western Redbud, Cercis occidentalis- This treasure features heart-shaped leaves and gives off a breathtaking winter show of hot pink buds.

7) Bush Anemone, Carpenteria californica– The joyful evergreen native features dark green leaves year round and surprises all with white fragrant flowers blooming from spring to summer.

8. Paradise Manzanita, Arctostaplyos parahoensis- This is considered a great plant because of its year round appeal with evergreen foliage and nice red bark. Hummingbirds love its bell shaped flowers.

9) Pacific Coast Iris, Iris douglasiana ­­ ­­- A spring blooming small scale plants tolerant of part shade and moist or dry soils, with showy flowers in the spring.

10) Seaside Daisy, Erigeron ‘Wayne Roderick’- It is one of the few that flowers in the spring, summer and fall as long as you keep deadheading the spent flowers. Perfect along the edge of a pathway.

Choosing a hot tub that is right for you involves many important considerations. Here is a checklist of items to remember when you going shopping for your spa:

1. Decide if you are using 110v or 220v. Only the small spas are available in 110 volt
2. How many people should your spa hold. The typical range is 2, 3, 4 or 6 person tubs
3. Would you like a high profile (36-37″ tall with more legroom) or a low profile (about 32″ tall) *Designer tip- consider sinking your spa into a custom deck for the look of a built-in spa at a portable spa price
4. Do you want oscillating jets (they move side to side for better coverage of sore muscles) for the ultimate massage experience or will you be happy with straight jets
5. Filtration. The better models filter up to 50,000 gallons of water per day. This means you use fewer chemicals and you don’t have to change your water as often
6. Features. What do you really need and what can you live without?
1. Stereo. Yes, little speakers by your head playing your favorite tunes
2. Aromatherapy. Added scents to freshen the smell of the water like lavender, eucalyptus or vanilla
3. Added insulation. As an upgrade you can get denim insulation to keep the tub’s heat in, thereby saving you energy
4. Color. Not only do you get to choose the tub color but also the exterior.

Another important consideration is to buy from a reputable company with a proven service record on delivering: quality products, installations and warranties.  Many of our client’s have been happy with their Sundance Spas.

This Santa Clara couple did an Express Garden to come up with a plant pallet that would encourage hummingbirds while also being a safe haven for their two new dogs. Since puppies are known for nibbling, the plants selected were not only durable but also non-toxic. The theme is causal, low maintenance and relaxing.

The homeowner’s favorite pastime is to sit under under the arbor with his laptop on a sunny day and hang out with the dogs.

Did you know that even the careful use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides may cause illness in some people or their pets? By using organic methods of landscaping, you can reduce the health risk to you and your loved ones, save money and contribute to the well being of your local ecosystem/environment.

Organic gardening protects all of us

Here are five organic techniques you can use on your lawn and in your garden.

1. Wherever possible, use native plants or plants from similar environmental conditions, to make organic gardening easier.  Natives frequently require less water, fertilizer, and care than non-native, exotic plants. Click herefor more benefits while gardening with natives.
   

   California native front yard garden

2. To keep your lawn healthy and resistant to weeds, use organic methods to care for the soil and the grass. Organic fertilizers, compost materials, and worm castings may be more expensive to purchase than chemical fertilizers, but they do not need to be applied to lawns as frequently, making the actual costs even out over the long term. Using the appropriate amount of water by staggering your watering intervals, will also keep your lawn healthy and stimulate long root growth.
3. Use aeration, a technique of punching small holes in the lawn, to allow air, water and nutrients to reach more deeply into the lawn’s root system. Not only will your lawn be more beautiful, a healthy lawn will be weed and pest free. You can also use a 50:50 mix of sand and organic compost spread in a thin layer over your lawn as top dressing to strengthen your lawn.
4. Collect leaves, pine needles and weed-free plant clippings to create compost that you can use on your lawn and your other plantings. Leaves have an appropriate name because it’s ok to actually ‘leave’ them where they land in your yard.  For example, oak leaves make excellent mulch around the base.
   

   Fallen leaves look natural in this lawn-free front yard

5. Hire a landscape maintenance company who also practices organic methods. Again, the initial expense may be higher than your typical mow-blow-and-go type service, but it’s not worth it to have you or your garden’s health compromised.

Practicing organic gardening techniques can save you money, reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals, and improve the planet.

Creating a garden that stimulates all of your senses using water-wise plants, can be very rewarding.  Enjoying not only the sights and smells of your garden, but hearing, touching and tasting it is a matter of choosing just the right plant and locating it where it will deliver the most enjoyment to your senses.

Touch A garden pathway is an ideal place to locate touchable plants such as New Zealand Wind Grass, Stipa arundinacea or native Deer Grass such as Muhlenbergia ngens.  They invite visitors to linger while gently passing the foliage or flower over their hand.  Using walk-able ground covers such as Yarrow, Achillea tomentosa on pathways instead of stone or grass will provide your feet with unexpected sensation.  Kids love the deceptively soft foliage of Lambs Ears, Stachys byzantina; it’s like having a petting zoo in their own backyard.

Stachys bizantina, Stipa arundinacea, Rosmarinus prostratus

Sound Instead of depending upon wind chimes to add sound to your garden, add trees or shrubs that attract song birds or humming birds to bring in natural sounds.   Nectar producing shrubs such as Ava’s Hummingbird Mint, Agastache ‘Ava’ attract hummingbirds.  To enjoy the gurgling sound of water slowly running over stones, add a water feature or a pond-less urn-style fountain.   Capture the sound of the breeze rustling through the grass by adding tall clumping Feather Reed Grass, Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster.’

Water feature surrounded by edible strawberries designed by Julia Konye, Green Willow Gardens

Smell By spreading roses throughout the garden rather than grouping them all in one area, visitors enjoy their intoxicating scent repeatedly. Heirloom roses, found at specialty stores like Roses of Yesterday and Today, have the best fragrance.  Adding plants that have scented foliage such as Cleveland Sage, Salvia clevelandii and Lemon thyme, Thymus citriodorus to areas around pathways, smell wonderful when brushed against.  Consider growing perfumed vines to add even more fragrance.  While the Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’ is a popular choice for its sweet perfume that can fill a garden, remember that it is also toxic to pets.

Sit on the bench and enjoy the fragrant apple blossoms and lavender. Design by Julie Orr.

Taste You can look beyond your vegetable garden for edible plants, your ornamental garden can offer its own tasty delights. New varieties of artichokes, cabbage and lettuce offer distinctive foliage colors and textures that fit well with perennials.  Edible flowers such as nasturtiums and pansies can be added to salads or used as garnish.  Culinary herbs such as oregano, sage, or rosemary can be mixed with perennials.

Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea; Delta Sunflower, Helianthus annuus, attract pollinators. Garden design Julie Orr

Sight Creating a pleasing visual picture can be done by varying the height, form, color and texture of your plantings.  Placing ground covers in contrasting colors under taller perennials will add sparkle.  Adding outdoor lighting will illuminate your garden at night. Use a neighbor’s tree or other element as a center of visual interest for creating a frame of your own. An element of mystery can be added by having garden pathways disappear behind larger plantings.

What sensory experience do you want to add to your garden?  A well designed sustainable sensory garden can provide long term enjoyment of earthly delights.

Thank you Maureen Decombe, Green Willow Gardens, for permission to use your pictures as design examples.

One of the reasons bocce ball courts have become so popular in California has to do with our love of wine and all things Mediterranean. Let’s face it; bocce is one of the few sports that can be played while holding a glass a wine without spilling a drop.

If you are not a wine enthusiast, that’s ok too, because bocce ball is just plain fun. At half the size of tennis court and about a third of the cost, bocce is a great way to spend time outside with family and friends.

The components to building a court are quite simple, but the installation takes experience and knowledge from a licensed landscape contractor. Let’s review what’s involved:

1. You need a perimeter railing. There are many options from pressure treated wood, fiber board (like Trex or Timber Tech), concrete or dimensional stone.
2. Trenching with a Bobcat to remove soil provides the foundation of your court
3. Adding drainage can be tricky depending on your site.  Call a licensed contractor to design a drainage system that will meet your site requirements.
4. Weed fabric, base rock with small fines and a compacted playing surface add the finishing touch. Crushed oyster shells are traditional for the top layer but short lived. For a longer lasting material try clay stone dust or oyster shell powder.
5. Add soft plantings and ample seating around your court for a relaxed, inviting feel.

Installed by Landmark Landscapes

This backyard  in Saratoga involved a huge transformation to remove a dominating and unused swimming pool and to find new homes for all the non-native plants. The result is a water-wise garden with features like a small twin-boulder fountain and a riparian rain garden that collects storm water from the home’s downspouts. The design meanders around the garden to reveal other outdoor rooms like a shade arbor for relaxing, a cooking platform and raised planter beds for vegetables and roses

Other Garden Attractions:  a boulder fountain pond and a riparian rain garden.

This is a Certified Wildlife Habitat. Shelter and nesting are provided by the abundant native plants, dense shrubs, a wood pile, and bird and bee houses. Seeds, berries and insects provide food, while the pond  supplies fresh water.

Before Julie Orr Design