Border Areas

I'm working my way around the border of the front yard on the picture window side. Today, I finished the area on the sidewalk and began working my way up the path.



I continued the pattern of alternating canyon sunflower with margarita penstemon and using the pitcher sage as a focal point.

Along the path, I talked to Kat at Grow Native Nursery and I've decided to go with a low matting penstemon (Penstemon procerus), which has the advantage of not having to delay gratification because they can be spaced closely together (the disadvantage is the cost of planting so many of them only one foot apart).


I've decided to run a row of hummingbird sage behind them, these need to be spaced three feet apart to allow them to spread (I had to go a little bit further than three feet with one when I hit a sprinkler line). Here you can see the juxtaposition:




I still need one or two more hummingbird sages and probably nine more of the small penstemon.

At the foot of the stairs I needed to find something that could grow in full shade and fairly damp soil. I went with the maidenhair fern.


Next week, I'm going to finish the border on the path and start the process of filling in the ground cover. This will be a low matting manzanita. Because there will be so many blank areas for 2-3 years until it fills in, I've been sprinkling wild flower seeds under the mulch.