Front Planters are Done

Between trips to the Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley and the Grow Native Nursery in Westwood, I've finished by front planter boxes.

On near the ends, I've put in Western Columbine (Aquilegia formosa). This will get about two feet tall and wide, with three-foot high reddish-orange flower stalks. It only last a few years, but will reseed.


Closer to the front door, in the area that almost never gets sun, I've planted Canyon Sunflower (Venegasia carpesioides). This can get three to five feet high, with bright yellow flowers.


Here's the completed planter in front of the living room:


Here's the completed planter in front of the bedroom (I still need to mulch this one):


I put down wild flower seeds on the area where the UC Verde hybrid grass will go in the spring. Working with Kat at the Grow Native Nursery, I bought a packet of Clarkia Farewell to Spring (Clarkia unguiculata). This should mesh nicely with the grass, and fill in some of the gaps until the grass grows.


This means that I've planted wildflower seeds in all the areas of the front of the house, except the planters and the west parkway strip. In many areas, the seed has started to sprout. Here's a patch at the bass of the desert willow:


The hummingbird sage is a bit confused by the weather and almost all of them are in different stages of blossoming.

Here are two along the front walk way:



And here are the first ones I planted, in the planter between the side gate and the garage:


And here are some panorama shots of the front yard. I'm getting lots of compliments from neighbors.