spring…

Spring has pretty much zipped past with another fabulously busy season!  Thanks to all of my wonderful clients for letting me share in the joy of creating their gardens.

A few of the Bliss gardens in spring….

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blowing in the wind

Last weekend, I flew to LA to do path & bed layout in my parents garden.  We chucked the large, water needy lawn in favor of winding paths, small seating nooks and drought tolerant beds.  I am excited about the design – below is the mock up I did to share the concept with my folks.

Design Mock Up

For inspiration, my mom showed me this garden near her that has used masses of Nassella tenuissima (formerly Stipa) with Senecio mandraliscae ’Blue Chalk Sticks’, Aeonium arboreum var atropurpureum ‘Schwarzkopf’ and euphorbia under large established palms.  The wind was blowing, and the effect breathtaking with the grasses dancing in the wind.  You could see their movement from a block away.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we can only grow the wonderful succulents as annuals, but the grass is hardy and fabulous for a dry, sunny position.  Other drought tolerant plants appropriate for our climate such as Festuca glauca ’Elijah Blue’, Nepeta x faassenii ’Walker’s Low’, sedum, euphorbia and sempervivum can be used with the Nassella.  Throw some echeveria and the senecio in a low bowl for an annual display and to get your succulent fix. 

Keep in mind that while the drought tolerant plants are great for our dry summers, the wet winter and spring can kill drought tolerant plants if drainage is not adequate.  Mounded beds with a good base layer of sandy loam helps keep these plants from rotting and many of these types of plants prefer a leaner soil so go easy on the compost mulch.

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