RAIN GARDENS can be connected to a dry stream bed or simply an outlet pipe attached to the bottom of your rain gutter downspout. They can be elaborate garden style ponds that fill temporarily with seasonal storms. Or they can be simple infiltration pits dug in strategic places where deep holes are filled with gravel. Soil and plants are added on top. To filter out pollutants from runoff water through their rich surface soil.
Large rocks around the edges slow the flow of water and prevent erosion of your pit and surrounding parts of the garden. You want to place rocks to line the ends of your temporary pond. So you can ensure water pools where you want it. A full-size rain garden is made up of a drainage basin (with 3-10” deep of sharp gravel at bottom) and a planting bed on top. They help rainwater soak into your gardens AND recharge natural underground aquifers.
This infographic is of a full-size rain garden. With a french drain (weeping tile) placed along the bottom and fed to a stormwater outlet. This is good thing to add where easy, slow overland flow through the garden is not ideal or possible.
If you can run more rainwater through your garden (without causing significant erosion from water moving too fast) an overflow is a great way to do it. An overflow is just a flat lip at a low-point in the rain garden's edge where water moves on it's way out once the pond has filled. Hopefully that water has a vague gentle watercourse with a few twists and turns along the way the way to the storm drain. So that water and debris gets caught and soaks up into the garden even more!
Iris & Juncus grasses are some of the most commonly available flood adapted plants for California. Native (and bearded iris) varieties can take both floods and dry spells. Juncus or sedge grasses can come from all over the world. Native varieties like Juncus patens 'Elk blue' stand up to long droughts too. California rose (Rosa californica), native ferns & blue rye (Leymus condensatus) are other great options that naturally grow along streams and in part-shade.
Looking for rain garden Plants? Check out this rain garden-ready plant package inspired by the massive seasonal creek ecologies of the San Gabriel & Saddleback Mountains. Suitable for Northern California creek or pond sides too! It's great for natural seasonal streams in your yard and shady nooks too.
]]>
And it's only seasonally dry. Meaning that in rain events or other types of floods, these channels flow readily, moving the water through your landscape in the direction you want it to go. And helping absorb it deeper into your garden's reserves along the way.
Regardless, collecting water and channeling it through the landscape effectively is a rewarding and important task.
The #1 reason to build a dry streambed in California is to collect and absorb rainwater. There may come a day - like what would've happened at the end of 2022 if the rains didn't come - where large parts of arid California won't have much water available from the water companies for landscaping. So building the resiliency into the landscape with topsoil and rainwater capture is key.
Preventing erosion is WAY more important than a lot of people give it credit for. Did you know that healthy topsoil is actually a sponge? Good soil can store literally 100s of pounds of water in its top 6". So building its quality and protecting it is a really smart move.
"Look at it this way: with just %1 organic matter left in the topsoil...a [garden] can hold only about 33 lbs. of water per cubic meter. But if you increased that organic matter to just 5%, the soil moisture-holding capacity goes up to 195 lbs [per cubic meter]. That's nearly a sixfold difference in a [garden]'s capacity to buffer us from the effects of a drought or a flood."- Fred Kirschenmann (Nabhan's Growing Food in a Hotter Drier Climate ).
That means your soil, with healthy additions of compost and mulch can be holding almost as much water as a shallow pond IF its organic content is developed and cared for. Organic content by the way includes things like compost, worm castings, mulch (as it breaks down) and any loamy natural media.
How do you protect your topsoil? Slowing rainwater flow (or any accidental overland flow) allows your most nutrient-rich soil - which is at the top - to remain in place AND soak up the most water possible. Big rocks, logs and other natural breaks in the landscape can also provide checks to heavy flows. Add such checks on contour (sideways across any slopes at as flat an elevation as you can manage) wherever possible.
How do you add to your topsoil? Add organic matter like compost - at a significant rate, as much as can you manage without negatively effecting plants - and mulch it regularly (to 2" deep, not so much so that roots can't breath). As mulch breaks down into compost over time. Lightly till in leaf-litter and prunings instead of removing them from the landscape. Keep in mind that a lot of the most desert adapted plants, like the nitrogen-fixing Palo Verde tree prefer rock mulch or any less moist mulch layer directly over their root zone.
The hardest part? Getting your curves just right. You want a dry stream bed to go from the highest part of your yard to the lowest on an angle that keeps the water moving as slow as possible. At the low point or end you'll need a gentle overflow that leads into a gutter/storm drain or absorption pond. Or onto a driveway if not other options exist.
Start by marking a diagonal line from the highest point of your yard down to where you want your overflow to be. Then go back and add your gentle curves from there. Putting smaller curves at the top to gradual bigger ones at the bottom for the most visual appeal. These gentle curves help to slow the water down as it moves thru the landscape. And prevent overflow.
Next dig out your curvy trench. Take it slow if your soils hard. You want to get it to at least 16" deep and wide. But you can go wider at the bottom and narrower at the top to give it that good-looking magic (the change in widths creates a trompe l'olei effect where the streambed will look much bigger from the sidewalk this way). Make your trench a bit wider where the biggest rocks lining it will go. Pile soil in gentle mounds just beyond this. Or use it to build up new slightly raised garden beds in the landscape for your most drainage-sensitive plants.
Now line & fill your trench with big rocks. Anywhere from 4"-1' in size or larger. Using a mix of sizes makes it look the most natural. Finally fill it with gravel putting tiny and small rocks on top. The gravel acts as the filter at the bottom while the slightly larger rocks keep it in place. You can use all chunky gravel for the entire fill to simplify this step. Make sure to keep your final stream beds height at least 4-6" lower than the height of the rock border at the sides.
Curious about getting help with your custom design?
Here's one of my favorite dry riverbed designs. It was added to a large private forest restoration project in Altadena that I designed back when I was starting out in custom landscape design. The dry streambed connects a flowing fountain feature at the top to a very large storm channel a long ways away at the bottom (I saw bobcats in it while working on site :D). This connection gives the visual continuity of a true water feature and channeling any overland flow ever so carefully. The large native deer and blue rye grasses love the added drainage AND shade of an old-growth sycamore.
In California - where the weather is often an endless summer - it helps give us a sense of place and time to add fall color to the landscape. It can even help with your decorating and table accents! While other plants are frantic about the hot sun in December, your fall species will never lie about what time of year it is.
]]>
5 new rebate-qualifying plant palettes each with 2 different front yard layouts. And all kinds of options. Native feature lawn or no lawn at all. Color choices and plant ordering by the square foot so you can tailor your gardens to exactly how you need. Get full size plants with hedges and trees or attractive low-growing bedding plants only.
Here's what the plans include:
From the reinvention of Ranch to the smooth romance of Contemporary Style landscape design. "I wanted to bring these plans together with a simpler layout style and a little less planting density to make them more affordable and more beginner friendly," says designer (and author of this article) Briana Lyon.
To view the full Free 6-page landscape design plans, visit our Sierra Madre Greener Yards collection and view the package you're interested in. Or scroll through them here and click the images of the design you like.
Gentle asymmetry and clean lines combine in an alternating patchwork. To make up this elegant California landscape. With more foliage variety than flowers. Seasonal blooms still occur intermittently throughout the year.
Click here to view design (below pictures on product page)
A full fronting of easy ornamental grass Deer Grass provides a BIG modern lawn alternative to this simple yet stunning plant package. A small pollinator garden and native low-water privacy hedging make for an affordable garden with a classic look. Larger growing plants that fill lots of space once mature.
Click here to view design (below pictures on product page)
Architectural succulent plants and cactus fill out this formal Spanish courtyard garden. With a rainbow of smaller succulents filling in beneath. Low-water privacy hedges grow fruit and 2 dramatic small trees provide shade for relaxing seating.
Click here to view design (below pictures on product page)
This jewel-toned garden plays well with the deeper tones of Craftsman home color palettes. From silver-leaved beauties to purple leaved wonders your yard will be colorful all year long. Golden blossoms and fall-blooming grasses pop-up for seasonal shows too.
Click here to view design (below pictures on product page)
Silver leaved plants blossom purple much of the year with generous pink accents brightening shady corners. This Mediterranean California-native blend features delicate native trees, big blooming privacy hedging and a few succulent accents too.
Click here to view design (below pictures on product page)
These comprehensive designs feature the tips I've gleaned from 10 years in the sustainable landscaping industry. Including the MOST important thing I've learned: Soil preparation. Without assisting your soil's recovery new plants will struggle. And often fail. The most important thing you can do? More than anything, most drought tolerant plants need drainage. The fastest drainage cheat is simply to place 2" of lava rock in the bottom of your planting holes (I gleaned this tip from a Ruth Bancroft garden design seminar). You'll be amazed at the difference of how your California native and low water plants grow.
Greener Yards landscape design plans also include basic pruning tips as about 1/3 of drought tolerant plants look best with annual cutbacks. Or they get leggy. Checkout the full collection of products and guides by clicking here.
Q: Hi, I am looking at the Alt Lawn Ultra - Frogfruit Groundcover but was also looking at Dwarf Carpet of Stars, Ruschia lineolata 'Nana'. Can you explain the difference and climate preference?
Cool Video on Ruschia/Dwarf Carpet of Stars as a lawn alternative: https://youtu.be/enx1-qqEaCw
A: Hi G-,
It's how we combine plants that matters just as much as the individual species we choose (bye bye monocultures!). Literally, it's the most valuable thing I've learned about California gardening... how to put plants together in way that looks great, grows well & provides benefit for you and the environment (in Permaculture, we call these Guilds). So, I'm going to show you how to do it yourself by giving you some go-to Plant combos that you can find at almost any nursery and install at home today.
Salvia Leucophylla, Erigeron karvinskianus & Santolina virens (which looks a lot like moonshine yarrow) grow together in a garden.
3 Easy Native Flower Guild
Euphorbia tirucalli (firesticks), Agave americana (blue agave & variegated agave), Yucca aloifolia & Aloe 'blue elf' adorn a steep slope in San Diego
5 Easy Succulent Guild (Sun)
Echeverias, Aeoniums, Aloe Kalanchoe & Agave attenuata. All but echeverias can handle full sun or substantial shade.
5 Easy Succulent Guild (Shade):
Palo verde (Parkinsonia 'desert museum'), Lavender 'Goodwyn creek', Artemisia californica, Anigazanthos (kangaroo paw), Salvias and Rosemary blend together in this beautiful Mediterranean garden.
3 Easy Mediterranean Magic (Sun):
These are low-water, nicely formed varietals. Throw in a Palo Verde tree or two for an epic silver foliage / gold flowering accent combo! Or stick with Olive trees for something super soft and understated.
Heuchera 'creme brulee', Iris douglasiana, Salvia spatheca, Columbine and Western swordfern combine in this California native shade garden. Native fescue lawn blend in back.
4 Easy Native Greenery (shade):
California coffee berry / Cascara (Rhamnus californica 'eve case' or other) makes a great low-water camellia sized evergreen in shade and part shade. It can be very slow growing though so start with as large a plant as possible.
Coral bells 'Wendy', Iris and a Ginkgo Biloba tree shine in this partly shaded Pasadena courtyard. A small potted bay laurel in a shady corner in the back.
If there's one thing I know about landscapes, it's that if you're not attracted to them, you're not going to care much about them. So listen to your wildest dreams and start planting a yard that makes your senses tingle, cuz that's the only one that's going to last.
If there's one thing we know it's that growing food should be easy, affordable and damn good looking. You know that our region is home to one of the most productive farm belts in the world. But did you know California is also a paradise for perennial crop production?
We've put together a list of our favorite ultra easy low-water food producing crops so you can always have something to eat in your yard. Jussst in case of emergency (or pure curiosity). You'll recognize a few of these but there'll be quite a few more you never imagined putting in your salad.
Did you know the average American eats only 6 different fruits and vegetables in their regular diet? Even if you're a diverse omnivore our country's farms produce barely more than 36 different food crops. But there are literally 1000s of edible plant varieties on the planet.
Let's mix it up!
Click on the links for each plants to read about edibility ratings and toxicity risks. Don't be too intimidated by toxicity ratings. Just about every fruit or vegetable we eat has some (or even a lot). Why do you think beans and broccoli give us gas???
DISCLAIMER: Consume at your own risk. California Wild Gardens is not responsible for any and all effects related to plant consumption. Nor are any parties associated with California Wild Gardens. Always start with a small amount and see how your body responds before proceeding.
Persea americana - We know you know. These big juicy beasts are the talk of the California town. Avocado trees yield big bumper crops of fruit every other year. And their pits can be crushed for a delectable oil. They can be a bit tricky to grow as the trees get big and most require cross pollination. But more and more self-fertile - and also DWARF - varieties are coming out all the time...Like this "Little Cado"
Cercis Occidentalis - Western redbud is a gorgeous California chaparral native tree that produces pretty pink edible flowers in spring and edible [*when cooked*] purple bean pods in early fall. Paired with cute heart-shaped leaves, a preference for part shade and gorgeous fall color you got one magic easy-to-grow bean tree on your hands.
Cnidoscolus - Chaya, or Mayan Spinach, is my go to secret greens tree. Shade loving, latino growing cooking greens glory. Ultra nutrient dense leaves can be substituted for spinach, collard greens or chard. One less thing on the grocery bill here you come!
Acca sellowiana - The gorgeous flowers of this shiny-leaved hedge plant (or tree!) make a glamorous edible addition to deserts and salads. And then there's the fruit, little pineapple-banana custardy guavas. A favorite garden plant in Australia, check the blogs from down under for recipe ideas! Oh, and look out for squirrels, they love these things.
Agave Americana - That's right, this massive every L.A. backyard bad boy is also an epic emergency food - and water! - source. The young flowering stalks can be cooked as a vegetable and even the leaves can be cooked in a pinch.
Phyllostachys aurea - There are a dozen bamboo's that produce sweet shoots for preserving or eating fresh.This one is one of the sweetest, most readily available and consistent spring producers.
Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis - the less hybridized the varietal the better. The greens of this plant were one of the main salad ingredients on the chocolate farm I lived on in in Costa Rica. They're a tiny bit slimy but savory, juicy and with a slight spice that cuts up well with big chunks of carrots and lime. The flowers also make the classic tea and beverage ingredient! They grow like crazy without a lot of care and be pruned [aka harvested] regularly.
Pasiflora edulis - In addition to the smoothie star Passionfruit, the true Passion flower (an American native) can be cooked and eaten like a hearty vegetable. Sure it's hard to eat blossoms that are so big, beautiful and butterfly attracting but there's usually more than enough to go around. Of course dried passionfruit is a classic sleeping supplement and mood lifter in old fashion herbal remedies.
Simmondsia chinensis - The name might sound tropical, but this plant is actually a California desert native. The protein rich nuts were used for fodder for sheep and goats in much of the 19th century. While unprocessed the nuts have a bitter taste, their oil is highly sought after for skin care. We recommend having at least one nut producing plant in the garden for an emergency protein source, and this one is on a nice size with gorgeous olive-like foliage.
Ribes aureum - Beautiful generous producer of juicy wine berries the whole family can snack on. A true California native that can grow in full sun or part shade and churns out a pest resistant crop for long periods.
Hemerocallis fulva (or any less hybridized yellow variety) - A popular vegetable in China the yellow buds cook up like fragrant green beans. The shoots cook up like a fresher version of asparagus. The flowers petals also make a gorgeous and juicy addition to salads.
Canna - We saved one of the most essential for last: gorgeous, easy grow root vegetables. Root vegetables are important and often forgotten crops to add to your larder.
Cordyline - Darn good-looking easy grow root vegetables! sweet starchy tuber that grows gorgeously in shade, pots or tropical gardens
A few others to think about: dragon fruit, pitaya and other cactus fruits (like night blooming cactus!), air potato, lotus root and SO much more! Don't forget the self-spreading walking onions.
In short there's an endless cornucopia of exciting culinary prospects out there just waiting to fill out our dinner plates.
Curious about more crazy edibles? Check out Eric Toensmeir, Food forester at large, Perennial Vegetables and author
And Our favorite predictable vegetables:
Arugala, Kale, Tomato/Pepper, Squash, Beans
]]>
I love combing the streets of suburban L.A. for landscaping surprises. This gem in South Pasadena caught my eye one early spring in 2019. Take a look!
Cascades of aeonium, desert spoon, California poppy, Nasturtium (edible!) and African daisy intertwine with moneky flower, penstemon and fire poker.
Blue chalkstick, black (zwerktop aeonium), Desert verbena and a variety of allows start making things REAL exciting!
Round it out with an olive tree, a honey pod mesquite tree and some towering cactus and you've got yourself one wildly creative California garden.
]]>Now that citrus has been under quarantine (just like us except for the last 5 years!) in much of Southern California, not only is finding a good specimen a challenge but moving it without a license can come with a hefty fine.
But there is SOME good news. A number of smaller nurseries (like Boulevard Nursery in Pasadena last I checked), still carry 5 gallon citrus trees and smaller specimens in bigger pots. These can often grow FASTER than trees that start larger because their roots don't take as long as big trees to recover from planting.
So grab what you can find! Or think about any number of these awesome low-water fruit trees that grow well in Southern California - and sometimes, pack a sour punch:
Or try some more exotic fruits...
Whether you're dead set on citrus - don't be afraid to start small! - or down to try something new.... planting fruit trees will pack your yard with powerful environmental benefits.
Looking for full-size plants in L.A. with easy curbside delivery?
>>SHOP OUR EDIBLE PLANT PACKS <<
]]>