Answer from Pat:
Trees that will survive on the oceanfront in Southern California include the following: Monterey cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa), Leyland cypress (x Cupressocyparis leylandii), flooded gum tree (Eucalyptus rudis), bushy yate (E. conferruminata usually sold as E. lehmannii), compact sugar gum (E. cladocalilyx ‘Nana’), flame eucalyptus (E. ficifolia), rustyleaf fig (Ficus rubiginosa), cajeput tree (Melaleuca quinquenervia), New Zealand Christmas tree (Metrosideros excelsa), M collina ‘Spring Fire’ or ‘Figi’; palm trees including Brahea edulis, Butia capitata, Chamerops, cocos, Phoenix canariensis, P. dactylifer, P.reclinata, Sabal blackburniana, S. palmetto, Washingtonia robusta; Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis), shore pine (P. contorta), Bosnian pine (P. heldreichii), Bishop pine (P. muricata),) Italian stone pine (P. pinea), holly oak (Quercus ilex), and California laurel (Umbellaria californica).

Shrubs that will survive on the oceanfront in Southern California include:strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), natal plum (Carissa macrocarpa), rockrose (Cistus), wire netting plant (Corokia cotoneaster), Australian fuchsia (Correa), hop bush (Dodonaea viscosa), lemon leaf (Eleagnus), pink flowered shrub (Escallonia), evergreen euonumus (Euonymus japonicus), Grisiliana, needle bush (Hakea), Hebe, Juniperus (several), Kalanchoe, Lantana, lavender (Lavandula), tea tree (Leptospermum), Melaleuca, oleander (Nerium oleander), Jerusalem sage (Phlomis), Pittosporum crassifolium, P. tobira, Protea compacta, Italian buckthorn (Rhamnus alaternus), Rhaphiolepis, lemonade berry (Rhus integrifolia), Ramana rose (Rosa rugosa), rosemary (Rosmarinus officianalis), evergreen viburnum (Viburnum), coast rosemary (Westringea fruticosa)

Perennials that will survive on the oceanfront in Southern California include: yarrow (Achillea), agapanthus, Tree aloe (Aloe arborescens) and others, sea pink (Armeria maritima), Artemisia, Carex, Jupiters beard (Centranthus ruber), Cape rush (Chondropetalum elephantinum), marguerite (Chrysanthemum frutescens), ground morning glory (Convolvulus sabatius), Dianthus, Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans), seaside daisy (Erigeron), buckwheat (Eriogonum), Euphorbia (several types), Euryops, blue marguerite (Felicia amelloides), Gazania, Iceplants (many kinds), sea lavender (Limonium pereziii), Pink muhlie grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris), Mexican feather grass (Nassella tenuissima), garden geraniums of all kinds (Pelargonium), New Zealand flax (Phormium), lavender cotton (Santolina), Succulents of many varieties—(virtually all of them. I have seen whole gardens of succulents on the cliffs overlooking the sea), and Yucca. Among flowering bulbs try Naked ladies (Amaryllus belladonna). Years ago great drifts of these bulbs made a huge show with aloes, thriving and blooming their heads off on bare cliffs overlooking the sea.

For annuals try nasturtiums planted in fall and coastal wildflowers also planted in fall. Water them to get them started. In dry areas with no summer water, try the California native plants sea dahlia (Coreopsis maritima) and giant sea dahlia (Coreopsis gigantea). Neither of these can take any summer water unless provided by Mother Nature herself.

Good choices for potted plants that will survive on the oceanfront in Southern California include many kinds of geraniums and succulents. Use rocks, pebbles, stepping stones, shells, bottles, driftwood, bleached rope, and flotsam and jetsam to create interest in your seaside garden. You can even fill an old rowboat with garden soil and use it as a raised bed. All of the plants mentioned here are good anywhere close to the coast. In back of the house in a sunny spot out of the wind and in a raised bed or a rowboat you could even grow vegetables and herbs. Surround the rowboat with scented geraniums for a great look.

Related posts:

1. Native Plants Of Southern California’s Coastal Zones
2. Beach Front Plants for English Seacoast Gardens
3. Native Plants of the Southern California Coast

Question from Christy:

Answer from Pat:
Before I can answer your question I have to ask for some more information:

You asked me about planting a bank with succulents and natives but then you mentioned fruits and vegetables. I am so sorry but I don’t understand. Is this bank to be planted with succulents and natives or is it to be planted with fruits and vegetables? Or is there a terraced section on this bank or perhaps multiple terraces that you wish to plant with fruits and vegetables. Please describe the bank and your plans for it more fully so I can answer in a more informed manner.

Related posts:

1. How to Space Plants when Planting a Bank
2. Planting on a Bank & Best Substitutes for Lawns
3. Companion Planting Has No Scientific Basis but Planting a Wide Range of Crops Works

Answer from Pat:
Heartwarming to hear how you love that old book but of course wish you’d try the new one. (Didn’t you ever notice that I omitted geraniums? By mistake of course.I wrote the section but it “fell off” the end of a document and never made it into that first book. So much for being a computer idiot at the time. A lot of other things didn’t get into to it either, including all the opening chapters (due to lack of space.) But after that first book’s huge success, I was able to put all the accidentally and on-purpose omitted stuff into the second edition published ten years later in 2000, and now the new edition (2010) has all that and more and is all-organic to boot. I’ve gone back to my roots on our Pennsylvania organic 1940′s farm and “tell all” about organic gardening and farming, how and why in the introductory chapter.

I know Hancock Park well. What a great place in which to live! One of my five grandchildren, Rebecca Woolf, blogger extraordinaire (http://www.girlsgonechild.net/2010/04/garden.html,) and her husband Hal and their kids Archer and Fable lived nearby, all squashed together in a little house in Larchmont, for five years, but now they have moved up in the world, to Hollywood, a month ago. I haven’t seen their house (still a rental) yet but intend to soon.

Now for your chain link fence. My younger daughter, Wendy, Rebecca’s mom, and husband Larry planted star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) and potato vine (Solanum jasminoides) on a fence between themselves and next door neighbors must be 25 years ago. It’s still there. If ever messy or a bit overgrown, they just chop away at it. It’s provided good privacy. I planted star jasmine, some in shade, some in sun here at my house on a fence. That was 1982. It’s still fine. We try to control width by shearing it after bloom. Works pretty well and gives me excellent privacy from the road below the bank. It’s not on chain link but similar since one could see through if no growth on it. The look is of a hedge, which I like, and also the flowers are so delightfully fragrant for a month or more. Other things I like for chain link fences are Thunbergia gregori, Bougainvillea x buttiana ‘Golden Glow’, Blue Sky Vine (Ipomoea indica) but problably not a good choice since it’s invasive—Nonetheless I love it—, and Pyrostegia venusta. Another thought is Lavender trumpet vine (Clytostoma callistegioides.) It’s such a splash of color and long spring and summer bloom and no pests or diseases, any kind of soil, and easy to control. Only problem: A bit slow to start.

One caveat on jasmine: Begin with plants that are already on trellis in 5 gallon cans. You should be able to get them right now since they are still in bloom. Set them in the ground so the trellises touch. This will give you a fast cover. There is no rule saying you have to have only one thing. You could plant a splash of color as well. A bougainvillea in the hottest spot for example. It wants full sun and hot hot spot to do it’s best. Since you have red clay soil, dig half a coffee can full of gypsum into the bottom of every planting hole to improve drainage. Gardens are great in Hancock Park. That nutritious clay soil can grow great roses and many other flowering plants. Re: thickness, shear to control after bloom. Let the neighbors worry about their side. Pyrostegia venusta drapes down like a curtain, not thick. Thick is nice since it’s private.

Longtime friend of mine, the late great Chuck Kline of Seaworld, once said to me, “If you want to grow something, try it. If it’s the wrong thing, change it! Don’t be afraid to yank things out and try something else.” So really you can’t go wrong. If I were you I’d do star jasmine and plant now.

Great idea about your formal potage. Have fun! (Sounds as if you are.)

Related posts:

1. Choosing a vine for dappled shade
2. Climbing Patio Plants
3. Cutting back a Passion Vine (passiflora)

Question from Cat:

Answer from Pat:
Thank you so much for this enquiry. About seven years ago my insurance company informed me that they would need to greatly increase my homeowners insurance if I continued to open my garden to tours and visits from the public. That put an end to visits to my garden from members of the public. Now my garden is back to being what it was always meant to be in the first place: A happy outdoor space for my own enjoyment and for the enjoyment of family and friends. The time felt exactly right. There are many great gardens out there, far better ones than mine now is. It is time for younger folks to take over.

Since making that decision, I’ve been simplifying my garden and making it easier care and more drought-resistant. I got rid of all my tubs and containers or most of them, pulled out all overly-thirsty plants, covered the spaces with mulch, replaced some with natives, added new potted arrangements of succulents, and installed a huge succulent bank next to the drive. It hardly ever gets watered. I’m now saving about one hundred dollars on every water bill. I’m also trying to resist temptations that arise sometimes to add more plants. The main additions today are fun things for my great-grandchildren, like potted “fairy gardens” and a projected “dinosaur garden”. We already have a “pirate garden” and may make a hobbit house or two. Wandering paths and flights of steps I made of sacks of concrete, hardened under the hose, already create fun places for my beloved great-grandson Archer to run around on. But I have to tell you I simply adore all four of them: Archer, Anushka, Fable, and Jade.

Here are some photos of my garden taken last Easter by my granddaughter Rebecca Woolf.
http://www.girlsgonechild.net/2010/04/garden.html

She has posted some other ones also: Click on this link to a photo of the very simple “fairy garden” I made with the help of my friend Denise.
http://www.girlsgonechild.net/2009/11/treasured.html

Regarding Great Dixter, Christopher Lloyd and I were friends. He visited my garden years ago. I visited him with my granddaughter Rachel Woolf when she was 13 years old and I took her on a trip to Spain, Scotland, and England. Christo gave me the room in which he was born. Rachel had been in another room but after going to bed, crept in to join me, even though Christo had said very decisively “My house is NOT haunted!” (We didn’t say it was, but you know he was a character.) So while we were there we both slept in the bed in which Christo had been born. That whole long weekend was a great experience and we drank a lot of very good champagne. This photo was taken by a lovely visitor to the garden during one of our afternoon walks around the garden. (Please say hi to Fergus.)

Related posts:

1. Multi-media Garden Mural: How to Create
2. Thomas Welsh
3. Romancing the Garden: A philosophy of gardening Pt 4

From Kathy:

I thought maybe two bushes on the bottom in the slide area one aon  the top part of the easement on the bottom slope  and then put another one further down toward the street.  How many do you think I need for the upper part?

Answer from Pat:
To space plants properly, first measure the space, then look up the plants in Sunset Western Garden Book, or in paperback books on ground covers, or ask your nursery. Every plant has appropriate guidelines for spacing. (ie, how many feet or inches apart the plant needs to go.) Some landscapers put plants much too close together for quick effect.This is a bad idea since after a year or two the homeowner is always needing to cut back. You can figure out how far plants need to be put apart from each other, simply by knowing the eventual size of the plant, and doing a plot plan so each plant fills that amount of space and the edges touch. For small groundcovers. make a triangle of cardboard, each side being the distance apart. Use it for placing plants at appropriate distance from each other in a triangular, diagonal pattern.

Related posts:

1. Planting a Bank
2. Planting on a Bank & Best Substitutes for Lawns
3. Correcting Erosion on a Steep Bank in Encino

Question from Kathy:

I have a new problem and do not know what to do. I live on top of a steep hillside and have been here for 34 yrs. I have never had a mudslide. However, the hillside is in three levels and the bottom one had a some mudslide last winter. It was covered with the old heavy ice plant and the woman who lives across the street from my hill started pulling it out and planted red apple and some nasturtiums as she didn’t like the weeds in between the ice plant. Now I need to know how to fix this problem.

What is the best and toughest ground cover ?

I live in Rancho Palos Verdes. The slide is about 3 feet deep by about 4′ wide at the top and a narrow 9′ down to the street . It has thick red apple on one side and scattered old ice plant on the other side. Thank you so much

Answer from Pat:
Thanks for kind comment. Below are a lot of ways to fix a steep bank. I think I was considering a larger space than you actually have, but I have given you so much to chose from you can make it fit your needs. Also this advice may help others who read this site.

As you undoubtedly know landslides on the Palos Verdes Peninsula can be a serious matter since they might signal a problem with an entire strata of wet adobe soil slipping down over a harder layer of soil below. This kind of slide can happen when the “tow” of a hillside has been unwisely bulldozed or cut into. It might be wise for you to contact your UC Extension Home Horticultural Advisor, Department of Agriculture, or your local city officials before trying to do anything to correct the slide so you can first make sure there is no serious slippage problem in this case. In many cases in the past mudslides have endangered houses or even lives, though yours sounds smaller in scope than were those.

Once you have determined that this is not a widespread or potentially dangerous situation, then you can undertake some steps to try to correct the problem. First, ice plant is seldom a good solution for a very steep bank, since it can actually pull a bank down by its own weight. Nonetheless if it is growing there already and holding a bank it’s unwise to pull it out as your neighbor did since this can make the whole bank slide as happened in this case. A wiser way to make a change is to cut the ice plant short and leave the roots in place, then plant right through it. The roots will continue to hold the bank while the new plants take over. It’s too bad your neighbor didn’t know of this old-timers trick, a common practice in California gardens fifty or sixty years ago when people with new homes covered banks with ice plant quickly to hold them through winter rain then soon upgraded to something better.

Also, red apple ice plant is not a very good solution for steep banks since it needs a lot of water and calcium nitrate fertilizer to stay green. It’s far better to plant something more environmentally responsible. When trying to plant a bank for the purpose of stabilizing slipping soil, the very best way is to plant a mix of deeper- rooted larger plants along with shorter-rooted ground covers to cover the ground between them to hold the ground as the larger plants are getting going. Examples of shorter rooted ground covers are gazania or arctotis. Then you could dot such plants as shrubby bougainvilleas all over the bank, along with something like ceonothus ‘Concha’. I recommend bougainvilleas as one of the better plants for such an area. They will grow on a drip system and grab deeply into the soil. Once fully established they become very drought-resistant and you get a lot of bang for the buck. Another fairly deep-rooted bank cover plant is Acacia redolens ‘Desert Carpet’ or ‘Low Boy’. This too is very drought-resistant once established. Lantana montevidensis is hugely colorful with lavender flowers almost year round and also very drought-resistant, easy to grow and good on banks. Finally consider blue plumbago. For a gang busters combination on a bank and drought-resistant year-round color, plan yellow trailing gazanias to cover the ground, then use an equal number of the the following plants to send down deep roots and hold the soil: Bougainvillea ‘La Jolla’, Plumbago ‘Royal Robe’, and Lantana ‘Radiation’.

Another way to go and perhaps more exciting, but best planted in November: You could do the whole thing with native plants. You might try toyon or Calfornia holly (Heteromeles arbutifolia ) at the bottom of the slope. (Get the one from Catalina that has bigger berries.) For a native shrub requiring no water whatsoever in summer, plant flannel bush (Fremontedendron ‘California Glory’.) Or, for a compact one, try F. ‘Dara’s Gold’. Plant this next to ceonothus for a great color combination blooming at the same time in spring. I think natives are probably the way to go with this slope but you could get a ground cover going first to hold everything until fall. Matilija poppy (Romneya coulteri) is a great way to grab a bank but not a good time to plant now. I planted three of these last November and they are all growing and blooming. All natives are best planted in November but it would be all right to cover the bank now with some native ground covers though perhaps not California perfume (Ribes viburnifolium)—great on banks but might not survive planting now. But bear berry (Arctostaphylos urva-ursi) or coyote bush (Bacharis pilularis) I think might mostly survive along the coast even if planted now since we’re having cooler than usual weather, and then plant the bigger things in fall.

Related posts:

1. Erosion Control for Steep Hillside: Last Minute Installation to Hold the Soil
2. Correcting Erosion on a Steep Bank in Encino
3. Native Plants for Erosion Control on Steep Banks

Also, do you have some advice on peaches, nectarines, plums and cherries? I have trees that are two years old – they are nice and green but have zero fruit. And just a few fruits on the apple trees. I’m going to implement the horse manure fertilizing plan this fall. Is there anything else I can do to increase my chances of having fruit in the summer?

Answer from Pat:
When fruit trees fail to bear the reasons are usually one of three common causes: The first is planting and trying to grow trees not adapted to the region in which one lives. For example, there are no conventional cherry trees that bear edible fruit that are adapted to mild-winter Mediterranean climates, if that is where you live. The best home-garden Southern California nectarine is ‘Panamint’, but even it sometimes fails to bear on years when winters are warm and mild. Peaches and plums are also highly regional. Refer to the lists in Sunset Western Garden Book to make sure the varieties you are growing are adapted to your particular climate zone. It is possible also to plant a variety that is adapted to a mild climate but then a cold winter can freeze the flowers if they open at the wrong time.

Secondly, your trees are still young and might not have been pruned properly to bear a crop. Overly harsh winter pruning followed by too much nitrogen fertilizer can result in all leafy growth and little or no fruit. Deciduous fruit trees here require light fertilization only to be applied so it is active just as the flowerbuds open in spring. Also with two year old trees it’s too early yet to know how well they are going to bear. They are still young and your main aim at first should be pruning and training them into a good shape. Refer to pruning manuals for instructions. Each deciduous fruit tree requires different care. (Also please look at what I’ve written on this topic.)

Another reason fruit trees might fail to bear is because there were no bees to pollinate the blossoms when flowers opened, or you might have varieties that require a pollinator and have failed to provide the right one that blooms at the same time. Pesticides, especially Malathion, kill bees. Please read the sections on pollination and hand pollinating fruit on this blog, and please also look in the lists in Sunset Western Garden Book to see if your varieties require a pollinator. Graft the necessary pollinators onto your trees.

Related posts:

1. Vegetable Gardening and Edibles in a New Garden
2. Fruit Trees in Southern California
3. Sunset areas

As for vegetables, come to my lectures on that subject. I am covering it from the ground up this year both summer veggies now and winter veggies in fall. Put raised boxes in full sun.

Related posts:

1. What’s Wrong with Vegetable Garden Soil
2. Vegetable Garden Problems and How to Cure Them/Grow-Camp garden system
3. Lime, Peach, Nectarine, and Apricot Trees for Mild Climates

Question from Katie:

Answer from Pat:
It is fun having a question from England. I was born in Halifax, Yorkshire, England, and returned last year to visit. The North Yorkshire Moors are as unspoiled as ever. We also enjoyed the Lake District and the amazing Crop Circles in Wiltshire for ten days. Of course, some are hoaxes, but many are a genuine mystery. Some are mind-blowing in size and mathematical complexity, appear to have some kind of magnetic forces inside them, and contain exploded plant nodes where they are bent over as if from a microwave oven. There are also some very odd lights zooming around at immense speed. This phenomenon has been going on for centuries and is still unsolved. Fun just to see it and wonder at it. (We saw 28 formations on the ground and from the air in a helicopter.)

But now to your exposed, south-facing, ocean-front site which sounds as if it is located in a climate similar to our (Western USA, Sunset Zone 5), a zone subject to salt spray in Oregon and Washington, though facing west, not generally south, —unless on the north side of an inlet. But this should not make too much difference. (For your information, our Sunset Zones work better for us in the West than do the United States Agricultural Zones because we have so many climate zones here in the west and thus having many zones instead of just a few, makes it easier to choose plants that will work for each.)

Among plants that should survive and give a pleasant architectural look are hardy ornamental grasses (such as Festuca gautieri and Festuca amethystina that are not too invasive. It would be best to choose local varieties, making sure they are not invasive); heathers (Calluna’s) such as Scotch heather, but many improved varieties should be available in local nurseries; and heaths (Erica’s). Many of these are native to the English coast and by choosing various types available in your local nursery you could create a colorful mounded tapestry of different ones with long-lasting color. Heaths and heathers need moist acid soil, so you will need to amend your sandy soil with acid amendment such as peat moss (though this is not a renewable resource and it would be better if you could find another acid soil amendment such as well-rotted wood products, home-made compost, and pine needles.) You will also need to keep the ground moist. Heaths and heathers can withstand salt spray and wind and exposed locations but they cannot stand being soggy on the one hand or drying out on the other. If you can manage this, no lovelier plants can be found. Nestling them against artistically placed boulders can give them a cool damp place under which to hide their roots from drying winds and sun.

Rosa rugosa should thrive in your coastal location and makes a great barrier plant. Allow it to mound, plant it back from paths where its thorns cannot harm people or children and use foreground plants to hide its lower portions, which are less attractive as they grow taller. Several colors are available. Among trees, I recommend katsura trees (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) needs water, though, especially when young; holly oak (Quercus ilex) which can be clipped into hedges, if you want; strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), which is drought resistant once established, and some palms such as Washingtonia, and windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) which it sounds as if you you might have already discovered can survive there. (I saw it growing in Wiltshire last summer, and I’ve seen it along the coast.) Among shrubs, Pittosporum tobira, Rhaphiolepis, and Rosmarinus officianalis are some suggestions along with the heaths mentioned above. Among perennials, Yarrow (Achillea), Common thrift (Armeria maritima), Ground morning glory (Convolvulus sabatima), Pinks (Dianthus), Fleabane (Erigeron), and Our Lord’s candle (Yucca), should all survive. Also try sea holly (Eryngium alpinum and E. amethystinum.) Lovely to behold when evening sun shines through their silvery blue bracts. I’ve found these easy to plant from seeds and not overly invasive.

Using just the plants named above you can create a wonderfully interesting windswept look. Combine plants with rocks, boulders, and driftwood. Create interesting wandering paths to the beach. Arrange attractive shells, bottles, floats, flotsum and jetsum as ornaments. Even a partially-buried old rowboat overflowing with easy annual flowers such as sweet alyssum and nasturtium, can create a great look in a beach-front garden. Also visit seaside gardens in your area to see what has worked for others. Photos in books and magazines may also provide inspiration. With any difficult site, trial and error is the best way to go.

Related posts:

1. Plants for Beachfront and Seaside Gardens in Southern California
2. Right Mulch for Beach Plants
3. Native Plants for Erosion Control on Steep Banks

Pots, statuary, choose tasteful statuary and garden ornaments to add art and whimsy

• Bird houses
• Murals, mosaics
• Statues and design elements can hearken back to ancient times,
• other times and places.

But since a garden is all for fun, could be kitch Felder rushing shows us how:

• Some gardens have a sense of humor
• Shells, bottles, walls of color.
• Gnomes?
• Well-chosen signs

Practical aspects:

1. Work with nature, not against it
2. Be an organic gardener.

Before mankind invented pesticides everyone was organic and there were great gardens improve the soil with organic amendments release and attract beneficials. This kind of garden feels different than a dead garden where not even a beetle can survive!

How to do all this: make a list or create a design
o Let the space speak to you let the ground talk
o Don’t need to make a drawing
o Your garden can evolve
o Walk around, dream a little, get ideas and write them down don’t rush, there is time.
o Refer to magazines and books for inspiration
o Visit great gardens
o Nothing wrong with copying
o Keep a file of ideas and photos
o Choose materials with care,
o Best not to have too many materials.

And finally, once you have created this great garden,
Then live in it.
Go down there or out there,
Books to read,
Paintings to paint,
Letters to write, your friends
Family to be with.
Lunch under the arbor
Dinner and breakfast in the patio.
entertain in the garden,
Not always a barbque but out door.

First gardening is all about creation.
That is the joy of it
Making a painting
One works the dream is in one’s head
The joy is in making that dream come true.
There was a time—could not sit in my own garden
Always something nagging at me to be done
Could only work in it.

But eventually the beautiful romantic garden you create is for your joy, for the joy of your friends and family.

Also at one time there is a certain tension: the garden never looks quite good enough to satisfy!

That era wears off.

Finally the garden is no longer about constant work. Certainly not about looking like a magazine cover every day of the week. Not about perfection,

It’s about creating and then living in a retreat, a peaceful oasis in the midst of our increasingly urban hustle and bustle.

It’s about happiness and joy.

Related posts:

1. Romancing the Garden: A philosophy of gardening Pt 2
2. Romancing the Garden: A philosophy of gardening Pt 3
3. Romancing the Garden: A philosophy of gardening Pt 1