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Landscape Design
Fragrant Plant in Southern California
Question from Eileen: I am trying to identify the plant which perfumed the air when I made a recent trip to St. Louis Obispo, Ca. The fragrance was everywhere I went. It was delightful and was so persistent that it must grow wild. I would like to...
Planting on a Bank & Best Substitutes for Lawns
Question from Howard: We are a Homeowners association with a steep bank, 45 degrees or steeper, three blocks long and about 30 feet high. What drought tolerant plant(s) would you recommend? Also, what ground cover, if any, would you recommend to replace...
Drought-resistant Lawn Substitute for People and Dogs
Question from Candace and Cyrus: We recently got rid of our entire fescue lawn and replaced it ( or tried to ) with UC Verde, a new form of buffalo grass specially engineered for the climate of the southwest. Unfortunately, because we are within a...
Message From Pat
Dear Reader: This site contains more than one thousand answers to garden questions on a wide range of subjects common to Mediterranean climates. Among them, we hope you find the answer to your question. Please take this opportunity to share your experiences,...
Small Tree or Large Bush on a Slope
Question from Bonnie: I am new at planting so I will apologize if I use the wrong terminology. I have a slope that is 25ft high, 80ft wide and slopes upward at about a 45 to 50 degree angle. Very difficult to walk on and I bring the dirt down when I...
Concrete Steps
Question from Heidi: I’m finally getting to making the steps from bags of concrete, & have a few questions. It looks pretty straight forward, but I’ve made the steps farther apart. I’ve attached pictures of the prep so far. You mentioned...
Beach Front Plants for English Seacoast Gardens
Question from Katie: Hi Pat, just found your www site and saw it said, “Send a Q to Pat”, so, here goes… location: seaside, south-facing (in England: the sunny side), sheltered terrace. Required: architectural, evergreen, “WOW!”...
Evergreen Trees for Median
Question from Lena: We live in Harbor City, CA. The majority of the trees planted on the median are I think some form of a pepper tree. The roots are invasive to plumbing not to mention the sidewalks. Where occasionally LA city comes around as slaps...
Romancing the Garden: A philosophy of gardening Pt 4
A garden may reflect a certain time or place, perhaps a country you love. 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...
Concrete Bag Steps
Question from Heidi: I recall you sharing this technique to create steps in a garden, & would like to do it in a small incline in our yard. Are there any strategies to laying the bags down, eg cutting into the slope to provide a support for the bags?...
Romancing the Garden: A philosophy of gardening Pt 3
The next step is: How do you carry it out? Mine in a nutshell is: “Create a romantic garden and then live in it.” A Paradise Garden The Garden of Eden Dictionary definition of romance: “Imagination, love, idealization, wafting one to another time...
Strawberries for Groundcover and for Fruit
Question from Stanley: I live in Nevada City, California. This is my latest landscape project. (I am a computer programmer, but try to knock out a couple of home projects a year to make myself feel useful and adequate.) I had intended to plant creeping...
Romancing the Garden: A philosophy of gardening Pt 2
To clarify the ideas in this book, I have illustrated it with photos from my own garden and those of friends and family. I am very keen on the idea that a garden needs to be in harmony with the architecture of the house it surrounds. My own house is 50...
