California Coastal Garden

ca_coastal1This garden invokes images of beach shorelines with their low mounding of semi-woody shrubs. The foliage is grey and green with boulders peeking through the buff-colored ground. Lizards and butterflies abound along client collections of tumbled glass, shells, and weathered wood.

Plants will be chosen from the following list:

Botanical Name

Common Name

Notes

Tall plants (screening)

Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’

California Lilac

blue flowers, spring
Lavatera assurgentiflora Mallow fast, lavender-pink

Medium plants
Ceanothus ‘Yankee Point’

California Lilac

Blue flowers, spring

Ceanothus ‘Skylark’

California Lilac

Dark blue flowers
Galvesia speciosa

Island Snapdragon

Red flowers

Rhamnus californica ‘Eve
Case’

Coffeeberry

Attracts birds

Low plants

Armeria maritima

 Sea Thrift pink flowers
Artemisia californica California Sagebrush grey, fragrant lvs.
Artemisia pycnocephalus ‘David’s Choice’ Sandhill Sagebrush grey, feathery

Baccharis pilularis ‘Pigeon Point’

 Coyote Bush (low)  

Dudleya spp.

Stone Crop

Succulent

Erigeron glaucus

Beach Aster

purple flowers

Eriogonum umbellatum

Sulfur Buckwheat

Yellow flowers, summer
Heterotheca villosa ‘Mound San Bruno’ Golden Aster yellow flowers

Sedum spathulifolium

Cape Blanco Sedum

succulent, low

Salvia ’Bee’s Bliss or ‘Dara’s Choice’

Groundcover Sage

Blue flowers

Accent Plants

Leymus ‘Canyon Prince’

 Wild Rye tall, blue-grey
Muhlenbergia rigens Deer Grass architectural, flowing
Suggested Trees (optional add-ons)

Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’

California Lilac

Blue flowers, spring

Quercus agrifolia

Coast Live Oak

habitat

Alternates designer may consider
Eriogonum giganteum

St. Catherine’s Lace

large, rust/white

Echium fastuosum

Pride of Madeira

purple, non-native

Mimulus aurantiacus

Monkeyflower

orange

Salvia leucophylla

Blue Sage

grey leaves