place

Beverly Hills
Garden Handbook

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 Made possible by
the City of Beverly Hills ©2015

This handbook provides more than 125 water-wise plants,

landscape design tips, gardening how-to, nurseries and other
resources for City of Beverly Hills residents.

This book written and designed by

The typefaces used in this book are Athelas, Baskerville and Adobe Garamond Pro.
 introduction 4
Watershed Approach to Landscapes 4 Keep Beverly Hills A Garden City 6
Garden Like A Professional 5 Ballona Creek Watershed 7

landscape elements 8
Rain Garden 8 Low Water Parkways 18
Estate Lawn 10 Slopes, Hillsides and Fire Zones 20
Groundcovers and Lawn Substitutes 12 Edibles and Pollinators 22
Beautiful Estate Borders 14 Irrigation System Overview 24
More About Trees 16

planting styles 26
Mediterranean Style 26 Modern Style 30
Woodland Style 28 California Chaparral Style 32

how to garden 34
The Living Soil Sponge 34 Select Climate-appropriate Plants 44
Remove Lawn With Sheet Mulching 36 Water Wisely 46
Slow Spread Sink Store Rain 38 Tend Your Garden 48
Determine Landscape Water Needs 40 Use Mulch and Compost 49
Group Plants by Hydrozones 42

design it yourself 50
Make A Site Map and Test Your Soil 50 Make A Planting Plan 56
Consider Your Microclimates 52 Evaluate Your Irrigation and Hydrozones 58
Map Site Water and Detain The Rain 54

project checklist 60
Start With A Big Idea 60 Budgets and People 64
Project Checklist and Workplan 61 Project Plant List 66
Resources For Success 70
Shopping List 72
Index 74
introduction

This is a Watershed Wise landscape

photo: Marilee Kuhlmann

Five Perfect Watershed Wise Plants

Rainwater is a resource.
These gardens have healthy living soil and are filled with
climate-appropriate plants. The combination of these el-
ements allows you to reduce or eliminate supplemental irri-
gation, even in the heat of the summer. This book is intended
to help you evaluate, plant, build, and maintain your garden
using this watershed approach to landscaping.

1 2 The watershed approach imagines every garden as though

it were a mini-watershed, holding on to or cleaning all the
water that falls on it and nurturing a diverse habitat of plants
and insects. Each mini-watershed can be controlled by the
people who steward it. The result is that our collective ac-
tions restore our greater watersheds and cities.
In the pages that follow, we’ll show you how to continue
enjoying our amazing climate and outdoor lifestyle, while
3 4 reducing outdoor water use, and spending less time and
money taking care of your garden. We’ll show you that a
climate-appropriate landscape doesn’t have to look like a
1 Salvia clevelandii ‘Pozo Blue’ desert; it can be beautiful, lush, and evergreen.
Cleveland Sage
Each section provides different resources to help you achieve
2 Verbena lilacina ‘De La Mina’ a watershed wise landscape.
Lilac Verbena Landscape Elements, such as an Estate Lawn or Rain
Garden, are elements you can adapt to your home. Plant-
3 Vitis ‘Roger's Red’ ing Style Guides are provided for four significant architec-
Roger’s Red Grape tural styles. How to Garden provides practical information
about how to make changes from selecting plants to placing
4 Heteromeles arbutifolia them in your garden in a way that saves water. Design It
Toyon, Christmas Berry Yourself provides a step-by-step guide through the planning
and building process including a Project Check List and
5 5 Galvezia speciosa ‘Firecracker’
Island Bush Snapdragon
comprehensive climate-appropriate Plant List to help you
shop for your garden and jump-start your project.
Now dig in!

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 introduction
Plan to work
Clean and Edit Tend With Love
Remove trash, weeds, dead plants, old furniture, etc. Decide Water, weed, prune and most importantly, spend some time
which (if any) healthy plants will continue to thrive in your in the garden observing it. Your new watershed wise land-
new landscape, and remove everything else. A clean slate will scape should require less care than a lawn. So, give your garden
make it easier to see what’s going on and help you envision some love, but don’t overwater or reach for the fertilizers and
the renovations to come. sprays (see p. 48)!

Change One Section at a Time Compost and Mulch

Plan to tackle it all eventually. Home gardeners often hap- Add these secret ingredients for a healthy garden (see p. 49).
hazardly add a plant here and there, and end up mixing to-
gether plants with different needs. Instead pick one section
(or more) of your garden that you can completely remodel.
After your whole garden is converted and growing, you can
Garden like a pro.
fill in a few plants as needed here and there every winter, Lay Out Your Garden
when it’s cooler. Start with your front yard! Get all your plants together and spread them out over the
Work your plan. garden before you start digging. It’s easier on you, and the
plants, if you work out the layout before anything is put in
the ground (see pp. 56-57).
Scope Your Project
If your budget is limited, you may want to make small fixes Plant In Fall
first and then bigger changes in a year or two. Follow the Proj- Beverly Hills climate-adapted plants, especially the natives,
ect Checklist (see pp. 61-63) to determine the logical steps for are much happier if you plant them between November and
making changes. March. This gets them settled and watered by the rains before
the summer heat convinces them to take a summer siesta.
Get An Estate Lawn Get Started!
Keep your existing lawn, but make it more climate appro-
priate using organic techniques and overseed with clover (see Use this handbook to select the plants for your garden and
pp. 10-11). Or, lose the lawn! We show you how to remove figure out how many you’ll need. Bring your shopping list
your grass without chemicals and build healthy living soil for to your local nursery, and ask them to order what they don’t
gorgeous new plants (see pp. 36-37). have in stock. Start a Garden Journal to keep track of plant-
ing. Your investment will pay off (and your plants will thrive)
Contour For Rain Capture if you follow the How-To guidelines in this handbook (see pp.
After you’ve started planting, you don’t want to be moving 34-49).
soil, so first make swales and berms to capture rainfall (see
pp. 8-9).
Wherever we have provided plant selections,
Select Your Plants
Use this book as a guide for selecting unthirsty plants that
1 we identify them by their water requirement
by placing their identification numbers on a
will thrive in your Beverly Hills garden. We show you how to Moderate colored background:
figure out the water needs of plants and plan your landscape
for reducing water use (see pp. 40-41). 2 Blue for MODERATE water use,
Yellow for LOW water use, and
Water Wisely Low
Red for VERY LOW water use.
Much of your irrigation system is below ground, so some
planning is required before installing plants and finishing 3 You can use this color coding to help you group
your garden. If you are installing a surface drip system, put plants by their water requirements in your new
plants in the ground before completing the irrigation. If you Very Low landscape, making it easier to irrigate them
are adjusting/updating your existing spray system, do any properly.
trenching and moving of sprinklers before you plant, and
fine tune afterward (see pp. 46-47). The Butterfly icon indicates plants that
support the life cycle of butterflies.

Need help getting the job done?

Professionals are standing by, eager to help you. Landscape designers, landscape architects, landscape contractors and
irrigation specialists can help redesign your garden, coach you through the process, or actually do the installation. If you
work with a gardener, make sure they understand what you’re doing and why. Hire a certified landscaper familier with
watershed wise, sustainable landscapes (see pp. 70 - 71).

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introduction
Beverly Hills is a Garden City
The more you understand what makes Beverly Hills
so special and use this information in your landscape
plans, the more successful your garden will be.

Beverly Hills Climate is Mediterranean,

characterized by long, dry summers that reach an
average temperature up to 83°F and short cooler wet
winters that can dip as low as 45°F and with average
rainfall of approximately 15 inches. Plants from around
the world are adapted to living in Beverly Hills. This
is especially true for plants from the Mediterranean
basin, South Africa, Australia and Chile, the four other
Mediterranean climate zones of the world.

Biodiversity has long been considered important

in the area now called Beverly Hills. The Tongva or
Gabrielino native people, who predated Spanish
explorers, led a peaceful life nourished by abundant
game and meadows filled with wild oats, cucumber,
buckwheat, cress and prickly pear. Their everyday
lives were guided by religious practices inspired by
an environment filled with color: blue lupine, orange
poppies, red foxtail, wild roses, fuchsia and goldenrod.
From the journal of an early explorer we learn of a
magical passage through a “large vineyard of wild
grapes and an infinity of rose bushes…people came
into the road, greeted us and offered seeds.”

Canyon Ecosystems are natural filters,

removing pollutants before they reach creeks, rivers,
beaches and oceans. Healthy canyons protect against
land erosion, reduce downstream flooding and provide
a home to many of Beverly Hills’ native species. In
the three canyons, Franklin, Coldwater and Benedict,
moisture gathers on the hills and flows down to form
streams that join at the nexus of Beverly Drive and
Sunset Boulevard. The native people considered this a
sacred site, naming it the Gathering of the Waters or,
in Spanish, El Rodeo de las Aguas.

Water Resources are limited and rainfall is

seasonal, but the native species have evolved to thrive
photo: Wikimedia Commons

in this dry climate. Beverly Hills obtains its water

supply from two sources: local groundwater extracted
from the Hollywood Subbasin, and imported surface
water purchased from the Metropolitan Water District.
However, the area gathering Beverly Hills groundwater
is mostly urbanized and soil surfaces have been paved,
so direct aquifer replenishment is limited. When
Beverly Hills residents harvest rainfall and use climate-
appropriate plants, they both increase locally available
water and reduce the need for imports.

If you live in a canyon area, you have a special responsibility to:

• Manage/minimize/protect against erosion (see p. 20)
• Minimize pollution (trash/debris, animal waste, chemical runoff)
• Irrigate carefully, do not under water or overwater
• Select local native plants whenever possible
• Avoid planting invasive species
• Maintain your property with consideration for fire (see p. 21)

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 introduction
You live within Ballona Creek watershed
Your landscape is part of the Ballona Creek watershed, one of protecting and restoring the vitality of Ballona Creek are reducing
the most important watersheds in Southern California. All the the volume of water that comes into the creek during wet weather,
rain falling on the landscapes in Beverly Hills makes its way to the and eliminating the amount that comes in dry weather as a result
Santa Monica Bay via Ballona Creek. Among the objectives for of runoff from landscaped and hardscaped areas.

Water Quality is a concern in Ballona Creek. The land use

in Ballona Creek watershed is dense and highly urbanized, with
nearly 70% of runoff from the developed portion of the watershed
generated from these impervious areas.
Watershed Wise landscapes become the first line of defense
in treating water on site before it runs off the parcel and travels
downstream. By creating healthy living soil (see pp. 34-35) and con-
touring landscapes to receive the water generated from roofs and
other hard, impermeable surfaces (see pp. 8-9), the landscaped area
becomes a sponge that reduces the effects of flooding during rain
storms, cleans pollutants, and recharges the local ground water
supply.
When healthy living soil is created, the land is contoured to hold
on to water, and the selection of plants for the landscape are cli-
mate-appropriate, the amount of water that needs to be applied
photo: ladwp.org

to the landscape is greatly reduced. These landscapes are great for

water conservation and water quality improvement, and contribute
to the health and resilience of the overall Ballona Creek watershed.

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landscape elements
photo: Paul Herzog

Rain Garden
Every garden can be a Sponge. Meet your Rain Garden (aka Swale)! Sounds fancy, but really,
Many front yards in Beverly Hills are just yards, but this space it’s very simple. Your Rain Garden is just a little soil basin to slow,
could be a last chance to capture and filter our seasonal rain before spread, and sink the first inch of rain water from your roof into
it runs into the storm drain and right into creeks, rivers and the your front yard. Follow the simple instructions in the sidebar on
ocean! By contouring our land to hold on to at least the first inch of the next page and direct your downspouts into the basin. Your
rain after a dry period (known as First Flush), we create landscapes soil and plants will be really happy that you did! It’s all part of
that are far more interesting than flat expanses of lawn, and provide creating a truly watershed wise landscape. There are three main
an opportunity to create conditions for some of Beverly Hill’s most components of a Rain Garden: Basins, Berms, and Boulders.
interesting native plants.

Basins and Swales are shallow depressions, or channels

no more than 12” – 24” deep, on gently sloped or nearly flat
landscapes that move water around over short distances. The
plants in and around the depressions capture and sink small
volumes of surface water. Small, shallow depressions are best used
in clay soil areas, while sandy soils may accommodate the deeper
(up to 24” deep) depressions. Channels can be planted (vegetated
swales) and/or lined with rocks and small boulders to resemble
natural creek beds.
Berms are mounds of raised soil, usually planted, that can
border basins and swales or be used alone. Berms help contain
1 2
and move water around, increasing the holding capacity of basins
and swales.
Boulders may be used to retain small berms or edges of swales
and to create interest in the landscape.
photo: Pamela Berstler

photo: Paul Herzog

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 landscape elements
Contour for rain Get A Rain Garden
In Six Easy Steps
1. Make Your Site Plan and note
Plants OK With Wet Feet (Basin Swale Plants) where rain falls and flows. Look for
an open, mostly flat low spot to di-
rect water towards in the front yard,
or anywhere with the center at least
10’ away from the house founda-
tion and 3’ away from the sidewalk.
Calculate the best size of your Rain
Garden to hold on to the First Flush
(see p. 54).

1 2 3 2. Lay Out Your Rain Garden.

Spread out a garden hose to outline
the shape. The area must be basi-
1 Hemerocallis hybrid 1 Juncus patens 3 Iris douglasiana cally flat or slightly bowl-like, and
Daylily CA Gray Rush CA Native Iris not sloping back toward the house.
Be careful around trees. Don’t put
Swale Plants Are Special. These basin plants like wet feet and can be completely your rain garden under a mature
submerged in rain water and still survive our hot dry Summers without extra water. They’re tree or disturb any big roots. Re-
sort of plant Super Heroes that way! move all plants (including grass)
from the area and start digging.
Do not dig without calling DIG
ALERT 8-1-1!
Plants That Prefer Dry Feet (Berm Plants)
3. Do A Percolation Test. If
you have compaction, try to break
through it with a shovel or a pitch-
fork (see p. 51).
4. Dig A Basin that is between 6”
and 12” deep at the center. Slope
the sides gently to make a sloping
bowl, not a cylinder. Mound extra
1 2 3 soil around the bowl to increase ca-
pacity. At the bottom of the basin,
put down at least an inch of high
1 Epilobium canum 2 Cistanthe grandiflora 3 Bouteloua gracilis quality compost or worm castings
‘Everett’s Choice’ Rock Purslane ‘Blonde Ambition’ to activate your soil.
Everett’s CA Fuchsia Blonde Ambition Blue
Grama 5. Direct Downspouts Into The
Basin area, moving the rainwa-
Berm Plants Like It Dry. On the mounded side berms, choose plants that like ter through gravel lined ditches or
their feet drier. Throughout the entire landscape, make sure to mulch at least 2-4” deep above-ground drainage pipes. Also,
around all the plants (though not right up against the trunks), including those in the bottom make an overflow path so extra wa-
of the swale. ter has a direct channel to the street
and not back towards your house.
6. The Basin Will Fill Up when
it rains, creating a temporary pond
until the water soaks into your soil.
roof simple rain garden recipe All the water should be gone within
water Your soil says “It's Swale!” 24 hours.
runoff
TAKE ACTION if your basin is
slow draining! If water in your ba-
sin is not gone within 48-72 hours
maximum, then auger the basin
and surrounding soil to eliminate
compaction (see p. xxx). If you
distrub the soil, be sure to reapply
6 1/2” compost or worm castings when the
mulch 2-3”
overflow water has drained out of the basin.
amended soil
undisturbed soil

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landscape elements
photo: Pamela Berstler

Estate Lawn

Upgrade to an Estate Lawn.

Beverly Hills can become a leader in landscape water conservation
while demonstrating the unique style and beauty that people from
around the world have come to appreciate, admire and adopt for
their own. Historically, butterflies and birds were welcomed into
Beverly Hills’ low fuss, low water, evergreen open space lawns filled
with clusters of tiny flowers including clover and English daisies.
Without additional inputs, these lawns stood up to heavy foot traffic
and animal urine. By making some changes to our existing lawns,
we can recreate the beauty, diversity and toughness of the lawns of
yesteryear.
Viewed from the street, the overall effect is of a restful, pleasing
and green open space. It is only when invited into the home that
the individuality of the lawn can be appreciated. The plants that
establish in the lawn, keeping it evergreen and flowering with tiny
flowers, reflect the hills, gullies, shade and sun of each individual
property, making no two lawns appear exactly the same. This
lawn both unifies the neighborhood and maintains the customized
landscape for each individual property.
The Estate Lawn isn’t just a pretty face; it also requires up to 50%
less water than contemporary fescue lawns. An eight minute shower
every two weeks can be enough water to keep it lush, depending
on the irrigation system and the specific landscape conditions. No
fertilizers or herbicides are needed, as it will grow less vigorously if
they are applied. Less frequent mowing every few weeks keeps the
lawn at 3”- 4:” height. Weeding is almost completely unnecessary;
we’re encouraging little flowers like English Daisies (Bellis perennis),
Dutch Clover (Trifolium repens) and, in low damp spots, Plantain
(Platago major).
photo: Pamela Berstler

The lawn naturally attracts pollinators, including butterflies,

honeybees, native bees, and birds that feed on bad bugs. Control the
flowers with mowing so areas that see hard play can be kept bee-free,
while areas that are more decorative can support the local pollinator
habitat.

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 landscape elements
Essential Estate Lawn Mix Get An Estate Lawn
In Seven Easy Steps
The best time to make this change is
in the Fall or early Spring, when the
natural rain and cool days work to your
advantage. If it has rained recently, or
is predicted to rain within three days,
forego the irrigation. The rain will be
sufficient, even if it is light (1/2” or less).
1 2 3 1. Discontinue Using All Fertilizer,
“weed & feed” and any other herbicides,
1 Trifolium repens 2 Bellis perennis 3 Plantago major pesticides and fungicides, and wait two
White Dutch Clover English Daisy Plantain or three weeks if they have been applied
recently.
2. Aerate The Existing Lawn with a
Flowering Carpet Lawn Enhancement plug aerater and water thoroughly.
3. Mix Estate Lawn Seed, or your
own custom blend of seed (see this page
for suggestions), with a bag (one cubic
foot) of either worm castings or very
good, dry compost. This is necessary
because the seed is extremely fine and
will blow away easily if not mixed with
1 2 3 something heavier.
4. Cast The Seed Uniformly over
the existing lawn area and water
1 Eschscholzia californica 2 Lupinus excubitus 3 Calandrinia ciliata thoroughly.
California Poppies Grape Soda Lupine Redmaids
5. Next Week, Mow The Lawn wtih
a mulching mower, or remove the catch-
bag from a regular mower, and leave all
Plants for Lawn Tough Spots fine grass clippings spread on the lawn
as a mulch.
6. Rake The Lawn Gently, if needed,
to spread grass clippings evenly.
7. Water Twice Weekly, up to 8
minutes per cycle, until the clover
begins to appear. Then begin watering
only once per week. If the clover is not
1 2 3 appearing (see the images below), then
cut back on the watering cycle. Clover
likes things lean and clean!
1 Festuca ovina 2 Festuca californica 3 Agrostis pallens
Sheep’s Fescue CA Fescue Bent Grass

Maintain Your Estate Lawn Apply ¼” deep lawyer of good compost or

worm castings every fall (September through November). If the compost smells of
manure do not use it! It will kill the lawn. Use only well-composted materials or
worm castings. There should be no noticeable foul odor (see p.49).
Resist cutting the lawn on a fixed schedule. Allowing the clover and other tiny flowers
to grow, ripen and set seed will perpetuate the lawn without any additional over-seeding
in the Spring or Fall. This is the way nature keeps the lawn evergreen and maintenance
costs down – the lawn does all of the work. If you are mowing frequently, an application
of new seed may be required every Spring or Fall to keep the appearance more uniform.
Using a mulching mower is a good way to ensure that the lawn stays green and healthy.
Ask your lawn care professional about their equipment and insist on a mulching mower,
or purchase one to store and use exclusively on your property, keeping other’s chemicals,
weeds and pests away from your fabulous smart, healthy, and beautiful Estate Lawn.

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landscape elements
Groundcovers and lawn substitutes
photo: Pamela Berstler

Great Groundcovers

1 2 3 4 5
1 Asteriscus maritimus 2 Arctostaphylos ed- 3 Lomandra longifolia 4 Senecio serpens 5 Salvia ‘Bee’s Bliss’
Gold Coin Plant mundsii ‘Carmel Sur’ ‘Breeze’ Blue Chalksticks Bee’s Bliss Sage
Creeping Manzanita Dwarf Mat Rush

Walkable Turf Alternatives

1 2 3 4 5
1 Achillea millefolium 2 Fragaria chiloensis 3 Dymondia margaretae 4 Thymus 5 Bouteloua dactyloides
rosea ‘Island Pink’ Beach Strawberry Silver Carpet pseudolanguinosus Buffalo Grass
Pink Yarrow Wooly Thyme

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 landscape elements
Traditional lawn: Cool or Warm?

Cool Season Grass grows best in Warm Season Grass grows best in
cooler periods of the year. warmer periods of the year.
This grass will require water in the hot summer if it is not to go This grass hits its stride when temperatures exceed 80°F, but will
dormant (brown). go dormant (golden brown) in the winter time when rainy and cool.
Typically these grasses grow as bunch grasses and propagate by Typically these grasses grow from sturdy rhizomes extending deep
seed or weak stolons. Cool season grasses are smothered easily by underground. Warm season grasses require physical removal and/
sheet mulching (see pp. 36-37). or intensive sheet mulching using at least 6” - 12” of mulch.
Varieties include: Bent Grass (Agrostis), Fescue varieties (Festuca Varieties include Bermuda Grass (Cynodon dactylan), Blue Grama
varieties,) Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis), Perennial Ryegrass (Bouteloua gracilis), Buffalo Grass (Buchloe dactyloides), St. Augustine
(Lolium perenne). Grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), Zoysia, and Seashore Paspalum.
Cool season grass needs more water than warm season grass and is Warm season grass is a MODERATE water use plant.
considered a HIGH water use plant.

photo: Pamela Berstler

Cook It if you have cool season grass. Cut It if you have warm season grass.
If your lawn is a cool season turf, you can leave it in place and sheet If you have any combination of the warm season grasses, you have
mulch following the Soil Lasagna Recipe (see pp. 36-37) to cook your a bigger project ahead of you, and you’ll need to remove the grass,
grass away. But, if you want to speed things up a bit, cut out the as much of the roots as you can, and perhaps even the top few
grass with a sod cutter and then sheet mulch. inches of soil as you try to get rid of the roots.
The best way to do this is with a sod cutter. A sod cutter, dumpster
Use A Sod Cutter to remove the cut sod, and other equipment can be rented. Once
you’ve cut it out and disposed of it properly, you can get cooking
If you want to get rid of lawn, cut it out! Most large box stores
using the Soil Lasagna Recipe to build the healthy soil.
or hardware stores have sod cutters available for rent.

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landscape elements
Beautiful Estate Borders

photo: Alex Stevens

Five Essential Estate Border Plants Plant Lush and Evergreen borders.
Estate Borders display large flowering shrubs, including California
lilacs and sunflowers, behind colorful beds full of blooming sages,
tufted grasses and edged with colorful, small daisies. Full of color or
monochromatic, graphic or blousy, big or small, borders can contrast or
harmonize with the homes they surround.

Pick Your Palette

1 2 Select the trees and shrubs that will be the backbone plants of the large
borders. Repeat, mass, mix and fill large spaces with flowering evergreen
shrubs. Select smaller perennials, grasses, native bulbs, ground covers
and annual wildflowers to fill in between shrubs, and where they can
be both admired and tended, usually near the front edges of borders
and flanking paths. Pay attention to mature plant sizes, bloom seasons,
foliage texture and flower colors. Mass groups of smaller plants to
simplify maintenance (both weeding and pruning), and mix plants that
bloom at different seasons to maintain year-round interest. Always
group plants with similar water and light exposure needs (see p. 42).
3 4 Plant A Community
Make Estate Borders easier by selecting plants that evolved together in
1 Abutilon palmeri the conditions that best match your landscape. Whether under shady,
Indian Mallow mature woodland canopies (Central Oak Woodland), in damp, sheltered
canyons (Sycamore/Riparian), or on windy, sun-baked hillsides
2 Achillea ‘Moonshine’ (Chaparral and Coastal Sage Scrub Communities), these plants evolved
Moonshine Yarrow in our climate, growing together without human help and providing
3 Dietes bicolor year-round habitat (aka flowers!) for our native pollinator species. When
Fortnight Lily planted with their friends, plants will be happier, healthier, require less
care, and stagger bloom times naturally, for year-round color.
4 Pittosporum tobira
‘Variegata’
Variegated Mock Orange
5 5 Salvia clevelandii
‘Winifred Gilman’
Cleveland Sage

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 landscape elements
The big screen: Hedges Fences and Walls: Mind
The Heights & Setbacks

No Hillside Area: single family

and multi-family zones, the maximum
allowable fence height is:
Eight feet tall in the rear yard,
Seven feet tall in the side yard (does
not apply to street side yard),
Three feet tall within the first 20% of
the front yard and
Six feet tall anywhere after 20%.

Hillside Area: In the single family

(R1) area, the front and street side yard
allowable fence or wall height is:
photo: Greystone Manor/BeverlyHills.org

Six feet tall maximum total height with

the portion over 3 feet high being open
to public view if located more than 10
feet away from the property line,
Three feet tall between 3 feet and 10
feet from property line and
No wall allowed within 3 feet of prop-
erty line.

Commercial Zone: There is no

Consider columnar trees like the Italian Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) pictured above, specific limitation, but an Architectur-
Torrey Pine (Pinus torreyana) or Santa Cruz Island Ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus) to al Commission approval is required.
create colonnades and windbreaks taller than 30’ with a more formal aesthetic. Please contact a planner to learn more
about the exceptions and restrictions on
above requirements.
Medium Hedges (6-15 Feet Tall)
Important: Fence and wall heights
restrictions vary based on the location of
fences and walls on private property.
For specific project requirements and en-
tire specifications visit the Beverly Hills
Municipal Code, Title 10, Chapter 3.

1 2 3 Plant Selection: Species should

be selected that will grow to the desired,
maintainable height and width of the
1 Ceanothus ‘Concha’ 2 Cupressus forbesii 3 Rhus integrifolia mature hedge. Large trees are not
California Lilac Tecate Cypress Lemonade Berry appropriate for short hedges, though
some species can be maintained this way.
Perimeter hedges should be planted with
Large hedges (15-30 Feet Tall) trees that naturally grow to the height of
the surrounding structure rooflines, and no
taller. Hedging in front yards, either formal
or informal, also should follow the rules for
fencing within the dominant setback.

Plant Maintenance: Hand

pruning to remove dead wood and shape
hedges, hedgerows and large shrubs,
mainly to provide safe access for people
1 2 3 and vehicles, is preferable to shearing
with electric hedge trimmers. Where
1 Pittosporum tenuifolium 2 Prunus illicifolia 3 Myrica californica formal, shaped hedges are stylistically
‘Silver Sheen’ Catalina Cherry Pacific Wax Myrtle appropriate, plant species should be
Silver Sheen selected to minimize the need for pruning.

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landscape elements
photo: Marilee Kuhlmann

More Trees, please!

Trees are Priceless. of the tree when you plant it. At the nursery it’s short and cute,
like a puppy, but a small tree can quickly grow into a 30 foot tall
While planting trees means improved water quality, resulting tree with a 30 foot wide canopy of branches, or bigger. If you’ve
in less runoff and erosion, it’s also good for the pocketbook. selected a large tree species, it can top 70 feet tall and wide at
Healthy, mature trees add an average of 10% to a property’s maturity. Select a tree that will best fill the space you have, not one
value. Trees properly placed around buildings also can reduce air that will need annual pruning to keep it small.
conditioning needs by 30% by providing shade. Trees are living Consider litter and allergen issues - some people are particularly
solar powered air conditioning, actively cooling the air under their allergic to specific tree species, and some fruit (olives, persimmons,
canopy through evaporative cooling. Healthy, mature trees can be etc.) will stain patios and can make sidewalks slippery. Think about
individually worth tens of thousands of dollars, each. Protect your whether to use evergreen or deciduous species. Hot summer patios
investment by hiring licensed arborists to keep your trees healthy are perfect places to add leafy shade trees, while extra light on
and beautiful with annual assessments and pruning only when cloudy, shorter winter days will be appreciated, making deciduous
necessary. trees, that lose their leaves in Winter, the perfect choice. Evergreen
Choose the Right Tree trees and shrubs are better for privacy screening and year-round
tidiness. Fruit, flowers and fall color also should be considered.
Trees are both slow-growing and long lived, so planting a tree is a
big investment in both time and money. Consider the mature size

Lower Water Landscape Trees

1 2 3 4 5
1 Chilopsis linearis 2 Quercus agrifolia 3 Platanus racemosa 4 Arbutus ‘Marina’ 5 Lyonothamnus
Desert Willow Coast Live Oak California Sycamore Strawberry Tree floribundus
Catalina Iron Bark

16
 landscape elements
Keep trees Happy

Protect Roots,
Save Trees
Trees depend on their roots for
survival. Roots anchor tree trunks
and canopies against strong
winds and earth movement. They
absorb water and nutrients, and
connect trees to the soil and plant
communities that surround them.
Landscape and construction
projects easily can damage tree
roots, killing trees, unless the roots
are respected and protected.

Heavy construction equipment can

break branches, compact soil and
damage tree roots, and should not
Right Tree, Right Place be used near trunks or under tree
Place your trees carefully. Make sure the placement of the tree is sufficiently far away from canopies. Paints, solvents, cleaners
the house. Small trees (30’ wide or less) should be no closer than 10 feet. And large trees and other chemicals can poison soil
(70’ wide or more) should be planted no closer than 20 feet from the house. Also consider and kill roots, too.
nearby trees, other structures (like power and phone lines), views and where shade will fall at
different times of the day, in different seasons. When removing existing plant
material, especially grass, minimize
On the ground, pay attention to water, sewer, septic and other utilities, as well as patios, root shock by keeping the trees well-
sidewalks and driveways. If you will be planting near any of these, choose trees with low watered.
root-damage potential. If you are in a windy area, near the top of a bluff or hillside for
example, select trees with strong branches and small leaves, so wind will easily pass through Many trees will go into shock when
their canopy and gusts won’t topple trees or sheer branches off. water is reduced, so water them
Small trees are like living umbrellas, adding dappled shade, habitat and color to smaller regularly during construction and
planting areas without taking over. landscape renovation, especially for
the first year after turf or other high-
water plant material is removed,
even if you remove surrounding
irrigation. Weekly slow and deep
watering under their canopy, by
Perfect Patio Trees using tree bags or soaker hoses, is
best.

Plan for trees to be on their own

irrigation hydrozone in renovated
landscapes (see p. 42).

1 2 3
1 Parkinsonia ‘Desert 2 Olea europaea 3 Cercis occidentalis
Museum’ Olive Western Redbud
Palo Verde

17
landscape elements

Parkways
photo: Pamela Berstler

Parkway Plants Start Your Project at the Parkway

strip.
Parkways are public property maintained by private property
owners – so while you don’t own your parkway, you are responsible
for maintaining it. Even though they’re small, parkways present
some particular challenges.

Cars! Unless you live on a no-parking street, car doors will open
1 2 onto the curb and into your parkway strip. People need some space
to get out and walk around their cars. However you decide to plant
your parkway strip, be sure to leave at least 18” (or more) as a step-
out area that is clear from the edge of the curb for those doors to
swing open and allow people to move. Consider placing bricks, pav-
ers, gravel or decomposed granite in this area; or just spread mulch.
Try not to plant in this step-out area. Keep your plants back from
this edge to protect them from the damaging foot traffic.

Trees. If your parkway already has nice big street trees, then you
3 4 also have nice big roots. Those roots may even be above ground,
moving the concrete and otherwise causing trouble. Respect the
roots – don’t dig around them, cut them or otherwise bother them.
1 Arctotis Plant only in areas where the roots are not visible, and never closer
African Daisy than 24” from the trunk of the tree (see p. 17).
2 Erigeron glaucus Utilities and Irrigation. Your water meter and other pipes
‘Wayne Roderick’ and utilities are often found in the parkway. Be sure to CALL
Seaside Daisy DIG ALERT (Dial 8-1-1) at least two days before you dig so marks
can be made to avoid underground cables and pipes.
3 Lessingia flaginifolia
var. californica Many parkways are mere strips. If the area is less than 10 feet
Silver Carpet wide, you should not be using spray irrigation becaus­e it is too
difficult to keep water off the street or sidewalk when they are in use.
4 Phyla nodiflora
Consider hand watering or connecting your parkway to the closest
5 Lippia Repens
5 Calylophus hartwegii
drip irrigation line in the front yard. If your front yard and parkway
are sharing irrigation, make sure your plants in both sections have
Sundrops similar water and sun needs.

18
 landscape elements
Low water Parkways Planting A Parkway
In Six Easy Steps
1. Call Dig Alert (Dial 8-1-1) to
mark any utility lines, underground
cables, and pipes.
2. Protect Your Trees by respect-
ing, and protecting their roots
3. Contour For Water Capture.
Gently contour the parkway area
into a shallow bowl, capturing water
that may run off adjacent sidewalks
and driveways.
4. Select Plants that can be main-
tained at 6” tall, or shorter, allowing
both access to parked cars and visi-
bility, to see oncoming traffic (both
people and cars).
5. No Thorns! Consider the park-
A parkway covered in uniform and low water-use Festuca californica (California Fescue). way a high-traffic area and avoid
unfriendly plants (like prickly cac-
tus). Don’t leave big holes open
overnight, avoid creating tripping
hazards, and help keep everyone
safe!
6. Cover The Ground with
mulch, gravel or decomposed gran-
ite, especially under mature street
trees with surface roots, where dig-
ging holes to plant ground cover
may damage the trees. These walk-
able materials should be contained
by curbs, concrete sidewalks and/or
landscape edging, and maintained
at a finished height below the sur-
rounding sidewalk and curb grade
so they don’t spread out over paved
areas and become tripping hazards.

Carpet-like Dymondia margaretae (Silver Carpet) makes a clean and walkable parkway surface.
In parkway on the opposite page,
Fragaria chiloensis (Beach Strawberry)
creates a walkwable, very low water
photos: Marianne Simon

and resilient groundcover.

Ceanothus ‘Yankee Point’ (California Lilac) quickly covers this parkway, but is not walkable.

19
landscape elements
Slopes and Hillsides are special

Plants (ornamental grasses, shrubs),

erosion control mats, compost
blankets and stone rip rap
up to 50% slope
Greater than 50% -
revegetation
improbable without
Mulches, rock, bark and ornamental grasses engineered solutions
up to 33% slope such as compost
blankets

50% or “2:1”-
revegetation
success poor

33% or “3:1”-
revegetation
Less than 25%- 25% - success fair
revegetation revegetation
success very good success good

Whenever possible, do not disturb canyon hillsides. Low water

Hardy Hillside Holders use plants, trees, deep-rooted native plant species, and climate
appropriate plants with strong root structures, should be selected for
disturbed or built slopes and hillsides, as these root systems can help
hold soil together.
If your slope is gentle, 3:1 or less (33% grade) coarse compost
and mulch can be applied directly to hillside and slope surfaces,
providing surface protection from the force of falling rain and
shading exposed soils. With occasional and gentle irrigation, mulch
1 2 will “knit” together.
Compost blankets are a kind of erosion control mat applied to
the soil surface to protect and preserve it, and can be used either
alone or with coir mats or other organic engineered material with
biodegradable grids for stabilization. Mats allow water to penetrate
through to underlying soils while retaining loose soil and debris and
preventing erosion. You can plant right through them or use pre-
seeded products.

Hillside Irrigation Considerations

3 4 When preparing a hillside for planting, determine how you are going
to irrigate before doing any work. Low-volume rotating spray heads
are ideal for sloped areas, if the space is large and the groundcover
1 Romneya coulteri is uniform. Drip tubing also can be effective, especially for wider-
Matilija Poppy spaced shrubs and trees.
2 Ceanothus ‘Yankee Water can be applied in shorter durations, so that it can be fully
Point’ absorbed between application times. Runoff, erosion and efficient
California Lilac deep watering are important issues to keep in mind always, but
3 Isomeris arborea especially on hillsides (see p. 47).
Bladderpod
Please note that emitters on drip systems should be placed above the
4 Atriplex lentiformis plant basin, and spray systems should have check valves in all lower
Coastal Quail Bush heads to avoid low point runoff. Irrigation for the top of the slope
5 5 Baccharis pilularis
‘Pigeon Point’
and the bottom of the slope should be on separate valves.

Coyote Bush

20
 landscape elements
Keep cool in a Fire zone Fire Is A Real and
Constant Threat
This is especially true in wild land
interface areas. Plant selection, design
and consistent maintenance all
must be in accordance with fire safe
guidelines.

Landscapes should resist ignition

and provide 35 ft. of actively
maintained defensible space around
structures and access zones (Zone 1),
maximizing fire prevention and also
allowing for access by fire crews, if
necessary.

Beyond Zone 1, the landscape should

reduce the chance of potential
airborne embers through careful
thinning of native vegetation for
Use Plants That Resist Ignition another 65 ft. (Zone 2).
These are less likely to produce airborne plant embers. These plants include those with a
high water, high salt, or low volatile oil content in their leaves, like succulents. Agaves, aloes,
Avoid Invasive Plants
crassulas and other succulents store extra water in their fleshy leaves. Invasive non-native plants, espec-
ially grasses and groundcovers,
Messy, oily trees and shrubs, like eucalyptus, and junipers, do the opposite – igniting quickly,
contribute to fire risk by spreading
burning hot and long, and releasing copious embers into the air, which may further spread
the fire from woody plant to woody
the fire.
plant. Remove these plants from
Preventative maintenance includes regularly removing dry grass, thatch, brush, weeds, litter, your garden. Check out these websites
waste and dead and dying vegetation. Trees should be properly pruned. Shrubs and perennials for guidance on lists of invasive plants
should be kept thinned, with dead branches and leaves removed. Unwanted vegetation must to avoid that are causing problems
be regularly mown, cut or grazed, while root structures must be left intact to avoid erosion. throughout the state.
Dead leaves and branches are particularly flammable, especially on evergreen shrubs or vines
like bougainvillea, and these must not be planted close to structures. Plant Right, www.plantright.org
Many of Beverly Hills’ native plant communities, like chaparral, are able to survive and
California Invasive Plant
recover from infrequent fire. Some plants use fire to signal available space to grow and thus
Council, www.cal-ipc.org
start the germination process. But when fires are too frequent, even the most well adapted
plants’ ability to survive is disrupted. Invasive species have made fires more frequent, with
longer duration and hotter intensity, so it is even more important to avoid invasive plants in The Fire Prone Four:
fire-prone zones.

Three Fire Fighters

Pennisetum setaceum Nassella tenuissima

African Fountain Grass Mexican Feather Grass

1 2 3
1 Mimulus 2 Aloe striata 3 Convolvulus cneorum
Monkey Flower Coral Aloe Bush Morning Glory Cytisus scoparius Eucalyptus (various)
Scotch Broom

21
landscape elements
Eat your yard
photos: Alex Stevens

Group Edibles together for irrigation.

You don’t have to become a farmer to enjoy edibles in the landscape because
many native plants, vegetables and herbs have fruit and leaves you can harvest,
and they can be mixed into any climate-appropriate planting scheme. During
winter, it’s easy to add lettuce and other leafy greens to your landscape while
they are being irrigated for free from the sky.
During summer, however, vegetable plants work hard to make tomatoes and
squash, and they need extra food and water so they can feed you! It’s best to give
veggies a special place where they can get all the extras they need without over-
watering the rest of your garden. Raised beds, simple boxes made of untreated
wood filled with at least 50% organic compost mixed with 50% garden soil, or
large pots with dwarf fruit trees and flowers, are great edible garden solutions
and keep your landscape looking tidy.

photo: Marilee Kuhlmann

However you decide to grow, make sure your vegetables are placed where they
receive at least six hours of direct sunlight and have their own irrigation valve
so you can give them the water they need without drowning your low water use
plants. Be sure to check Beverly Hills watering restrictions to confirm watering
schedules permitted for edibles.

Edible Perennials & Fruiting Shrubs

1 2 3 4 5
1 Salvia elegans 2 Ribes aureum 3 Allium schoenoprasum 4 Sambucus mexicana 5 Aloysia citriodora
Pineapple Sage Golden Currant Chives Mexican Elderberry Lemon Verbena

22
 landscape elements
Plant for Pollinators

Plant A Butterfly Garden Gotta Get Bees

Look for the Butterfly icon on pictures of certain plants Not every bit of ground needs to be covered in mulch. Try
throughout this book. These are plants that support the life designating a 5 - 10 square foot patch of open ground for
cycle of butterflies. Try to get several in your garden so you solitary ground nesting bees and insects, especially if you
help the larvae and caterpillars as well as the full grown nectar- have planted California native plants. Mason bees will show
seeking showstopper. up if you hang some nesting boxes.

Plants and Bugs need each Pollinator Attractors

other to survive.
Nature provides checks and balances in a garden, and you
can attract insects and creatures that will help you maintain
your garden without pesticides. Flowering plant species
rely on insects for pollination and thus reproduction. In
turn, plants feed and house insects. Some bugs eat too
much, destroying plants and spreading diseases. Beneficial
insects, fight off the bad guys, eating them or disrupting
1 2
their reproductive process. Birds, bats and lizards help out
too, consuming pests both big and tiny.
By actively cultivating a diversity of plants in our landscapes
that flower at different times of the year to attract good
bugs and predators, we are improving the resilience of our
gardens and reducing the need for chemcial inputs. To
attract more garden-helpers, like mason bees and lizards,
create habitat specifically for them. Consider getting a
man-made nesting box for bees, leave a small rock pile for
3 4
lizards, or put a large tree branch in the garden and let it
decompose naturally. 1 Asclepias californica
Integrated Pest Management will CA Milkweed
reduce the ill effects of chemicals 2 Heuchera maxima
(see p. 48). Island Alum Root
Consider getting a National 3 Eriogonum grande var. rubescens
Wildlife Federation Habitat San Miguel Island Buckwheat
Garden sign to tell your neighbors
about the abundance in your 4 Verbena lilacina ‘De la Mina’
landscape. Cedros Island Verbena
www.nwf.org 5 Galvezia speciosa ‘Firecracker’
5 Island Bush Snapdragon

23
landscape elements
Showers or Drips?

Spray Irrigation emits water in an Drip Irrigation delivers water

overlapping (head-to-head) pattern. directly to roots.
This can be an efficient way to irrigate large landscapes with Since drip irrigation is covered with soil or mulch, the water
groundcover or uniform plant material like lawns or meadows. does not evaporate as quickly as it might if it were applied at the
surface by spray.
Gallons Per Minute (GPM) Spray systems apply water
in GPM, so if you know the application rate of each spray head, Gallons Per Hour (GPH) Drip systems apply water in
the distance between heads, and the pressure of your system, it is GPH, so they need to run for longer periods of time than spray
relatively easy to figure out how much water is applied every time systems. However, the actual run time must always account for
you run your irrigation. precipitation rate and runoff.

Challenges include irrigating very narrow areas surrounded Challenges include the possibility that drip systems
by hardscape, or irregular patterns. Irregular patterns are could apply water too quickly for the soil to absorb, so careful
particularly challenging because spray irrigation requires head-to- consideration is required especially when dripline grids are
head coverage to be efficient and odd-shaped areas may be under installed. Drip irrigation operates most efficiently at low pressure
or over watered. High-volume spray heads that emit water at a (between 15 and 30 psi). To achieve optimal performance and
much higher rate than the soil can absorb should be replaced. avoid breakage, pressure regulation either at the valve or at the
point of connection of the dripline to the buried lateral lines must
Positives include low volume spray heads that, when properly be used. Also, it is essential to install some kind of filtering system
installed, apply water at about 1/3 the rate of conventional spray to keep the emitters from becoming clogged.
heads. The newer spray irrigation heads also have improved the
spray itself, with heaver droplets that are more resistant to wind. Positives include the fact that installations of subsurface (or
Landscapes with grade changes using spray heads should have under at least 2 inches of mulch) systems may be the most efficient
check valves installed to prevent water from flowing out of the way to irrigate nearly every type of garden area. Since the tubing
low point heads. is flexible, it can be made to accommodate a wide variety of
irregular shaped areas or rectangular areas when laid in a grid
pattern, and in rings that are easily expanded as trees or large
shrubs grow.

What is a What is a Low Flow Valve?

Tattle-Tale? Irrigation valves are designed to work within a certain pressure
range (pounds per squre inch or psi) and flow range (gallons
Screw a white cap (replacing the per minute or GPM). If you redesign your system and use
nozzle) on to the pop-up riser of low flow irrigation, the flow through the valve may be so low
one sprinkler head on each line that your existing valve will not operate effectively and may get
when converting to drip. stuck in the “open” position, wasting water.
When the drip irrigation is If you have flow lower than 5 GPM per valve, check your valve
running below the mulch, the specifications for flow range. Replace all valves that are not
tattle-tale will pop up and let you specified for low flow systems.
know that the irrigation is on.

24
 landscape elements
Irrigation System overview
Basic Components of Most Irrigation Systems

1 Shutoff valve 2 Anti-siphon valve 3 PVC pipe 4 Sprinkler head 5 Irrigation controller
(ball valve)

Conventional Irrigation Systems are notoriously inefficient.

This is due to a variety of factors, including poor design, inadequate maintenance, and improper management. Well-designed and
operated systems can reliably deliver the necessary water to sustain our landscapes without waste or excess.
A Shutoff Valve (Ball Valve) can be manually operated to cut off the water supply in the event of a leak, malfunction, or major
repair.
The Anti-siphon Valve, when activated by an Irrigation Controller, delivers water through a PVC Pipe lateral
irrigation line, ultimately reaching the Sprinkler Head, which applies water to the landscape.

Key Components of A Watershed Wise Irrigation System

5
1 Pressure regulator 2 Submeter 3 Rotary nozzle 4 Drip irrigation 5 Smart controller

Wise Irrigation Systems operate efficiently.

These irrigation components are designed to operate at lower pressure levels, as specified by the product manufacturer. When devices
operate with excess pressure, damage, and even failure can occur, not to mention water waste.
A Pressure
Regulator will eliminate excess pressure.
A Submeter is located where the irrigation system tees off of the mainline to the house and is a
recommended option to keep track of the actual volume of water being applied to the landscape. Single
family homes typically have a single meter that does not distringuish between indoor and outdoor water use.
Low-volume irrigation devices, like Rotary Nozzles and Drip Irrigation are designed to deliver
water to the landscape at a slower rate that better approximates the infiltration rate of the soil. This reduces
the likelihood of runoff.
Smart Controllers automatically adjust irrigation schedules in response to changing site and/or
weather conditions. These come in two varieties. ET controllers monitor weather conditions, while soil­
moisture-based controllers directly sample moisture in the ground. These devices also have features like
“cycle-and-soak” functions that can help eliminate runoff (see p.47). When selecting a controller, look for
brands with the EPA WaterSense® label.
25
planting styles
photo: Marilee Kuhlmann

Mediterranean Style
Mediterranean Style gardens grace
French Farmhouse Border the many architectural styles inspired by
this region. They are filled with colorful
California native, Mediterranean and sub-
tropical plants. Flowering and fruiting plants
include herbs, vines, shrubs and shade trees.
Large outdoor patios and furnished garden
1 2 rooms are carpeted with brick, tile, gravel,
decomposed granite or fine wood mulch.
Generous tree canopies provide cooling
shade. Patios should be permeable where
appropriate, to allow direct rainwater infil-
tration, or contoured to capture all run-off
in adjacent rain gardens, swales and/or
infiltration basins.
3 4
1 Lavandula (various)
Lavender
2 Rosmarinus officinalis prostratus
Creeping Rosemary
3 Teucrium chamaedrys
Germander
4 Cistus skanbergii
Pink Rockrose
photo: Laura Morton

5 Salvia greggii
5 Autumn Sage

26
 planting style
Mediterranean Style Gardens
Colorful Containers
Appropriate For These
Architectural Styles:
RURAL EUROPEAN REVIVAL
(French Normandy Farmhouse)
Asymmetrical layouts, stone veneer and
wrought iron details grace these homes. Gar-
dens, too, can be formal or casual, linear or
1 2 3 curvy, but always full of flowers and fragrance.

SPANISH COLONIAL
1 Citrus ‘Improved Pelargonium sidoides Citrus ‘Nagami’ (Spanish Mission Revival and Monterey
Meyer’ Geranium Semi-Dwarf Kumquat Style)
Improved Meyer Lemon Walkways, patio, and garden bed layouts are
different for each style. Spanish Mission Re-
Planted in brightly glazed pots or elegant terra cotta urns, these evergreen plants vival garden layout is asymmetrical and curvi-
require little care or water. Give them occasional dead-heading to remove spent linear while Monterey is rectilinear, geometric
flowers and gentle pruning to keep them in shape. and symmetrical. Spanish Mission Revival
homes favor earth tones (mustard yellow, olive
green, light brown, etc.), while Monterey walls
are usually white, cream, pale yellows or blues.
Vines for Arbors
Both styles have painted black or white deco-
rative iron work for fencing, gates and railings.
Large picture windows, patios and balconies
encourage careful shade tree, evergreen shrub
and hedge placement to maximize both view
and privacy.

PERIOD REVIVAL
1 2 3 The Mediterranean roots of these styles work
well with the California landscape. Large
shade trees, windbreaks, colonnades of Italian
1 Vigna caracalla 2 Clytostoma 3 Rosa ‘Climbing Cypress and Junipers dominate the landscape,
Snail Vine callistegioides Cecile Brunner’ while linear paths lead to patios designed for
Lavender Trumpet Vine Climbing Rose outdoor living.
Plant colorful, flowering vines on arbors, trellises, bare walls and fences to shade CLASSICAL REVIVAL (Greek Revival)
garden rooms, patios and add privacy. Symmetry and geometry dominate this state-
ly style, framing grand, colonnaded porches.
Exterior walls of wood clapboard or smooth
stucco are painted white, cream, or very, very
Edible Fruit Trees pale blues or grays, with polished brass, dark
bronze, or black wrought iron hardware and
lighting.

ITALIANATE (California Style)

Typically symmetrical, these homes feature
wide, shading eaves and decorative porches,
commonly with supporting square posts. Stuc-

1 2 3 co and wood exterior walls are covered with

white, cream, or earth tone paint, though ac-
cents and garden wall paint can be pastel and
1 Punica granatum 2 Acca sellowiana 3 Prunus salcinia sometimes playful. Tile and brick usually is
Pomegranate Pineapple Guava ‘Santa Rosa’ used on patios, steps and walkways.
Santa Rosa Plum
ITALIAN RENAISSANCE REVIVAL
Many beautiful fruit trees thrive in Beverly Hills, creating bountiful orchards and (Tuscan Villa, Palladian)
singular patio trees. Garden layouts are generally symmetrical and
balanced, primarily organized in rectangular
shapes. Exterior and garden walls are covered
with smooth, light earth-toned stucco.

27
planting styles
photo: Tom Rau

Woodland Style
Shady and cool, Woodland Style gar-
Woodland Border dens compliment many different archi-
tectural styles. Brick and stone walkways,
patios and garden walls are common ele-
ments. Formal, symmetrical, clipped and
hedged or curvy, loose, and growing natu-
ral, Woodland gardens can be all, or none,
of the above.
1 2 Woodland Style gardens are dominat-
ed by large, stately trees which provide
valuable shade, privacy and beauty. Trees
are underplanted with lush, evergreen,
shade-tolerant flower borders, formally
clipped or natural hedges, and with Estate
Lawns. Trees and plants should be select-
3 4 ed from California’s temperate woodland
plant communities, primarily Live Oak
and Coastal Sage Scrub.
1 Arctostaphylos ‘Sunset’
Manzanita
2 Woodwardia fimbriata
Giant Chain Fern
3 Salvia spathacea
Hummingbird Sage
photo: Alex Stevens

4 Iris douglasiana ‘Canyon Snow’

Douglas Iris
5 Heuchera ‘Santa Ana Cardinal’
5 Santa Ana Coral Bells

28
 planting style
Woodland Style Gardens
Window Boxes and Containers Appropriate For These
Architectural Styles:
AMERICAN COLONIAL
Landscape and architectural layouts should
compliment each other, as should materials.
Garden features include generous flower bor-
ders, hedges, and estate lawns planted under
mature shade trees.
1 2 3
NEO CLASSICAL REVIVAL
1 Aeonium ‘Zwartkop’ 2 Vriesea 3 Begonia rex Symmetrical layouts and walls of brick, paint-
Purple Aeonium Bromeliad Begonia ed wood and stucco combinations are com-
monly embellished with brass hardware, exte-
rior lamps, address appointments, etc.
These plants will thrive in partially or fully shaded window boxes, under trees
and along North-facing walls. For sunny window boxes, mix native Dudleya, GEORGIAN and FEDERAL REVIVAL
Echeverias, Sedums and Senecios. Both mixes will create living, sculptural, colorful Georgian layouts have asymmetrical balance,
plantings that require minimal water or care but look beautiful year-round. while Federal is symmetrical. Brick or flagstone
cladding on first floor entries dictate matching
garden wall, path and paving materials.
Formal Options
NEW ENGLAND REVIVAL
(Cape Cod Style)
Front porches are featured, and wood siding is
painted in pale colors or earth tones.

RURAL EUROPEAN REVIVAL

Rustic and informal or geometric and well-
pruned, both styles are generously planted
1 2 3 with flowers, and evergreen shrubs.

ENGLISH COTTAGE
1 Ceanothus 2 Nandina domestica 3 Westringia fruticosa English Cottage gardens typically have curvi-
California Lilac Heavenly Bamboo ‘Morning Light’ linear pathways leading to an entrance court-
Coast Rosemary yard, often behind a low garden wall. Stone
veneer and stucco with stone details are com-
Shrubs can be trained and pruned into formal hedges and geometric shapes or mon. Plants are maintained closer to natural
left to grow naturally and massed to create hedges, for privacy and to define views. forms.

TUDOR STYLE
Deep Shade Brighteners Tudor Style is more geometric, with plants of-
ten pruned and clipped into traditional hedges
and topiary forms.

1 2 3
1 Carpenteria 2 Crassula ovata 3 Philadelphus lewisii
photo: Pamela Berstler

californica Jade Plant Mock Orange

Bush Anemone
Brightening dark corners with glossy green leaves, and seasonal flowers, these
plants look good combined with bright green ferns, even in full shade under dense
tree canopy.

29
planting styles
photo: Jim Davidson

Modern Style
Bold Modern and Contemporary architectural
Modern Landscape Architectural Plants styles dramatically contrast or gently compliment
the gardens that surround them. Either way,
Modern Style landscapes are both beautiful
and functional.
Uniform, geometric plantings of architectur-
ally bold plants surrounded by monochromat-
1 2 ic groundcovers can compliment more refined
Moderne styles, or contrast with exuberant Post
Modern homes.
Billowy meadows of native grasses and flowering
perennials can both soften and contrast effective-
ly with the architecture’s clean, modern lines.
Structural succulents, bold shrubs, and dramatic
trees compliment them all.
3 4
1 Elegia elephantina
Large Cape Rush
2 Leymus condensatus ‘Canyon Prince’
Clumping Wild Rye
3 Muhlenbergia rigens
Deer Grass
photo: Alex Stevens

4 Beschornaria yuccoides
Mexican Lily
5 Sedum nussbaumerianum
5 Orange Sedum

30
 planting style
Modern Style Gardens
Bold Container Plants Appropriate For These
Architectural Styles:
CONTEMPORARY STYLES
(Moderne, Modernistic, Modernism)
Moderne style is clean and volumetric. Homes
usually are covered with smooth white stucco
but no decorative flourishes. Tubular, metal
hand railings, fences and gates also are com-
1 2 3 mon. Gardens can be similarly monochromat-
ic, spare and elegant, or create contrast with
1 Asparagus 2 Sansevieria 3 Agave attenuata bold colors, forms and masses of large, natu-
densiflorus ‘Myers’ Snake Plant ‘Variegata’ rally pruned shrubs and trees.
Myers Asparagus Fern Variegated Agave
INTERNATIONAL STYLE
Dramatic succulent and sculptural plants add form and color to minimal styles. Plant sin- Here, concrete, steel and glass are arranged
gle plant species in each beautiful container, then group pots or use alone, as focal points. asymmetrically, in bold, cubic shapes. Smooth
walls are painted white, with occasional use
of contrasting natural materials such as stone
Sedge Lawns and wood. Garden walkways and patios can be
concrete with walls of smooth stucco, painted
or colored in darker, contrasting earth tones.
Natural wood or stone also work. Exterior
lighting fixtures and hardware are usually
stainless steel or white powder-coated metal.
Landscaping can be bold, dramatic and color-
ful, or spare, restrained and evergreen. Simple
Estate Lawns, yarrow or sedge meadows, with
carefully placed shade trees can suffice.
1 2 3
POST MODERN STYLE
1 Carex pansa 2 Sisyrinchium bellum 3 Zephyranthes Whimsical geometrical shapes and pastel col-
California Meadow Sedge Blue-eyed Grass Fairy Lily ors mixed with a variety of materials define
the style. Garden and building walls usually
are stucco, painted white or pastel, and with
Soften bold contemporary architecture with gently undulating Sedge Lawns, marked darker pastel colors used for contrast. Deco-
seasonally with flowering bulbs. As with the Estate Lawn, evergreen Sedge Lawns can be ration and details are also whimsical, mixing
mown regularly, or left wild and raked annually to freshen/dethatch. styles and materials. Gardens should continue
the fun, with color, detail, layout and whimsy.

Stunning Succulents

photo: Alex Stevens

1 2 3
1 Aloe vera 2 Agave vilmoriniana 3 Kalanchoe beharensis
Medicinal Aloe Octopus Agave Felt Plant

Sculptural plants looks stunning year-round, alone or massed. Surround sculptural plants
with smaller succulent varieties and evergreen or flowering ground covers.

31
planting styles
California Chaparral Style
photo: Marianne Simon

All Beverly Hill architectural styles will look

California Chaparral Borders beautiful surrounded by lush native Califor-
nia gardens. These California Chaparral
Style gardens thrive mostly on rainwater,
some gentle pruning, and occasional light
weeding (both while new plants get estab-
lished and after annual rains).

1 2 Though Mediterranean plants are climate

adapted for Beverly Hills, every plant grows
best in its native place. Local native plants
have co-evolved with the specific climate,
geology, soils, insects, birds, animals and
other members of the plant community of
a particular region. When we want to create
landscapes that require the least amount of

3 4 work after establishment and the most value

for endangered insects like butterflies and
bees, we reach for local native plants first, and
1 Vitis ‘Rogers Red’ Mediterranean or other climate-appropriate
California Red Grape plants second.

2 Salvia clevelandii ‘Pozo Blue’

Cleveland Sage
3 Muhlenbergia rigens
Deer Grass
4 Verbena lilacina ‘De La Mina’
photo: Stephanie Bartron

Cedros Island Verbena

5 Mahonia repens
5 Creeping Barberry

32
 planting style
California Chaparral Gardens
California Containers Appropriate For These
Architectural Styles:
CHAPARRAL STYLES
Patios, paths, garden walls, decorative details
and outdoor art all can be customized to best
match individual homes and architectural
styles. Plants should be combined with others
from their Plant Community, and also can be
1 2 3 selected for specific color palettes, seasonal
shows, and special features, like edible fruit.
1 Abutilon palmeri 2 Sphaeralcea ambigua 3 Dudleya pulverulenta Landscapes should be designed in formal or
Indian Mallow Desert Mallow Live Forever informal layouts, as best suits the home’s ar-
chitecture.
Trees, Lawns, Meadows and Borders should
Blooming all summer, and repeatedly throughout the year, bushy perennial plants all work together in the garden’s overall design.
will bring flowers, butterflies and hummingbirds to sunny patio containers with Each home’s specific architecture and garden
just weekly water and a gentle annual haircut. styles should harmonize to create both beau-
ty and habitat for all the residents,of Beverly
Hills.
Dramatic, Bold, Beautiful Background Shrubs
PRAIRIE homes are beautiful with yar-
row meadows surrounded by billowing, open
shrubs.
ASIAN styles look lovely with rain gardens,
pruned evergreen shrubs, raked gravel patios,
and sculptural accents.

1 2 3 CRAFTSMAN & BUNGALOW

Cozy or grand, natural or geometric, craft
practical and comfortable gardens around
1 Fremontodendron 2 Dendromecon 3 Lavatera these homes.
Flannel Bush Bush Poppy assurgentiflora
Malva Rose RANCH HOMES embrace indoor/outdoor
Native shrubs fill large gardens with color and drama and with spectacular California living with generous patios and ar-
spring and summer flowers. They make great background plants, love growing bors, rolling meadows and sheltering shade
in community with other natives (including Ceanothus, Ribes, Salvias, Galvezias, trees.
Buckwheats), and can be mixed, matched, or massed for different effects. These
require minimal maintenance or applied water, especially during warm summer ART DECO
months when they prefer completely dry feet. Flowery, curvaceous and lush gardens echo
deco’s love of natural form.

Yarrow Meadow

1 2 3
1 Achillea millefolium Muhlenbergia capillaris Aesclepias fascicularis
photo: Tom Rau

Yarrow/various ‘White Cloud’ Narrow Leaf Milkweed

Hairy Awn Muhly
Mown yearly, to remove dead flowers, this walkable Yarrow Meadow dances with
every gentle breeze and is visited regularly by butterflies.

33
how to garden

The living Soil Party

OWL (Oxygen, Water and Life) makes Living Soil.

Living soil is alive. A teaspoon of good garden soil contains billions of invisible bacteria, several yards of equally invisible fungal
hyphae, several thousand protooa and a few dozen beneficial nematodes. Microbes bind soil together and, when OWL is balanced, and
the Soil Party is happening, these billions of microbes can transform brick-like dirt into healthy, Living Soil sponges.

Oxygen is needed by healthy plant roots Water is needed by both plants and Life in the soil includes all of the bacteria,
and soil organisms. Healthy soil has lots of microbes. But too much water in the soil protozoa, nematodes and fungi, the food
tiny little pockets of air. will displace the oxygen, saturating the they eat, the excretions they make, and the
soil and creating an anaerobic condition. root systems they sustain. Living microbes
When soils are eroded, graded or disturbed, Pathogenic microbes prefer anaerobic soil, most quickly can be incorporated into soil
their structure becomes compacted. and if this condition persists, diseases may by adding really good quality compost.
Compaction is caused when the tiny air develop, endangering the health of your
and water bubbles are squeezed out of the garden. Plants attract microbes to their roots by
soil and the microbes are killed. Microbes feeding them carbon. Bacteria and fungi
can be killed by fertilizer and pesticide use Water is constantly moving through the soil. hold the soil together with microscopic
or even heavy traffic (foot or vehicular). Any water in the soil needs to be replenished glues and binders. The microbes consume
as the plants use it, as it evaporates from organic matter and are then consumed
the soil surface, and as gravity pulls it down themselves by larger creatures (worms,
past the root zone. ants, slugs, centipedes, insect larvae, etc.)
In turn, these creatures are consumed by
Use a soil probe to help manage the oxygen creatures further up the food chain. Carbon
and water balance in soil This is critical for and other nutrients are cycled through
maintaining plant health, so take note of these many life forms, creating healthy,
your Soil Moisture Account (see p. 46). living, well-structured soil, no matter what
the soil type.

Use a Soil Probe

A soil probe allows you to determine
photo: Pamela Berstler

a lot of information about your soil. It

will come in handy when you are trying
to figure out whether water is reaching
the plant roots or even goes too deep
beyond the roots’ reach.
Take multiple samples from around
your garden.
How deep are your plants’ roots?

34
 how to garden
Build a great soil Sponge
Try to avoid excessive disturbance of the soil. But, if it happens, make sure you add Oxygen, Water and Life as soon as possible to get
the Soil Party started again. A rockin’ Soil Party turns dirt into a great living soil Sponge.

Eliminate Compaction Water Wisely, first Feed your soil.

by loosening soil. with rainwater. Organic matter is the only food for the Soil
Party that improves water holding capacity
If you can press a pitchfork into the soil, Rainwater provides the perfect chemistry of soil. You can get organic matter from a
that is all you need to do to create air holes. for both plants and microbes, and should wide variety of sources. Dead organisms
be provided as much as possible when it is and plant material are combined with the
If the soil is heavy clay, then augering or available. sugars and other compounds secreted by
tilling may be necessary. Immediately after
augering heavily compacted areas, fill the living plants and creatures.
Irrigate only to maintain the water
holes with good compost or earthworm balance in soil. Too much water saturates Mulch, compost and compost tea can be
castings. Then water the whole thing soil and results in the anaerobic conditions applied to the surface of the soil and used
thoroughly to get the biology processes that promote disease. Too little might as amendments during planting and soil
kickstarted. Remember that augering and result in microbes drying up and going preparation.
tilling destroy the Soil Party already existing to sleep. When microbes are no longer
in the soil, so they should be employed only cycling nutrients for the plants, the roots Plants do not need to be fed with fertilizers
when absolutely necessary. will die and the plant might too. (even organic ones) if you maintain OWL.
Avoid applying any fertilizers, but especially
Two essential practices for getting and chemical ones, and any other chemical
maintaining soil oxygen are: inputs.
1) Feed the microbes organic matter so they
continue making the little air pockets.
2) Manage water so things don’t get too Leaf It in Place
saturated or too dry.

Weed Barrier? Tea for Two

Leaf litter and grass clippings should

be allowed to remain on the soil
surface, under the plants from which
photo: Jodie Cook

they fall, instead of being removed

during maintenance. Compost tea and worm castings offer
Be careful not to pile up leaves or a microbe jump start, providing many
mulch against the trunk of the plant. benefits of compost in an easily-
It looks like weeds grow right through Try to keep them a minimum of 5” digestible aerated liquid (compost
weed barrier and it keeps OWL from away from the trunk. tea) or dry form (worm castings),
happening. already teeming with life.

35
how to garden
Before

Before
photo: Marilee Kuhlmann

Lose your lawn Without Killing your soil

Build living soil with Sheet Mulching (aka Soil Lasagna).
We call this process Sheet Mulching, or Soil Lasagna, because it boosts microbes so much, they actually cook down the organic
matter and start eating up the grass as food. Once you’ve made the Soil Lasagna, all you need to do is keep the system wet so the
microbes can stay awake and cooking. How long this will take depends upon the kind of grass you have (see p. 13). When you’re ready,
just dig a hole right into it, cutting through paper/cardboard (if it’s still there) and plant into the yummy living soil beneath.

You Will Need: Wheelbarrow(s)

Mulch
Shovels and Rakes Painters’ Paper or big sheets of Cardboard
Bins for removed grass and soil Hose with shut off nozzle at end
Landscape flags Water (LOTS!)
Compost, Worm Castings, or Compost Tea

Secure Your Permits Rent A Dumpster

Call DIG ALERT (8-1-1) two days in advance, and check with For every 1,000 sq. ft. of turf removed you will need 1 low-boy
www.BeverlyHills.org for any water use restrictions. (10 yard capacity) dumpster.

36
 how to garden
1 After you have checked for permits and any local water use restrictions, deal with the lawn you have. If it’s cool season, mow it to
about 1/2” height, say goodbye and soak it thoroughly with water. Then go to #3. If you want to cut out cool season grass, go to #2.

2 If you have warm season grass, rent a sod cutter and remove the grass and 2-3” of roots beneath. The result is that you will be
removing about 6” of grass and soil. Unfortunately, this must be hauled away, so you will need to rent a dumpster.

3 4 5 6
3 Dig a trench 8-12” deep (about 1 shovel depth) and at least 12-24” wide around all hard surfaces and building foundations (less deep
here). Before moving on, complete your contouring for rainwater absorption and retention and any landscape
adjustments such as paths, patios, other features (see pp. 54-55).
4 Flag your sprinkler heads so you can find and adjust them later.
5 Add a (1/2” to 1” deep) layer of compost on top of the graded soil. Alternatively, use humates, a sort of freeze-dried compost
available at some landscape supply stores, or spray with compost or worm tea. You are adding good instant food and some microbes
to the soil!

7 8 9 10
6 Water everything well. Wake up, microbes and get the party started!
7 Roll out painters’ paper, cardboard or other paper. Overlap at the seams by at least 6”. No naked soil!
8 On the hardscape edges, make a “burrito” of rolled paper and mulch to keep grass from resprouting immediately.
9 The paper is watered again and add another layer of compost here, if you’d like. Rake a thick blanket 4-6” deep of mulch over the
paper or compost.
10 Water the mulch thoroughly. This mulch layer will absorb more water than you ever thought possible to become soaked through.
Don’t despair; just keep watering!
11 Plant right through the layers. The longer you wait to plant, the tastier the lasagna will be for the new plants, but you can plant right
away if you removed the grass. If you kept your cool season grass in place, count on waiting 3-4 months before planting.
12 Step back and admire your work!

37
how to garden
photo: John Huber

Catch the rain:

Slow, Spread, Sink and Store
Slow It! Replace downspouts with rainchains to slow down
the water, so it is more easily absorbed when it reaches landscaped
areas. Add a rain barrel or cistern at the bottom of the downspout
or rainchain and allow it to overflow into the garden.

Don’t Have Gutters? Cover areas under eaves with

permeable groundcover such as pea gravel, mulch, or rock to reduce
the compacting force of water falling on bare soil. Spreading fresh
leaf and wood chip mulch throughout the garden will slow down
water. Healthy soil, bound together by the structures its life creates,
can withstand even the strongest rains.

Spread It! Water needs to be spread around to spend some time

photo: Alex Stevens

in your landscape. For new construction, always specify permeable

hardscape. Consider breaking or cutting up impervious surfaces
like patios and walkways and rearranging the concrete with gaps
between the concrete or puncturing it to create planting areas. Paved
area drains also can be redirected from storm drains into the garden.

Sink It! Trust the soil sponge to do its job. Existing impermeable
photo: Building Green Futures 2015

surfaces that cannot be transformed should be treated as water

capture areas, where water is collected before it is guided to the
garden. If you are not able to capture and hold the water on site,
then concentrate on making sure that it passes through as much of
the natural landscape as possible before it moves off your yard and
becomes runoff.

Store It! Rainwater also can be directly harvested and stored.

Storage vessels include rain barrels and cisterns directly connected
to downspouts. Stored water gradually can be released into the
landscape between winter rains. Properly sited trees are an excellent
landscape feature for holding rain and allowing it to be released
slowly over time.

38
 how to garden
Rainwater as a Resource
photo: Alex Stevens

Five Great Permeable Surfaces Rain can be used Before irrigation.

During the rainy season, run off from hard surfaces (roofs and patios)
can be directed to the landscape. By capturing rainwater in soil
we may be able to build an ecosystem that can go through the dry
summer months with minimal or no additional water. Our whole built
environment can be transformed into a living sponge and a giant rain
1 2 barrel. Or, if there’s more rainwater than we can absorb, or the soil
is particularly impermeable, then we can allow it to flow-through our
gardens, removing pollution before sending it along its way.
In order to capture rainwater you will have to take a serious look at
your roof, do some basic math, make choices about when and where
to hold the water, and contour the garden so the garden makes the
grade. You also need to figure out whether or not your soil needs
help to become a better sponge (see p. 51).
3 4
Some Rainwater Capture Rules
1 Sand set pavers
• Always check with local building regulations before altering
2 Porous concrete paving your drainage.
• Redirect downspouts from hard surfaces into landscaped
areas or other permeable surfaces.
3 Interlocking pavers • Use rain barrels or cisterns and direct the overflow into
landscaped or permeable areas.
4 Gravel • Choose permeble hardscape for new patios, walkways and
driveways.
photos 1,3,5: Pamela Berstler

5 Sand set flagstones • Break up impermeable surfaces like walkways and patios or
cut 4” gaps in driveways.
• Keep all soil on the property and use it for creating contours
5 •
throughout the landscape.
Make sure you have turned your soil into a sponge by adding
organic matter or Sheet Mulching.

39
how to garden
Do some water Homework
Evapotranspiration (ET) is the key to watering plants.
Evapotranspiration (ET) is the process by which water is into oxygen and sugars for building their bodies and feeding soil
transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation from microbes. Transpiration is like plant sweat. It cools down the solar
the soil and other surfaces and by transpiration from plants. ET is panel leaves.
a quick way for plant people to explain environmental conditions,
ET therefore, explains how much water plants really need and
especially solar radiation (sunshine or cloud cover). The stronger
when they need it. It is helpful to understand water loss in terms of
the sunshine, the higher the ET.
evapotranspiration when selecting plants for the lowest landscape
Plant leaves are like giant solar panels, gathering energy to enable water needs and maximum savings (see p. 41), planning irrigation
the plant to transform water and carbon dioxide from the air and managing the Soil Moisture Account (see p. 46).

Plant Factors (PF) categorize each plant’s water requirement.

The Water Use Classification of Landscape Species (WUCOLS) needed by cool season grass growing in your climate zone.
is a resource used by professionls to classify plants according to These water requirement categories, or Plant Factors, include
their water requirement. The water requirement of each plant VERY LOW, LOW, MODERATE and HIGH.
in your landscape can be determined by gathering information Once we select our plants, we can figure out the water use of the
about that plant and then comparing it to the amount of water entire irrigated landscaped area.

50” Plant Factor: Plant Factor: Plant Factor:

MODERATE LOW VERY LOW
BEVERLY HILLS - ANNUAL PLANT WATER

40”
REQUIREMENTS IN INCHES

55”
of water
49”
20” per year
of water
per year
10”
5”

cool season Heuchera maxima, Chilopsis linearis, Epilobium canum,

grass 40-60% 10-30% 10% or less
of cool season grass of cool season grass of cool season grass
• HIGH Plant Factor plants need 70-100% of the water needed for grass lawn
• MODERATE Plant Factor plants need 40-60% of the water needed for grass lawn
• LOW Plant Factor plants need 10-30% of the water needed for grass lawn
• VERY LOW Plant Factor plants need 10% or less of the water needed for grass lawn

1 Moderate 2 Low 3 Very Low

Notice that wherever we have provided plant selections or lists in this book, we have identified the plants by their

3 water needs by placing their identification numbers on a colored background (see pp. 66-69). You can use this color
coding to help you group plants by their water requirements in your new landscape, so they may be irrigated more
efficiently. The Butterfly icon indicates plants that support the life cycle of butterflies.
40
 how to garden
Determine landscape Water Savings
How LOW can you go?
We encourage landscape designs that use the least amount of potable water necessary. As a general rule, we will want to maximize our
capture and use of rainwater and to reduce, if not eliminate, our reliance on potable water for irrigation. Since cool season turf is
among the highest water-use plants, when we replace turf areas with climate­-appropriate plants that have lower water requirements,
and irrigate them with more efficient updated systems, we create a great water saving potential. When we compare how much water
our new landscape design will need with our existing landscape water use, we can determine our total estimated water savings.

Beverly Hills Water Efficient Landscape

Ordinance (WELO) www.bhsaves.org Plant Factor:
HIGH
Beverly Hills’ Water Efficient Landscape ordinance requires new
commercial and residential projects to create water budgets for
their landscaping and reviews design documents to ensure that
new landscape designs comply with the budget. It ensures that new
construction uses the latest irrigation technology to irrigate with-
out wasting water like older, outdated methods and equipment.

Water Use Classifications of Landscape Species

(WUCOLS)www.ucanr.edu/sites/WUCOLS/
WUCOLS IV provides evaluations of the irrigation water needs for
over 3,500 taxonomic plant groups used in California landscapes.

Plant Factor:
MODERATE
photo: Marilee Kuhlmann

Plant Factor:
MODERATE

Plant Factor:
VERY LOW
photo: Pamela Berstler

Plant Factor:
VERY LOW

41
how to garden
Group plants by Hydrozones
Hydrozone Rules
• Plants with similar needs are planted together
so water can be applied as efficiently as possible
through rainwater catchment and irrigation.
• Sun exposure, slope, and plant root depth should
be considered so that full sun areas are one
hydrozone, shade areas are another, and mixed
exposure areas are yet another.
• Each irrigation valve should irrigate a separate
hydrozone containing plants with similar water
needs, living conditions, and root depths.
• Plants with high water needs (vegetables,
lawn) must be on their own hydrozone and the
sprinklers/emitters on that zone must not water
anything else.
• Each hydrozone must be able to handle enough

photo: Tom Rau

water volume for every emitter to work properly.
• Each hydrozone should have sprinklers or
emitters that emit the same amount of water and
they should be spaced so that every plant in the
zone gets the same amount of water (pros call this
matched precipitation).

Five Sun Lovers With Moderate Water Needs

1 2 3 4 5
1 Pittosporum tobira 2 Ribes viburnifolium 3 Caesalpina mexicana 4 Melica californica 5 Callistemon ‘Little John’
‘Creme de Mint’ Evergreen Currant Mexican Bird of Paradise California Melic Grass Dwarf Bottlebrush
Japanese Mock Orange

Five Sun Lovers With Low Water Needs

1 2 3 4 5
1 Leucadendron ‘Safari 2 Correa ‘Dusky Bells’ 3 Eriogonum parvifolium 4 Muhlenbergia capillaris 5 Sedum spurium
Sunset’ Red Australian Fuchsia Cliff Buckwheat ‘Regal Mist’ ‘Dragon’s Blood’
Cone Bush Pink Muhly Dragon’s Blood Stonecrop

42
 how to garden
Stop and Group the Roses

photo: Gary Isaacs

Long-lived, long-blooming, easily transplanted, and
Best Friends, Good Rose Companions low-water too? Roses are well-loved for many reasons,
and with proper care they will continue to add beauty
to many Beverly Hills gardens. Generally, roses can be
great MODERATE or LOW water use plants. Planting
and maintaining roses properly includes smart compan-
ion planting, drip irrigation, and regular pruning. Healthy
soil, amended with compost and mulched, along with
adequate sunlight keep roses healthy and blooming year-
1 2 round.
Drip irrigation is ideal for roses. Efficiently watering the
roots, while keeping the leaves and flowers dry, drip irriga-
tion minimizes powdery mildew and other diseases. Roses
also should be regularly pruned, at least annually, to keep
an open form, allowing air to flow freely and limit pests
and disease. Limit evaporation and water use by keeping
them tucked neatly in their beds with a heavy blanket of
mulch covering their roots. If any problems occur, apply
3 4 liberal amounts of worm castings or really good compost
around the base of the plants.
Roses should be grouped together in a rose garden bed
1 Salvia leucantha
or border planting where they can be properly tended.
Mexican Sage
Make sure you hydrozone by combining roses with other
2 Melampodium leucanthum low-water friends such as California lilacs (Ceanothus),
Black-foot Daisy Sages, Alliums, Wormwoods and Yarrow, properly spaced
for good air circulation and overall plant health.
3 Nepeta ‘Blue Wonder’
Catmint
4 Allium schoenoprasum
photo: Marianne Simon

Chives
5 Artemesia californica ‘Canyon
5 Gray’
Coastal Sagebrush

43
how to garden

Use Climate-appropriate plants

photo: Pamela Berstler

California native plants have evolved over

time in our unique climate conditions.
By learning to recognize their adaptation
tricks, you can identify climate-appropriate
plants wherever you are. There are four
leaf characteristics shared by many climate-
appropriate plants that will allow you to find
them in a crowded nursery.

Stiff, Leathery
These hold on to water and stay evergreen
for most of the year.

Silver or Hairy
leathery little Light colored leaves reflect sunlight, cooling
the plant. Hairy back sides of leaves hold
mositure longer, cooling them off.

Tiny or Little
Small leaves are like tiny solar panels that are
easier to keep cool than one large hot surface.

Solar Tracking
Leaves that appear to be standing at
attention, straight up and down in the middle
of the day. As the day progresses, or if you
see the same plant in the early morning, you
will find that the leaves are more horizontally
oriented. This plant is moving its solar panels
to minimize the hottest sun exposure. Many
of the California native manzanitas utilize
silvery solar tracking this adaptation.

44
 how to garden
Plant with Confidence Successful Planting
In Ten Easy Steps
Now you are ready to Install plants! 1. Dig A Hole! Don’t dig it any deeper than
the rootball of the plant. Do dig at least a
It’s almost as easy as digging a hole, but a little extra love will help. By following these little bit wider than the plant to loosen the
simple steps, you will get your plants’ roots growing properly, quickly spreading into the surrounding soil. If you accidentally dig too
living soil and making friends with the other drought tolerant plants. Strong roots make deep, be sure to put the soil back in and tamp
strong plants, and this is especially important in dry environments. it down firmly before moving on, to give your
plant a solid base.
You Will Need:
• Tools: shovel, hand trowel, hose 2. Throw In Some Compost or worm
• Plants castings no more than 1” deep - along the
• Compost bottom of the hole. Never put mulch in a
• Mulch hole! And don’t bother with fertilizers either
(see p. 35).
Add these to your list for more advanced planting:
• Mycorrhizae (not for grasses) 3. Fill The Hole With Water TWICE, and
• Fish Emulsion or Water Soluble Humates allow it to drain completely each time. This
will take a long time, unless your soil is really
“Hey, where’s the fertilizer?” you may ask. Watershed Wise gardens don’t want sandy. Start digging the next hole, or take a
nutrient rich (i.e. fertilized) soil, so don’t use it! break.

4. Submerge The Rootball in a bucket of

water until air bubbles stop bubbling up. Keep
the plant in its container but ok if you take
it out - just be careful with the delicate roots.

5. Add Fish Emulsion or soluble humate

to the water (follow label directions). Dust the
rootball with a mycorrhizae inoculant (only if
the plants are woody, so don’t bother with the
grasses).
photos: Paul Herzog

6 Place Plant In Hole, make sure the root

3 4 5 collar (that’s where the roots join the stem
or trunk) is a bit (1/2” - 1”) higher than the
surrounding soil/ existing grade. This is super
important because we don’t want the plant to
get choked by the surrounding soil.

7. Fill The Hole With Water one more

time (this time with the plant in it) and let it
drain completely.

8. Now Fill The Hole With The Soil you

dug out (not with fancy potting soil!), making
sure the soil slopes away from the root collar.
Tamp the soil down (use your feet, but be
gentle) so the plant doesn’t move around.
6 7 8 9. Don’t Create A Bowl around the plant.
Really! Your plant doesn’t need it and it might
What’s with all the Water? make a moat that would drown your climate-
appropriate plant.
Drainage. If the water does not drain within an hour or so, it’s probably not a good 10. Water The Soil All Around The Plant
place to plant a climate-appropriate plant until you fix the compaction. one more time, and deeply. And have a drink
Awaken Microbes. By watering so thoroughly, you are waking up any microbes yourself !
that might be in the surrounding soil.
Plant Shock. The major reason plants suffer from planting shock is that the dry
soil around the new plants wicks water away from their rootball, sending the plant into
shock from which they never recover. By watering the surrounding soil, you reduce the
probability of plant shock.
45
how to garden

Water Wisely
photo: Alex Stevens

Manage Water to keep OWL alive! Balance Your Soil Moisture Account.
When oxygen and water are in balance within the soil, the amount
The objective of managing water wisely in the landscape is to keep of water that is lost through evapotranspiration (ET) is just like
just the right balance of oxygen and water so that plants look great writing a check for water out of the soil bank account.
and stay healthy, and the soil microbes are kept awake to cycle
nutrients. The water that enters the soil reservoir as rain or irrigation is just
like making a deposit into a soil checking account. By keeping
Approximately half of the water coming into an average Beverly records of these transactions (water in and water out), it is possible
Hills household is used outdoors, the majority of which is to know how much water in the soil reservoir is available in the
irrigation. Additionally, according to USEPA experts, up to 50% landscape at any given time for the plants to spend.
of commercial and residential irrigation water used is lost due to
evaporation, wind, improper system design, or overwatering. So, The initial soil bank balance is determined by direct observation
we always want to be sure to use water as efficiently as possible for or is assessed after a thorough wetting of the soil by irrigation or
our gardens. winter rains. Every day, plants take small amounts of water out of
the soil through ET and then when it rains or an irrigation event
Healthy soil, full of life, absorbs water like a sponge and shares it occurs, the soil bank is filled up again. The trick is to make sure
with plants as needed. It also releases any excess water once the that you don’t overdraft your account.
sponge is saturated. During the traditionally wet Beverly Hills
winters, a healthy soil sponge can absorb water, in surprisingly large How do we tell when our account is depleted? Smart irrigation
quantities, to be released slowly to plants as they need it in the drier controllers and landscape professionals are able to calculate this
months. Shading the soil surface, with plant material and mulch, OR you can rely on probing with your fingers or using a soil probe.
protects soil water by slowing evaporation.

Wet or Dry?
Use “digital” technology! Soil may appear dry on the surface, so stick your finger into the soil and
make sure it’s wet below. If it’s wet up to your second knuckle, it doesn’t need any more water, so wait
another day or two. Alternatively, if you use a soil probe, you can feel the moisture in the soil and make
a determination yourself (see p. 34). You can look at plant health to determine water need, but sometimes
overwatering and underwatering will produce similar results in plants.
Underwatering Symptoms Overwatering Symptoms
• Soil is bone dry • Soil is constantly saturated
• Older leaves turn yellow or brown or drop • Leaves turn a lighter shade of green or turn yellow
• Leaves are wilted • Young shoots are wilted
• Leaves curl and become brittle • Leaves are green yet brittle
• Stunted growth • Algae and mushrooms are present
• Plant is dead! • Growth is excessive
• Plant is dead!

46
 how to garden
Wise irrigation Management
Keep Water on the landscape.
Observe the irrigation while running and check to make sure that sprinkler heads are not spraying water onto sidewalks, patios or
structures. If the water is being applied too fast for the soil to absorb it, runoff will occur. Puddling and pooling also may be an indication
that water is applied too fast or too often. Repairs to broken pipes and heads should be made immediately, or the system should be turned
off until repairs can be made.

Cycle and Soak Programming eliminates dry weather runoff. Observe how quickly runoff occurs when you are running your
irrigation. This is the MAXIMUM run time for your irrigation controller in this hydrozone. So, to cycle and soak your irrigation, you
divide up the total minutes required by the hydrozone into blocks of time NO LONGER than the observed runoff time and allow a 30
minute rest period in between the irrigation cycles.
For example, if we need 12 minutes of water in a certain hydrozone, but we observe runoff after 4 minutes, we break down the 12 minute
total into three 4 minute cycles with 30 minutes between each cycle.

Hand Watering is especially good for getting a garden established when you are going to want to spend more time looking at the
plants to make sure nothing is amiss. During establishment you may need to water every week or two weeks because roots are only 4” -
10” deep on a newly-planted one gallon plant. (That’s why it’s great to try to plant during the rainy season!)
Really look at your plants. Are they appearing droopy or sad? Is the soil very dry? If so, then give the plants a good drink and watch.
Don’t water more than two days in a row, and let the soil dry out completely before watering again. Remember the symptoms of
overwatering and underwatering are very similar (see p. 46).
After the first year or two, once your plants are settled, your sustainable garden will not need water more than once or twice a month, if
at all. Stop watering after the first seasonal rains begin, and let nature do its thing.

Observe Your Irrigation System

Turn on each valve of your irrigation system and observe how quickly water begins to run off the landscape. Note the time when the
runoff occurs. For some systems this could be immediately, and others it may take 5 minutes or longer.
Make sure that the spray irrigation is never running for longer than 8 minutes at one time.
Make notes on your irrigation plan and turn off your irrigation until you are able to fix these issues:
• Do you have broken sprinkler heads?
• Are there heads that are blocked by plants or objects (planters or lights)?
• When the system turns off, does water come out of the lowest heads in the landscape?
• Are heads in need of adjustment so they do not directly spray on to the hardscape?
The image below is an example of the overspray and runoff of an inefficient irrigation system.

Adjust Sprinklers To Eliminate Runoff

Several things can be done to minimize runoff due to irrigation.
These include:
1 Tune up spray irrigation systems so there is no overspray
on to hard surfaces.

2 Do not install spray irrigation in areas that are too narrow

for spray (8’ wide or narrower).

3 Move spray heads 24 inches from any buildings or hard

and impermeable surfaces.

4 Cycle and Soak irrigation run times.

5 Convert spray systems to drip irrigation with the lower
precipitation rates, pressure regulation and a filter.

6 In lawn areas, be sure to follow the organic maintenance

practices to keep your soil spongey (see p. 48).

47
how to garden

Tend your garden

photo: Marianne Simon

Congratulations! Your beautiful new garden is now filled with low

water plants and your healthy living soil is doing most of the work Maintain For Rain. Check downspout connections and
to feed and water them. You get to sit back, relax, and enjoy the overflows annually to make sure they’re working properly. If you
view! But you’re not quite done. Your garden is alive (more alive don’t have gutters and downspouts, make sure there are no areas of
erosion around your house. Consider adding a rain chain and small
now than ever) and it will need some tending to thrive.
bit of gutter if you need to direct water away from a highly eroded
Add Organics. As mulch breaks down, add more! The easiest area. Loosen your soil if it’s become compacted, remove extra soil
way to do this is to use falling leaves from your trees. A leaf-covered or silt that’s built up, and add mulch if needed.
garden is a healthy garden! You can brush them off patios, walkways
and stairs right onto the existing mulch. No falling leaves? You can
Harvest. Fruits, vegetables, seeds and flowers - it’s up to you to
pick them when they’re ready, before the birds and other creatures
get more mulch from your local composting facility, or order it from
get them. If you have stiff competition in your neighborhood, invest
a local nursery or building supply yard. in some bird netting or lightweight mesh bags and wrap your trees,
Weed. You are going to have to weed, especially after the winter vines, shrubs or the fruit itself a week or so before it’s ready to
rains, and especially in the first year. Even with a thick layer of harvest. Be sure to clean up fallen fruit to limit pests.
mulch, you may still have some weeds popping up. Be sure to weed Integrated Pest Management (IPM). A few aphids
them out regularly, as many of them are thirsty imports and they or caterpillars will feed the birds, but a massive infestation requires
will steal precious water from your new plants. immediate action on your part. Remove diseased plant material
Water. Especially the first two years after planting, you need and don’t put it in your compost pile. Wash off unwanted insects
to give your plants a little extra water. Not too much! Remember, with your hose. If they come back try spraying them with a mixture
these plants (and your soil) will be healthier, live longer, and grow of mild dish soap and water, or with compost tea. Snails and slugs
stronger if you give them just enough water. shouldn’t be a problem in the garden, but if you find too many, leave
out coffee grounds, crumbled egg shells or a pan full of beer for
Prune. Get a good pair of hand clippers, gently prune trees them - they’ll drown happy!
perennials and grasses as needed. Mow your meadow annually
after it has self-seeded to keep it clean and walkable. Don’t mow Go Out and Have Fun! By spending time relaxing and
it too short - look up the grasses and/or sedges that you used and playing in your garden you will be more aware of how it’s growing,
follow growers’ directions. how it changes, and what it needs.

Maintain Lawn Organically

If you decide to keep your grass, follow these guidelines to maintain it organically so that it will play
nicely with the rest of your sustainable landscape.
• Topdress with 1/8” - 1/4” compost annually
• Aerate and de-thatch annually
• Manage your irrigation
• Mow less frequently
• Maintain 3” - 4” height on cool season grass and 1-1/2” to 2” height on warm season grass
• Grass-cycle every time you mow
• Do not allow seed heads to form on the grass (remove if they do)
• Consider over-seeding with clover to turn it into an Estate Lawn (see p. 10).
• Eliminate chemical inputs

48
 how to garden
Compost and Mulch

Compost is a soil amendment. Mulch is a soil topping.

Compost looks like soil. You cannot tell what it once was. That is Mulch may be organic or inorganic material that covers soil and
because it is food scraps, landscape debris and/or manure from looks like the recycled debris that it is. Mulch can be made from
livestock, or biosolids (human manure) and other organic matter organic debris (grass clippings, leaf litter, and shredded wood
that already has been partially consumed and mostly decomposed trimmings) or inorganic materials such as gravel or decomposed
by micro-organisms. Good compost brings oxygen, water and life granite.
in one package.
Mulch protects soil and plant roots from temperature change, keeps
How to Use Compost. Compost can be store-bought moisture in by slowing evaporation from the surface of the soil and
or homemade. When compost looks like soil, it can be worked keeps weeds from sprouting by reducing sunlight penetration to
directly into the soil. The more coarse or visible the bits of the the soil surface.
compost are, the more likely it is to be used as mulch on top of the
soil rather than as an incorporated amendment. How to Use Mulch. Mulch always stays on top of the
soil, and is never worked in. Recycled organic debris is the most
Compost works its magic in several ways. First, the compost effective type of mulch, because it builds soil structure over time
itself contains particles that improve soil structure. Next, as and provides a durable, protective surface barrier. The smaller the
compost decomposes in soil it encourages the formation of soil debris and the more mixed leaves with wood chips, the faster it
macroaggregates. These resulting macroaggregates are composed decomposes. When building soil, small and mixed is best. Don’t
of existing soil particles and decomposed organic matter, which bother with inorganic mulches like rubber, gravel, or decomposed
combine to create a more stable and better functioning soil granite. These do not build soil and are only applicable in
structure. pathways or gathering areas.

Need help buying amendment? www.buy-compost.com

MAKE IT BUY IT IN BAGS BUY IT BULK
Less than 5 Cubic Feet Between 5 and 25 More than 25 Cubic Feet or
Cubic Feet 1 Cubic Yard

49
design it yourself
Start with a Site Plan

Measure to Make Your Site Plan

Measure your site. Once you’ve got the dimensions, trace the lines cleanly on a
sheet of grid paper. Make 10 copies that are dark enough to still see the grid. You
will use each of these sheets to evaluate and plan the changes for each aspect of
your landscape.

Try using 1 box = 1 foot. Depending upon how large your property is, most
projects can use a 1/4” = 1’ scale.

Are there plants in the landscape that you are ready to get rid of ?
Are there any hard surfaces you’d like to change?
Take some photos and mark where they are located on your site map.

Use your smartphone or a compass to find North and also mark it on the map.

Need help finding dimensions? apps.beverlyhills.org/obcpi

Find the dimensions, shape and orientation of your property at the Online Busines Center Property Information site.

Look at Google Maps for help placing building and trees on your property. Just type in your address, zoom in, and use the Satellite
view. maps.google.com
50
 design it yourself
Tests worth taking
If your soil a Brick or a Sponge? Percolation Test
You Will Need:

• Dig a hole approx. 12” deep and 12” wide (that’s

If you have a brick you will need to take this into consideration about the size of a 1 gallon plant).
when planning your contours. You will need to spend some time • Fill the hole with water and wait. Note how long it
to turn the soil back into a sponge. Also, if the soil does not drain takes to drain completely. This is necessary to completely
well, you will need to take special care when you plant that you do saturate the soil.
not drown your new plants. • Fill the hole all the way when all the water has
drained out from first filling, and see how long it takes
We want to have soil in our landscape that can capture water to drain out.
and allow it to soak into the soil within 24 - 48 hours. Building • Lay a stick or the shovel handle across the hole and
Living Soil therefore becomes important in our plan to capture measure the distance from the top of the water to the
rainwater and save it for a dry day, so you will need to follow the stick each hour until it has drained completely.
Soil Lasagna Recipe (see pp. 36-37).
Before we figure out how to build better soil, we need to figure
Verdict:
out what kind of soil we have. Clay, Silt or Sand, are the basic >4” per hour - You have sand and need to add organic
soil types. The smallest particles create clay soil and the largest matter to improve the soil (see p. 49).
make sandy soil, with loam (an even blend of sand, silt and clay) <1” per hour - YOU HAVE A BRICK. Your soil needs
considered the “just right” medium. some extra help so try sheet mulching (see pp. 36-37).
1” - 4” per hour - Congratulations! Your soil drains well!
YOU HAVE A SPONGE!

Jar Test To Determine Soil Type

(This is fun to do with kids!)
You Will Need:
1 Qt. size glass container
1 Cup of soil from the garden. (Select one area
per container, or take samples from several
holes and blend them together.)
3 Cups of distilled water

1. Add soil and water together in the

glass container and shake until all solids
are suspended in water.
2. Place container on a shelf and wait
24 hours.
3. Wait another 24 hours, if the
container is still cloudy. After 48 hours,
the layers should be settled: Sand on the
bottom, Silt in the middle, and Clay on
top.
4. Measure the layers in proportion to
Which jar does your sample most look like? each other.
For Example: If there are equal proportions of Sand and Silt, and very little Clay, 5. Use the graphic to determine the Soil
then the proportions are something like 40% Sand and 40% Silt and 20% Clay. Type based on the proportions of Sand,
Loam best describes the jar with 40% Sand, 40% Silt, and 20% Clay. Silt or Clay.
Your soil is Loam.

51
design it yourself
Map your Microclimates

Microclimates are climate factors Particular to your garden.

Every garden has areas where plants will grow well and others Which Plants Will You Keep?
will die. Structures, walls, fences, and other plants all can affect Now is the time to decide which plants will work well in your new
the amount of sun and shade in a garden. And every garden garden and which you should plan to remove. Outline the canopy
is completely different, even if it is located in the same general area of each plant you are keeping and note with the name,
climate zone. There will be hills and hollows in your front yard general size and health of the plant.
that may collect cold air or, because your property is sloped, you
don’t get frost when neighbors do. Which of these plants seem thirsty and which are not? Many plants
can be unthirsty if they are well established, with deep healthy
Microclimates may differ significantly from the general climate of roots (old rose bushes or very large shade trees, for example).
an area. We need to map these microclimates, and the first step
is walking around your property during the day and observing it
more closely.

Note Sun and Shade. Group Your Plants for Similar Needs: Sun/
Mark the areas that receive sun all day and areas that are Shade and Water Use.
shaded all or part of the day. Also note which areas receive When selecting and grouping plants, note the water
only partial sun, maybe just a few hours of direct morning sun, requirements of each plant and make sure plants with different
mid-day or in late afternoon. water needs are not placed together. For example, Some Sun
When you start choosing your plants make sure to select those Loving plants have MODERATE water needs and some are
that are appropriate to the sunlight patterns of your garden. VERY LOW water needs. If we mixed these two types of
Plants marked as “full sun” will not be happy in full shade. plants together, one would always suffer if the watering regime
worked for the other.
Are there other things you observe in your garden? Mark it on
your map! For your swales and berms, start making lists of plants with
similar water needs that tolerate wet feet, and that require dry
feet. Which wet feet plants have MODERATE Plant Factors?
Do any dry feet plants have MODERATE Plant Factors?

52
 design it yourself
Match plants to your microclimates

Arrange Plants based on their favorite microclimates.

Plants that need more water will be found grouped together at the We Have Three Plant Communities.
base of a depression or near the banks of a stream. Plants that When we select plants for this garden, we will need to find at least
need fast draining soils will be found on slopes. Plants that love sun three different kinds:
will not be growing in the shade of the oak tree, and plants that
require deep shade will not be growing in the open field. (1) Sun loving plants that prefer to have their feet dry and thrive
in faster-draining soil (see p. 9),
Our Site Has Three Microclimates
What types of plants will work in the main part of the front yard (2) Sun loving plants that can tolerate wet feet in winter and thrive
considering the Microclimate Map? in heavier soil (see p. 9), and

(1) The front yard is in full sun for most of the day, so most of the (3) Plants that tolerate dry shade (see pp. 28-29).
plants need to be sun lovers. Grouping plants together by water need is called Hydrozoning,
(2) There is a moist depressed area in full sun. We may want to and it is the key to irrigating your landscape effectively (see p. 42).
emphasize that moist area for rain catchment. The hillside areas
surrounding the depression are raised slightly and drain freely.
(3) There is a slightly shady area under the canopy of the
neighbor’s tree and at the front entry.

Deciduous or Evergreen? Plants speak Latin

You will see the note D/E/S on the Plant Lists in this book. D is Did you know that many plants have the same common names?
Deciduous, or a plant that loses all of its leaves. E is Evergreen, If you ask for plants by their common name, you might end up
or a plant that does not lose its leaves. S is Semi-Deciduous, with something completely different than what you want. The
or a plant that loses some leaves in certain conditions, such as best way to order plants is to use the Latin name; that way there
drought. is no miscommunication (see p.p. 66-69).

53
design it yourself
Think of your yard as a Mini-Watershed

Where Does Water Go In Your Yard?

Make a copy of your Site Plan and label it Water Plan.
Watch what happens to water as it comes off the roof of your home and
moves across your property.
• Do you have low spots in which water gathers?
• Does water run off the property anywhere?
• Does water run onto the property from a neighbor or street?
• Do any buildings or any hard surfaces appear to be water damaged?
If so, does it appear to be a result of rain or a result of irrigation or
both?
• Note the direction of water as it moves around the property.
• Turn on the irrigation for no more than 3 minutes and note whether
there is pooling or runoff.
• Where do downspouts take water from the roof and put it into the
landscape? What parts of the roof divert water into downspouts?
Indicate the direction of the water with arrows as seen above.

How Much Water from each downspout?

Imagine the water from your garage roof splits into two downspouts and
Your Total Roof Area is 20’ x 20’ = 400 SF
If half of the water goes into each downspout, then the roof size for one
downspout is: 400 SF ÷ 2 = 200 SF
photo: Pamela Berstler

0.62 is a constant that converts square foot inches into gallons. Now calculate
how much water that is in gallons coming from one downspout:
1” x 200 SF x 0.62 = 124 gallons of water per inch of rain per downspout.
You can use these calculations to determine how much water comes off any
hard surface (patio, driveway, sidewalk, etc.).
54
 design it yourself
Detain the rain

C A

B
H

D
G
F
E
F
E
G
E D
H

Use Multiple Strategies to hold on to First Flush (first inch of rain).

A Downspout Redirected off walkway and into E Relocate Soil As Berms when digging out the swale
rainbarrel. Overflow from rainbarrel goes into landscaped and the patio area. Relocated soil becomes raised areas (berms)
area (see p. 54). on either side of the depressed area. The berms become places
for plants that like fast drainage (see p. 8).
B Permeable Patio of gravel is installed (see p. 39).
F Horizontal 4” Cuts have been made in the walkway
C Downspout Diverted into a catch basin which and driveway and filled with 1/4” - 1/2” crushed gravel.
is connected by perforated pipe into the swale area of the
landscape. This should eliminate the pooling and erosion G Living Soil is being created with Sheet Mulching using
caused by the downspout. 4” - 6” of mixed leaf and bark tree trimmings covering the
whole yard (see pp. 36-37).
D A Slight Depression, or swale, has been dug out in
the dry shade area on the South side of the property and H Boulders, typically no more than 12” - 18” in diameter,
across the front yard into the low spot at the sidewalk that are used to retain both the slight slope, flattening the
always is wet. This swale is only 12” deep in the middle (see permeable patio area, and the edge of the swale next to the
pp. 8-9). sidewalk and walkway where the overflow will occur.

Mind the Foundation

Be sure to locate your berms and swales away from the
foundation of the buildings and edges of the sidewalks. Always
grade away from foundations.
A good rule is 5’ - 10’ from buildings and 3’ from sidewalk
edges. Where space is limited, make sure the low point of the
basin fits these parameters. Overflow of excess water can go to
photo: John Huber

the sidewalk or the street so long as you protect against erosion.

55
design it yourself
Give plants Room to grow

Note Height and Width of each plant at maturity.

This allows you to correctly space the plant in the landscape. Use the inset spacing chart to help figure out how many plants
Proper plant placement, taking into account mature plant size, you need per Square Foot based on the mature size of the plant.
should limit the need for future pruning and reduce the amount
of maintenance required in the long run. Scale Your Plants for Maturity by making Plant
Circles the size of the plant at maturity using a 1” = 4’ scale.
Natural forms are encouraged for habitat value, but fire prevention
does require regular pruning and removal of dead plant material. Practice using colored paper to indicate the water needs of
the plants; it will make it easier to lay out the planting plan in
irrigation zones.
Desired Spacing Between Number of Plants Needed
Plants Per Sq. Ft. of Landscaped Area Look how big the (VERY LOW water use) 20’ and 30’ wide
canopy trees will be. Will this change the microclimates in the
4” 9 future? Think ahead if your tree will cover a whole yard that’s
5” 5.76 now sunny.
6” 4
7” 2.94 Root depth matters
8” 2.25 Make notes about the root depth of the plants when you
are placing them on your plan. Trees, with their deep roots,
9” 1.78 will be irrigated less frequently, but for a longer time. While
10” 1.45 groundcovers with shallower roots will require more frequent
water. Keep trees and groundcovers on separate hydrozones.
11” 1.19
12” 1 Small plants are mighty
15” 0.64 Select the smallest healthiest plants you can find, especially
18” 0.44 when choosing natives. Once planted in a properly prepared
bed, and watered wisely, the small plants establish themselves
24” 0.25 more vigorously than plants raised in larger containers. But
30” 0.16 just because you’ve selected small plants, doesn’t mean you
need to buy more than the space allows!
36” 0.11

56
 design it yourself
Make your Planting Plan

Plant Dimension
QTY Symbol Form Botanical (Latin) Name Common Name Sun Flower Color Notes
Factor H' x W'
14 A Grass Bouteloua gracilis 'Blonde Amibition' Blonde Ambition blue grama L/VL F 2' x 2' wheat Dry Feet

4 B Perennial Lavandula Lavender varieties L F 3' x 3' purple Mediterranean

4 C Perennial Salvia 'Bee's Bliss' Bee's Bliss sage L F 2' x 8' blue/purple Groundcover

22 D Perennial Teucrium chamaedrys Germander L F 3' x 1' pink/purple Mediterranean

3 E Perennial Verbena lilacina 'De la Mina' Cedros Island verbena L F/PS 2' x 4' purple Mediterranean

2 F Shrub Abutilon palmeri Indian mallow L F 5' x 5' gold Borders

1 G Shrub Galvezia speciosa 'Firecracker' Island bush snapdragon L F 4' x 5' red Pollinator

1 H Tree/Shrub Punica granatum Pomegranate L F 10' x 10' orange/red Mediterranean

2 I Vine Vitis 'Rogers Red' Roger's Red grape L PS/S 30' white Mediterranean

27 J Perennial Heuchera maxima Island alum root M/L PS/S 3' x 1' white/pink Pollinator

3 K Perennial Juncus patens CA gray rush M F/S 2' x 2' brown Wet Feet

2 L Shrub Dendromecon rigida Bush poppy VL F 9' x 6' yellow CA Chaparral

Plan for Planting. Start with a copy of your Microclimates Maps (see p. 52-53). Begin the plant design process by selecting the
right plant for the right place in your garden. Use the Plant List above to practice matching plants with the conditions, and represent
the plants with circles the appropriate size and color reflecting Plant Factors. This is the foundation of your Plant Shopping List. It’s
just a paper plan, so move things around! Experiment!
1 Take into consideration microclimates and select plants that need Full Sun, Part Shade or Shade as appropriate.
2 Consider Plant Factors - Low or Very Low plants on berms and Moderate plants in the swales.
3 Consider the height, width and root depth of each plant.
4 What form of plant do you desire - Grass or Groundcover, Vine, Shrub or Perennial or Tree?
5 Once you’ve drawn your plan, count up the number of plants you will need to order and mark them in the Quantity box.

57
design it yourself
Evaluate your Existing irrigation

3
1
2
2

Make a Map of your irrigation system.

If you have an irrigation system installed, chances are that it is a Our Sample Project has three existing irrigation zones
spray emitter system with an automatic irrigation controller (see pp. indicated by different colors.
24-25). Locate all of the sprinkler heads on your property and mark
their location on a copy of your site plan. Note the location of your 1 South side of the property - 6 Side-strip Conventional
controller, where the water comes on to your property from the spray heads
street (the main line), and the location of every valve that controls
the various irrigation zones. Color code the areas that spray with 2 Front yard and North side of the property - 14
each valve so you can easily see the various zones you are dealing Conventional spray heads (3 Quarters, 4 Halves, 1 Full in
with for replacing plants and irrigation. the front yard and 6 Side-strips on the North side) *Note
that a pipe under the walkway and driveway connects the
Also Mark These Following Elements: two areas.
• Water Meter or Irrigation Submeter and where the water 3 Along walkway and front entry - 7 Side-strip Conventional
comes from the street on to the property (the Main Line) spray heads
• Irrigation Controller
• Shut Off Valve for turning off the irrigation system The challenge is to use the parts of the existing irrigation
• Pressure Regulator (Does the irrigation system separate from system that can work with the new system, without
the house? If your irrigation comes from a pipe that first serves abandoning everything and starting from scratch. Be
the house, it may be located before it enters the house.) aware, however, that if you are renovating most of
• Irrigation Valves your landscape, you may need to significantly alter the
• Hose Bibs irrigation.
• Backflow Preventer (If you don’t have one, your sprinkler valves If this is the case, starting from scratch may be the most
probably do, so don’t worry.) cost and time-effective alternative.

58
 design it yourself
Match Irrigation to new Hydrozones

4
3
5
2 3

1
2
2
2

2 1

Compare Valve Zones to Hydrozones.

Which sprinkler heads go on at the same time and what kind of 3 MODERATE water use plants in dry shade of front entry
plant material are they irrigating? Get ready to make changes - Cap 5 heads and convert 2 to drip (one on either side of
to your irrigation system in order to accomodate both the new walkway)
grading and the new plants you are introducing into your garden.
You will have to match each valve zone with the new hydrozones 4 Make a new zone from back yard valve for South facing
you created. wall of house
1 MODERATE water use plants in the low wet spots and 5 Make new zone from back yard valve for North facing wall
swale - Cap all but 1 head and convert to drip
of garage
2 LOW water use plants in front yard dry berm areas and
VERY LOW water use plants on North side of driveway Capped spray emitters
- Move 1 head against house; Cap 2 heads in Front yard;
Cap all but 1 head on North side; Run drip tubing through Spray emitters converted to drip
cut in walkway to access the planter between walkway and
driveway; convert all uncapped heads to drip

Need help with irrigation? www.clca.org

If your irrigation system was installed by a licensed landscape contractor within the past 5 years, you may be able to call on them
to walk you though the system before you attempt any renovations. If your system is older than 5 years, it may be very difficult to
renovate. Also, check your valves and make sure they are not leaking. If valves are leaking, or if there are any elements about which
you are unsure, make the investment in having a licensed landscape contractor renovate your system in accordance with your new
sustainable landscape plan.

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project checklist

Before

Every project starts with a Big Idea

Envision your new garden.
Now that you’ve learned the concepts behind the watershed approach to creating a
healthy and sustainable landscape, ask yourself what you want to do in your garden.

Our Homeowner wants to remove the lawn and replace it with a landscape
that prevents pollution from going to the storm drains. But how to get there when

photo: www.petnet.io
faced with an ocean of grass?
Here are his Project Objectives:

1 Remove the grass without using chemicals

2 Capture all the rainwater from the roof, even though one downspout puts the
water right on the driveway
3 Reduce water use by 70% or more
4 Create a dog friendly garden -- no thorns or sticky grass seed heads!
5 Build healthy Living Soil that will act like a sponge, even if it rains a lot
6 Plant some fruit trees or edible vines and shrubs
7 Plant mostly local California native plants that will attract birds, butterflies and photo: Jeremy Sison

bees for pollination

8 Make the driveway and pathways more permeable
9 Keep all dry weather runoff on the property
10 Convert the existing spray irrigation to drip irrigation with the intention of
eventually removing it or not turning it on after establishment
11 Create a small permeable patio near the house so there is room for a bench or
cafe table
12 Integrate a beautiful object like an art piece or an interesting pot
13 Hire a professional to help design the project, but try to complete most of the
photo: Paul Herzog

construction with friends and family helping out.

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 project checklist
Use this Project Checklist
Prepare to work
££ Clean up Your Property
Remove trash and debris, weeds, dead plants
££ Orient Yourself
Check with www.bhsaves.org for watering restrictions and rebates

photo: Pamela Berstler

Sign up for Beverly HIlls Water Tracker at water.beverlyhills.org
Are permits required? If so, secure them
Find out if you are in a hillside grading area or special viewshed
Confirm fire regulations in your area
££ Make a List of Things You Want In Your New Landscape
Think about how much maintenance you want to do
How much rainwater do you want to catch in barrels or cisterns?
Determine how much of your property you want to change – and how much
lawn to remove

Plan before digging

Do you need design help?
Walk around and take photos (for BEFORE)
££ Make a Site Map
Take measurements
Make a Microclimate Map
££ Water Plan
Do the roof area calculations
Note location of downspouts
Calculate water available from each downspout
££ Grading Plan For Capturing Rainwater
Consider the slope of the site
Plan for where to stockpile topsoil if project is large
Identify trees to be protected during construction

££ Test Soil Type

Conduct a Percolation Test – Brick or Sponge?
photo: Paul Herzog

Do the Jar Test - Sand, Silt or Clay?

££ Make an Existing Irrigation System Plan
Run irrigation and make immediate adjustments
Fix broken heads or lines, move blocked heads
Adjust controller program time to eliminate runoff (cycle and soak)
££ Draft a Hardscape Plan
Note existing hardscape that needs to become more permeable
Draw new hardscape
££ Do Some Shopping and Research
Source rain chains, rainbarrels and cisterns
Source mulch and compost
Identify permeable hardscape options
Go to nurseries for plants
Make Appointments
Install gutters, if you want to harvest more water

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project checklist
Use this Project Checklist
Design for plants
What do you want in your yard?
Follow guidelines for hillside planting
Ask for help at a nursery
££ Make A Planting Plan
Assign Plant Factors to existing material
Research native plant communities for your area
Consider butterflies and pollinators
Where are the swales and berms (wet and dry feet!)?
Add in edibles and fruit trees
Select one or two shade trees
Check www.plantright.org for the BAD GUYS
Scale plants for maturity
Hydrozone

Begin your project installation

Do you need construction/installation help?
photo: Paul Herzog

CALL DIG ALERT 8-1-1

££ Make Calls to Order Equipment, Material, Deliveries
Rent a sod cutter and dumpster, if necessary
Organic matter for the soil
Select boulders and gravel for creek beds
Order catch basins or piping for irrigation and drainage
Deliver rain barrels and cisterns
££ Stockpile Soil and Protect Trees
Protect trees from construction damage (limbs and roots)
Remove plants that are not wanted

££ Change Existing Hardscape to Make It More Permeable

££ Remove Grass and Build Soil With Soil Lasagna
photo: Paul Herzog

Continue to water your lawn up to two days before removal

Make lunch for some young people to help you remove turf
Remove your turf without chemicals through Sheet Mulching
££ Contour Site For Rain
Remove plants
Contour soil to hold on to First Flush (first inch of rain)
Remember not to remove soil; use it to create your contours
Add organic matter to the soil
Install catch basins, drainage pipe and sleeves under hardscape
££ Repair Irrigation
Set back spray irrigation 24” from hard surfaces
Identify or move future drip irrigation points of connection
Replace valves for low pressure valves
Install pressure regulator, flow meter or landscape sub meter
Install low-head check valves on slopes and grade changes
££ Capture Rainwater
Lay out plan using flour, chalk or spray paint
Install any new hardscape surfaces, draining to the landscape
Install boulders and materials for creek beds or swales
Install rain barrel or cisterns

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 project checklist
Use this Project Checklist
Install new plants
Compare Planting Plan with Existing Irrigation Plan
Fall is the best time to get free rain irrigation!
Order plants and gather materials necessary for planting
££ Lay Out Planting Plan
Lay out your Planting Plan using flour, chalk or spray paint

photo: Paul Herzog

Make your “in field” adjustments
Install your plants into the soil lasagna
Be sure to respect correct plant placement for mature size
If drainage is poor, auger holes and wait to complete
Thoroughly and completely water holes, plants, and surrounding soil

Upgrade and adjust new irrigation

Consider hand watering until landscape is established
Adjust irrigation schedule using the www.Bewaterwise.com
Landscape Watering Calculator
££ Accommodate the Planting Plan
Where spray is used, convert to low flow rotary nozzles
Convert spray emitters to drip or install new drip lines
photo: Pamela Berstler

Cap all unused spray emitters

Install tattle-tale flush assemblies and end caps on the drip zones
Create an “as built” drawing of the new irrigation layout
Install a weather-based irrigation controller

Establish

and steward new landscape
££ Complete Irrigation Installation
Irrigation for establishment is best used during fall, winter and spring months
if rainfall is limited
Adjust irrigation to eliminate runoff
Regularly flush drip irrigation lines, especially during the first year
Seasonally adjust automatic irrigation schedule
Reduce in fall; turn it off in winter!
Move drip irrigation and add emitters as the tree grows in order to maintain
photo: Pamela Berstler

the wetting zone at the outside edge of the tree’s canopy (dripline)
££ Maintain Living Soil and Plants
Maintain 2” – 4” of living mulch and add more annually
Prune trees only with Certified Arborists
Practice Integrated Pest Management
££ Maintain Rainwater Capture Systems
Make sure gutters are not clogged
Clean rainbarrels/cisterns
Make sure mosquito screen is not ripped
Flush pipes
Clean out catch basins
Remove debris from swales, especially at inlets/outlets

Enjoy your yard!

photo: Pamela Berstler

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project checklist
A word about Budgets

photo: Pamela Berstler

Landscape Retrofits are a serious investment
When you invest in landscaping, you are investing in the long- accomplished using the techniques outlined in this book. The
term value of your property. However, there is no such thing as a more you do yourself, work with what you have, or select low
typical budget for landscape design and installation. cost materials, the more affordable you will make your landscape
changes.
While a good RULE OF THUMB is to budget 5% - 10% of
your home’s current market value in a landscape renovation, A basic landscape renovation of a turf-covered front yard
every site is different, and the situations encountered on that site covering 1,000 square feet, adjusting an existing working spray
will dramatically influence the overall budget for the project. irrigation system and not including an outdoor room or other
Location, expectations of the neighborhood and aesthetics must hardscape, should cost approximately $5 - $10/square foot for
be combined with all of the functional requirements discussed in a DIY renovation or $12 - $20/square foot for a professionally
this book to inform the final budget for your landscape. When you designed and installed landscape.
include hardscape, covered structures, or other built amenities,
like outdoor kitchens, the prices rise exponentially.
Consider that the landscape is raw ground to be prepared, All-in Planting costs =
graded, etc. All of the typical building trades work on a landscape:
plumbing, electrical, and if you are making outdoor rooms,
Plants + Installation Labor
expect to include masonry carpentry, fixtures and appliances. An all-in price for planting that includes the labor costs for a
A hard-working, Do-It-Yourselfer (DIY) can remove turf, make professionally installed plant may be 2x - 3x the purchase price
grade changes and build soil through sheet mulching. Planting of the plant because the installer should provide a 30 - 90 day
and converting an existing irrigation system to drip also can be plant replacement guarantee.

Invest in soil Invest in design Invest in rain

photo: Steve Williams
photo: Paul Herzog

Soil preparation is the single greatest The more time you spend researching Capturing and holding on to rainfall
investment you can make in the long your options and planning your garden, from adjacent hard surfaces, helps
term health and beauty of your garden. the better prepared you will be during prepare your garden for the long, dry
Buy your compost in bulk, and expect construction. Measure twice, dig once! summer and reduces irrigation demand.
to spend at least 10% of your budget on Spend the time yourself, or expect to pay Expect to spend up to 20% of your
building healthy Living Soil. 10% - 20% of your budget on professional budget on labor for grading for rain and
design assistance. materials for drainage.

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 project checklist
Projects need People
Green Plumbers can assist you on an as-needed basis if
you are attempting a DIY renovation. Their expertise is usually
limited to the point of connection of the irrigation system with
the municipal or home supply, backflow prevention, pressure
regulation, or graywater installation.
Irrigation Systems Consultants include people who
have been certified by an EPA WaterSense® labeled certifying
organization to provide irrigation system auditing, design, and
maintenance. These professionals can bring specific expertise on
improving the efficiency of irrigation systems.

Watershed Wise Landscape Professionals are

people who are certified to provide site evaluation and consulting

photo: Pamela Berstler

on using the watershed approach to landscaping in design,
construction, and maintenance.

Plant Selection
specialists include your local retail nursery
and garden center, native plant societies, Master Gardeners, and
Assessment Organizations including site assessment and professional gardeners. The best plant selector, however, is you! Do
testing, various measuring services, surveyors, soil testing services the homework to select plants that are both climate appropriate and
and even Google Maps are available to help. Property measuring locally native to your place, and you will be rewarded with a better
and surveying companies can develop more detailed plans with understanding and appreciation of your garden as it evolves over
elevations, sighting of trees and landscape amenities, irrigation, time. Plus, you can advise your friends on their plant selections!
etc. If you get out into the yard with a measuring tape and the list
of Do-it Yourself section we’ve put into this book, you should be
Maintenance of sustainable landscapes requires an under-
standing of the watershed approach to landscaping and water
able to make a serviceable site map to scale.
management. While there will be less mowing of lawns and
Planning and Design professionals can help you develop blowing of leaves, there will be more fine pruning, irrigation
a working plan and budget for your landscape. The plan should flushing and tuning, cleaning and checking rain barrels and other
include drawings, a list of resoures, and an outline of the techniques water retention devices and soil building. Maintenance people
to be used to implement the plan. Licensed landscape architects should demonstrate an ability to think critically, be open to the
and licensed landscape contractors can assist you in developing a techniques and ideas outlined in this book and understand how to
plan and budget. Landscape designers also can help you create a implement IPM, mulching, basic irrigation tune-ups, and native
conceptual design. Working with a licensed professional (architect, plant husbandry.
landscape architect, landscape contractor or civil engineer) is
recommended if you have hillsides and slopes or complicated Water Managers are a big part of ongoing sustainable
structures. landscape maintenance. If you are still using an irrigation system
for your landscape, you may consider hiring a professional certified
Landscape Installation and Construction by the California Landscape Contractors’ Association (CLCA) who
professionals are licensed landscape contractors who specialize has demonstrated expertise in water management. But learning
in building landscapes, and are able to work on all aspects of the how to manage your own water is best.
sustainable landscape plan. If you are handy, and feel comfortable
with the techniques outlined in this book, there is no reason why you
cannot install your own garden, especially knowing that if you get
stuck you can call upon the expertise of a landscape professional.
photo: Paul Herzog
Licensed professionals carry all of the necessary insurance and
are knowledgeable about permits, so if you want to protect your
investment in your landscape, working with licensed professionals
is always the recommended way to go.
Certified Arborists are specialists trained in the art and
science of planting, caring for, and maintaining individual trees.
Arborists are knowledgeable about the needs of trees and are
trained and equipped to provide provper care. Find tree consultants
at the American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA).

Rainwater Catchment specialists include people certified

by the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association
(ARCSA) to design and install rainwater capture systems. These
professionals can bring a lot of specific expertise to your project,
particularly if it involves the installation of an active capture system
such as a cistern.

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project checklist
Use this Project Plant List
Plant Dimension
Form B Botanical (Latin) Name Common Name Sun H' x W'
D/E/S Flower Color Notes
Factor
Annual x Eschscholzia californica CA poppy L F 1.5' x 1' D orange Flower Carpet

Bulb Zephyranthes Fairy lily M F/PS 0.5' x 1' D white Modern

Grass x Bouteloua gracilis 'Blonde Amibition' Blonde Ambition blue grama L/VL F 2' x 2' D wheat Dry Feet

Grass Elegia elephantina Large Cape rush L F/S 5' x 6' E brown Modern

Grass x Leymus condensatus 'Canyon Prince' Clumping wild rye L F 3' x 4' E wheat Modern

Grass Lomandra longifolia 'Breeze' Dwarf mat rush L F/S 3' x 4' E yellow Groundcover

Grass Muhlenbergia capillaris 'Regal Mist' Pink muhly L F 4' x 4' E pink Full Sun Low Water

Grass Muhlenbergia capillaris 'White Cloud' Hairy awn muhly L F 4' x 4' E white CA Chaparral

Grass x Sisyrinchium bellum Blue-eyed grass L F 2' x 1.5' E blue Modern

Grass Agrostis pallens Bent grass M/L PS/S 1' x 1' E green Lawn Tough Spots

Grass Bouteloua dactyloides Buffalo grass M/L F 0.5' x 1' D wheat Groundcover

Grass Festuca californica CA fescue M/L F/S 0.8' x 1' E wheat Lawn Tough Spots

Grass Festuca ovina Sheep's fescue M F/S 0.8' x 1' E wheat Lawn Tough Spots

Full Sun Moderate

Grass Melica californica CA melic grass M PS 3' x 0.5' S wheat Water

Grass Muhlenbergia rigens Deer grass M/L F/PS 5' x 5' D wheat Modern

Grass x Trifolium repens White Dutch clover M/L F/S 4" x 3' E white/pink Estate Lawn

Groundcover x Achillea 'Moonshine' Moonshine yarrow L F 3' x 3' D yellow Borders

Groundcover x Achillea millefolium Yarrow L F 3' x 3' S various CA Chaparral

Groundcover x Achillea millefolium rosea 'Island Pink' Pink yarrow L F 3' x 3' D pink Groundcover

Groundcover x Asteriscus maritimus Gold coin plant L F/PS 1' x 4' E yellow Groundcover

Groundcover x Baccharis pilularis 'Pigeon Point' Pigeon Point coyote bush L/VL F 1' x 8' E white Hillside

Groundcover x Calylophus hartwegii Sundrops L F 1' x 2' E yellow Pollinator

Ceanothus griseus horizontalis 'Yankee
Groundcover x Carmel Mountain ceanothus L F 3' x 12' E blue Hillside
Point'
Groundcover x Eriogonium grande var reubescens San Miguel Island buckwheat L/VL F 2' x 3' E pink Pollinator

Groundcover x Isomeris arborea Bladderpod L F 5' x 6' E yellow Hillside

Groundcover Thymus pseudolanuginosus Wooly thyme L F 0.25' x 1' D pink Groundcover

Groundcover x Arctostaphylos edmunsii 'Carmel Sur' Carmel Sur creeping manzanita M/L F/PS 0.5' x 15' E pink/white Groundcover

Groundcover Arctotis African daisy M/L F/PS 0.5' x 1.5' E various Parkway

Groundcover x Calandrinia ciliata Redmaids M/L F/PS 1.5' x 1' A red/pink Flower Carpet

Groundcover x Fragaria chiloensis Beach strawberry M/L F/PS 0.25' x 1' E white Groundcover

Groundcover x Phyla nodiflora (aka lippia repens) Lippia M/L F 0.25' x 2' E pink Parkway

Groundcover x Plantago major Plantain M/L F/S 0.25' x 0.5' E green Estate Lawn

Groundcover Dymondia margaretae Silver carpet VL F/PS 0.25' x 2' E yellow Groundcover

Plant List Key

Form: Natural shape taken by the plant
Plant Factor: M=Moderate, L=Low, VL = Very Low
Sun: F=Full, PS=Part Shade, S=Shade
B: Plant supports life cycle of butterflies
D/E/S: D=Deciduous, E=Evergreen, S=Semi-Deciduous
Notes: Section of the book where you can read more about this plant

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 project checklist
Use this Project Plant List
Plant Dimension
Form B Botanical (Latin) Name Common Name Sun H' x W'
D/E/S Flower Color Notes
Factor
Perennial x Asclepias californica CA milkweed L F/PS 3' x 3' S dark wine Pollinator

Perennial Asparagus densiflorus 'Myers' Myers asparagus fern L F/S 3' x 3' E white Modern

Perennial Correa 'Dusky Bells' Red Australian fuchsia L/VL F/PS 2' x 3' E red Full Sun Low Water

Perennial Dietes bicolor Fornight lily L F/S 3' x 3' E white/yellow Borders

Perennial x Erioginum parvifolium Cliff buckwheat L F 1.5' x 3' E white Full Sun Low Water

Perennial Lavandula Lavender varieties L F 3' x 3' E purple Mediterranean

Perennial x Lupinus excubitus Grape soda lupine L/VL F/PS 3' x 4' S purple Flower Carpet

Perennial x Melampodium leucanthum Blackfoot daisy L/VL F 1' x 1.5' E white Rose BFF

Perennial Pelargonium sidoides Geranium L F/PS 1' x 1' E Burgandy Mediterranean

Perennial x Salvia 'Bee's Bliss' Bee's Bliss sage L F 2' x 8' E blue/purple Groundcover

Perennial x Salvia clevelandii 'Pozo Blue' Grey musk sage L S 4' x 6' S violet CA Chaparral

Perennial x Salvia clevelandii 'Winifred Gilman' Winifred Gilman sage L S 4' x 6' S violet Estate Border

Perennial x Salvia greggii Autumn Sage L/VL F 1' x 1.5' E various Mediterranean

Perennial x Salvia spathacea Hummingbird sage L/VL PS/S 1.5' x 2' E pink Woodland

Perennial x Sphaeralcea ambigua Desert mallow L/VL F 3' x 2' E apricot CA Chaparral

Perennial x Teucrium chamaedrys Germander L F 3' x 1' E pink/purple Mediterranean

Perennial x Verbena lilacina 'De la Mina' Cedros Island verbena L F/PS 2' x 4' E purple Mediterranean

Perennial Allium schoenoprasum Chives M F/PS 1.5' x 1.5' E pink Edibles

Perennial x Asclepias fascicularis Narrow leaf milkweed M/L F 3' x 1' S white CA Chaparral

Perennial Begonia rex Begonia M PS/S various S pink/white Woodland

Perennial Bellis perennis English daisy M/L F/PS 0.8' x 0.8' E white Estate Lawn

Perennial Beschorneria yuccoides Mexican lily M/L F/PS 4' x 4' E red Modern

Perennial Carex pansa CA meadow sedge M F/S 0.8' x 0.8' E wheat Modern

Perennial x Convolvulus cneorum Bush morning glory M/L F 3' x 3' E white Firefighter

Perennial x Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick' Seaside daisy M/L F 1' x 2' E pink/blue Parkway

Perennial Hemerocallis hybrid Daylily M F/PS 2' x 2' S various Wet Feet

Perennial x Heuchera maxima Island alum root M/L PS/S 3' x 1' E white/pink Pollinator

Perennial x Heuchera 'Santa Ana Cardinal' Santa Ana coral bells M/L PS/S 3' x 1' E red Woodland

Perennial x Iris douglasiana CA native iris M F/PS 3' x 3' E various Wet Feet

Perennial x Iris douglasiana 'Canyon Snow' Canyon Snow iris M F/PS 3' x 3' E various Woodland

Perennial Juncus patens CA gray rush M F/S 2' x 2' E brown Wet Feet

Perennial x Lavatera assurgentiflora Malva rose M/L F 10' x 10' E various CA Chaparral

Perennial x Mahonia (aka Berberis) repens Creeping barberry M/L PS 1.5' x 3' E yellow CA Chaparral

Perennial x Mimulus Monkey flower M/L F/S 2' x 2' S various Firefighter

Perennial x Salvia elegans Pineapple sage M/L F/PS 5' x 3' E red Edibles

Perennial x Salvia leucantha Mexican bush sage M/L F 4' x 4' E purple Rose BFF

Perennial Vriesea Bromeliad M/L PS/S 2' x 2' E various Woodland

Perennial Woodwardia fimbriata Giant chain fern M/L PS/S 5' x 6' E none Woodland
Epilobium canum var. latifolium
Perennial x Everett's CA fuchsia VL F 0.5' x 5' S orange red Dry Feet
'Everett's Choice'
Lessingia filaginifolia var californica (aka
Perennial x Silver carpet VL F/S 0.5' x 8' S violet Parkway
Corethrogyne)
Perennial x Romneya coulteri Matilija poppy VL F 9' x 9' D yellow/white Hillside

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project checklist
Use this Project Plant List
Plant Dimension
Form B Botanical (Latin) Name Common Name Sun H' x W'
D/E/S Flower Color Notes
Factor
Shrub x Abutilon palmeri Indian mallow L F 5' x 5' E gold Borders

Shrub Aloysia citriodora Lemon verbena L F 10' x 15' E white Edible

Shrub x Arctostaphylos 'Sunset' Sunset manzanita L/VL F 5' x 5' E pink/white Woodland

Shrub Artemesia californica 'Canyon Gray' Costal sagebrush L/VL F 2' x 10' E yellow Rose BFF

Shrub x Atriplex lentiformis Coastal quail bush L/VL F/PS 6' x 6' E white Hillside

Shrub Cistus x skanbergii Pink rockrose L F 3' x 3' E pink Mediterranean

Shrub x Galvezia speciosa 'Firecracker' Island bush snapdragon L F 4' x 5' E red Pollinator

Shrub Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' Cone bush L F 10' x 8' E yellow/red Full Sun Low Water

Shrub x Sambucus mexicana Mexican elderberry L/VL F/PS 12' x 12' D white Edible
Full Sun Moderate
Shrub x Caesalpinia mexicana Mexican bird of paradise M/L F 15' x 15' E yellow Water
Full Sun Moderate
Shrub x Callistemon 'Little John' Dwarf bottlebrush M/L F/PS 4' x 5' E red Water

Shrub x Carpenteria californica Bush anemone M/L F/S 4' x 6' E white Woodland

Shrub Myrica californica Pacific wax myrtle M F/PS 18' x 9' E white Mediterranean

Shrub Nandina domestica Heavenly bamboo M F/S 6' x 3' E white Woodland

Shrub Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Silver Sheen' Silver sheen M F/PS 20' x 15' E white Hedge
Full Sun Moderate
Shrub Pittosporum tobira 'Crème de Mint' Japanese mock orange M F/PS 2.5' x 2.5' E white Water

Shrub Pittosporum tobira 'Variegata' Variegated mock orange M/L F/PS 5' x 5' E yellow Estate Border

Shrub x Ribes aureum Golden currant M F/PS 6' x 3' D golden Edible
Full Sun Moderate
Shrub x Ribes viburnifolium Evergreen currant M F/PS 2' x 7' E red Water

Shrub x Rosamarinus officinalis prostratus Creeping rosemary M/L F 2' x 6' E blue Mediterranean

Shrub Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light' Coast rosemary M F/PS 4' x 4' E white Woodland

Shrub x Cuppressus forbesii Tecate cypress VL F 30' x 15' E n/a Hedge

Shrub x Dendromecon rigida Bush poppy VL F 9' x 6' E yellow CA Chaparral

Shrub x Fremontodendron Flannel bush VL F 10' x 10' E yellow CA Chaparral

Shrub x Parkinsonia 'Desert Museum' Desert Museum palo verde VL F 20' x 20' D yellow Tree

Shrub x Rhus integrifolia Lemonade berry VL F/PS 6' x 20' E white/pink Hedge

Succulent Aeonium arboreum 'Zwartkop' Tree aeonium L PS 4' x 2' E yellow Woodland

Succulent Agave attenuata 'Variegata' Variegated agave L F/S 3' x 5' E yellow Modern

Succulent Agave vilmoriniana Octopus agave L F/S 3' x 5' E yellow Modern

Succulent x Aloe striata Coral aloe L F 3' x 2' E red Firefighter

Succulent x Aloe vera Medicinal aloe L/VL F 2' x 2' E yellow/red Modern
Cistanthe grandiflora (aka Calandrinia
Succulent x Rock purslane L F/S 1' x 3' E purple Dry Feet
spectabilis)
Succulent Kalanchoe beharensis Felt plant L/VL PS/S 5' x 3' E white Modern

Succulent Sansevieria Snake plant L/VL PS/S 1' x 3' E white Modern

Succulent Sedum nussbaumerianum Orange stonecrop L/VL F/PS 1' x 1.5' E pink Modern

Succulent Sedum spurium 'Dragon's Blood' Red stonecrop L/VL F/PS 0.25' x 1.5' E red Full Sun Low Water

Succulent Senecio serpens Blue chalksticks L F 1' x 3' E white Groundcover

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 project checklist
Use this Project Plant List
Plant Dimension
Form B Botanical (Latin) Name Common Name Sun H' x W'
D/E/S Flower Color Notes
Factor
Succulent Crassula ovata Jade plant VL F/PS 4' x 4' E white Woodland

Succulent Dudleya pulverulenta Live forever VL F/PS 1' x 1.5' E pink CA Chaparral

Tree Arbutus 'Marina' Hybrid strawberry tree L F 50' x 40' E pink Tree

Tree x Chilopsis linearis Desert willow L F 30' x 25' D purple Tree

Tree x Lyonothamnus floribundus Catalina ironwood L/VL F/PS 55' x 20' E white Tree

Tree Pinus torreyana Torrey pine L/VL F/PS 50' x 30' E none Hedge

Tree Cupressus sempervirens Italian cypress M/L F/PS 50' x 6' E none Hedge

Tree x Nepeta 'Blue Wonder' Catmint M F 1' x 2' E purple Rose BFF

Tree Olea europaea Olive M/L F 25' x 30' E white Tree

Tree x Platanus racemosa CA sycamore M F/PS 75' x 50' D white Tree

Tree x Prunus ilicifolia Catalina cherry M/L F/S 25' x 15' E white Woodland

Tree Prunus salicina 'Santa Rosa' Santa Rosa plum M F 30' x 20' D pink/purple Edible

Tree x Quercus agrifolia Coast live oak VL F/PS 70' x 30' E yellow Tree

Tree/Shrub x Acca sellowiana Feijoa, Pineapple guava L F 20' x 15' E pink Mediterranean

Tree/Shrub x Ceanothus 'Concha' Concha CA lilac L F/PS 5' x 6' E blue Hedge

Tree/Shrub x Ceanothus species CA lilac (many varieties) L F/PS various E blue Woodland

Tree/Shrub x Cercis occidentalis Western redbud L F/PS 15' x 15' D violet Tree

Tree/Shrub x Heteromeles arbutifolia Toyon, Christmas berry L F 10' x 6' E white/red Hedge

Tree/Shrub Punica granatum Pomegranate L F 10' x 10' D orange/red Mediterranean

Tree/Shrub Citrus 'Improved Meyer' Improved Meyer lemon M F 10' x 12' E white Mediterranean

Tree/Shrub Citrus 'Nagami' Dwarf kumquat M F 6' x 6' E white Mediterranean

Vine x Vitis 'Rogers Red' Roger's Red grape L PS/S 30' D white Mediterranean

Vine Clytostoma callistegiodies Lavender trumpet vine M F 25' x 25' E lavender Mediterranean

Vine/Shrub Philadelphus lewisii Mock orange M/L F/PS 9' x 9' S White Woodland

Vine x Rosa 'Climbing Cecile Brunner' Climbing rose M/L F 15' x 15' E pink Mediterranean

Vine x Vigna caracalla Snail vine M F/S 15' x 20' E purple Mediterranean

Plant List Key

Form: Natural shape taken by the plant
Plant Factor: M=Moderate, L=Low, VL = Very Low
Sun: F=Full, PS=Part Shade, S=Shade
B: Plant supports life cycle of butterflies
D/E/S: D=Deciduous, E=Evergreen, S=Semi-Deciduous
Notes: Section of the book where you can read more about this plant

69
resources
Use these Resources for Success
Botanical and Demonstration Gardens Integrated Pest Management
Virginia Robinson Gardens (310) 550-2087 www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/GENERAL/whatisipm.html
1008 Elden Way Beverly Hills, CA 90210
www.robinsongardens.org Landscape Design and Coaching
Water-Smart Landscape Design Tips
Mildred E Mathias Botanical Garden (310) 825-1260 www.epa.gov/watersense/outdoor/landscaping_tips.html
Le Conte Ave & Tiverton Ave Los Angeles, CA 90189
www.botgard.ucla.edu Ocean Friendly Gardens – Resources to create drought-tolerant
gardens and apply C.P.R. – Conservation, Permeability, Reten-
Greystone Mansion (310) 285 - 6830 tion © www.surfrider.org/ofgs
905 Loma Vista Drive Beverly Hills, CA 90189
www.beverlyhills.org/greystone Garden Gurus www.g3gardengurus.com

Beverly Gardens Park Planning

Santa Monica Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90210 DIG Alert Dial 8-1-1 www.digalert.org
www.beverlyhills.org/.../cityparks/beverlygardenspark
Professional Help
Beverly Hills City Hall APLD - Association of Professional Landscape Designers
455 N. Rexford Drive Beverly Hills, CA 90210 www.apldca.org
www.beverlyhills.org
ARCSA - American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association
Equipment Rental www.arcsa.org
Anawalt Lumber www.anawaltlumber.com
West Hollywood-N. Robertson Blvd (424) 333-0915 ASLA - American Society of Landscape Architects
West LA-11060 W. Pico Blvd. (424) 371-6846 www.socal-asla.org

Quality Equipment Rentals (310) 677-7600 CLCA - California Landscape Contractors Association
711 N La Brea Ave Inglewood, CA 90302 www.clca.org
www.qerentals.com IA - Irrigation Assocation www.irrigation.org
Home Depot (323) 461-3303 WWLP - G3 Certified Watershed Wise Landscape Professionals
5600 Sunset Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90028 www.greengardensgroup.com
www.homedepot.com
Lowe’s Home Improvement (323) 617-9570 Water Conservation
4550 W Pico Blvd #101 Los Angeles, CA 90019 Beverly Hills Saves www.bhsaves.org
www.lowes.com Beverly Hills Water Tracker water.beverlyhills.org

Fire Protection Landscaping Be Water Wise (MWD) – Find links to rebates, watering calcula-
Fire Resistive Plant List tors, watering restrictions and more garden tips.
www.bewaterwise.com/fire02.html www.bewaterwise.com

Ready for Wildfire www.readyforwildfire.com SoCal Water Smart – Apply for rebates.
www.socalwatersmart.com
Sustainable and Fire-Safe Landscapes
www.ucanr.edu/sites/SAFELandscapes/ Water Use it Wisely www.wateruseitwisely.com

Garden Magazines, Tours, Shows and Classes Water Quality

California Native Plant Society www.lasmmcnps.org Beverly Hills Water Services (Public Works)
Mediterranean Garden Society www.beverlyhills.org/living/utilities/waterservices
www.mediterraneangardensociety.org California Drinking Water
Pacific Horticulture www.pacifichorticulture.org water.epa.gov/drink/local/ca.cfm

Sunset Magazine www.sunset.com/garden Mulch and Compost

C&S Nursery (323) 296-6657 3615 Hauser Blvd.
Ocean View Farms (310) 915-1123
Los Angeles, CA 90016 www.csnursery.com
3300 S Centinela Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90066
www.oceanviewfarms.com Adams Garden Supply (323) 424-3387 5169 W Adams Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90016fo
Irrigation
How to Install Efficient Irrigation Harper Tree Service (310) 773-5512
www.h2ouse.org/tour/step-3.cfm J&J Tree Service (310) 471-4200
Irrigation Tutorials www.irrigationtutorials.com Meza Tree Service (310) 306-7063
Irrigation Essentials Tutorial www.irrigationessentials.com 4227 Alla Rd. Los Angeles, CA 90066

70
 resources
Plant Choices Xotx-Tropico (323) 654-9999
Arboretum All-Stars 900 N Fairfax Ave. West Hollywood, CA 90046
arboretum.ucdavis.edu/aboretum_all_stars.aspx www.xotxtropico.com
California Native Plant Library Yamaguchi Bonsai Nursery (310) 473-5444
www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki 1905 Sawtelle Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025

California Plants Database www.calflora.org Growers

These local plant growers don’t usually sell their plants to the gen-
Monrovia Nursery Plant Finderwww.monrovia.com eral public, but your local nursery can order plants for you. Visit
Searchable Water Use Classification (WUCOLS) their websites for more information about the plants they grow.
www.waterwonk.us Annie’s Annuals (1-800) 819-5913 www.anniesannuals.com
Las Palitas Native Plant Selector www.mynativeplants.com Boething Treeland Farms (818) 883-1222
www.boethingtreeland.com
Invasive Plants
California Invasive Plants Council www.cal-ipc.org California Native Plant Society (916) 447-2677 www.cnps.org

Plant Right! Avoid Invasive Plants www.plantright.org Colorspot (310) 549-7470 colorspot.com

Trees Damas Nursery (323) 724-6790 www.damasnursery.com

Select the Right Tree www.selectree.calpoly.edu El Nativo Growers (626) 969-8449 www.elnativogrowers.com
USDA Plant Database plants.usda.gov Garden View Wholesale Nursery (626) 337-4818
www.garden-view.com
Nurseries and Garden Centers
Armstrong Garden Centers (310) 829-6766 Girasol Nursery (562) 695-6453 www.girasolnursery.com
3226 Wilshire Blvd Santa Monica, CA 90403 Green Meadow Nursery (805) 498-6997
www.armstronggarden.com www.greenmeadownursery.com
C&S Nursery (323) 296-6657 Jauregui Nursery (310) 505-2444 www.jnursery.com
3615 Hauser Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90016
www.csnursery.com Magic Growers (626) 797-6511 www.magicgrowers.com

California Nursery Specialties (818) 894-5694 Mountain States (626) 797-6511 www.mswn.com
19420 Saticoy St. Reseda, CA 91335 Native Sons (805) 481-5996 www.nativeson.com
www.california-cactus-succulents.com
Natures Best Nursery (805) 529-0731
Eden Nursery (310) 397-9731 www.naturesbestnursery.net
11612 Culver Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90066
Progrowers Inc. (562) 287-0444 progrowersinc.com
Hashimoto Nursery (310) 473-6232
1935 Sawtelle Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025 Recon Native Plants, Inc. (619) 423-2284
www.hashimotonursery.com www.reconnativeplants.com
La Cienega Nursery (310) 659-5468 Rolling Hills Nursery (562) 633-5712
8511 Sherwood Dr. West Hollywood, LA 90069 www.rhwholesalenursery.com
www.lacieneganursery.com San Marcos (805) 683-1561 www.smgrowers.com
Marina Garden Center (310) 823-5956 Theodore Payne Foundation (818) 768-1802
13198 Mindanao Way Marina del Rey, CA 90292 www.theodorepayne.org
www.marinagardencenter.com
Tree of Life Nursery (949) 728-0685 www.treeoflifenursery.com
Merrihew’s Sunset Gardens (310) 452-1051
1526 Ocean Park Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90402 Village Nurseries (714) 963-5372 www.villagenurserieslc.com
Mickey Hargitay Plants (323) 467-8044 West Covina Wholesale Nursery (909) 596-3723
1255 N. Sycamore Ave. West Hollywood CA 90038 www.cnurseries.com
www.mickeysplants.com Windrose Farms (805) 239-3757 www.windrosefarm.org
Rolling Greens Nursery
Culver City (323) 934-4500
Seeds
S&S Seeds (805) 684-0436 www.ssseeds.com
9528 Jefferson Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232
Hollywood (323) 934-4500 Stover Seed Company (213) 626-9668 www.stoverseed.com
7505 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036
www.rollinggreensnursery.com Renee’s Garden (888) 880-7228 www.reneesgarden.com

Tabuchi Nursery(310) 477-1388 Swallowtail Garden Seeds (707) 538-3585

2001 Sawtelle Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025 www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com

71
resources
You’re ready to Shop!
My Shopping List
My Garden Microclimate Notes
­­­My Supply Stores & Nurseries
quantity
compost

mulch

irrigation equipment

rainwater capture materials

boulders and gravel

other materials for sheet mulching (paper, worm castings, hose, etc.)

Notes:

72
 resources
You’re ready to Shop!
My Shopping List
My Garden Microclimate Notes
­­­My Supply Stores & Nurseries
name size quantity
trees

shrubs

perennials

hedge

ground cover

other plants

73
index
Topic Page
Ballona Creek Watershed 7
Basin 8
Berm 8
Budgets 64

photo: Alex Stevens

California Chaparral Style 32
Certified Wildlife Habitat 23
Climate 6
Climate-appropriate Plants 44
Colonnades 15
Compaction 35
Compost 49
Cool Season Grass 13
Cycle & Soak Programming 47
Deciduous/Evergreen 53
Drip Irrigation 24

photo: Paul Herzog

Edibles 22
Estate Border 14
Estate Lawn 10
Evapotranspiration 40
Fire Zone 21
First Flush 7
Groundcovers 12
Hedges 15
Hydrozones 42, 61
Integrated Pest Management 48
Invasive Plants 21

photo: Pamela Berstler

Jar Test for Soil Type 51
Landscape Water Requirement 41
Living Soil 34
Maintenance 48
Mediterranean Style 26
Microclimates 52
Modern Style 30
Mulch 7
photo: Amelia B. Lima

74
 index
Topic Page
OWL (Oxygen,Water, Life) 34
Parkway Strips 18
Percolation Test for Infiltration 51
Plant Factors 40

photo: Pamela Berstler

Plant Spacing 56
Planting Plan 57
Planting Step-by-step 45
Pollinators 23
Professional Help 65
Rain Barrel 38
Rain Garden 8
Rainwater Catchment 38, 54, 55
Roses 43
Sheet Mulching (Soil Lasagna) 36
Site Map 50

photo: Pamela Berstler

Slopes/Hillsides 20
Smart Irrigation Controller 25
Sod Cutter 13
Soil Lasagna (Sheet Mulching) 36
Soil Moisture Account 46
Soil Probe 34
Soil Sponge 34
Spray Irrigation 24
Swale 8
The Soil Party 34
Trees 16

photo: Pamela Berstler

Walkable Turf Alternatives 12
Warm Season Grass 13
Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance 41
WaterSense Label 25
Watershed Wise Landscape 4
Woodland Style 28
WUCOLS 40

75