Also from the bay friendly garden tour this weekend, there was a talk on rain gardens from a landscape designer who's projects include public works projects. Here are my notes/learnings from that talk:
Im still waiting for a copy of the handout that was distributed at the talk, to get the exact calculation, but I learned that there is a calculation for how much roof area you have which includes a percentage of rain (CA only gets 4-6%).
You can not have a rain garden within 3' of a public sidewalk or 10' of a foundation. As the water will erode the base rock that supports these structures.
If you have clay which most of us in CA have, you'll need to make sure that your soil is permeable enough water that stands should not last more than 72 hours at the most
Should not do a water garden on more than a 3% slope ( you should check with a professional if its more than that do make sure you're not putting yourself at risk for landslides ).
Plants need to be very flexible- ok with their feet wet, and with drought.
Rushes
Sedges
Sages
Blue grey times are more drought tolerant than greens
Fringe cups
Red monkey flower
Be careful of CA fuchsia & carrot species they can take over and be one invasive.
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Last weekend I went to a garden tour it was hosted by the bay friendly gardening coalition. At one of the gardens there was a talk by a master gardener who works in the Livermore demonstration gardens about the outstanding plants for Alameda county. The Alameda county master gardeners http://acmg.ucdavis.edu/ have put together a couple of brochures that each list 18 plants that thrive in Alameda county http://acmg.ucdavis.edu/Outstanding_Plants_for_Alameda_County/ . During the talk, master gardener Carol discussed some of the plants that did better for the inland portions of alameda county, and also some tips on care.
Things I learned:
Never water a dormant plant
Deer dint like plants with a lot of scent or weird texture
Strawberry tree likes acidic soil ( good under pines)
Don't prune flax back it won't recover well
Manzanita is a great ground over but takes a long time to fill in
If you plant all three types of lavender, you will extend the bloom time april-novrmber- and you should not fertilize them at all or they get leggy. also, English is good for oil or cooking, intermedia/Provence good for cutting and fragrance
For shade (less than 4 hours of sun) use ribes, Oregon grape, heuchera, or toyon/coffeeberry
Red bud may bloom again in fall if it gets some water.
Manzanita and yellow or white yarrow need zero water
Things I learned:
Never water a dormant plant
Deer dint like plants with a lot of scent or weird texture
Strawberry tree likes acidic soil ( good under pines)
Don't prune flax back it won't recover well
Manzanita is a great ground over but takes a long time to fill in
If you plant all three types of lavender, you will extend the bloom time april-novrmber- and you should not fertilize them at all or they get leggy. also, English is good for oil or cooking, intermedia/Provence good for cutting and fragrance
For shade (less than 4 hours of sun) use ribes, Oregon grape, heuchera, or toyon/coffeeberry
Red bud may bloom again in fall if it gets some water.
Manzanita and yellow or white yarrow need zero water
This red hot poker is just starting to bloom I thought I'd snap a photo before the crickets eat it.
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