A friend told a story about his North Park house, and how once he finally landscaped his front yard, his neighbors became much more friendly. I experienced a similar scenario this weekend, when we filled the empty eyesore in front of our house with bright fresh greenery. We must have met a half dozen neighbors, chatted with dog walkers and stroller pushers and even got solicited for design advice.
Having zero experience with gardening and not knowing the first thing on planning or caring for plants, we aimed for a simple and low maintenance solution. We began by measuring our garden and plotting out height and width for a general idea. We then shopped between Home Depot and the local Encinitas, Sunshine Gardens for an array of plants. Home Depot supplies great basics and filler plants, while Sunshine staff is so helpful and has a great selection of what I consider the 'statement plants.' We paid attention to amount of sunlight required, drought resistance, and color scheme. We ended up chosing: dwarf papyrus, red cordyline, pennisetum fireworks, orange New Zealand sedge, and Russian sage . Piling up a truck bed's worth of greenery, we returned home to get dirty.
We laid out all the pots in the positions we had sketched and took a step back to assess. For the most part, we were surprisingly good at our estimations. We cut through the weed blocker, dug holes and covered the space with mulch. After about two hours of labor, we were complete. With the added touch of some solar lights, we were proud of our finished product.
However, as with many first attempts, there will be lessons learned. Ours: be sure to check how tall and wide each mature plant will grow, and adjust your layout accordingly. I have a feeling that the dwarf papyrus will get a new spot in the backyard, as the sage will eventually grow into large bushes. You live, learn and have fun getting dirty!
