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Ideas: Backyards
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Playful Disorder
Forest Pansy Redbud
Columbine
Tuscan Blue Upright Rosemary
California Wild Grape
California Poppy, Golden Poppy
Baby Blue Eyes
Berkeley Sedge
Forest Pansy Redbud

Common name:Forest Pansy Redbud
Botanical name:Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'

This small tree may reach 25' tall and it has dark green/purple leaves that are purple in the fall. Amazing pink flowers bloom in the spring and fill the tree.

Columbine

Common name:Columbine
Botanical name:Aquilegia hybrids

Coumbine has large, spurred flowers with clear colors of white, lavender, yellow, deep red and pink which are borne on 2 1/2' tall plants. The strikingly beautiful blooms make good cut flowers. They require partial shade or full sun, along with well- drained soil. The colors, however, cannot be chosen.

Tuscan Blue Upright Rosemary

Common name:Tuscan Blue Upright Rosemary
Botanical name:Rosmarinus officinalis 'Tuscan Blue'

The Upright Rosemary is an upright shrub that grows 3'-6' tall. It has dark green leaves and bright, showy, lavender blue flowers throughout the year. This shrub is drought tolerant and attracts butterflies.

California Wild Grape

Common name:California Wild Grape
Botanical name:Vitis californica

The California Wild Grape is a woody deciduous vine that with round large leaves. The flowers are in small fragrant blooms and berry clusters appear in the summer. This vine has a sprawling, climbing growth habit. The California wild Grape is native to California and is drought tolerant.

California Poppy, Golden Poppy

Common name:California Poppy, Golden Poppy
Botanical name:Eschscholzia californica

This small annual (sometimes acts as a perennial) plant will grow to less than 1' tall and has light, small blue green leaves with gold and orange flowers that bloom in spring and summer.

Baby Blue Eyes

Common name:Baby Blue Eyes
Botanical name:Nemophila menziesii

Nemophila menziesii is an annual. Trailing plants are 6"-12" high, with bell-shaped flowers to 1" across. Flowers are sky blue with whitish centers. Pale green, hairy, fern-like foliage gives plants a delicate appearance.

Berkeley Sedge

Common name:Berkeley Sedge
Botanical name:Carex divulsa

Berkeley Sedge is a fast growing, vibrant green clumping sedge to 2' tall and wide. Widely adaptable, it can be planted in wet soil or arid soil, tolerates sun to partial shade and can be drought tolerant. Tan to brown flowers show in spring.

Solving Runoff Problems

Importance of Water Shed

A watershed is a land area that drains rain and other water into a creek, river, lake, wetland, bay or groundwater aquifer. Water from your neighborhood also enters the watershed through the storm drain system and flows directly to local creeks and the Bay without any treatment. It often is contaminated by pollutants that can be toxic to fish, wildlife, and people.

Click in the green box for more information

This boulder catch basin collects back yard water.

Designer: Owen Dell

Playful Disorder

Photographer: GardenSoft

Soils and Compost:

Incorporate compost 6" into your soil to retain water, reduce compaction, feed earthworms, and provide valuable nutrients to your plants.

Integrated Pest Management:

Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.