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Gallery: Back Yards

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The Way Back Front
European White Birch
Coast Redwood, Redwood
Japanese Boxwood
California Gray Rush
Mendocino Reed Grass
Foothill Penstemon
Saucer Magnolia, Tulip Tree
European White Birch

Common name:European White Birch
Botanical name:Betula pendula

This medium-size weeping tree will grow to about 40' tall and has a whitish-brown bark with deciduous green leaves.

Coast Redwood, Redwood

Common name:Coast Redwood, Redwood
Botanical name:Sequoia sempervirens

This fast-growing, aromatic tree has soft, dark green foliage with long needles appearing in flat sprays and brown, barrel-shaped cones that appear after 1 year. Its soft, red-brown bark is fiberous and furrowed. Particularly after mechanical damage, this tree will stump sprout to form new, young trees around the stump. Avoid planting in areas of high foot traffic.

Japanese Boxwood

Common name:Japanese Boxwood
Botanical name:Buxus microphylla japonica

Japanese Boxwood is often used as a hedge. It is compact, with small bright green leaves. It can reach 4-6' tall and wide or be kept smaller through pruninig. It can be sheared to shape. It does better in areas with milder winters. It prefers full sun and a moderate amount of water.

California Gray Rush

Common name:California Gray Rush
Botanical name:Juncus patens

Although a wetland plant, Juncus patens can tolerate fairly dry conditions. Eventually will clump to 2'-3' in many years. Grows to a height of 2'-2.5'. There are many selections of this species available with different foliage variations and heights. Carefree with little to no maintenance. Provides great upright structure to many styles of landscapes.

Mendocino Reed Grass

Common name:Mendocino Reed Grass
Botanical name:Calamagrostis foliosa

This tufted perennial bunchgrass is native to the Northern California coastal scrub. It forms a beautiful, dense mound of grey-green leaves that reach 2' tall, with showy arching buff colred flower stalks to 3' tall in spring and summer. Reed Grass foliage turn into an attractive purple coloration in the fall and winter. This evergreen should be grown under sun, with little or no summer watering required. -Monterey Bay Nursery

Foothill Penstemon

Common name:Foothill Penstemon
Botanical name:Penstemon heterophyllus

This perennial will grow 1.5'-2' tall and 2'-3' wide. It has glossy, blue-green foliage with flowers that vary in color and bloom from spring through early summer.

Saucer Magnolia, Tulip Tree

Common name:Saucer Magnolia, Tulip Tree
Botanical name:Magnolia X soulangiana

This medium-sized tree will grow 25'-40' tall and has deciduous green leaves with pink flowers that bloom in the spring.

The Right Plant Right Place

Putting the right plants in the right places in the right groupings is both the challenge and art of good landscape design.

Click in the green box for more information

Designer: Jeff Gamboni Landscape Archite

The Way Back Front
Image: 4 of 27

Photographer: GardenSoft

Soils and Compost:

Practice grass-cycling by leaving short grass clippings on lawns after mowing, so that nutrients and organic matter are returned to the soil.

Integrated Pest Management:

Develop healthy soil for plants that are vigorous and naturally pest-resistant.