Beginner Gardening: New House, Clean Slate!, 1 by NancyGroutsis

NancyGroutsis wrote:
Wifeygirl, your Fresno zone is 9b with an average rainfall of 12 inches, however, with the current drought it will probably be less than that this year. So the first thing I recommend is an irrigation system. Drip irrigation seems to be the best for hot, dry climates to conserve water and I prefer the above-ground systems because eventually underground pipes become clogged. Therefore I will design the garden to be able to hide irrigation tubes.

You said you wanted a cottage garden look, so I have tried to create one to the best of my ability but your current weather conditions are desert so it is very challenging. I removed the tree because it falls over often and tree roots dominate water supply taking most of the available water, so it’s more difficult to keep the grass green with the tree there. The left side of the door has Lily of the Nile (Agapanthus Africanus) and the shade corner on the right of the door is a hydrangea macrophylla because that kind is best in hot weather, but still needs shade in zone 9b.

In front of the hydrangea is a jagged row of Walker’s Low Catmint which will soften the sharp corners with its cascading branches. You had asked for a stepping stone pathway and I added the steps from the sidewalk to the doorway. As for the Boston Ivy you wanted it will barely survive if at all in zone 9b, so I recommend English Ivy (Hedera helix) or Clematis 'Diamantina' ('Diamantina' clematis) which can grow up to 40 ft. I also think a clematis would look nice on the two trellises next to the door, but Clamatis Picardy is a better choice because it’s much smaller.
I recommend keeping the blue and green shrubs on the left side because they are healthy and attractive. I don’t know what that small tree is next to the fence but it seems fine to keep it, however, I removed the yellowing plants on each side and filled the front area with dianthus which is a perennial in zone 9 and the back with wild garlic (Allium vineale or Allium canadense var. lavendulare).
The third picture is another garden idea that is more drought tolerant. This garden has no grass because grass needs a lot of water which is scarce nowadays in California. The center is four different colors of celosia which would grow well in your garden because they need full sun and thrive in zone 9-10. The left is a Jackmanni clematis growing on the fence.

The front is ornamental rocks. The reason for the extensive stepping stone pathway system is to make it easier to garden and walk around to enjoy the scene.

Nancy Groutsis

Edit: sorry I forgot to add the purple blooms for the clematis in picture #3, but the edit feature won't let us edit photos.

This message was edited Apr 12, 2014 12:15 PM