Unique Plants for Public Spaces – Northern California

[Wes Arola, RLA]

1-
I’m looking to generate a unique plant list for use at northern California public schools and public parks which are low maintenance, can tolerate a lot of traffic and require little to no irrigation once established.

2-
The layperson will often only relate the plants and landscaping to the landscape architect, ignoring any other problems which were solved or addressed through the over all site design. By using unique plantings to enhance or highlight our design ideas, can we build an awareness of the layperson as to the true comprehensive role of a landscape architect?

[Tanya Olson]

coastal, interior or mountain?

[Wes Arola, RLA]

Mostly interior, some coastal. I should have added adaptable to my criteria.

[Tanya Olson]

#1. These are some of my favorites: shown with no irrigation in a parking lot near Petaluma: California Fescue, rudbeckia, lavender, Blue Wildrye, erigeron (probably overused) Sycamore.
some of my favorites from Sonoma County : Echium, Euphorbia amygdaloides robbiae, Flowering Quince, Teucrium, Calycanthus. I think Mondo grass is totally cool. Blue fescue, Umbellularia, Pittosporum tenuifolium (hate all the rest of the pitts – this one is gorgeous) Olive, White Poplar, Caryopteris, I like the mounding of Baccharis, but I don’t like how ratty it gets after maturity, Santolina, most salvias (because they are reliable and tough as nails)
I have no idea if these are ‘unique’ – it depends on how you plant them I think.
#2. no
Most people just don’t notice design – that goes for architecture, interiors, etc. They just don’t see the detail that we are trained to notice. They have to be whacked over the head like Monet’s garden in Giverny. I try to make up for it with volume! ha!

[Tanya Olson]

Oh – I forgot my favorite (and most of you will probably groan….) Lombardy Poplar.

[Drew Ready]

Have you checked the UC Davis Arboretum All Stars? The list of 100 plants was devised for the Central Valley but I’ve found it equally useful as far away as Los Angeles. You may find some of these plants of interest. They are not all native but no Cal-IPC listed invasives are included either.

http://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/allstars_browse.aspx

[Drew Ready]

For water use info, the WUCOLS document may be of interest to you.

http://www.emwd.org/conservation/pdf/wucolsb.pdf

Anyone know of any lists where resiliency and maintenance needs of particular cultivars are rated?

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