Common name:Blue Fescue
Botanical name:Festuca glauca

This ground cover/grass will grow less than 1' tall and has small, blue green leaves.

Maintenance Tips

Festuca glauca is a perennial clump-forming grass. It has soft straw-like leaves that form a blue-green dome that can get up to about 10 inches wide and tall. They prefer full sun and well-drained soil, but can tolerate slight shade, drought conditions, and poor soil nutrition. These will send out flower stalks in the summer, which should be cut back to the base after a few months to give them a cleaner appearance. They will also benefit from having any dead leaves pulled from the plant at any time of year, but the fall is typically the best time to clean up the foliage. It is short-lived in the landscape, with a lifespan of about 2-4 years after which it dies out in the center. Some might dig up and divide the living edges into several new plants, but most of the time it is easier to replace with a new one.

Common name:Ground Cover Myoporum
Botanical name:Myoporum parvifolium

This great ground cover will grow 9" high and 9' wide and does well in partial or full sun with moderate watering. It produces delicate white flowers that bloom in summer and are surrounded by tiny, bright green leaves.

Common name:Shore Juniper
Botanical name:Juniperus rigida conferta

This is a very low growing hardy juniper that works great as a lawn alternative. It is problem free and reliable performer in the California garden.

Common name:Lavender Cotton
Botanical name:Santolina chamaecyparissus

This ground cover/small shrub will grow to 2' tall and has small, grayish silver leaves with yellow flowers that bloom in the summer.

Maintenance Tips

Santolina chamaecyparissus is a Mediterranean native that can be found in many California gardens. It is very drought tolerant and is very low maintenance if it is planted in a location where it can reach its full mature size of 2’ tall to 3’ wide. This plant is susceptible to root rot or fungal diseases if the soil is too wet or doesn’t drain easily. If the plant develops fungal issues, allow the soil to dry out and treat with a systemic fungicide. This plant usually blooms in the summer, and the plant will continue to bloom if you deadhead the spent flowers. In the late winter or early spring, you can cut back the foliage by one-third of the current size to maintain the size and encourage new growth.

Common name:Orchid or Purple Rockrose
Botanical name:Cistus X purpureus

Orchid rockrose is an evergreen shrub growing to 4' tall and wide, often shorter in stressful situations. The rosy-crimson flowers to 3" wide exhibit a dark purple blotch at the base of each petal, and bloom early to mid-summer. The flowers also feature a contrasting yellow cluster of stamens in the center. It does well in salt spray and cool winds. It is relatively long-lived, tolerant of heat and aridity as well as accepting many soil conditions.

Common name:Creeping Mirror Plant
Botanical name:Coprosma X kirkii

This spreading evergreen shrub grows 1'-3' high and 2'-5' wide with small glossy leaves. It tolerates clay soils, mild drought situations, and wind.