Designing for a Slope

This garden is a mix of California native and Mediterranean plants that do well in low water conditions. This site has a lot of Coast Live Oak trees and needed plants that could handle dry shade. This client wanted lush and sculptural plants, which can be hard to achieve under the shade of an oak tree. Luckily, the Oak plant community has many plants that thrive in these conditions. You just have to listen to nature and design for what you have. Many native plants have deep roots that can anchor into a slope, especially plants like the Western Redbud, Succulent Lupine and Matilija Poppy. Ceanothus also does a great job, with the ground cover variety forming a cascade of purple flowers and dark green leaves.