Common name:Black Mondo Grass
Botanical name:Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens'
This plant makes a tuft of approximately 8" and is about 1' wide. It has very unusual leaves that start out green and turn black in a couple of weeks. It has pink summer flowers but is grown for the unusual black foliage.
Common name:Hybrid Helleborus or Hellebore
Botanical name:Helleborus hybrids
The Helleborus hybrids are evergreen plants that are a favorite for many gardeners due to the variety of flower colors and ease of growth. They maintain their dark green, glossy foliage through winter. By late winter, cut back the old foliage to view the emerging flower stalks. It prefers rich, well-drained soil and light to dark shade. It looks great in mass plantings under trees or large shrubs for a woodland effect. Leaves, stems and roots are poisonous
Common name:Western Sword Fern, Alaska Fern
Botanical name:Polystichum munitum
This Fern produces upright fronds, reaching 4'-5' tall in moist, cool forests in Northern California. This size is usually lower, especially without summer watering. It is great in containers or dry shade landscapes. This species is especially useful to give the illusion of lush, moist gardens where little water is actually being used. It should receive part shade to dense shade. -Monterey Bay Nursery
Common name:Giant Scillia
Botanical name:Sciadopitys verticillata
This distinctive, slow-growing, broadly pyramidal tree maintains a central leader and keeps its bottom branches. Its long, dark green needles are arranged in whorls up the stem and bunched at the ends of the branches to give an umbrella effect. The cones produced by this tree will ripen after 2 years of growth. In cultivation, the tree will attain a height of 20'-30' and a width of 10'-15'. Following 50 to 60 years, the tree will reach 35'.
Designer: KenCairn Landscape Architecture
Photographer: GardenSoft
Physical weed control, including mulching, or hand removal protects the watershed from harmful chemicals.
Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.