The document outlines mindful gardening practices and options for creating a sustainable garden in western L.A. County using native plants. It discusses the pros and cons of traditional lawns versus native grasses, promoting alternatives that are drought-tolerant and environmentally friendly. It emphasizes the importance of personalizing garden choices based on individual preferences and local conditions, as well as the benefits of reducing lawn areas.

1. Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden
Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants
Project SOUND – 2011 (our 7th year)
© Project SOUND

2. Lawns Gone Wild
C.M. Vadheim and T. Drake
CSUDH & Madrona Marsh Preserve
Madrona Marsh Nature Center
January 8, 2011
© Project SOUND

3. 2011 Theme: Mindful Gardening
(understanding options/choices for your garden)
© Project SOUND

4. The two most important tools in the
mindful gardener’s toolkit
1. A thoughtful (question posing) attitude
2. Time spent watching and thinking about your garden
© Project SOUND

5. A traditional sod lawn may be the best
solution...
 Tough – stands up
to kids, dogs, play
and even worse
 Evergreen – and a
nice medium green
color
 Smooth – good
playing surface
 Gardener’s can
http://molkkyusa.com/
manage them
© Project SOUND

6. Many benefits of a healthy conventional lawn
 Reduces soil erosion
 Filters contaminants from
rainwater
 Absorbs airborne pollutants
like dust and soot
 Great at converting carbon
dioxide to oxygen.
http://xploring.org/tag/green/
 54 million Americans mow their lawns each weekend.
 5% of U.S. air pollution comes from traditional gas-powered lawn mowers.
 80 pounds of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere each year by the
average gas-powered mower.
 800 million gallons of gas are consumed each year by gas mowers.
Source: Environmental Protection Agency and People Powered Machines
© Project SOUND

7. So, ideally you should choose a conventional turf lawn
based on conscious weighing of pros & cons…
…rather than simply going
with the ‘usual’ solution
© Project SOUND

8. You may conclude that you do need some lawn…but
can reduce it’s size
Giving you more space to use
as you desire (whatever that
may be) © Project SOUND

9. What do you really want from
your ‘lawn area’?
© Project SOUND

10. Your first answer may
be ‘drought tolerant’
 Cities/water districts are
promoting incentive programs
 Beautiful Long Beach Lawn-
to-Garden Incentive Program
http://laist.com/2010/03/31/long_beach_is_now_paying_people_to.php
 Also programs in Santa
Monica, City of L.A., other
areas
 These programs may give you
the extra incentive to re-think
your lawn space – but they
can’t tell you what’s right
for your yard
© Project SOUND
http://www.calecodesign.com/Gallery.html

11. Just because it’s drought-tolerant doesn’t
mean it’s right for you
http://www.citydirt.net/2008/01/
© Project SOUND

12. What things don’t you like about your
current ‘lawn are’?
 Too water-thirsty
 Needs too much fertilizer &
pesticides
 Time spent mowing could be
spent more enjoyably
 Cost of gardener to maintain
 Not used any more – kids grown
 Poor habitat value
 Boring
 Full of weeds
 Lawn doesn’t grow very well –
too shady or too hot
 Doesn’t reflect the natural
heritage of western L.A. co.
What can I do to avoid these pitfalls in
my ‘new lawn’?
© Project SOUND

13. What do you like about your current lawn?
 A place for kids to play
 Green most of the year
 Cool in summer
 Mowing – it gets us outside
and working/exercising
 Looks good with the design
of the house
 Easy to maintain
 Reduces erosion; allows
water to infiltrate
 Takes up CO2
 Whatever it is you like about
your lawn
© Project SOUND

14. Your lawn – before you removed it
The good things
The bad things
 Green in Spring/Summer
 Requires too much water
 Looks neat & tidy
 Not local native – would
 Can be walked on prefer that
 Mowing – enjoy occasionally
© Project SOUND

15. Your personal lists will help you make a
choice that’s right for your garden
The good things The bad things
 Green in Spring/Summer  Requires too much water
 Looks neat & tidy  Not local native – would
 Can be walked on prefer that
 Mowing – enjoy occasionally © Project SOUND

16. Saltgrass – Distichlis spicata
© Project SOUND

17. Saltgrass
 Stiff perennial grass
with numerous long
stems
 Warm-season grass
 Sod-forming – spreads
by rhizomes
 May grow flat or more
erect (4-16 inches tall)
 Looks somewhat like
Bermuda Grass
© Project SOUND

18. Keys to a successful Saltgrass lawn
 Lawns usually started from plugs or
cut sections of rhizomes
 Best done in winter
 Bury rhizomes 1-2 inches
 Keep ground moist until established
 Needs full sun
 Needs winter moisture; can water
in summer to keep green
 Mow infrequently
 Needs no/little added fertilizer
© Project SOUND

19. Benefits of Saltgrass
 Can withstand harsh conditions –
salt/alkali soils, seasonal flooding,
seasonal drought
 Good habitat for birds (seeds and
cover) and butterflies (Skippers)
 good for controlling wind or water
erosion
 Highly resistant to trampling –
even for playing fields
 Looks like Bermuda Grass – and
can be treated like it
But….
1. It really does best – and is most water-wise – with summer-fall drought
2. It is coarse-looking – and feeling (like Bermuda-grass)
© Project SOUND

20. Perhaps you’d like something a little less
tough – but more refined looking
© Project SOUND

21. Creeping Wild Rye - Leymus triticoides
http://www.elnativogrowers.com/Photographs_page/leytri.htm
© Project SOUND

22. Creeping Wildrye is quite versatile
 Any soil texture, but
should be well-drained
 Tolerates alkali soils &
salty soils
 Low/no fertilizer needed
 Full sun to light shade
 Water: it takes what it
gets – will stay green with
some summer water
© Project SOUND

23. Uses for Creeping Wild Rye
 Nice, green native lawn grass –
and takes well to mowing
 Good for erosion control
 Suited for washes, riparian
areas – probably our best
native for vernal swales
 Good bank stabilizer and weed
suppressor
http://www.hastingsreserve.org/NativeGrass/Natives.html#LeymusTrit
© Project SOUND

24. Mowing your Creeping Wild Rye (or
other native grass)
 Mowing is tolerated well
 Mowing changes how it
looks - will look just like
a turf grass (Bermuda
Grass)
 Mow every 3-4 weeks
during growth season
http://www.albrightseed.com/wildryeswalefilter.htm
only
Hint: this grass spreads by
runners – may want to grow in  Set mower high – as high
contained area or limit water as it will go is best
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/review-push-reel-mower-lawnmower-sunlawn-lmm-40.php © Project SOUND

25. Dune (Seaside) Bentgrass – Agrostis pallens
© Project SOUND

26. Dune (Seaside) Bentgrass – Agrostis pallens
 Cool-season perennial bunchgrass
that also spreads via runners &
reseeding
 Summer dormant in nature –
turns an attractive golden brown
 Native to dunes – does great in
sandy soils
 Full sun to part-shade
 Water: Zone 1-2 to 2-3 (for
summer green)
 Use as an ornamental grass,
meadow grass or (small) mowed
lawn
© Project SOUND

27. Weighing the pros & cons of locally native
‘lawn grasses’
 Pros
 Locally native
 Tough
 Easy to grow
 Can be very drought
tolerant
 Can be mowed occasionally
– or left unmowed
 Cons
 Some (like Saltgrass) are
coarse looking
 Really best – and most
water-wise – with some
summer/fall drought
© Project SOUND

28. Native Fescues can
make nice lawn
grasses
http://www.ibot.cas.cz/krkonose/mm/mm.htm
http://turfgrassmanagement.psu.edu/species.cfm
http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?cod
e=G880 http://www.soquelcreekwater.com/images/Pho-Grass_festuca_rubra.jpg
But they ARE from northern CA – so need some summer water to
look good
© Project SOUND

29. The really ‘lawn-like’ native grasses are from
further North (and require more water)
 Festuca rubra ‘Molate’
- ‘Molate’ Red Fescue
 Spreading/bunching – the most
lawn-like of CA native grasses – fine
texture
 Can be mowed occasionally (and high
– 4-6”) for more lawn-like
appearance – take some foot traffic
http://geoimages.berkeley.edu/geoImages/BainCalif/CAL400/BUNGRASS.HTML
 Shade or sun
 Needs occasional summer water –
best as Zone 2 or 2-3 for ‘green
lawn’ appearance
 Widely available as seed or plugs –
easy to grow on many climates
© Project SOUND

30. Your personal lists will help you make a
choice that’s right for your garden
The good things The bad things
 Evergreen – ‘swath of green’  Requires too much water
 Low maintenance  Doesn’t look great in the
 Reminds me of being out in the shady areas of the yard
woods (which I like)
© Project SOUND

31. Does it really have to be ‘all grass’?
 Other options for shady
areas:
 Yarrow (Achillea)
 Native strawberries
(Fragaria spp) – native to
Central CA coast, local
mountains
 Benefits
 Interesting – ‘woodsy’ look
 Good habitat value
 Tough – and more water-
wise than grass
 Can be combined with
grass-like species for more
interest
© Project SOUND
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spidra/2290393751/

32. Choices from the N. CA Coastal Prairie
tend to be green looking with some water
 Coastal prairie conditions are
sunny and mild, with fog and
cool breezes.
 Red fescue (Festuca rubra), a
grass that expands by
underground rhizomes
 California Oatgrass (Danthonia
californica), a plant that
http://lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/thelomaprietan.asp?q=2009030802 doesn't mind being stepped on
A native lawn of Pacific dune sedge
 Pacific dune sedge (Carex
pansa), a lush green
looks lush with just monthly
watering (in N. CA)
groundcover.
© Project SOUND

33. Sedges (Carex species) can be a good
evergreen alternative to grass
 Relatively easy to
establish & maintain
 Evergreen – look
‘grass-like’ to most
people (including your
neighbors)
 Can take a little
more water – good
for wet areas near
http://blueplanetgardening.com/art-lawnsubs.html neighbor’s lawn
 Some can be mowed (for a more formal look) or left
unmowed (for a more informal look)
© Project SOUND

34. Which ‘lawn sedge’ is it?
 There has been some
confusion in the past
 Carex pansa (north coast)
 Shorter, bent
 best for sandy soils
http://www.baynatives.com/plants/Carex-pansa/  ‘Lawn-like’ even when not
C. pansa is left, praegracilis is right mowed (on slopes)
 C. praegracilis (local native)
 More upright
 best for clays/ likes more
water
 C. tumulticola (local native)
 More mounded
 Slow-spreading; plant closely
for meadow or lawn
 Slightly more drought
C. pansa lawn, on the coast tolerant © Project SOUND

35. Green & easy-care – the Carex pansa solution
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eastbaywilds/2673289141/
http://www.landscaperesource.com/articles/study-of-lawn-in-our-gardens-part-ii.htm
Carex pansa is the most lawn-like, but
it’s from N. CA and it does require
more water http://www.flickr.com/photos/11525626@N00/3881883242
© Project SOUND

36. Carex praegracilis can be
mowed for a ‘lawn-like’
appearance – or spaced
more widely as a pleasing
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fross/3237730086/in/photostream/
accent or shade plant
Mowed Carex praegracilis
http://www.calown.com/nativegarden_plants.html
© Project SOUND

37. Carex species combine well
with other native grasses,
groundcovers and shrubs to
give and interesting a varied
appearance
http://www.satoridesigns.net/?p=19
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eastbaywilds/2673289141/
© Project SOUND

38. Grasses & sedges can soften modern
architecture
Sedges
http://www.asla.org/2009awards/612.html
Deergrass
Fescues
© Project SOUND

39. © Project SOUND

40. Your personal lists will help you make a
choice that’s right for your garden
http://greenlandoceanblue.com/2011/01/03/say-you-got-some-snoo-on-your-lawn-larry-o%E2%80%99shea-in-the-tv-series-that%E2%80%99s-my-bush/
The good things The bad things
 Evergreen – sort of  Requires too much water –
 Prevents erosion on slope would like to be slightly more
 Discourages people from water-wise
walking on it  Hard to mow – steep hillside
© Project SOUND

41. Do I really need to mow? If not, the options
expand dramatically
 Many ‘lawn-like’ species
can be left un-mowed
(‘ornamental grasses’)
 Carex species
 Juncus species
 Fescue species
 Many local & other CA
Native bunchgrasses
 Many other groundcover
species
 Herbaceous species
 Even low-growing
woody species from
N./Central CA coast
[Manzanitas;
Ceanothus]
© Project SOUND

42. Grass-like natives as accents or background
http://www.cnps.org/cnps/grownative/tips/lawn_alternatives.php
http://www.flickr.com/photos/83213315@N00/498800058
© Project SOUND
http://www.thedigeratilife.com/blog/index.php/2008/06/04/save-money-and-conserve-water-with-these-7-ideas-for-your-yard/

43. The no-lawn ‘lawn’
http://www.cnps.org/cnps/grownative/tips/lawn_alternatives.php
http://freshdirt.sunset.com/2009/03/another-front-l.html
http://www.penick.net/digging/?p=497 © Project SOUND

44. What is really important to you?
http://cocreativegardendesign.com/56-2/
© Project SOUND

45. Your personal lists will help you make a
choice that’s right for your garden
The good things The bad things
 Changes with the seasons –  Requires too much water
green in winter/spring  Too boring – not enough going on
 Poor habitat value
 No sense of place
© Project SOUND

46. The California Coastal Prairie
The Northern CA Coastal Prairie
http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/~joel/g148_f09/lecture_notes/north_coast/north_coast.html
© Project SOUND

47. Where do I go to see what a S. CA
Coastal Prairie looks like?
© Project SOUND

48. The California Coastal
Prairie – clues from
other native grasslands
http://www.savetejonranch.org/all/index.html
http://www.coastalzone-ca.com/realworld.htm
© Project SOUND

49. Shares some grass
and other species with
N. Coastal Prairie
http://philipsgardenblog.com/
http://www.elkhornsloughctp.org/training/show_train_detail.php?T
RAIN_ID=CoyEJZ39
And with vernal pools
© Project SOUND

50. The S. California Coastal Prairie
 Grasses
 Bromus carinatus
 Koelera macrantha
 Melica imperfecta
 Nassella cernua
 Poa secunda
 Elymus glaucus
 And others
 Forbes
http://faculty.jsd.claremont.edu/dthomson/studentres.htm
 Annual wildflowers – most of the
ones we’ve discussed in previous
classes
 Other ‘weedy’ annuals
 Perennials (mostly small and incl.
bulbs & corms)
 Shrubs
http://www.caopenspace.org/pv1.html
© Project SOUND

51. Many aspects of S.
Coastal Prairie are
currently unknown
 What is the natural succession
of plant species? How long
does it take?
 How best to restore native
http://interwork.sdsu.edu/fire/resources/san-diego-habitats.htm
prairies
 How to combat weeds (note:
native prairies don’t have
natural mulch)
 What species are best suited
for home gardens? How
should they be used?
 And many more
© Project SOUND

52. Project SOUND will focus on Coastal
Prairie research the next several years
 Collecting plant species
not readily available –
and propagating them
 Research on
restoration methods
 Work on restoring a
native prairie at
CSUDH
 Trying gardening
methods focused on
prairie species
Would you like to participate?
© Project SOUND

53. One-sided Bluegrass – Poa secunda
http://www.baynatives.com/plants/Poa-secunda/
© Project SOUND

54. This is more like what it would look like in
South Bay prairie
http://www.flickr.com/photos/raphaelmazor
/3400158978/
http://www.tarleton.edu/~range/Grasslands/Palouse%20Prairie/palouseprairie.htm
Bluebunch wheatgrass with scattered One-sided bluegrass
© Project SOUND

55. Typical Bluegrass  Fine-bladed, dark blue-
green perennial grass
 Cool-season grass
 Starts growth in early spring
– one of the first grasses
 Blooms Feb-Aug – early
bloomer
 Matures, dies in mid-summer
 Bunchgrass – but variable
 Sometimes (harsh climates)
just a thin, small tuft
 With more winter-spring
water, more developed
tussock
 Relatively short-lived
http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/onesidedbluegrass.html © Project SOUND

56. One-sided Bluegrass succeeds
 In mixes with other, later-season
grasses
 In full sun to partial shade – fine
under pine trees
 On any soil texture – like a good loam
but succeeds in shallow, rocky, sandy
or clay soils
 Any local pH is fine – tolerates
moderately alkali and salty soils
 Needs average winter/spring rain –
then likes to dry out in summer. You
could experiment with some summer
water
http://www.nativegrasses.com/images/grasses/FHGR-FHG1.jpg
© Project SOUND

57. Benefits and uses
 Pretty, graceful and delicate – all the
usual positive points for bluegrasses
 Early to green up – often after fall rains
in S. Bay
 Will reseed on patches of bare ground
once established
 Can tolerate moderate spring flooding –
would be fine for a vernal swale
 Well-liked by birds (seeds and nesting
site), ground squirrels and domestic
animals (horses) even when dry
 Tolerant of fire when dormant
http://www.laspilitas.com/butterfl_files/Needle_grass.jpeg
 Few (if any) insect, disease problems
© Project SOUND

58. Planting One-sided Bluegrass from seed
 Plant fall/winter in S. Bay
 May have low germination rates – highly
variable depending on weather, site
 Use 2-4 lbs seed/1000 sq. feet for
lawn/meadow (more if broadcast)
 Sow on well-prepared and firmed soil
 Rake in or cover to ¼ to ½ inch (deeper
for coarse soils)
 Be sure to keep ground surface moist
until seeds germinate (7-14 days); then
every other day until established
 Will grow quickly in warm temperatures
http://ww1.clunet.edu/wf/chap/common/bjc-1397.htm
© Project SOUND

59. California Brome – Bromus carinatus (var. maritimus)
© Project SOUND

60. California Brome – locally native bunchgrass
 Perennial (may be short-lived)
 Cool season
 Bunchgrass
 Usually erect when young,
more drooping as matures –
but coastal forms are more
low-lying (prostrate)
 Leaves broad, green, robust
 Stays green into summer, even
with no added water
© Project SOUND

61. Benefits and uses of CA Brome
 Grows rapidly (typical brome) - a great
choice to get native grass covering the
ground quickly
 Can serve as a quick-growing “nurse”
grass to longer-lived grasses like
Needlegrasses, Melic Grass - lives only a
few years (3-5 years here)
 Deep, spreading roots make great for
erosion control – quick
 Does fine on slopes
 Great insect, butterfly and bird plant – if
left to go to seed
http://pnwpest.org/weeds/id/California_brome--Bromus_carinatus--
m.s.jpg
 Very hardy – used on roadsides and mine
rehabilitation © Project SOUND

62. Blue Wildrye – Elymus glaucus
© Project SOUND

63. June Grass - Koeleria macrantha
© Project SOUND
Patrick J. Alexander @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

64. http://www.cedarcreek.umn.edu/plants/newslides/koeleria480.jpg
Junegrass in nature: an accent rather than the main show
© Project SOUND

65. Local Prairie grasses - lovely in gardens
However you choose to use
them, you’re increasing the
habitat value of your garden
© Project SOUND

66. Would you like to help recreate native
prairie in your yard?
 Attend special classes featuring
the S. Coastal Prairie/ shrubland
 Grow seed - seed available for
home propagation
 Experiment with installation
methods - grass available for
demonstration areas in your yard
 Grow the grasses/annuals as part
of the One Pot Program
 Experiment with different uses of
the native species on your garden
– there are many possibilities
E-mail Connie if you’re interested
© Project SOUND
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/calif/msg0617091222429.
html

67. Bringing Back the Natives – One Pot at a Time
Your commitment:
 Materials
 Pot: 12-16 inches in diameter;
12-16 inches deep
 Potting soil: Gardener’s Soil
 Time
 Plant seeds; care for plants
 After seeds are ripe/dry:
 Scatter in your garden
 Collect and share with others
 Photos & feedback
 Provide us photos and (brief)
written feedback about your
successes and failures
© Project SOUND

68. If you’d like to grow more native grasses
from seed….
 You can help us by
experimenting with the
following in your own
yard:
 Raising native grass
plugs/plants from seed
 Direct seeding
experiments
 Creating a ‘One Plot’ area in
your garden to grow native
grasses for seed
We’ll help you design a program that works for you
© Project SOUND

69. http://susanwrites.livejournal.com/tag/haiku © Project SOUND

70. We hope you’re inspired to explore the
options for your own ‘lawn’
© Project SOUND