Blue Eyed Grass -- Sisyrinchium bellum

When I first saw a picture of this plant, I knew I had to incorporate it somewhere in my garden. The best place to find native plants near me is Tree of Life nursery in San Juan Capistrano, at mile 7 on the Ortega Highway. Tree of Life is a quiet, serene space that is like a botanical garden. I love to walk around and see the incredible array of native species they have cultivated. As I learn more about what grows in California, the nursery has become an invaluable resource for me. Every plant is labeled with pertinent information.
Though this is a grass that will reseed naturally, and will do well on a hillside or in a meadow, I really wanted to incorporate this dainty, sweet little plant with its gorgeous blue color into my small space. The leaves are tall, narrow and spear-like, rising up from a basal bottom. The color ranges from white to violet blue, and there is a golden-eyed variety as well. It's semi-evergreen perennial that does well in nearly any space with little to moderate water. I have it planted near some Yerba Buena, underneath a pink rose bush.


It will do well in a container with mixed annuals, or placed into little spaces between shrubs and perennials. It will go dormant in a dry garden in the summer, but with added water, or along the coast, it will stay in bloom. Pests and diseases tend to leave it alone.

Sticky Monkey Flower--Mimulus

This cute 2-3 ft tall plant grows wild in parts of California and is considered a native. It comes in several colors, and there are mimulus with yellow blooms growing wild along the hillsides in my neighborhood. The one I found at Tree of Life nursery in San Juan Capistrano is scarlet colored, though it seems more of an orange to me! Each blossom has a cute little monkey face inside it. The foliage is bright green, and sticky. Insects love it, hummingbirds love it and they need very little water. They tolerate a wide range of conditions and soils. The plants live for only a few years, but the stems can be weighed down with rocks, and roots will form where the nodes touch the ground, and the old stems can be severed from the mother plant. Aphids love monkey flowers, probably because of the sticky leaves and fleshy stems. I also discovered that snails like the leaves too. I put a plastic collar with copper tape around the entire plant when I put it into the ground. They need good air circulation to prevent fungal diseases.

Hebe

When I was redoing my garden, I decided my accent color would be cobalt blue. I began buying pottery and other accessories in that deep blue color. I liked that it would contrast with our new brown Trex deck, and I have always loved the color. Wondering if I could repaint my resin Adirondack chairs (which were a boring off-white), I went online and found that Krylon makes a spray paint that does exactly that. Off to the hardware store with a couple of color ideas in mind. I picked up a few cans, including one in a darker blue to give the chairs a bit more interest. It was as if I'd bought new chairs--the effect was striking, and made a really effective accent in the garden. I've taken many photos using the chairs as a contrasting backdrop.

At the top of the steps in the side yard, I incorporated 2 cobalt blue large ceramic pots to carry the color theme from the front to the back (I have a large cobalt pot in the corner as the path curves around towards the side yard, filled with Pink Muhly grass and a purple lantana). As you travel through the various gardens, one common element ties them together: cobalt blue. Pick a color, or a shape and add those accent pieces in each area of your yard to weave a continous thread throughout. You could choose tall or short square cubes as pots, or a certain color of pots in any shape, sticking with the same shade (or very closely matched), or use whatever strikes your fancy, keeping one of the elements the same.

By putting 2 pots with the same plant in each across from each other, I created an imaginary line one might pause at, and I did this to announce a transition from one "zone" to another. The trick of a good garden layout is to plant different zones, and make a pathway weaving through them that entices one to stop every few feet and see the little treasures that are planted there. I also like to put in cute little knick knacks, or small stones, or something that delights the eye. Into each pot, I planted a Wiri Bush Hebe.

Hebes (pron. Heh-beh) are compact evergreen shrubs with short glossy green leaves and hot pink to magenta flowers in spring through summer. They can be pruned lightly after flowering, encouraging new growth. They like well-drained soils, and do well in containers, growing to about 3-4 ft tall. A native of New Zealand, it looks good in a tropical garden, and the two I've planted "announce" the Tropical zone in my garden. As you travel down the steps, you view ferns, exotic looking aeoniums, a 15 ft tall banana plant that has huge red and green leaves, a pygmy palm, and birds of paradise. Hebes will grow in Zone 7 (further south than Connecticut), but do not do well where it's really hot, unless planted in part shade. For those of you literary-minded souls, you may recall that the Greek goddess Hebe was the cupbearer of ambrosia at the heavenly feasts.