First off, I don't know what kind of siding you have, but growing plants right up against the outside wall of your home is generally not recommended. Hard to tell from your photo so it may be okay, but you might want to ask a pro to take a look and see if your planting areas shouldn't be moved outwards from the house a bit. Secondly, Northern CA is a very big place with a lot of microclimates. Even Sunset magazine breaks it up in multiple zones and I personally have always thought they should break up my zone 17 into at least three more. Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano counties have very different weather patterns, IMHO. Anyhoo......how much watering are you willing to do? With the new water bill cutbacks of around 20% everywhere look to be coming on a mandatory basis. This is actually not the season for planting - late fall is when you should be putting in plants, allowing winter rains to water them for free and letting the roots get established (hopefully you have good soil and not clay where they'd just drown). OTOH, the pickings in the nurseries and garden centers are starting to hit their stride so you'll have a good choice of plants coming in over the next few months. The "bible" of western gardening is the famous Sunset Western Garden Book (exact title), a large-size paperback whose latest edition is 2007. You can buy it used on amazon.com very reasonably. This is more for researching specific plants; for ideas about design you might want to go to your local library or bookstore and thumb through "Western Landscaping Book: Companion to the Best-Selling Western Garden Book", which you can also buy used in ppbk at really ridiculously low prices at amazon.com. I suggest you look through the latter first before buying it as it's a 'photo idea' type of book - either you'll see something that's applicable to your situation or you won't. There are hundreds of plants that would work in your sunny garden beds, and just as many that would work in your alcove. None of them are very large areas, so you're only looking for a half-dozen or so mini-shrubs. 'Color', BTW, is really best achieved by plants with interesting foliage that provide contrasting texture/shape/colors to your lawn. Flowers are a bonus that come and go, but good foliage mixes will provide interest 365 days/yr, which in our climate is a lot more important. This grouping, for example, would adore sun and take relatively little water. Substitute an evergreen groundcover like Iberis (candytuft) or even a trailing pelargonium for the nasturtiums on the LH bottom. Since the phormium here ("Rubrum") gets quite large, sub something more colorful, like "Sundowner" phormium, which has lovely pink tones that would pick up your brick trim, is smaller, and has leaves that curve downwards: This is "Sundowner" phormium: Shrub lantanas (as opposed to trailing ones) are nice big rounded mini-shrubs, 3x3', that look lovely with variegated pelargoniums. Both are very drought-resistant and take little water. Pelargoniums come in many sizes, shapes and flower colors, so pay attention to what the tag says (although they can be inaccurate; but you have to start somewhere): Here's a partial sun combination - Strobilanthes (very frost tender and needs some partial shade or it burns), spearlike foliage is a bearded iris, and a round variegated-leaf pelargonium, either "Skies of Italy" or "Mrs. Pollack": The following are examples of shade foliage mixes that turned out very successful and illustrate what I mean about foliage being so much more versatile than just using flower color. In this one it's variegated aucuba, bearded iris, and oxalis siliquosa: This is a chartreuse plectranthus groundcover, a small "Endless Summer" hydrangea, and a "Jack Frost" brunnera: I have this combination in full sun, but both mini-shrubs get good-sized over time, a full 4x4'. They look good together, though - Loropetalum chinense 'Rubrum' and the gray-leafed Euryops (the dark green leaf form is more common, but it gets even bigger, to 6x6'). The tiny daisy-like flowers are Santa Barbara Daisy, a very xeric trailer/groundcover. A purple osteospermum stuck its head in there, too. HTH give you some inspiration!

Curvy or straight? The main point is to give beds depth. Rule of thumb for a border or foundation would be a minimum depth of 6 ft, but most look better if deeper than that. Narrow beds and borders, I think, are one of the things that leads some people to plant in the dreaded soldier rows. Also, although I sometimes think some people get a little anal about the "rule", it's kind of a common mantra in gardening books and on garden forums to hear that plant material should be planted in odd numbers. Three is the favorite number. For smaller plants, or for greater impact, try 5 or 7. If a plant has presence enough to be a specimen or accent on its own, then plant just one. Consider that most dwarf shrubs are about 2 ft at maturity. You need to keep an access space along the house, so you don't plant them write up against it. And, you just read this rule of 3 thing, so you have 3 little shrubs that you won't plant in a row. How much depth will your irregular planting of a trio of the same shrub or perennial need? Then you figure that ... hmmm ... a 2 ft shrub doesn't have a lot of presence by itself. What if it were to have a grouping of evergreens here ... and, say, here ... Oh, and the evergreens are something slow growing that will eventually reach 4 to 5 ft. Pretty soon you realize the border depth needs to be 8 ft to accommodate the shrub groupings. And, because I think it's how many of us think, I'm starting from smaller plants and working from there. Of course, the other common scenario is trying to plant something that matures at 6 to 10 ft with a similar spread into a bed that isn't deep enough. So, my recommendation would be that you get a working idea of the shape and especially the depth of the beds. Incorporate the raised bed idea if you like ... But for now, just play with the ideas on paper, keeping foremost in your mind the way these beds will enhance your home. Once you've got a paper plan that you like, you don't necessarily have to pull the whole thing off all at once. You have a plan. Execute it slowly. Given that you are trying to learn design and learn plants and "do" the garden all at once, give yourself permission to work at a reasonable pace. Maybe the shadier side first, and focus next year on the sunnier side. Give strong consideration to checking out if a local nursery provides design services. Often you can pay a reasonable fee (about $300) for a reasonable plan. If they seem to be going in a too cookie cutter direction, call them on it and indicate the preferences you are already developing. Mainly what you want is something to guide your process. And, there are designers out there who work specifically with clients who intend to put the plan in place themselves. Anyway, whether you sketch it out entirely yourself or get professional input, once you've got a plan, implement it in stages. Don't do what I've done ... rush out to look at all the pretty plants and come home with babies that need to go into the ground ... now! Give your future plantlings the courtesy of beautifully prepared beds with wonderfully prepped soil. You won't regret it. Focus on getting a particular section of the project done well. Maybe it won't look finished, but you have a plan and you know what you will be doing next to fulfill it. Hope that makes sense ... It's just often the case that we get an idea, and think we can execute it and then it turns out to be way more work than we realized when we were just playing with it on paper. Get the big picture on paper ... But, if you are doing the work, stage the execution in manageable phases.

The first thing I thought when I viewed pic 2 is--she needs a white birch in that open spot just beyond the big boulder--and maybe a park bench type chair near it, encouraging the viewer to sit and contemplate all the lovely plantings. Or maybe, alternately, a flowering tree--a crabapple or redbud tree--in that spot. (I'm not sure what is hardy in your region.) Of course, a redbud tree would spread out umbrella like and perhaps shade some of your sun-loving plants, but that might be an excuse to plant a few hostas. There's leaf contrast for you! Of course, the vertical accent of some kind of evergreen, as suggested above, would also work in that spot. Just curious--why no peonies? They are superhardy and gorgeous. Love that rambling path, by the way. Kate

We are planning for a new front yard walkway. I'm deciding between pavers and concrete, but leaning more towards pavers. I'm unsure of what design to go with. My choice of color will be slate with charcoal as the borders. I'd like to see what others have decided on. Thanks!