Here is a thread that was started recently. Read through it, as I think a lot of it will be quite helpful. Then if you have more questions...fire away.

Welcome to the joys of gardening :)

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/peren/msg0818144728298.html?15

First off, there are NO stupid questions, hopefully someone from the San Francisco Bay Area will chime in with some suggestions. Is it possible to post a picture of the beds or borders you are working on?

Annette

First of all, welcome!!

Ditto Annette: there are NO stupid questions. How do you think WE learned?

Two important things to learn right away: sun and soil. How much sun does your bed get? What type of soil do you have?

The critical elements of a successful, healthy garden are light and soil along with water/moisture. You can observe the light yourself: how many hours of full/part sun or shade does your bed get? Do you water regularly or have a sprinkler system that provides supplemental water?

Once you know the above information, the next step is to research the plants you'd like to have grow in your garden bed.

Given that the Ranunculus will be blooming in the spring, what do I do after that?

More homework to find other plants that thrive in similar growing conditions and decide if they enhance the "look" you're going for. My garden is designed & planted so there's something blooming from March right through October. I also incorporate different textures (i.e., grasses, big-leaf perennials, small shrubs).

Have fun and post pictures of your progress if you're so inclined.

Welcome to gardenweb and gardening!

Hi! I used to live in SF and one if my favorite garden "work horses" was Erysimum 'Bowles' Mauve' . It's a great small to medium shrub that is tidy and attractive, and it flowers almost continuously and profusely. Its common name is wall flower - look it up and see what you think. With your great climate you'll want some things with some permanence for year round interest, and this great plant keeps going and going and gives no trouble at all - it even looks great out of flower. Best of luck with you new garden!

Hi and welcome. . . I think part of the fun of gardening is to *just do it*. Like Gardenweed said, soil and light are important to know in order to be successful. When I started gardening there was no internet. If I saw something I liked I bought it. . . did it all live HECK NO ! I had a lot of no no's and flub ups along the way.

Now I'm helping my daughter get her hands dirty in her own garden. I tell her about some of my mistakes and I really wonder why I stuck with it. Back then I. . . used liguid weed and feed on my annuals (I didn't have perennials yet) I grew hostas in full hot sun, poppies were in full shade. Just to share a few of my mistakes.

The one thing I have taught my daughter that has been very helpful is read the tag before buying and save it after planting. Most of the time the info is accurate. It gives light requirements, watering needs, height/width and spacing as a guide line. If you see a plant that you like for a certain spot in your garden and the tag says it needs 6 hours of full sun but the bed you are buying for is in the shade you know it wont work there.

No matter what happens, have fun. . . enjoy the process.

Growing a bed of spring bulbs then popping zinnia or marigold seeds in above them for summer color is an excellent idea. Sweet alyssum is very good for that purpose also. Given the water situation in your area, I'd be inclined to avoid using grass if possible. There are lots of lovely little xeric plants that will suit your needs. (When you research plants & gardening, xeric is the word that means low water needs.) Good luck!

The other issue with lawn grass is that it needs mowing, but if you want your bulbs to return, you can't mow down their foliage until they start dying back on their own. Your idea of not having the bulbs all by themselves is a great one, just needs annuals, perennials (including ornamental grasses), or ground covers to go with them instead of lawn. To get ideas of what would work and what you like, try visiting garden centers that have demonstration gardens or the Strybing Arboretum which has lots of flower beds. Take photos and notes of what you like and then do a bit of research online when you get home. There is also a California Gardening forum where there may be Bay Area gardeners who have more familiarity with resouces available to you than those of us here from across the US, Canada, and Europe.

If you see plants that you like that are not labeled, take a close up photo as well as one of the whole plant and post it on the Name that Plant forum.

Thank you guys so much for your advice and encouragement, I really appreciate it! That other thread was very helpful too and I will have to check out some of the plants and books that were recommended there. I also love that Erysimum 'Bowles' Mauve' and it's definitely going on the list for the front. I agree that with our water situation we don't want a lot of grass here and that's also a good point about the mowing.

The little bed in question is about 10x3. I'm attaching a picture. It faces southwest and gets lots of sun. I'm not sure about the soil--that is something I will have to find out. {{gwi:265578}}From 2014-08-28

I'm starting here because I'm quite intimidated at the thought of planning the side and front yards: {{gwi:265580}}From 2014-08-28
{{gwi:265581}}From 2014-08-28

But I think I will just have to dive in and try some things and not worry too much about getting it all perfect right from the get-go... We are getting pretty tired of the mulch look and need something alive here!

Many small nurseries offer free or low price landscape design planning. You could visit a couple of nurseries and have them draw up plans for you then think it over and research the plants they recommend. You have a lovely home (love the stone porch) in a climate ideal for gardening: you really can't go wrong.