Soil retention isn't a problem with container gardening. Water and nutrient retention is the problem. And sand in a container mix only compounds that problem. But I never suggested that you should use garden dirt in a container. Do you think Al's Mix is the only other option? And yes I am well aware of what is called Al's Mix, that it is unique to the Container Gardening forum here, that it is just 1 person's opinion on what is ideal, and that it has several recipes depending on what is being grown in the particular container. Some on that forum do "rave" about it and some do not. Nothing against Al as he works hard to help lots of people over there. But as I said above thousands of us, gardeners all over the world, have container gardened quite successfully for decades without using it or even knowing it existed. There are hundreds of recipes for making your own soil-less container mixes. Al's Mix is just one of them. And there are probably 15-20 varieties of commercially prepared soil-less mixes available to use, several of them superior to any homemade mix recipe. So don't assume that everyone here uses Al's Mix or even agrees with it? If you choose to use it, fine but then the issues or questions you may have about it need to be addressed to that person, that forum as they might understand why you'd be adding sand to a container mix. As Greg said above, an in ground sandy garden can be made productive with lots of work, lots of amending, and careful moisture monitoring. Containers are something else entirely. Dave

Some plants that have done well for me in dry situations: They aren't very formal, but rugosa roses have a strong, sweet scent, beautiful foliage, and large red hips. They only bloom once, but I like them quite a bit. Flowers are single or double in shades of pink, magenta and white. They sucker some and have wicked thorns, but will grow in beach sand. Penstemon pinifolius is a relatively short plant with typical tubular penstemon flowers in early summer in shades of red, orange, and yellow and fine needle-like foliage. If you typically have good snow cover, it is worth trying Caryopteris which I have found works for me, rather to my surprise: small tidy shrub, late summer violet-blue flowers, and either silver or gold foliage. In the coldest areas it works more like a perennial, dying back to the ground each year. 'Arthur Simmonds' has trialled as the hardiest selection, though I haven't grown it. (available at Lazy S's Nursery via mail order.) I have 'Sunshine Blue' with gold foliage which experiences some dieback but comes back every year and either 'First Choice' or 'Dark Knight' which has survived just fine for several seasons. This does better than lavender for me which survives, but takes too long to recover to look good most seasons. I do replant lavender (small inexpensive plants) most years and it grows well as an annual since the insects and humming birds like it. The only western Agastache that has survived at least one winter for me has been A. rupestris. It is a short-lived perennial for me, lasting at most 4 or 5 years, but I really like the silvery foliage and August salmon and smoky lavender blooms, so I replace it when it hasn't survived a winter. You may find that some of the blue Agastaches work for you, but I haven't grown them since they have a reputation for self-seeding. I have had Weigela grow well on a completely unwatered slope, so it should be fine. However, the Cornus kousa that is in an unwatered dry spot doesn't look nearly as nice as the one in a more average setting, and the serviceberry that I planted in a dry spot died the second season, despite my hauling water to it all of its first season. Lonicera sempervirens 'Major Wheeler' is a long-blooming, bright red selection of a native vine that does fine without supplemental water in a well-drained bed. I have only had mine a couple of years, but I really like it. It should do fine being trimmed to its support, an iron trellis of 3/8" rod, if I decide it needs it. Daffodils should be fine if you are looking for spring bulbs. Plants that others have mentioned that have also done well for me in well-drained situations include bearded iris, flax, rose campion (though it self-seeds ferociously unless deadheaded), coreopsis (both lanceolata and verticillata), daylily, Baptisia, Liatris, Sedum, Semperivirens, Amsonia hubrichtii, Nepeta/catmint, Alyssum, and columbine.

Once established Hamamelis virginiana has moderate drought tolerance. They do prefer slighly acidic soil so you should be ok, you won't get a 30 footer but it will still do good given proper planting and aftercare. I have my Hamamelis vernalis in a fairly dry, exposed location and it hasn't exhibited any signs of stress...it just isn't putting on alot of growth.

I water my trees every other day during the hottest months. My summer temps are much higher than topanga though, I often reach 120 degrees. Yes my trees wilt daily when it gets that hot, but they perk back up when they get watered. I also water at night to keep the evaporation down. I use adjustable bubblers and water for about 10 minutes and build wells around my trees to hold water and let it slowly percolate into my soil. That is why it is important to mulch the top to help retain that moisture until the next watering while conserving water during this tough drought we are in. During the fall I cut back watering to twice a week and during the coldest months I water once a week. You just have to keep an eye on your tree and water when you see it start to wilt, just remember, a little wilting is ok, it helps the roots grow when they search for water. If you over water your tree it can have the same symptoms (wilting) as when it's under watered so it is a balancing act. Make sure when you plant your tree you set the rootball high enough so that you can flood it's basin without water sitting against the trunk. What rootstock is your tree grafted to? C35 is what most of my trees are on and it seems to do well in our type of soil. It is also semi dwarfing so your tree won't get too tall to pick your fruit without a ladder. I am not sure if adding pumice would be beneficial or not, I just plant my trees, water them and fertilize a few times a year and they grow. Hopefully this helps. Evan