Hi aimeekitty, no, you're not asking for too much. You might consider some of the following:

Westringia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westringia You'll see a number of them around town. They grow quite well, fairly quickly and are EASILY pruned or sheared. They withstand the soil, water, heat and cold and nothing particularly likes to eat them. There are several types/hybrids or selections of them in varying leaf and flower color. Excellent for the SCV. A nice feature is how filmy they are, providing a sheer screen instead of a 'wall'.

Any of the Salvia greggii, which you suggested. Hot Lips, a hybrid, can get very aggressive and rangy. It's taken over a planter I maintain in Stevenson Ranch, but all it requires is whacking to the ground each fall and it thumbs its nose, coming back bigger and better every spring for the past seven years. Nothing eats these, either, and they can repel rabbits due to their scent. Perfectly suited to that climate. If you don't already have rabbit issues, don't worry, you WILL. They move back into the neighborhoods and proliferate like mad. The dark purple hybrid of greggii is quite low growing and spreading so it's best toward the front of a bed.

Dwarf myrtle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrtus Totally bullet proof there and easily maintained at almost any size and shape you desire. The foliage has a wonderful scent and is actually used in herbal hair rinses for dark colored hair. Has blue fruit which aren't poisonous nor do they stain. Used extensively for topiary. You can see some treated that way at Green's Nursery.

Hibiscus is iffy in that climate. They usually freeze out. Lavatera maratima bicolor grows wildly, requires frequent shearing to keep it in bounds and is always full of yellow leaves. Nothing wrong, but a genetic propensity it has. Althea or hibiscus syriacus grows extremely well. They're deciduous and summer flowering. Small Crepe Myrtle hybrids can be quite pretty, but make sure they are dwarf hybrids. The traditional varieties get enormous in the SCV!

Viburnum tinus 'Spring Bouquet" and most of the other Viburnum you'll find up there. Spring Bouquet is a more choice selection for the climate and is bullet proof there. http://www.rainyside.com/plant_gallery/shrubs/Viburnum_tinusSpringBouquet.html

Hebe or Veronica http://www.garden-grower.com/shrubs/hebe-plant.shtml you can often find and, if not exposed to terrible drainage nor fried in full sun with a lot of reflected heat, can last for years, flowering beautifully.

Buxus japonica, Japanese Boxwood http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Buxaceae/Buxus_japonica.html Boring and bullet proof in most neighborhoods.

The leucophyllum you mentioned is wonderful there, extremely slow growing, LOVES HEAT and full sun and can be sheared to the ground if it gets too rangy. In Rancho Mirage, behind the Mimi's Cafe, it is tortured by shearing and has foliage and flowers densely all the way to the ground. Every time I've seen the hedges of it in that parking lot and the taller specimen planted for contrast, they've looked artificial they are so perfect. You'll find several types and hybrids to choose from.

Buddleia grow quite well and flower much of the year. Remember, though, they freeze to the ground where they are native. You really do need to whack the dickens out of them each year or they will quickly form thick, woody trunks which can easily become infested with termites. Most get rather large so space and pruning may be issues. Now, they are growing very quickly. I had them in Newhall and use them currently in Old Orchard and Stevenson Ranch. In my old Newhall garden, they self seeded amazingly. I gave away hundreds over the years from the seedlings which came up everywhere.

If you use the Mexican Sage shown in your photos (Salvia leucantha), look for the variety Santa Barbara. http://www.smgrowers.com/info/salviasb.asp It's more dwarf and FAR less invasive up there. Regular leucantha will sucker and layer itself anywhere it can get a foot hold. It's even worse here in Encino. If you like the fragrant foliage, you might consider Salvia clevlandii Winifred Gilman or Allen Chickering. They are SMELLY and carry very well on the air. They smell so strongly, they will repel deer and rabbits from the area. I use Allen here to help ward off the rabbits. http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=1419 Clevlandii is a component of the "chaparral scent" we get off the hills in spring.

Breath of Heaven, Diosma or Coleonema, is also very durable there. Wonderfully scented foliage, very soft and dances with the breezes. There are shorter versions of it which look wonderful planted in front of and between roses. Like all the rest, they do need regular whacking back or they will push the roses out of their way and cause them to die back due to lack of air and light. Sunset is a golden sport which remains lower and more spreading. http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=420

There are many things which will suffice there. These are things which have stood the test of time and weather. Once established, all will out grow the space and require regular maintenance to keep them in bounds and allow the roses their spaces. Perhaps the Salvias and smaller Diosmas might be more suitable and to your liking? Hope the suggestions help. Kim

Kim, thanks so much for taking so much time to give me a detailed response, I really appreciate it! Especially since you're familiar with the area I'm gardening in, I fee a lot more confident now to make a decent choice.

Westringia - Do they smell nice like rosemary?

We're already having some rabbit and groundsquirrel(?) problems...

so with Salvia Greggii, I think the rangy look you're describing, I've seen it on some larger nursery specimens. I think I'll avoid it. but I really like the look of Salvia clevelandii 'Winnifred Gilman' (the one you mentioned)

Dwarf Myrtle looks pretty adorable to me, actually. I don't know why I hadn't noticed it before. I really like the flowers and it's fragrant and has berries later...?

hibiscus syriacus - ah, thankyou! You say it would grow extremely well, would it work for that spot? I really like these. (the only negative seems to be lack of evergreen-ness)

Viburnum tinus 'Spring Bouquet' and Hebe's (yay! evergreen!), I like the looks of both of those,...(especially the hebe's purple color) - a lot of sites say they need regular water, should that comment worry me?

leucophyllum - That's good news, then! I could get a relatively large one of that for not a ridiculous price, so maybe I should get a larger one (it's good to know that it grows slowly)

I really like Diosma/Coleonema, thanks for the headsup, I'll try to find a good spot to fit some of the shorter ones in. I like some googled photos of it used as a spreading low plant. I like it's look for a shrub plant, too actually.

Do you have any opinions on SPIREA?

Coleonema pulchellum, should I be expecting this to eventually be around 6 feet width and height?
That might be about right and I like the soft look of it. I like the fragrant foliage and such, (and it's evergreen) too.

Hebe, I really like the look.
http://www.plant-encyclopedia.net/hebe-salicifolia-picture.aspx
Can you recommend any larger varieties? (ie like in the back-of-the-bed size, roughly 5')

jacqueline, thanks, I really love that photo and it's the sort of loose look I enjoy. I'll defintely try some of those as sort-of medium-height plants, maybe in front of some of my roses or to fill in areas?
I thought I'd try some more yarrow for the same sort of purpose.

Yarrow is a good choice, and if you like it it is easy to divide and put in other places. My favorite is the tall yellow Coronation Gold because of its architectural nature. But last year I put in several other lovelies: Summer Wine, Paprika, Terra Cotta, and a couple of others which are all doing very well.

Hollyhocks are also wonderful because they add a whole other dynamic -- upwards and they reseed like rabbits here. That means that I never know for sure what color I'm going to get where, but I have never seen one that wasn't beautiful.

Buddleias have always been too big and cast too much shade for me. I took out the last one last year, or rather moved it to the "outback" where it can hog as much space as it wants. BUT, then this year I found a dwarf white Buddleia that smells just as lovely as the big ones and only gets to be about 3' tall. So far it's looking healthy and happy in a pot.

And then there are always Daylilies in every color, shape, size and form you could possibly want....

Hi aimeekitty,

You're welcome! My pleasure. This one is fun because I know the area so well. Nothing is left to guesses.

No, Westringia doesn't have a scent. However, rosemary is good choice for your garden. It will help repel the rabbits and you can eat it. Tuscan Blue is huge. There are ground cover types, as well as Barbecue which has stiffer, more upright, straight stems you can use for shish kabobs. You can also hack the devil out of it and it comes back for years. Lavenders will do the same, and if you can stand the taste, they're edible, too and resist rabbits.

Please don't dismiss Salvia greggii based upon how it becomes late in the season. You whack the devil out of those, too, and they come back fuller and bushier every year. Nothing eats them, they smell and help repel rabbits and hummingbirds adore them. In a garden, they're a great filler, like Baby's Breath, only reliable and in many colors.

Dwarf myrtle is gorgeous and an old fashioned plant. Yes, it flowers in summer with white puff blooms followed by small, blue berries. It's one of the few plants you can cut into thick, old wood and it explodes into growth all over it.

Altheas will work all over that valley and may even self seed. If you know someone who has the color and flower you like, beg cuttings. They'll root in a glass of water. Otherwise, you can easily find them at Green Thumb on Newhall Ave.

You're going to be watering regularly for the roses. As long as the drainage is OK, the Hebe will be happy. They'll turn into over cooked asparagus if they sit in soggy soil too long. You don't have much choice in Hebe because most of them won't work up there. Green Thumb sells the correct one for the area. You might find some elsewhere, but from experience, you can place much more faith in what you're told at Green Thumb than anywhere else in that valley. If they tell you "don't do it", proceed at your own risk! They aren't perfect, but they're the best there is up there. Dan, Laura, Sandy and the rest know their stuff. Alberta is great for chemical information. Very nice, knowledgeable people.

The Spring Bouquet is a lovely bush, too. But, remember, everything is going to grow, so if you stuff it full now when things are small, they'll crowd each other out when they mature. That's why the perennials such as salvia are so nice. They don't live for decades like the Viburnum, remain smaller and won't kill off the roses. Please don't fear they are like annuals, but they do have shorter lives than Viburnum and are marvelous in the landscape there. (here, too!)

You can't go wrong with the leucophyllum. Drainage is needed for them to be happy, so anything you can do to make sure it won't sit for hours in standing water will help. Keeping them watered when it's ninety degrees and higher will keep them flowering as long as both conditions are met. I love them!

Diosma, you'll probably want the shorter one you can find at Green Thumb, or Sunset, the golden sport as they both remain shorter so they won't crowd things out as badly and can be used to front other, taller shrubs. I have it growing in front of Grandmother's Hat at a client's house in Old Orchard. It's gorgeous! The larger ones are marvelous, too, but they can be quite large with age and they do look better if NOT pruned. They have such a lovely natural shape to them, and they move so gracefully in the wind.

I love Spirea, particularly the double Bridal Wreath. They will grow, but they won't look happy. They're like White Birch there. Too hot, too alkaline, insufficient drainage, too dry, too windy and the foliage always looks irritated. Plant one if you like it, but don't worry if it always looks burned. They aren't happy in high alkaline salts and that's all you HAVE. Stay far away from White Birch! MASSIVE surface roots, like a foot of carpet backing under the grass. NOTHING will grow under them up there except for instant lawn and that requires being grown hydroponically. Daily watering.

Jackie's suggestion of Four O'Clocks is a fun one. They are annuals there and will freeze. Like the Hollyhocks, which I have in two gardens now, they will reseed. The Hollyhocks are guaranteed to rust there. It isn't the same rust as affects roses and it isn't worth spraying for. They just look tired from it. Don't be afraid to hack them down. Most of the time, they come back and there are so many seedlings, you won't miss them.

Susan's suggestion of Yarrow is a great one. It attracts beneficial insects and is available in so many colors, sizes and foliage colors. I love Moonlight, a pale yellow. Paprika and Terra Cotta are beautiful, too. There is a pale yellow Salvia Greggii I grow out back, nearly the same color as the Moonlight Yarrow.

Daylilies are beautiful, but you might want to make sure you buy the evergreen, reblooming ones. You don't have acres for them to naturalize in. You need more color, fill and bang for your buck. The same goes for Iris. They will flourish there but stick with the reblooming ones or you'll probably resent their short period of flowering, how awful the can look later on and how much room they can require.

If you have spaces which aren't going to be needed for existing roses or other shrubs, consider the ones here you like. But, between and behind the roses, the more perennial type plants instead of the long lasting shrubs, may be more suited. They won't crowd out what you already have and they're easier to remove if necessary.

Might I also suggest World Wide Exotics Nursery in Lake View Terrace? They grow their plants and know a great deal about all the surrounding areas. I've posted their web site below. You might like Verbena Rigida which they grow and sell. Very attractive prices, too. Rigida is rabbit resistant because of its rough, dry foliage. I think you'd enjoy visiting the nursery and wandering around to check out their goodies. Kim

Here is a link that might be useful: World Wide Exotics Nursery

Hi Aimee,
I think your garden could use some large permanent green shrubs. I didn't plant any, because I wanted every inch for flowers, but I now regret it and I have been pulling things out to plant shrubs. They cool down the yard, make it look lush, and make the flowers pop.

I have the same recs as Kim.
1. Springtime Viburnum- lovely deep green, charming little white flowers, a great size for a suburban back yard. A well-mannered shrub. That would be my first choice to plant near your Banks rose. I would plant a few as background plants. The rose will eat them, and the color will show up better against the dark green of the viburnum.
2. Dwarf myrtle. I have a regular one and one dwarf. Regular gets huge (it's a six foot tall egg right now). Dwarf is very small after two years: 14" tall. They both get pretty flowers and are a fantastic color of green with roses. I think it is a good "ground cover" near roses. I may plant more.
3. Duranta repens. I love this plant and have just about every type. Very lacy and graceful, I think they are best left to grow naturally. They are easy to prune if you want to thin them out. I like the flowers too.
4. Coleonema "Golden Breath of Heaven" is gorgeous, but you have to give it enough room, because it does not look good pruned. I just planted one smack dab in the middle of my rose garden for some bright green for the roses to play with.

I would not grow the hibiscus- they get whiteflies. They can be tricky, too.

Be careful with your soil growing hebes- they get some sort of root rot in CA. There may be some resistant varieties.

Don't like Buddleia in small suburban gardens. They are too big, require too much pruning and cutting back, and they look messy most of the time to me. I feel the same way about Mexican sage. Just way too big for a small garden, and they get woody at the bottom. I like them for big slopes and public plantings.

Renee

Lavender seems to do extremely well in my front yard...
but extremely poorly in my backyard. I've tried multiple plantings of them in the backyard and they almost always die. The front yard gets better drainage, so I think that must be the issue. I adore the lavender, but I think I'll stick with it in the front yard. (love the smell, too)

Rosemary did a bit poorly in a few spots, but I think I need to retry it in a few ares that get better drainage (the area I tried rosemary in at first, was one of the most poorly draining areas of my garden, MISTAKE!) I love the smell though, it's lovely.

Are there are any gardens in my area that I could drive by to see? I promise not to be too creepy while I'm staring at people's flowers. O_O

LARGER SHRUB CHOICES:
So it looks like I'm down to Viburnum, Diosma, dwarf myrtle, leucophyllum and duranta repens. I need a little bit more information, mostly about pruning and what size I should expect in my area?
All of these are really gorgeous choices, though, so I feel really encouraged that this spot will be lovely regardless of which one I end up putting there.

---------------------------
VIBURNUM - So what varieties will do well for me?
Can I go with Chinese Snowball Viburnum? (or are there others?)
Or should I just go with Viburnum tinus "spring Bouquet"?
What is going to give me that medium-large size I need to fill in the space a little without taking over the yard?

PLUSES:
Evergreen,
flowers in spring
berries in fall
fragrant
mannerly. :)
I like both the foliage and the flower and the bush shape

NEGATIVE:
Might get a little too big eventually...? (can I prune it?)

---------------------------
DIOSMA/Coleonema-
"I have it growing in front of Grandmother's Hat at a client's house in Old Orchard."
Ah, I don't suppose you have a photo? because that's almost exactly my situation.. the Diosma would be in front of Grandmother's hat and Lady Banks yellow.

Are there any varieties that would be roughly in the 4-5' range? Ie, not ground-cover, but a shrub-sized plant... but not as big as a huge-shrub or tree?
Coleonema pulchellum, most descriptions say 4-6 feet... but do they get bigger where I am? (ie should I be worried about putting this in that spot...?) Something around 4 feet would be fine, but once it starts getting 6 and more (wide especially) it would probably be too large for the spot.

POSITIVE:
fragrant foliage
flowers (perhaps mostly yearround...?)
evergreen

NEGATIVE:
doesn't like being pruned?

---------------------------
LEUCOPHYLLUM
PLUSES:
easy to prune (can shear to the ground if want)
mostly evergreen?
bloom frequently if happy
good for hummingbirds and bees
---------------------------

DWARF MYRTLE
Aren't I looking at more a 3 foot shrub with this one? That might be good for various spots within the bed, but not that large spot by Lady Banks/Grandmother's hat.
Unless you're suggesting a non-dwarf variety (Myrtus communis??) They get really big though, right...? or are you just saying I can keep it pruned once a year to the size I want?

PLUSES:
easy to prune/maintain
fragrant
evergreen
non poisonous fruit later
lovely flowers

--------------------------
DURANTA REPENS
How well does it take to pruning? I'm guessing that it takes it relatively well since people often have it as a trimmed-topiary tree?
what size should I be looking at? (ie if I want to keep it a medium/large shrub, not a tree)

RENEE - you don't happen to have any photos of your Duranta repens in your garden ??

PLUSES:
evergreen
berries later
pretty flowers (mildly fragrant)?
blooms almost year round?
gorgeous bush shape
butterflies and birds like

NEGATIVE:
poisonous berries (not a big deal to me, but it is a small negative)

------------------------------------------------
I really enjoy going to Green Thumb and they've really helped me learn a lot and even helped me with some really spectacular beginner mistakes (like not realizing my irrigation system wasn't working).

SPIREA-
ah, I hope the one I have does ok when it gets older then? No idea what variety it is. It's a cutting from my mother's in South Carolina. So far, no burning, but I guess I should see more what this one does before buying a big plant of it to put elsewhere based on what you said.

I'm -REALLY- happy with Yarrow so far. It's selfseeded itself in a few areas and just is LOVELY.

I'll try some four o'clocks and hollyhocks. I hadn't had much luck with hollyhocks coming up from seed, but I'll try again (frankly, I think I just partially fail at seeds.)

I've been trying Daylilies a bit (getting the evergreen reblooming online) So far they haven't grown much but have bloomed a little. I'll wait and see what they do before buying a dozen more, if you see what I mean.

The irises (all reblooming bearded) have done really well. (as far as I can tell. A lot of them bloomed, so that means they aren't failing, right? I hope so!) I like them when they're not blooming, too, for the blade foliage (of course though, now, in august, the leaves are starting to brown a bit on the tips... )

Aimee, my soil is decomposed granite, but our climates are similar, and I've found it very difficult to find companion plants that tolerate my conditions, even the drought-tolerant ones. Great performers for me are lamb's ears, crape myrtles, full-sized or dwarf, day lilies, butterfly bushes, pelargoniums, rosemary, marjoram (bees love it!), irises and very little else. Sea lavender also does well, but not always over the long haul, but fortunately they make lots of babies. Lavender and Mexican sage I love, but don't do well here, although logically they should. I've found that the garden actually looks better when I have multiples of only a few varieties; it gives a pleasant cohesiveness to the scheme. I've used daylilies and irises the most, since their more upright, spiky appearance is a good counterpart to the bushiness of the roses.

Ingrid

aimeekitty, your two biggest issues are going to be the drainage, which is a given. You're in a newer area where, by law, they must compact the soil up to a 98% compaction so seismic waves pass through it quickly, producing less shaking. It's a trade-off. Good drainage and shaking, or bad with less movement.

The other is going to be hard frosts. Being at the foot of that slope, and where you are in general, cold air is going to flow into your back yard and pool around the house. Any outlet you can provide for it to flow through the yard and not get trapped there will increase your chances with most plants. Those we've mentioned and not alerted you to cold issues should be fine.

Duranta can have thorns so make sure any you buy are thornless. They CAN freeze badly there, so put them where there is good air drainage and reflected heat from hardscape. I use it on a south facing wall in Stevenson Ranch where it is happier than the Hybrid Perpetual the lady who installed the garden used. Solid green foliage is much more durable up there than the variegated types.

Spring Bouquet has the more durable foliage of the Viburnum there and it is evergreen. I grow a Pink Snowball which is deciduous and the foliage shows burn half way through summer partly due to heat, aridity, alkalinity and its deciduous nature.

If your Mom's spirea is doing OK, consider rooting more if you want more, from her plant instead of buying them. That way, should one not make it, there is still a starter plant to go to for more.

Repeat flowering iris and daylilies aren't as vigorous as once flowering, so they don't take over and naturalize like the once flowering. In smaller gardens where everything has to carry its weight and provide some sort of interest, they are a much more reliable and pleasing choice for most people. Like the OGRs, if you had an acre where they can be hidden when "off", they're wonderful, but when they are in your face as soon as you walk out the door, they'd better look great and provide interest all the time or you will soon resent them.

I forgot I wanted to also suggest Germander for your garden. Beautiful color in both foliage and flower and being fuzzy, the rabbits won't like it. Teucrium chamaedrys makes a lovely edging or filler plant. Teucrium fruticans http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teucrium_fruticans is the silvery, fuzzy one which flowers later in summer with blue violet flowers. Both have grown quite well there and regain their early beauty by being whacked to the ground should they out grow their welcome.

If lavenders aren't happy in your back yard, I agree, it's very likely the drainage. You might try digging enormous holes, much larger than needed, use something better composted than green to amend, then plant the crown of the plant higher as is suggested for Camellia and Azalea so when the water level is higher, the crown is up out of the muck. Yes, they will eventually settle down lower, but it has seemed to allow them to mature into more durable plants by the time they settle.

You should also look at Santolina, either the green or silver, or both. They should be whacked back severely to renew themselves each spring. NOTHING eats them. They are highly scented. If you can determine where the rabbits enter your yard and concentrate the highly scented plants in that area, you'll "jam their radar", creating a zone they won't enter as the plants keep them from being able to smell predators. It is actually very effective. Anything you can stand that is highly scented (foliage, rather than flower) works well for this.

While I can understand the comment about wishing more green shrubs were planted earlier in the garden, please keep in mind with your drainage, plants aren't going to grow as quickly, perhaps eventually not as large, because instead of growing down into the soil, roots have to grow closer to the surface, usually just under the sod, but they will eventually get larger. I know how frustrating it can be to keep seeing bare spaces between the plants, but if you're planning on living with that garden for a number of years, putting less permanent things in where the existing plants are expect to grow into, will make for many fewer headaches later on.

Everything mentioned so far not only can be pruned, with few exceptions, they SHOULD be pruned to maintain them and make them grow more densely. If you drive along Soledad Canyon and notice the Leucophyllum along the bike path from Rainbow Glenn east, you'll see how rangy they are from no pruning. Contrast that with how wonderful they look in nursery cans at Green Thumb. Not only water, but PRUNING. All of the shrubs can get rangy unless kept sheared to maintain their density and that dense canopy creates many more flowering shoots, concentrating the blooms and fruit more densely for prettier effects in smaller spaces.

Diosma can be pruned, it's just that it has such a nicely pleasing shape and habit, they're prettier if unpruned. The truth is they will probably require some pruning over time. I prefer simply cutting them half or more straight across the top. They grow upright with a fairly flattened surface, punctuated with flowering shoots. If you just cut it all off straight, it will respond by shooting up new flowering shoots and filling in, only shorter. That's what they do with the nursery plants before putting them out in flower. Why can't you? They just aren't that pretty if kept sheared as the mow/blow/go manicurists do to everything green.

You'll see many Pittosporum Wheeler's Dwarf and Nandina domestica nana all over and they work well, remaining smaller and more ground cover. The Nandina also adds beautiful spots of red in cool weather. The City has them planted everywhere because they live forever, add color and require virtually nothing. Taller types can get fairly rangy pretty quickly and benefit from being whacked low. I'm not personally attracted to the Pittosporum and usually warn to keep all of them away from the house as they contain an oil which burns rather hot if the house burns. You don't need fuel as there is plenty already. The Nandina nana can be quite beautiful. I use it along a sidewalk in a very narrow strip with Santolina and lavenders in Old Orchard. It gets hacked when it grows on the walk and in spring, otherwise, they just do their thing and look pretty.

Lantana can be a very effective ground cover there except when hard freezes hit. It loves the heat, is quite drought tolerant, stinks so the vermin usually avoid it and will flower any time it's hot. The low growing white and lavender are very effective and benefit from being cut low when needed. Santa Barbara Daisy is another "weed" which will grow with wild abandon there and can cover a lot of open ground. It will reseed itself and can easily be pulled and needs scraping off at the ground annually. It will fill a LOT of holes!

You may want to check the free ads there for a source of horse manure. Don't worry about weeds as there are PLENTY of seeds there already; they blow in on the wind; come in on your gardener's tools and feet; on the rabbits that visit and even on your shoes when you walk around. The bacterial action of the digesting manure releases Humic Acid which helps to condition the soil, and the earthworms which will crawl across flaming asphalt to get to it will churn things up greatly. Keep it around the drip zone of the plants and between them, not against the trunks and crowns and keep it damp. In this heat, you can digest an inch of the stuff with regular moisture, to a thin layer of earthworm castings in about three months. I did it for years in Scenic Hills. You might also consider picking up Grow Power Plus and Grow More Organic All Purpose at Green Thumb, mix the two together so it's 15# of Grow More and 20# of Grow Power Plus, broadcast it everywhere by hand, then rinse it all off the foliage on top of the mulch. Not enough nitrogen to hurt anything, yet enough to feed the soil bacteria and get things cooking. It helped break up the red clay in Northbridge in a season, permitting things to grow which hadn't gotten bigger in years. All of it will help with your drainage over time and keep things growing healthily until then. If you have dogs, they will LOVE eating the organics. There is no difference to them between blood and bone meal and dog food. Neither product has insecticides or fungicides in them. I've used them in my gardens there for years.

In all my years of gardening there, the only white fly problems have been in sheltered situations which promoted their growth. Bacopa in a nook where they dryer vents, sheltered by the garage in Old Orchard and in a walled back garden in Northbridge where no direct sun or wind hit it on Begonia were the only spots. Generally, if it is windy, hot, exposed, you aren't going to have many insects other than possibly spider mite because of the aridity. Scale can also be a problem there and it is a witch to get rid of. Florida Scale can attack Pandorea there. Systemic rose and flower food has seemed to work on it. Don't worry about the white flies on hibiscus, you won't have them due to the climate, and the hibiscus will likely freeze out before it's an issue anyway. Lavatera don't seem bothered by them there, nor here and they do provide enough color and fill. I grow Kew Rose out front in the upper terrace behind Mary Rose and they are similar in color. As is their habit, it gets quite rangy and requires hacking back to the nubs each year. It went from a one gallon to over seven feet in each direction in one year. The drainage is very good and it's protected from the wind by a six foot wall.

Dwarf myrtle is the one you want. You can keep it six inches tall seemingly forever or allow it to get huge like the six foot tall one out back here which is the lone survivor of the sixty year old hedge of it. The stuff roots very easily so you can make more if you want and it will self seed easily in mulch. It germinates at a client's house up there from plants in the neighbor's yard.

It is EXTREMELY difficult to give you accurate ideas of what to expect these things to mature to due to drainage alone. What grows feet each week in Old Orchard with the sandy soil and excellent drainage, grows inches in the same time in her daughter's garden in Stevenson Ranch. The climate is a bit more severe there and the soil is highly compacted making things struggle more. If you get some mulch down, preferably horse manure, use the fertilizer combination suggested above and keep it all moist, things will begin responding much more quickly and mature to larger sizes than they would otherwise. You'll also make the soil conditions more favorable for the things you've had difficulties with already, permitting you to expand what you plant where, with time.

The Chinese Snowball can grow there with afternoon sun protection to prevent foliage burn, but it may not be happy. The best two I've seen in gardens here in Southern California were the one in The Homestead Acre in Chatsworth Park South planted on the north side of large trees so it received dappled sun, and the one Laurie Chaffin grew at Pixie Treasures in Yorba Linda, which also had protection from the hottest sun. Both enjoyed excellent drainage.

I've actually had very good luck with Hydrangea quercifolia Pee Wee in Old Orchard where it gets shielded from the brunt of the hot sun by the block wall and the drainage is excellent. http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=Z460 It flowers nearly all year and gets a bit of autumn color, though never goes fully deciduous.

The warning about Hebe and drainage is right on. They hate soggy soil. Kim

Hi Ingrid, while the climates share similarities, yours is more conducive to growing citrus and avocados. Some citrus is safe in the Santa Clarita Valley, particularly lemons in more sheltered situations, but avocados are very tenuous due to wind, alkalinity, drainage and winter freezes. Every couple of years they get frosts which take out quite a few of them. Even in the best of situations, avocados just don't work in that valley. In many areas up there, Gardenia is subject to freezing out unless grown in sheltered sites and provided the best of care.

From what I see on line, your summers can be within ten degrees of aimeekitty's, but her winters are a bit more extreme. In older developed areas where the compaction rate isn't as severe, many more plant types are doable. I don't know how that compares to your DG soil type as I haven't gardened in it, but in newer areas where there is such extreme compaction, it's quite difficult to grow a lot of plants well, or for a long time.

I think the information on the site I found comparative information between the two is somewhat generic. I don't know how accurate it is for Valley Center, but that for the Santa Clarita Valley is somewhat "under stated" based upon what I've experienced there with my family living there since 1985 and what I lived in from 1994 to 2007. Kim

Valley Center:

http://www.idcide.com/weather/ca/valley-center.htm

Santa Clarita Valley:

http://www.idcide.com/weather/ca/santa-clarita.htm

Canyon Country hasn't been developed long enough to warrant its own page. 40 - 50 degree temperature swings from day to night have been quite common most summers.

Just to give a little more information, I'm near the top of a small foothilly thing, but there is a slope above me (behind my backyard) with a row of houses above that (these houses are at the top of the foothill). The sun sets in front of my house, and a bit to the left. So the backyard gets morning sun, but then also sun pretty much all day until the sun starts to set.

DURANTA:
I'm considering putting a topiaried-little-tree version of Duranta in the small spot of ground to the side of my garage. I saw someone else do this... and it would get good air circulation as well as reflected heat from the garage and drive way. I prefer non-variegated anyway.

SMALLER PLANTS:
Germander looks right up my alley, thankyou!
Also, I'm already using some lantana (the creeping lavender kind) and it's doing pretty well in a tough spot in my front yard where everything dies, so I will likely put more in. I'm also having very good luck with Santa Barbara Daisies and plant to get more. I'm definitely going to try planting more yarrow, salivas and sages, etc, amoung the roses as good filler/medium/small plants. Also considering using some dwarf/creeping varieties (maybe some dwarf myrtle and nandina?) of other plants ya'll have mentioned here... (ie keeping them pruned relatively low)
I really like the idea of things that have color changing foliage, as well. I'd like to get a few more things along those lines.

Regarding digging a big hole and planting higher, yes, after I had trouble with lavender in the backyard, when I planted my descanso lilac in the back, that's what I did (what you suggested), and it seems to be doing ok.

AMENDING/FERTILIZING:
I used some Grow Power Plus earlier this year. I'll try the mixture you said, so basically... I should find some place to get horse manure, put about an inch of that down and then broadcast the Grow Power mixture?
Should I do this now,... given that I will start planting things next month or in October? (and then should I do this again in the spring...?)

DIOSMA -
if I want a roughly 4-5 foot shrub, what variety should I be asking for?

VIBURNUM:
Viburnum tinus "spring Bouquet", is it going to allow me to prune it if it gets too big? I'm assuming that because you said that all of them could be pruned reasonably enough, that you also meant viburnum?

Based on overall plant shape/look for that spot in front of Grandmother's Hat/Lady Banks, I'm leaning towards Diosma, Viburnum or Dwarf Myrtle, in that order. I really love the soft look of Diosma, and similarly, Viburnum has a soft look, but not quite as pretty as Diosma to me. Dwarf Myrtle is lovely and has a lot of positive things going for it (in particular how easy it is to fit any size... ) but I don't like the look of it quite as much as the other two.

Of those three (Diosma, Viburnum or Dwarf Myrtle) which would you recommend the most considering my situation?

Skip Hebes. Beautiful genus, but what they really like is Seattle type weather. Most of the species are from the cooler rainier areas of New Zealand, which have...Seattle type weather.

Viburnum tinus 'Spring Bouquet': there are many in this neighborhood, and they are small trees 15' tall and 10-15' wide. They make a nice small tree. Why not grow something of a more appropriate size. Shrub pruning is dull work.

I love the scent of Myrtle, and it's as tough as nails. The little white flowers are beautiful, too. A very underrated plant.

The golden Diosma is the prettiest, but there is a dwarf version as well that stays smaller, though not that small--maybe 4x4. The golden is about 4x4 or 5x5 in my yard after 4 or 5 years. They have the habit of sometimes dying suddenly for no apparent reason, but are so beautiful they are worth replanting.

You will have a lot of roundish-shaped shrubby plants listed there, some more architectural shapes would give you textural contrast.

A very fine plant for that is Agave attenuata. They form a perfect rosette shape. No, they have no spines at all, and have soft, not stiff leaves. They are also an excellent idea in a fire-prone area. See if they are cold-hardy in your area.

"AMENDING/FERTILIZING: I used some Grow Power Plus earlier this year. I'll try the mixture you said, so basically... I should find some place to get horse manure, put about an inch of that down and then broadcast the Grow Power mixture? Should I do this now,... given that I will start planting things next month or in October? (and then should I do this again in the spring...?) "

Yes ma'am. Couldn't hurt a thing. When you plant, just scrape away whatever remains and push it back when finished planting. I have done it monthly from spring through the end of the heat with good results.

"DIOSMA - if I want a roughly 4-5 foot shrub, what variety should I be asking for?"

Just the plain old one, not marked "dwarf" or any named variety. I don't think you're going to have issues with it there due to the drainage and any pruning you do, so it shouldn't over take everything else.

"VIBURNUM: Viburnum tinus "spring Bouquet", is it going to allow me to prune it if it gets too big? I'm assuming that because you said that all of them could be pruned reasonably enough, that you also meant viburnum?"

Yes ma'am. It is frequently sheared as a hedge. Whack away!

I pray this works...Kim

This is a perfect example of the too small, hardscape locked "planters" in newer construction. Stinky Babs mildews like mad and it is not possible to spray. I have to be very careful with systemics due to extreme heat, so I allow her to do her spring thing, then whack her back and apply the systemics. She's a family favorite, so she stays. The diosma was in need of its summer prune, which it received. You can see how it fills the front, covering the bare knees.

https://picasaweb.google.com/116399502548573217163/August262011#5645274624819569714

Buddleia, Midnight Blue and assorted other perennials after a heat spell, before cleaning up.

https://picasaweb.google.com/116399502548573217163/August262011#5645274633317257330

The Fairy, Santa Barbara Daisy, santolina, nandina, lavender by walk.

https://picasaweb.google.com/116399502548573217163/August262011#5645274637524302866

The same a bit later in summer.

https://picasaweb.google.com/116399502548573217163/August262011#5645274718676908626

Midnight Blue and Germander.

https://picasaweb.google.com/116399502548573217163/August262011#5645274718501888498

ah myrtle - there is a fabulous chilean myrtle (luma apiculata) growing outside the glasshouses of the local botanic garden - just too beautiful. The cinnamon and white bark is totally glorious. Not what you are suggesting, Kim, but a lovely specimen somewhere...
Have to agree with salvias too - the greggii, jamensis and microphylla are beautiful in all aspects - colours from soft peachy creams to deeply vibrant purples and crimson, fragrant with a blooming period of many months. Blimey, a fabulous plant which is also the easiest plant to propagate.

YOU GUYS RULE, thanks so much. It's really fun looking into all these plants and actually having hope that they will work out. So often I go through a huge list of recommended plants and they end up not being something worth doing (ie, going with "natives" because they don't like my drainage or garden water) So thanks you guys! Even stuff I don't use in the larger spot, there might be places for them elsewhere in the yard, so I'm going to take a serious look around the garden and see where I can put things.

Agave attenuata, I'll look into that, thankyou. I like that kind of shape. :)

Kim- I'm getting "file not found" on those pica links sadly. can you link them to me in another way? Or if you like you could email me the images: sweetmomokoATmacDOTcom (replace AT with @ and DOT with . )

I have some time to think about it... (about a month or so) but I'm leaning towards one or two Diosma (maybe one on each side of the back yard...?) for the large spot(s) I just really love the look of it and it seems to flower a lot, has fragrant foliage,... it's evergreen, and seems to not get as big as the Viburnum (to make it easier on me)

And then perhaps using some dwarf myrtle as a small hedge bordering my flat porch in the front yard. Seems like it's easy-going-likes-to-be-topiaried habit and it's fragrant foliage, etc, would be a good bet for giving the porch a little more shape to it? Also they're unlikely to DIE considering the "bullet proof" comment. :) :) That spot gets some hot afternoon sun but also get's some bright shade in different parts of the year so I was waffling about it for a while... but based on what you folks have said, that might be a good winner for that location.

I like butterfly bushes, but they don't grow huge in my area. While I don't see caterpillars on them, they do keep the yellow jackets very happy...almost drunk. Since they bloom in late summer, they're wonderful to have around, as the yellow jackets get cranky in August and September. If they have water and butterfly bushes...they're pretty mellow. (LOL)

Have you thought about potentillia? We have yellow and a few white and I really like them. They're not a fancy shrub, but very reliable and bloom all summer, here...and, the deer don't eat them! They have cheerful, pretty little flowers and they're practically no maintenance, though I do water them, probably more than they need. Doesn't seem to bother them, a bit :)