CMK ~ Here is a list of the ornamental grasses and grains that I have grown. Amaranth 1. Burgundy Prairie Garden 09 2. Golden Prairie Garden 09 3. Mora Amaranth Salt Spring Seeds 09 4. Red Beauty Edible Leaf AgroHaitai 09 5. Red Sea Edible Leaf AgroHaitai 09 Amaranthus 1. Autumn Palette T&M 09 2. Early Splender T&T 09 x2 3. Elephant Head Seeds & More Cottage Gardener 09 4. Golden Magic Fountains Prairie Garden 09 5. Hopi Red Dye Terra Edibles 09 6. Hot Biscuits T&T 08 7. Illumination Bi Color Early�s 09 8. Love Lies Bleeding T&T 09 9. Molten Fire Early�s 09 Seeds & More 09 10. Perfecta Seeds & More 09 11. Pigmy Torch Park�s 05 12. Pony Tails T&M 09 13. Red Cathedral T&T 08 14. Twin Towers Red Prairie Garden 09 Barley 1. Job�s Tears Pearl Baarley Greta�s Org. Gardens 09 2. Purple Barley Salt Spring Seeds 09 3. Sheba Barley Salt Spring Seeds 09 Millet 1. Bronze Prairie Garden 09 2. Jester T&T 3. Jester Park�s 2 4. Purple Heritage Harvest Seed 09 5. Purple Baron McFaydens 09 6. Purple Majesty Park�s 7. Purple Majesty Prairie Garden 09 8. Purple Majesty T&M 2 9. Purple Majesty T&T 09 Rye 1. Canada Wild Rye Bedrock Seed Bank 09 2. Giant Wild Rye Bedrock Seed Bank 09 3. Green Manure Annual Rye T&T 09 Wheat 1. Black Prairie Garden -09 2. Black Einkorn Wheat Salt Spring seeds 09 3. Black Tip Wheat Vessy�s 4. Blue Tinge Ethiopian Wheat Salt Spring Seeds 09 5. Emmer Prairie Garden -09 6. Huron Prairie Garden -09 7. Lagoda Prairie Garden -09 8. Palliser Prairie Garden -09 9. Polish Prairie Garden -09 10. Red Fife Prairie Garden -09 11. Red Tip Wheat Vessy�s 12. Rivet Prairie Garden -09 13. Silver Tip Wheat Vessy�s 14. T.Petropaviovsky Prairie Garden -09 15. Tan/Blue Prairie Garden -09 16. Utrecht Heritage Harvest seed 09 17. Vavilov Wheat Salt Spring seeds 09 18. Wheat Unknown Birdseed House 09 Ornamental Grasses 1. Alfalfa 500gr OSC 09 2. Awned Wheatgrass Bedrock Seed Bank 09 3. Blue Arrows Grass T&T 09 4. Bronzina Grass McKenzie 5. Bunny Tails Grass Bedrock Seed Bank 09 6. Cyperus Glaber Grass McKenzie 7. Fountain Grass Wil Dam 09 8. Fountain Grass T&T 09 9. Golden Top Grass McKenzie 10. Green Needle Grass Bedrock Seed Bank 09 11. Little Blue Stem Grass McKenzie 12. Melinis Savannah Grass Wil Dam 09 13. Ornamental Grasses Mix Dominion Seed House 09 14. Oryza Black Madras Grass Wil Dam 09 15. Pampas Grass Pink McKenzie 16. Pampas Grass White McKenzie x2 17. Pony Tails Grass McKenzie 18. Purple Melic Grass Bedrock Seed Bank 09 19. Red Spire Grass Wil Dam 09 20. Red Teff Bedrock Seed Bank 09 21. Rocky Mountain Fescue Grass Bedrock Seed Bank 09 22. Sandberg Blue Grass Bedrock Seed Bank 09 23. Setaria Max Grass Wil Dam 09 24. Sheeps Fesque Park�s 25. Sorghum colored Uprights Dominion Seed House 09 26. Tufted Hair Grass Bedrock Seed Bank 09 27. Vulcan Grass Wil Dam 09 Ornamental Grains 1. Broom Corn Vesey�s 09 2. Broom Corn Vessy�s 08 3. Broom Corn Red Terra Edibles 09 4. Buckwheat Medawaska Salt Spring Seeds 09 5. Corn Indian Blue Sweet Salt Spring Seeds 09 6. Corn Ornamental Fiesta OSC 09 7. Corn Seneca Indian Vesey�s 09 8. Oats Catgrass Mcenzie x3 08-08 9. Quinoa Dave # 407 Prairie Garden 09 10. Quinoa KCOITO Prairie Garden 09 11. Quinoa Temuco Prairie Garden 09 12. Spelt Khapli Salt Spring Seeds 09 More enabling! Enjoy! :) Ginny Garden

I have winter-sown six types of grasses this year. Most of them are native prairie grasses. Androprogon gerardii - Big bluestem Bouteloua curtipendula - Side oats grama Chasmanthium latifolium - Northern sea oats or River oats Lagurus ovatus - Bunny Tail grass Schizachyrium scoparium - Little bluestem Sorgastrum nutans - Indian grass I winter-sowed them April 12, in 1 and 2 liter bottles, with little hunks of seeds. The plan was to get plugs of grasses going this year. After an unusally warm stretch in mid-late April, most were sprouted by the end of April. Still waiting on the Chasmanthium, which has not sprouted yet. Supposedly it can be a good reseeder, so I'm not expecting it to be difficult to sprout, and the seeds are commercial purchased this year. Maybe it just needs warmer temps than the others.

Some larger growing grasses/sedges that are native to southern California would also work well as filler between the shrubs. You might consider using Eleymus condensatus 'Canyon Prince', which slowly spreads to form large clumps, has lovely pale blue foliage and can get 4 feet tall. Various Juncus species such as Juncus patens(bluish foliage) and Juncus effusus or Juncus 'Carman's Japan' are both in the 2 foot height range and a deep green color. Juncus are well adapted to both wet soils and drought, and are best planted to establish in winter. The Carex species such as C. pansa and C. praegacilis are both not ideal on slopes with clay soils, and would probably need more irrigation than you are wanting to give them. Carex tumulicola is easier to establish, but still is likely to look better if given more water and some shade. As a complement to the shrubs you already have on this slope, and as a faster filler to cover the slope, you might also consider using some fast growing Salvia species as filler/ground cover. Salvia clevelandii would work well, as would S. leucophylla 'Pt. Sal Spreader', which has great gray colored foliage and can spread quickly to form a shrub 8 foot across. You could also use the common Monkey Flower, Mimulus aurantiacus, which is a drought tolerant, low spreading herbaceous shrub native to the Santa Monica Mountains. Another great herbaceous perennial for southern California beach areas would have to include Erigeron glaucus and its hybrids and cultivars. You might find that adding automated drip irrigation for this slope increases the growth rate and ease of establishing anything you plant, as hand watering is unlikely to be getting water deep enough to really encourage deep rooting on a slope. Getting things planted now, in January is the best time to get anything out there established with the winter rains and cooler weather.

Another santa thrilled to be able to ride with the Rudolph Rangers again. Rudolph has promised to stick to Iceland Moss and not browse the following next summer - any flowers for summer color; I love blues in a partially shaded garden with shrub roses; Hope to make a white/moon garden in partial shade behind the house; love white/blue/orange and related hues on side and front gardens with more sun. Amsonia hubrichtii Cleome hassleriana white Dictamnus albus Impatiens glandulifera alba, or any species excluding walleriana or balsamina or capensis Hemerocallis (Daylily) - seeds from any Late, Fragrant ones, but prefer white, cream, pale yellow, sherbet- or burnt-orange/apricot or very dark dusky reds or purples Papaver (Poppy) - any low, ground-hugging species, like Papaver triniifolium (already have P. alpinum. Lower cultivars of Papaver nudicaule would be wonderful. Papaver rhoeas 'Dawn Chorus' or 'Angels' Choir' - includes taupes, dusky colors, tiny sharp apricots, doubles Petunia - fragrant; including velvet dark purple or white or veined or Aladdin's Lamp Salvia arizonica (z5, dry shade, long-blooming) Salvia azurea grandiflora white/alba Salvia chamaedryoides (silver leaves; blue or white flowers) Salvia cyanescens - blue or white flowers Salvia greggii or its hybrids - white or near-white flowers Salvia guarnitica Salvia hypargeia Salvia jurisicii Salvia rubescens Torenia - bicolor black-purple with violet-blue or similar Tropaeolum (Nasturtiums) - cream, yellow-tinged white, apricot, orange, black-red; prefer trailers; any unusual species, as well as more common ones - - - - - - - - - - - Woody Plants - Daphne mezereum alba Prunus mume - - - - - - - - - Vines Trachelospermum jasminoides