A tall fescue lawn in a northern California winter is going to look a bit bedraggled, and hardly grow much. The thinning of the grass is probably due to lack of sufficient irrigation suitable for best growth in the hotter months, in combination with insufficient top soil with organic content added before you sodded it, and not fertilizing often enough to encourage better health and growth of grass. How many inches of topsoil did you add before rototilling, and how often and which months do you fertilize, and what is the N-P-K ratio of the fertilizer you are using? As to whether 20 minutes of spray irrigation is sufficient for a lawn in northern California conditions, especially if applied 4 times a week on a flat site, if anything this is overwatering, even with heavy root competition from the redwoods and oaks across the fence. It looks to me that you need to build up soil fertility in both the lawn, and particularly for the citrus tree, which shows signs of nitrogen deficiency in particular, and is probably also not getting water in summer sufficient to get rooting deeper. Just adding a mulch with chicken manure in it, or mushroom compost or similar as a 4 inch mulch, ought to help the citrus tremendously. I'd also suggest adding some time release fertilizer such as osmocote and work into the soil in March, for longer term/slow release of nutrients, and check with a soil auger how deep your irrigation is penetrating with the irrigation you are giving it. The lawn can also be top dressed with a light screened mulch after having it aerated with a core type aerator, and the top dressing raked in to help fill the holes, but it might be better to simply use a sod cutter to skim it all off, add a healthy 6 inches of organic compost to the lawn area, and resod. Lawns here typically benefit from several fertilizing periods, at least once in mid spring and again in summer and early fall, or refer to the web site referred to previously for recommendations. You might also consider using a mulching lawn mower that chops up the grass blades so that they return to the soil, and preserve the nitrogen that is otherwise thrown away with each clipping. As to Ink's complaint about "cliche" eyebrow plantings around the edge of the lawn, I don't think you are really looking at other solutions if you mean to keep the existing lawn size and layout, but I do second Ink's opinion that the narrowness of the planting areas against the fence is rather dull and static. Planting of vines to cover the fence, and widening the borders to allow at least some layering of shrubs and herbaceous plantings is entirely possible if borders were widened to minimum 4 to 8 feet wide if you can give up some lawn space. The proximity of those large redwoods and oaks across your fence is definitely tapping into the irrigation you are supplying. The vigor of the trees, and even some of the plants in your own backyard indicates to me that yours isn't so much a soil fertility problem, as it is poorly timed fertilizing and no ongoing attempts to increase organic content of your clay soils via mulching with compost, as well as not checking to see if your irrigation schedule is adequately wetting the soil to sufficient depth to encourage better growth and plant health under drought/heat stress of summer. Having dealt with many California gardens under or adjacent to redwoods and live oaks, the soil ph is unlikely to be the problem, as I am willing to bet your soil is only mildly acidic or even close to neutral. We just don't have moist enough conditions year round to create acidic soils from dropped leaves in a suburban garden setting. The problem is the root competition of water, and any plantings you add will greatly benefit from adding tons of organic component, mulching with compost on a yearly basis, selecting plants that tolerate root competition with redwood tree roots, shade and constant debris, and closely monitoring your irrigation cycles to see that the plants are getting what they need. Beyond a soils test and a landscape design, you need some help from a good horticulturist who can advise you what you are doing wrong/right in your particular circumstances. I'd also make darn sure the natives you have on your plans are compatible with redwood tree competition, as well as potential overspray from the lawn irrigation. Fertilizing more frequently for plantings below/adjacent redwoods is extremely helpful, and if you prefer the organic route, stick with a good organic mulch that has some manure in it, and reapply a couple of inches every year.

I have never traded for seed, always rather have a plant. I have tried for a long time to get the Bird of Paradis tree/shrub. How long does it take for the seed to sprout, and make a plant? I have many plants, and I'm sure they have seed, so you may have to help me know how to gather, and send. Waiting to hear, djune/Donna

Don and Snowguy, I only know of one red oak in a neighbour's yard and it has always struggled with dieback. Though, with many plants having been grown from seed, hardiness will vary. I'd be inclined to give such a tree a try and place it within a protected area of my yard. Another challenge is our often cool Alberta summers, we often don't receive the heat units and thus borderline trees just don't properly ripen off before the deep freeze arrives ... then there's our extreme fluctuating winter temps! Snowguy, thank you for telling us about your climate, I can't help but be a bit envious of the lingering color you enjoy! Laurie, your Ohio buckeye is especially beautiful, mine had always turned an unattractive yellow brown color and then immediately dropped it's leaves ... though, just the same, this really is a beautiful and under used tree! I WISH I could find this particular variety. Here is a link that might be useful: Autumn Splendor Ohio buckeye

I've never grown any, but I think you want to look at Passifloras that are in the subgenus Astrophea. I think your best bet for actually growing one would be buy Passiflora pittieri from Grassy Knoll Exotics. I checked, and it says they have a waiting list. You should contact Elizabeth Peters to find out how long it would take to get it. I would not necessarily assume that the wait will be long. I remember a friend told me a couple years ago the wait for P. antioquiensis was only 3 weeks; I think in other cases it can be longer. You might also ask whether they have other Passifloras with a shrub-like growth. They might have some in quantities too small to post on the site. Or young seedlings. Who knows. I do remember that a couple years ago they were selling Passiflora lindeniana. I remember Liz Fichtl (Arghya Gardens) was growing, and I believe selling, Passiflora pittieri a few years ago. I don't know if this is still the case. The only other possible source that comes to mind is Butterly World. They sold Passiflora macrophylla and Passiflora tica seeds. This was a couple years ago, and I don't know if they currently sell any Astrophea. A friend bought both of those, I think, and got germination quickly with P. macrophylla (less than 10 days, if I remember correctly). I just did a search and ran across a company selling 5 seeds of P. tica for $30.00. P. pittieri for $15.00 at Grassy Knoll is a better price than anything I'm aware of and would probably be the easiest way to grow one of the shrub or tree Passifloras. If I remember correctly this plant likes it on the warm side, such as one might find in S. Florida, whereas P. lindeniana likes cooler temperatures, such as those found in coastal California. However, you should check into it to be sure. I think the chance of anyone offering you seeds, cuttings or plants of any of these for trade would be small. However I would love to be proven wrong. Here is a link that might be useful: Passiflora pittieri at Grassy Knoll Exotics