The CGM is pretty expensive and according to what I read on these forums only works after a couple of years application (and then not 100%). If you wanted to take a middle-of-the-road approach to your lawn care, you might want to use organic fertilizers such as soybean meal and alfalfa pellets, but use spot spraying with Weed-Begone to control dandelions,clover, and crab grass. And cut your grass at about the 3" height. (Just my opinion).

'Gold Drift' is an excellent choice, you should have no issues there. However, it seems this cultivar needs very FULL sun outside of the PNW in order to color up. Mine gets as much as 10+hrs when the deciduous trees are bare, but only 4-5hrs for the summer months. It starts getting real nice gold tones around this time, but once the trees leaf out, it get's more green on only keeps yellow at the tips and on new growth. 'Silver Seedling' is one of the few conifers that does better in shade. The white tones are actually enhanced when it is placed it bright shade, too much direct sun will burn this one, but otherwise great choice for your location. I have had good luck with 'Bush's Lace' here, and it seems to be reasonably shade tolerant compared to Picea pungens. Again, mine gets as much as 10hrs during the spring, but only 4-5hrs once the trees leaf out. Your biggest issue with this tree will be heat... These trees are extremely cold tolerant, and do not appreciate excessively hot summers. Overall, I think you made some really good choice that should to well, though the Bush's lace, may be a challenge depending on how hot your summers are.

1. Sorry for the poor photos. ---- take several and pick best one next time. 2. What types of small bush is photo #1? Yes agree boxwood - a little winter burn on the bottom, Too difficult to id cultivar even with a good photo. 3. What types of bushes are in the back of photo #2 (the tall ones adjacent to the fence)? Are those good for a privacy hedge or do they grow too fast? Berckmans Golden Arborvitae (maybe) is a dwarfish, much-branched Asian arborvitae that grows 12-to-15 feet tall and 10 feet wide with the form of the spade in a pack of playing cards. I would say that they have an average growth rate Thanks My Garden Blog

Assuming California ballpark utility rates of $1.25 per therm and 15.34 cents per kwh, a 3.7 UEF Heat Pump Water Heater is cheaper to operate, than any available gas model. I agree there are many situations that call for tankless gas but for most new construction, HPWH is now best choice. New designs can account for space requirements. Cold climates are the toughest fit, but think a good case can be made for them when incorporated into design. For existing replacements in temperate garages, large utility rooms and basements, HPWH should be the first choice. Just make sure the space matches the headroom and volume requirements. Some don't seem to make a distinction between high efficiency gas models that have fairly safe combustion venting and cheap gas models that are atmospherically or naturally vented. The only safe place for atmospherically vented models is strictly outside of the building envelope. Backdrafting so regularly, they should be illegal inside a home and someday will be. We do combustion appliances for clients that want them but will not do natural vented gas models inside the building envelope. They are a serious liability whether the home is tight or leaky. 30 years NG transition seems about right but that's for utility scale generation. Burning it inside residential homes adds too much unnecessary risk. The backdrafting issues are not compatible with efficient construction. Especially now that heat pumps are cheaper to heat with than NG in most utility markets. ETA: I appear to be way off with current ballpark CA utility pricing. At 19 cents per kwh and $1 per therm, NG is cheaper to operate assuming high efficiency units. Sorry CA! That's ignoring monthly utility fees and reduced cooling loads which if included, could make HPWH the better investment. Agree with David that NG is artificially low there compared to electric and is likely to change soon. ETA 2: Digging deeper into average CA prices, 1.25 per therm may not be too far off. Lots of regional and yearly variances in that state. In San Fran's current market, the Prestige beats NG but in San Diego it does not. Let's just say it's competitive there, for now.. :)