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.

Dirr has several published works on trees/shrubs.....the one BorS refers to is a condensed, illustrated version. I much prefer is his Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, which is far more detailed but illustrated only with line drawings (and not too many of those). Next to the AHS A-Z Encyclopedia of Plants, it is my go-to text and is so well-used it is now in two parts. And with no cover :-) I've yet to find a single text on perennials I like and tend to collect monographs on various genera I favor. The Gardener's Guide series from Timber Press is a great source. Otherwise, the diSabato-Aust books are good but like BorS, I tend to use the internet for most info. It is far more current with respect to newer cultivars.

I would second the vote on Lukas. They are expensive, but the selection is great and they have great staff. For annuals their prices are on a par with Home Depot and Lowes (.88 for 4" pot). I like to go there for annuals because they often have some unusual ones. Found some duck foot coleus there that I just loved one year. They also will special order plants for you. A friend ordered a some wisteria through them, even though they warned her not to ("Wisteria WILL NOT grow here!) She proved them wrong, though - you should see her back yard is brimming with the stuff - and doing very well. Unfortunately she's moved from Oviedo so I won't see her gorgeous wisteria blooming in the spring next year. Anyway, Lukas is great. They have coupons in the Orlando Sentinel from time to time. Used to have web coupons, too, but haven't seen those in awhile. Here is a link that might be useful: Lukas Nursery web site

If anyone has been garden shopping or knows of a good source for M. virginiana in SW MI, Northern Indiana, Chicago area or beyond..... pls let me know. I am ISO good sized good priced Magnolia virginiana. THANKS :0)