I echo Grass Guys suggestions with the addition of Little Blue Stem - a great grass for a naturalized landscape. Easy care, super drought tolerent & gorgeous fall colour. If you want some landscape ideas check out some of the pictures in Rick Darke's 'The colour encyclopedia of ornamental grasses', available in most libraries. He has some great examples of natural plantings. AND I highly recommend looking at Ohme & vanSweden's web site for some ideas. In my opinion, they are THE master's of using ornamental grasses to create 'better than natural' looking landscapes! Oh, and on the maintenance downside - if you are going to have a lot of grasses you had better figure out what you are going to do with all the trimmings in the spring when you cut them back. It will amount to quite a bit of material! there are lots of options for that problem but, that is a whole other subject. (which has been commented on before if you care to search the forum) a. Here is a link that might be useful: Ohme & vanSweden

Allan, So sorry about your loss, but I think your idea for a memorial garden is excellent. Keep the idea of a designer in the back of your mind for now, and do some research on ornamental grasses and bed design/layout first. Go to the library, or a bookstore, and find a couple of good books on grasses. The Color Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses, Rick Darke, Timber Press, ISBN 0881924644 The Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses, John Greenlee, Rodale, ISBN 0875961002 Read them and look at the photos of grasses and beds. You'll have a better idea of what they can do for you, and how they go together with each other and other garden plants. Use Google and the web for more ideas. Many plant catalog companies include professionally designed beds and groupings that include grasses. One that I like particularly is High Country Gardens, linked below. They specialize in xeriscape gardening, and it's not limited to high elevation locations. Finally, read back through this forum's threads, and continue to ask us questions. Good luck and Happy Holidays. Donn Here is a link that might be useful: High Country Gardens

There are a few California native clematis. Clematis lasiantha is white to pale yellow, C. ligusticifolia is more white. Just a note on clay soil: there are many California natives that do fine in clay--how else would there be plants native to California areas that have clay soil? Clay soil contains the most nutrients and retains moisture longest. Clay soil is good soil. It's just a matter of planting the right plants at the right time of year.

Sounds like they are planted too close together woods tea. I've had the same problem and some selective thinning can add needed definition. The first time I did that it was with large grasses like deergrass if you can imagine those growing too close together up front. Now I use more smaller grasses and save those big ones for special spots. On my walk this evening I went down by the stream in the park and there is a mostly wild grassy area with some wildflowers coming up, the grass is dense. Its got areas of some kind of short fine light colored grass and then some deeper green thicker bladed stuff with rather nice seed heads actually, the variety of height and color are kind of nice but the thing that makes it really makes it nice are the many big chunks of concrete that lay about. They are the same as the chunks lining the edge all along the sloping side to prevent erosion. The grassy area is sort of like a large sandbar. The chunks of rough concrete defines the area and the grasses look good growing around them. Now if those were rocks rather than concrete, they'd really have something. These aren't real huge rocks, they would be liftable sizes with the aid of a dolly. I now know where I am throwing some native wildflower seeds this fall. Some annual gaillardia, rudbeckia, helenium, horsemint and perennial liatris would look quite nice coming up in there. There were some clumps of plains coreopsis coming up, I have that in my Hell Strip and like it among grasses but its fairly short blooming. My situation is just the opposite of yours, I planted too many native plants and not enough grasses. Thats changing and I'm seeing some good results this year. Several of the little bluestem plants are already putting up seed stalks. Must be all the rain. I've redone grass compositions so many times I figure someday I will finally get it right. My virgatums all exceed that height except the ones on the west side where its very dry, high and the ground is hard to deal with due to tree roots. Last year they came up to my chest. Even rothsthalsbusch (selling?) that is supposed to be short was taller than 36". More like just over 4ft.