Planting Beds

The EPA has found that trees and vegetation planted around homes are especially effective in reducing the energy consumption, air pollution, and noise pollution associated with increased air conditioning usage in residential settings.  
On a block of eight average single-family homes, front lawns provide cooling equivalent to about 70 tons of air conditioning.  This evaporative cooling helps to mitigate the urban heat island effect and and reduce heat-related illnesses.  Our goal is to have front yard landscaping that is beautiful year round, water-wise, and easy to maintain. Luckily there are many beautiful, drought-tolerant plants that are native to California and other mediterranean regions.  

Homeowners must use trees from the HOA's tree list, but the HOA does not require that homeowners use plants from a specific plant list.  Homeowners can work with landscape designers or nursery specialists to select plants and submit their landscape designs for approval.  The HOA's main concern when reviewing Landscape Change Requests are to ensure that the design has: 
  • Evergreen Plants Designs should include plants that look good year round.
  • Adequate Plant Coverage  At maturity, at least 75% of the bed should be covered with healthy plants.   
  • Adequate Irrigation The irrigation must be compatible with the communities existing irrigation system. 

If you'd like to enhance your planting beds:
  1. Determine whether your site is: mostly sunny, mostly shady, or under a redwood.  
  2. Decide if you'd like to add ornamental trees to your planting bed.  Ornamental trees such as Japanese Maples, Magnolias, and Dogwoods add nice structure and interest to designs, and can provide some light screening between front windows and the street, and neighboring front entryways.   You can find the approved tree list here.  
  3. Pick 3-5 plants from the list below or work with your landscape designer or nursery specialist to create a plant list with evergreens or a mix of evergreens, deciduous plants, and annuals.  Use size estimates to make sure that there is adequate plant coverage.
  4. Submit a Landscape Change Request.  The approval process ensures that your landscaping is compatible with our irrigation system and maintenance program, and protects you (and future homeowners) from being asked to fix problems after the installation.  
​Any alterations to the outside of the house or lot must have HOA approval.  The Board and the Committee shall grant their approval only in the event that the proposed work will benefit and enhance the entire subdivided property in a manner generally consistent with the plan of the development thereof. (CC&Rs Article 18.)

Tips and Resources

We are in USDA Hardiness Zone 9.  Sunset Climate Zone 16.   Homeowners may find it helpful to walk around the neighborhood and take pictures of some plants and landscape designs that they like, or talk to neighbors about which landscape designer they like to use. Nursery specialist can usually help people identify plants from photos.  If you'd like some help with your landscaping, let the community manager know.  A landscape committee volunteer may be able to give you some suggestions.  
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Resources for finding water wise landscaping plants: 
Local Nurseries and Garden Supply Stores:
  • Wegman's Nursery and M&M Nursery both do special orders.  
  • Orchard Supply and Lyngso sell compost, mulch, bender board.  

Plants for Sunny Areas

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Thousands of water wise plants grow well in sunny areas here in Northern California.  Homeowners can work with their landscape designers or nursery specialist to create landscape designs with color palettes that reflect their preferences.  

For homeowners who are looking for a classic design, a green an white palette with a combination of evergreen shrubs and grasses, or a simple boxwood planting is always an elegant choice.  

These hardy evergreen plants are easy to grow and look good year round.  

Plants for Shady Areas and Areas under Redwoods

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Homeowners with shady planting beds can enjoy ornamental dogwood trees, azaleas, camellias, dogwoods, hydrangeas, rhododendrons and a number of native and non-native drought tolerant ferns.  Homeowners can work with their landscape designers or nursery specialist to create color palettes and designs that reflect their preferences.  
 

Redwood Tree Care:  Coast Redwood Trees grow only one place on Earth –  here on the Pacific coast from Big Sur to southern Oregon - making them a unique characteristic of our neighborhood.  Our arborist say that we have some of the healthiest redwood trees in the area.  

Redwood trees need redwood duff to acidify the soil and keep their roots cool and moist in the summer.  ​Keep redwood trees healthy by letting the redwood duff accumulate to form a thick layer of natural mulch. 

Grass does not grow well under redwoods, and mowers can damage a redwood's shallow roots.  If you are renovating a planting bed under a redwood, consider expanding the planting bed to at least the tree's drip line to protect the tree and create a clean border between turf and mulched areas.  

Redwood Tree Design Considerations: 
​Homeowners can make their redwood trees a focal point by creating an open space with a layer of fir bark mulch and natural redwood duff under their redwood trees.  Pushing the border between the mulched areas and the turf out to the drip line creates a clean, deliberate aesthetic.  

Only certain plants will grow in a redwood's dry, acidic, shade.  People who prefer a fuller look, can select shrubs and ferns that complement redwood trees and naturally grow well in these conditions.   If you'd like to create a planting bed under a redwood tree, consider adding additional compost to help the new plants establish.  

Resources for planting under redwoods and shady areas: 
Discover Redwoods     Planting under Redwoods     Hardy Rhododendrons     Drought-tolerant Ferns​​
​These evergreen plants thrive under redwoods.  Hover over pictures to see plant names and information. Plants that can survive under redwoods are good choices for other shady areas as well.  

Prepping and Finishing and Edging Materials

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Compost (optional but recommended)  - You can amend the soil by spreading 2-3 inches of compost on the bed. Amendment Mix is a mixture of Fine Redwood Amendment and Garden Compost. This product is good for improving our clay soils and can be found at Lyngso.
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Fir Bark Mulch - Mulch reduces weeds, holds moisture in the soil, and gives everything a finished look.  Apply 2-3 inches. ​  Both Mini Fir Bark and Small Fir Bark can be used in front yards.  (Small Bark Mulch lasts longer than Mini Fir Bark.)  Fir bark can be found at Lyngso and most garden supply stores.  ​

Please Note: Only Fir Bark Mulch is allowed.  Wood chips (natural or stained) are not allowed.  
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Edging Materials:  Homeowners can use Lin Creek Cobbles as edging, bender board as edging, or no edging. 
  • Lin Creek Cobbles are recommended as a permanent material that will not lift or fade.  Use 3"- 8" Cobbles.  
  • If bender board is used, it must be installed flush to the ground and invisible or barely visible from the sidewalk.  

Other plastic materials including landscape cloth are not allowed in front yards and any areas that are visible from the street.