Plant Palettes for Former Lawns
If you've decided to go "lawnless" in all or portions of your yard, you may be saying to yourself, "Okay, the lawn's gone, now what do I do?" Alden Lane Nursery can help you get the re-design process off to a good start.

Here are some ideas of lower water use plants to use where you had a lawn. Consider using plant combinations which feature varying height, color, and texture, and seasonal beauty. Keep it simple and repeat the varieties in masses of 3, 5 or more to create a stronger design. Start with trees and evergreen shrubs, then add loads of color with an assortment of perennials.

Plant Palette for Sunny Areas
Low Growing

• 'Emerald Carpet' Manzanita
• 'Icee Blue' Juniper
• 'Mt. Tamboritha' Grevillea
• Silver Carpet Dymondia
• Star Jasmine

Mid-Size Shrubs

• Dwarf Yeddo Indian Hawthorn
• 'Flower Carpet' Shrub Rose
• 'Newport Dwarf' Escallonia
• Variegated Compact Italian Myrtle

Trees

• Chinese Pistache
• Crape Myrtle (try 'Zuni' or 'Muskogee')
• 'Marina' Strawberry Tree
• Redbud (try 'Forest Pansy' or 'Oklahoma')
• Desert Willow

Plant Palette for Shady Areas
Low Growing

• Asian Jasmine
• Coral Bells
• Lamiastrum
• Lenten Rose
• 'Stokes' Dwarf Yaupon

Mid-Size Shrubs

• Camellia
• 'Lemon Beauty' Lonicera
• 'Myers' Asparagus Fern
• Osmanthus 'Goshiki'

Trees

• Bay Laurel
• Box Leaf Azara
• Japanese Maple
• Michelia

Plant Palette Using California Natives
Low Growing

• Buckwheat
• California Fuchsia
• Carmel Creeper
• Ceanothus (try 'Diamond Heights' or 'Anchor Bay')
• Fescue (try Idaho or California)

Mid-Size Shrubs

• 'Eve Case' Coffee Berry
• 'Howard McMinn' Manzanita
• Pacific Wax Myrtle
• Toyon

Trees

• Coast Live Oak
• 'Ray Hartman' Ceanothus
• Western Redbud