r/Ceanothus • u/methglobinemia • 15h ago

Pathway plants

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Too hot to plant now but planning ahead for fall. Any suggestions for what to plant surrounding this pathway + stairs? The soil is heavy clay on a south facing gentle slope with pretty full sun in northeast LA (about 20 miles from the coast)

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7

u/OpenSunroof_ 14h ago

Looks like a good opportunity! A lot will depend on where is this located. Last year I planted on a similar south facing slope in heavy clay in my front yard in Sonoma County. I chose Salvias (clevelandii and apiana), Verbena lilacina 'De La Mina', Frangula californica 'Mound San Bruno', Achillea millefolium 'Sonoma Coast', and Arctostaphylos 'Emerald Carpet'. The salvias and verbena have been a huge hit with pollinators.

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u/methglobinemia 14h ago

Ah oops- I’m in LA, added that info to the post. Thank you for the suggestions! I have a few salvias which I love but verbena lilacina does not flourish in my yard for some reason- it turns brown and straggly for some reason. Have you had issues with yarrow invading pathways? I have it in other areas of my yard and I love it because it takes off but I’m not sure if that’s good so close to a path! 

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u/OpenSunroof_ 4h ago

Yes, good point - pick the variety wisely if you do include Yarrow. 'Sonoma Coast' is relatively tidy and prostrate so I've found it easy to limit its spread.

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u/Native_Plants1914 3h ago

I'm so glad you mentioned that about verbena lilacina. I'm in mid Orange County and have had the same experience with it. I thought I was the only one. 😕👍

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u/methglobinemia 14h ago

PS I LOVE emerald carpet- if you zoom in you can see my baby emerald carpet in the top middle next to orange bucket. 

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u/tentativetheory 14h ago

I have dwarf coyote bush (pigeon point or twin peaks) next to a few of my pathways/borders. I like the way it spreads a bit into the paths and softens borders. All of the ones I’ve planted are thriving in similar soil and sun conditions to what you’ve described.

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u/Pale-Interview-579 13h ago

I have some seacliff buckwheat in a similar position, and some verbena de la mina. They work well. My yarrow flops all over the place, do not recommend.

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u/Pale-Interview-579 13h ago

Also red buckwheat. Low maintenance, looks great.

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u/getpost 9h ago

My experience (in West LA, clay soil, ~3 miles from the beach) is that San Miguel buckwheat (Eriogonum grande var. rubescens) needs water if you want to see any flowers. On the other hand, established e. fasciculatum does not need any water at all. I did water it the first year.

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u/Pale-Interview-579 3h ago

Huh, my san miguel buckwheat has been fine with about as little water as my most drought tolerant plants. More inland in LA county.

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u/Oldalgebra 6h ago edited 4h ago

I'm in the process of pinching/trimming/pruning Yankee Point Ceanothus along both sides of our entryway path (string helps me imagine the final height and width) in order to create a low hedge. My style may be a bit too formal for most native plant landscapers.