Manzanita (two plants)
The slowest to settle in. Neither grew much in the first year, then both put on almost a foot the second spring. They dislike water on the trunk, so the emitters sit about 18 inches out.
Watering schedule
Everything is on drip, one valve for the established shrubs and one for anything planted in the last year. Times below are for the summer months; from November to March the controller is off unless we go three weeks without rain.
| Zone | Plants | Summer |
|---|---|---|
| Back line | Manzanita, ceanothus, coffeeberry | Once every 3 weeks, 90 min |
| Side bed | Sages, buckwheat, yarrow | Once every 2 weeks, 60 min |
| New plantings | Anything in its first year | Weekly, 45 min |
What is in the ground
Ceanothus
Grows fast and flowers heavily in March. I lost one in 2024, almost certainly to summer overwatering when it shared a valve with the vegetable bed. Since the lines were split, the replacement has been fine.
Sages and buckwheat
White sage, Cleveland sage and a hybrid from the nursery. They take full sun on the south side and need almost nothing once settled. The buckwheat reseeds a little into the gravel path, which I mostly allow.
Soil and mulch
The soil is heavy clay. I did not amend it, on the advice that native shrubs do better in the soil they will eventually have to live in. Instead there is about three inches of wood chip mulch on top, kept back from the stems. Under the sages I used gravel instead, because the chips held too much moisture against the crowns.