About a month ago, a friend and her mum invited me to go on a native plant tour. For those unaware, we here in California are experiencing an ugly drought and water-hog lawns are therefore seen as evil, evil, evil. Sadly, most of us have lawns. Learning about native plants can help deal with our consumption.
Anyhoo – it was pretty awesome and I was particularly interested in design using plants of varying heights. Sometimes when we think of plants needing little water, our minds go straight to desert foliage. I’m a big fan of that look, but I don’t want to limit my options. The plant tour opened my eyes to the amazing possibilities in the world of low-water yards.
One homeowner was gracious enough to invite attendees back this past weekend. She wanted to give us the opportunity to see the native garden in bloom. I jumped at the chance and this time Mister tagged along. I wanted him to broaden his thinking, too, as the dude has to live with me and whatever I end up doing to the front yard. We took our time, and at some point I looked over and said, “That wasn’t doing that before.” I pointed to a large, purple shrub and wondered aloud if it could possibly be a Smoke Bush. I’d only seen photos, so I wasn’t quite sure. We meandered in that general direction and when we approached, a few people were talking about the plant and how beautiful it was. Turns out it was indeed a Smoke Bush.
I plan to keep investigating front yard options and to learn more about hardscapes. I’ve no idea when Mister and I will bite the bullet and rip out the lawn. We may just let it die. Either way, I’m excited about the project and knowing I can get my very own Smoke Bush is crazy-smile-inducing.