Common name:California Meadow Sedge
Botanical name:Carex pansa

This native Carex can be successfully used as a lawn substitute but requires significant water to obtain good coverage. Once coverage is reached, water can be reduced and maintenance is close to zero. Unmowed, the plant can be used effectively in a variety of conditions and will reach a height of 6" or under and spreads by rhizomes eventually to 2' +.

Common name:Pacific Wax Myrtle
Botanical name:Myrica californica

This large shrub/tree can reach 30' tall and has glossy, dark green leaves with purple nutlets that attract birds. Used very effectively as a screen.

Common name:Needle Grass
Botanical name:Nassella pulchra

The needle grass is a cool season bunchgrass that grows 1-2 ft. tall with graceful, shiny flower stalks that reach 30 in. long in the spring. This grass is fire retardant, tolerates drought, and is good in mass plantings and restoration uses. The needle grass is California's State Grass and is a beneficial insect plant. -Cornflower Farms

Common name:Sticky Monkey Flower
Botanical name:Mimulus aurantiacus

Sticky Monkey Flower is a drought tolerant evergreen shrub 4 ft. ft tall with numerous orangish/yellow flowers in spring and summer. It is a California native that attracts hummingbirds. This shrub can be found on the dry hills and canyon slopes in the Sierra Nevada foothills and the central Coast Ranges. -Cornflower Farms

Permeable Surfaces

If you have impermeable paving that you would like to make permeable, there are two main methods for doing so:
1. Break up hard paved surfaces to create spaces for water to seep through.
2. Remove and replace the surfaces with permeable paving.

Click in the green box for more information