A Summer-Dry Landscape Subdivision

Recently a photo researcher asked if I had any photos of appropriate summer-dry landscaping for commercial settings. Many gardeners now recognize the need to choose plants from the summer-dry palate for sustainable and water efficient gardens, but often commercial sites are created by folks who are not gardeners, so our job in the media is to reach deeper and try to inform and inspire those who are not quite so atuned to plants.

I have an entire section of summer-dry garden photos in the galleries, many of which are part of the summer-dry website – a photo database of garden worthy plants that anyone can access, with the mission to encourage water conservation by inspiration.

Crape Myrtle trees, Spanish lavender and Erigeron in summer-dry commercial landscape garden, California

My first thought in looking for commercial examples of summer-dry landscapes made me think about median strips and hell strips along roadways, but once I started looking for photos I stumbled across a wonderful example literally across the street from me here in Novato.

Lavenders, Erigeron, Daylily and Crape Myrtle trees in summer-dry commercial landscape garden at Rush Creek subdivision, Novato California

The Rush Creek subdivision was carved out of the open space and the landscaping was mandated to soften the transition from street to houses. I wish I could cite the designers and landscapers who have kept up this wonderful public, commercial garden, but at least I can publish these examples.

Summer-dry commercial landscape garden along sidewalk with flowering perennials – Dietes, Erigeron, and lavenders at Rush Creek subdivision, Novato California

Echium candicans (aka. E. fastuosum) Pride of Madeira is an example of a tough summer-dry perennial and the photo is found in the database, which is organized around the categories from the EBMUD book, Plants and Landscapes for Summer dry Climates, now out-of-print but available as the database on the summer-dry site.