Recently I visited the San Diego area and loved a plant that flowered on the embankments of the freeways.  It appears as a ground cover with 'magenta' type pink flower.  I tried to find out its name but no one seemed to know its name. Can you help me out?  I am attaching a photo of the plant. I would like to test it in a portion of my garden so if you sell it let me know. Thank you! Why nasty?  Invasive? other problems or just too much of it? Thank you for the info. SInce we saw it growing profusely on the sides of the expressways we figured it would be low maintenance and little irrigation. We have a ledge that is the top of a natural cut rock wall on the ground level of our house ( on a lake) and the ledge is always overrun with weeds.  Since it is difficult to get to without a ladder (8' off the ground) the maintenance becomes difficult.  We tried lantana, but since the gardeners sprayed it  against weeds it did not survive.  On one portion of the wall we have ferns  ( these are fine except for some minor weeding) and have also tried one type of orchid at the edge of the face of the wall. These are fine and no maintenance except normal.  Because this ledge has poor soil ( it is oolite with pockets of dirt) we were looking for a ground cover that would grip and control the natural erosion.  SInce we live in a humid climate some plants that do well in central Florida under similar conditions will not here. This ledge is about 100' linear feet and the wall is north facing. On the south side at street level the fence has jasmine and it has been having some problems where some plants are thriving and others are not. Well, thank you for your input it certainly has cleared  the question we had. Another plant that we saw in LA was  the dymondia margaretae, but do not know how well it would do here or where to get. Again many thanks for your time and interest. Miami,Florida	It's a nasty iceplant. Probably Drosanthemum Take the photo to almost any garden center, it's available in flats. Flowers for only a few weeks at best, usually very weedy, very shallow root system so need regular water to keep it alive, regular water brings more weeds. You either have to spray a lot, or weed a lot. Looks pretty funky when not in flower. In the coastal blowing fog belt it is drought tolerate, but invasive. Doesn't hold banks or slopes because the roots are too shallow. It is a great plants for retired folks in a coastal trailer park with a very small plot and time to weed. They commonly put plastic flowers into the funky  looking  groundcover to make the planting more presentable. I'm not much of a fan, did maintenance as one of my jobs working through college, many, many years ago. That  plant looked bad for months and got me yelled too often. What are you trying to do with the plants. There is usually a native substitution. which town? Or should I ask state?
You might be interested to know that a lawn can be eliminated without the use of herbicides (provided you are willing to eliminate the whole lawn area, or create a buffer zone between the new planting area and the lawn). I had a front lawn composed almost entirely of kikuya grass. To kill it, I had a local tree service deliver wood chips which I piled on 1' thick (this was done in spring, immediately after trenching around the edges). In late summer (when I was contacted by the city and told that I was not permitted to have a dead landscape-they weren't impressed when I described the many fungi happily colonizing the detritus) I removed the top 6" (put it in the back yard and used it to make compost for the back lawn and vegetable garden) and planted. I have had some weeds, but no more than I would have had to deal with if I had used roundup. I had a front lawn composed almost entirely of kikuya grass. To kill it, I had a local tree service deliver wood chips which I piled on 1' thick (this was done in spring, immediately after trenching around the edges). In late summer (when I was contacted by the city and told that I was not permitted to have a dead landscape-they weren't impressed when I described the many fungi happily colonizing the detritus) I removed the top 6" (put it in the back yard and used it to make compost for the back lawn and vegetable garden) and planted. I have had some weeds, but no more than I would have had to deal with if I had used roundup.	we get interesting emails are you really that angry? (It's funny, everyone starts out hating herbicides, but the weeds are so bad, most have pest control operators license after a few years and buying 55 gallon drums of the stuff. I guess it's like being a pacifist until they shoot your family and you.)
I'm really glad you try to answer even the dumbest questions. While I'm not sure my question is dumb, I do get a curious response whenever I ask nurserymen (and women) about nutsedge.  The most common response is a denial of knowledge about it, which I believe is bogus.  They just don't even want to talk about it.  They suggest Roundup and I have to laugh in their face.  They dutifully look in their catalogs and find Ortho Nutgrass Killer and I laugh anew.  Now, I don't use biocides, but   if I THOUGHT they could work - which I don't - I would CONSIDER using them on nutsedge, it is so venal. Curiously, I have yet to come across a nutsedge sage.  I write to you with fingers crossed.  From articles I have read on internet UC sites, I have decided upon a chemical-free multilateral approach (as good foreign policy should always be): heavy mulching, low watering, digging it out completely, using weedblock fabric (Dupont Typar 307 or 312, if I can find it), planting the allegedly hostile sweet potatoes in and around it. I have about a 400 sq. ft. (and spreading) infestation.  It's a drag. So, do you have any advice?  Any success stories? Here are some specific questions... 1) How far down do the tubers GENERALLY grow?  I have read that they CAN grow as deep as 18", but I would like to know what is most common...8"?  Digging everything out about 8" seems doable, and that SEEMS to be where the clusters end.  Digging everything out 18" down is out of the question. 2) Do you know where I can find this uber weedblock fabric? The Dupont stuff? Google searches have yielded nothing and the easy-to-find Weedblock fabric seems far down the efficacy list. 3) Do you know of any other plants that it would not care for? Other pH plants outside the 5-9 range? 4) Any other strategies? The time and expense of this lightening-fast growing weed is overwhelming. Desperate in the sedge,	Change watering and fertility. Too much water, poor drainage, high fertility, saturated soils all favor nutsedge. Roundup is one of the tools used to control it. Combined with hand weeded(digging like a dog) and changing the garden conditions can work, given time. Ya get parole in about three years.
I live in Monroe County Indiana (Bloomington, Indiana). Our soil is clay. I have no luck growing a lilac bush. What do I need to do? Most helpful. Thank you.	sorry I have little in ideas as we do not grow them, nor live in Indiana I'd guess you need to try a good nursery in Indiana and buy the plants and information from them often the bareroot stuff is dead before you even get it, a real nursery you can get container stock from often has better plants. If you can't find a local source call these guys http://www.lilacs.com/
We live in Ramona and need a ground cover for some hills that is fire resistant but does not take too much water.  We have seen the ice plant that is planted along the freeways.  Do you recommend this?    Do you sell it? What is its proper name? Thanks very much for your prompt response.    Are you serious about it not controlling erosion?  Why does CALTRANS use it then?  I was under the impression that it grew fairly rapidly, retained water (we live in a fire zone) and obviously kept the ground together --- is all of this not true? You certainly have convinced me.  Is Red Apple any better?	no, it doesn't control erosion, it does feed the rats no you wouldn't  want to hear what we call it, but *Hottentot Fig* is what I think you're looking for, some garden centers should have it in flats http://mamba.bio.uci.edu/~pjbryant/biodiv/PLANTS2/Aizoaceae/Carpobrotus_edulis.htm And you might look at http://156.29.3.234/fireandems/pdf/brush.pdf actually the root system is only a few inches deep, it behaves like a very heavy,  wet sag carpet in a wet winter, the whole hill comes down Red apple is just another smell of poo.
I live in the Phil. PA area and was given some crocea bulbs, but I don't know when to plant them in this area, spring or fall? And if spring do I leave them in the ground over winter or take them up in the fall? If they must be dug up in fall will they do well from spring to fall in a container? Thank you for any help.	I think plant now(October), but I really have no idea as Philadelpia is so different from California. Live in ground.
I have a 24 X 32 ft Augustine lawn with a 25 ft Douglas fir ( I think?) with a 9 ft diameter mulched circle under it to the dripline plopped in the center of it. Will Salvia spathacea grow under the tree? .Any ideas on what I can use working out to gradually displace the lawn. Always thinking of the birds and butterflies. Oops, boy your fast,	you'll have to kill the Augustine lawn before trying even the Salvia It is a real pain to kill and then remove the debris
I'm looking forward to receiving the shrubs(Mahonia nevinii). I have Eastern Bluebird families in two homes in my yard in central New Jersey and I am trying to plant things that will supplement their food supply. Hopefully, they will like the same berries as their western cousins. I just looked up the Average rainfall for our area. Will 45 inches a year be a problem for the Mahonia nevinii? I know you are currently out of Broom Baccharis but for the future I was wondering: Do you think it might survive in our zone (6-7) and does it have a wonderful sweet fragrance? The Broom available in our local nurseries has a not very pleasant scent. The Broom I have seen roadside in California reminds me of the fragrant variety I saw in Italy years ago. If it gets too cold here for your variety, do you think it would work in containers that I can keep indoors over the winter? I have been able to keep some lemon and lime trees that way. Thanks for any input you can offer.	no, Mahonia should handle it. I know you are currently out of Broom Baccharis but for the future I was wondering:  Do you think it might survive in our zone (6-7) maybe and does it have a wonderful sweet fragrance? not that I've noticec The Broom available in our local nurseries has a not very pleasant scent. The Broom I have seen roadside in California reminds me of the fragrant variety I saw in Italy years ago. It's the same plant, it's a weed in California, listed as noxious by the feds If it gets too cold here for your variety, do you think it would work in containers that I can keep indoors over the winter? I have been able to keep some lemon and lime trees that way. you're after Plant Profile for Cytisus scoparius
I would like to plant an English garden in La Cresenta. (Pasadena area) Full sun most of the day. Will the following plants work? Snap dragons, sweet William, baby breath, asters, (what kind), fox gloves, phlox. Day lilies, azalea, peony I would like color spring thru summer. The area is 17 by 13 with paths all around it. And included in the space is a 6 by 10 pond/ water fall. Please help.	can't help, all we do are natives Home Depot has everything you list...
The centerpiece of our property is a 3 acre oak grove with two creeks running through it. Most of the land is steep, rugged and dry except for the oak grove and creek area. We raise goats and chickens and I am ready to buy some sheep for meat, etc. I was wondering how I might use the sheep to help me control the non-native grasses (and natives too?)? When I first started doing research, my assumption was that the sheep would eat the non-native grasses and leave the oak, manz, ceanothus, buck, etc alone. Now I'm learning that sheep will browse by choice and graze grass by necessity (more similar to goats than I thought). I have some areas that need to kept in check due to fire dept. reg's. If I wrap my seedlings and young trees, what can I expect to happen to the land the sheep graze--particularly in the oak grove area (much of which looks like "grassland" now)? Will it help keep invasives at bay? Will it make it worse? If I weedwack anyways, is the sheep as good? better? worse than weekwacking? Can my timing help kill non-natives and relieve natives (based on flowering/seeding times)? Assuming about 3-4 acres of land will have to mowed or weedwacked every year, what's the easiest, most environmentally sane way to approach it?	land conservancy has used sheep in a rotational mode and likes it, it can work