Santa Monica's Sustainable Landscaping Resource Guide

1. Sustainable Landscaping
Resource Guide
Jan 2011
Santa Monica's Environmental Information Resource
 www.sustainablesm.org
 Green Building Ordinance info relating to Landscape/Irrigation
www.sustainablesm.org/landscape
 Office of Sustainability and the Environment (310) 458-8972
 For rebates and grants, toll-free (866) 728-3229
Demonstration Gardens
 gardengarden – 1718 & 1724 Pearl St., Santa Monica
 City Hall – 1685 Main St., Santa Monica
 Beach Maintenance Garden – 1550 Parking Lot / Pier
 The Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College in San Diego
www.thegarden.org
Native and California Friendly Plants
 bewaterwise - www.bewaterwise.com - This website has over 1,200 species
of plants suited for Southern California. It also features an irrigation
calculator.
 Lacoastalgardens.com - This website features plants specifically suited for
the Los Angeles coastal climate. It also features an irrigation scheduler.
 Grow Native Nursery – Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden's westside
nursery open Wednesdays to Sundays and at the Westwood farmers Market
on Thursdays noon to 5pm. www.rsabg.org
 The Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, in Claremont, CA, promotes and
sells California native & native plant cultivars, www.rsabg.org; (909) 625-
8767.
 The Theodore Payne Foundation - in Sun Valley, CA, promotes and sells
California native plants, www.theodorepayne.org; (818) 768-1802.
 California Native Plant Society, www.lacnps.org; (818) 881-3706.
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2.  DWR WUCOLS III Plant List – Santa Monica is located in region 3. Use
plants/trees with a moderate, low or very low water use requirement.
www.owue.water.ca.gov/docs/wucols00.pdf
 Armstrong Nursery, West LA, CA, sells native and California friendly plants,
www.armstronggarden.com; (310) 829-6766.
 Nopalito Native Plant Nursery in Ventura, promotes and sells California
native & native plant cultivars, www.nopalitonursery.com; (805) 844-7449
 C & S Nursery in Culver City; (323) 296-6657
 International Garden Center 155 N. Sepulveda Blvd El Segundo, CA
90245 (310) 615-0353
▪ Merrihew's Sunset Gardens 1526 Ocean Park Blvd (Santa Monica)
- Small local retail nursery
 Marina Del Rey Garden Center 13198 Mindanao Way, Marina del Rey, CA
90292 | Tel: (310) 823-5956
 FK Nursery Inc 2027 Colby Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90025 (310) 478-0538
 Landscaperesource.com There are many specific tools and components
you may find useful: interactive native plant map, water usage
calculator, plant library.
Determining Soil Texture by Feel
 http://www.ndhealth.gov/wq/sw/z1_nps/pdf_files/soil_texture_feel_test.pdf
Determining Soil Moisture by Feel
 www.mt.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/ecs/agronomy/soilmoisture
Type the key words “soil moisture” under search.
How to Use a Soil Probe
 Oakfield Apparatus – to order a soil probe, visit www.soilsamplers.com/
 www.ci.greeley.co.us/cog/PageHome.asp?fkorgid=41
On the left side of the page under “SERVICES” click on “Water Restrictions”.
Then, look for “ARCHIVED NEWS”, and click on “What is a soil probe?”.
 www.extension.usu.edu/files/gardpubs/hg520.pdf
Water-wise landscaping: “Monitoring irrigation with probes”
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3. Soil Testing
 Wallace Laboratories
365 Coral Circle
El Segundo, CA 90245
phone: 310-615-0116 fax: 310-640-6863 info@wlabs.com
 Tri-C Enterprises, LLC
P.O. Box 1367
Chino, Ca 91708-1367 info@tri-corganics.com
1 800 927-3311
 Soil Foodweb Oregon, LLC
1750 SW 3rd St Suite C
Corvallis, OR 97333
phone: 541-752-5066 fax: 541-752-5142 info@oregonfoodweb.com
Certified SFW Professional www.compostteana.com
Compost and Mulch*
 B.D. White Company (Torrance)- (310) 370-5511
Fir Walk-On Bark from B.D. However, it is only available in bulk (by the truck
load) and White Forest Garden Mulch Compost
 Kellogg Xerimulch Smith Pipe & Supply (Santa Monica) – (310) 393-0143
 Forest Floor Mulch Foothill Soils (Newhall) (661) 254-1045/(661) 254-0867
 Cedar mulch - Whittier Fertilizer Co. (Pico Rivera) (562) 804-8739
 E.B. Stone Compost - Armstrong Nursery (West LA) (310) 829-6766
* There is no consistency in the industry to the use of the term "walk-on bark." You have to choose on a case-by-case basis. We
suggest that you acquire some of one of the two products above and then use it as a basis for comparison for future purchases. You
are looking for long, fuzzy shreds with a small amount of flakes and chips; no chunks, no trash, no weeds, no green wood.
Tips for preferred irrigation design including drip irrigation
 www.sustainablesm.org/landscape
California Irrigation Management Information System - CIMIS
 www.cimis.water.ca.gov
Supplemental Irrigation Products
 www.driwater.com
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4. Irrigation Supply Stores
 Aqua-Flo – (310) 915- 5208 or Michael Mandelberg 310 948-4714
 Ewing – (310) 479-9533
 Smith Pipe & Supply (Santa Monica) – (310) 393-0143
Drip Irrigation Manufacturer Info.
 Agrifim - www.ndspro.com
 Rain Bird - www.rainbird.com
 Toro - www.toro.com
 Hunter – www.hunterindustries.com
 Netafim – www.netafim.com
Rain Harvesting
 American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association www.arcsa.org
Irrigation Controllers & Smart Controllers
 www.sustainablesm.org/landscape
 SoCal Water$mart WBIC rebates www.socalwatersmart.com
 SWAT testing- http://www.irrigation.org/SWAT/Industry/ia-tested.asp
 Controller Manuals -
http://www.snwa.com/html/land_irrig_clockmanuals.html
Stormwater Management
 www.sustainablesm.org/Urban_Runoff
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5. Mycorrhizal Products Info.
 Plant Revolution - www.plantrevolution.com (714) 545-5335
 Mycorrhizal Applications - www.mycorrhizae.com (541) 476-3985
 Tri C Enterprises, LLC – www.naturalSOILutions.com (909) 590-1790
 Bio-Organics - www.bio-organics.com (888)-332-7676
Graywater
Graywater is water collected from sinks, showers and dishwashers that is used for
irrigation. There are specific regulations for their use.
 www.oasisdesign.net/ - the definitive resource for graywater
 www.sustainablesm.org/landscape - look under irrigation tips
On-line Irrigation Tutorials Class
 http://www.bewaterwise.com/training01.html#online
 http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/
 http://www.wateright.org/Home_hist.asp
On-line Gardening Class
 www.bewaterwise.com/training/training_01.html
The Certified Sustainable Landscape Professionals List s
 www.sustainablesm.org/landscape
Santa Monica Landscape Ordinances
 www.qcode.us/codes/santamonica - SMMC 7.16.020 & SMMC 9.04.10.02
SMMC 8.108.010
Alternative Lawn care
▪ Organics Rx LAWN FOOD Garden Organics Inc. www.organicsrx.com
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6. Recommended Reading
Plants
 California Native Plants for the Garden;Carol Bornstein, David Fross, Bart
O’Brien
 The California Garden, and the Landscape Architects Who Shaped It;
Jere Stuart French
 American Green, The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Lawn; Ted
Steinberg
 Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands, Vol. 1; Brad Lancaster
 Introduction to California Plant Life; Robert Ornduff, Phyllis M. Faber, Todd
Keeler-Wolf
 The Color Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses; Rick Darke
 Designing with Succulents; Debra Baldwin
 The Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses; John Greenlee
 Mediterranean Gardening/A waterwise Approach; Heidi Gildemeister
 Selected Plants for Southern California Gardens; Southern California
Horticultural Society
 Plant Life in the World’s Mediterranean Climates; Peter R. Dallman,
California Native Plant Society
 Sunset Western Garden Book (latest edition)
 Trees and Shrubs for Dry California Landscapes; Bob Perry
▪ Redesigning the American Lawn: A Search for Environmental Harmony,
Second Edition ; F. Herbert Bormann, Diana Balmori, Gordon T. Geballe
 Landscape Plants for California Gardens; Bob Perry
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7. Plant Maintenance
 Care and Maintenance of Southern California Native Plant Gardens by
Bart O’Brien, Betsey Landis, Ellen Mackey for Rancho Santa Ana Botanic
Garden
 Teaming with Microbes, A Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web; Jeff
Lowenfels
Integrated Pest Management
 Good Bugs for Your Garden; Allison Mia Starcher
 Chemical-Free Yard and Garden (Rodale’s); Anna Carr, Miranda Smith,
Linda A. Gilkeson, Joseph Smillie, Bill Wolf
Irrigation
 A Guide to Estimating Irrigation Water Needs of Landscape Plantings in
California; Univ of CA Coop Extension; CA Dept of Water Resources.
[Includes Water Use Classifications of Landscape Species (WUCOLS)]
 Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor; The Irrigation Association
 Certified Irrigation Contractor Workbook; The Irrigation Association
 Weather and Soil Moisture Based Landscape Irrigation Scheduling;
Technical Review Report; August 2006; US Dept of the Interior, Bureau of
Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region
 Drip Irrigation for Every Landscape and All Climates; Robert Kourik
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8. LANDSCAPE/HORTICULTURAL ORGANIZATION RESOURCES
Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD)
www.apld.org
California Landscape Contractors Association
www.clca.org
California Native Plant Society (CNPS)
www.cnps.org
Cactus and Succulent Society of America (CSSA)
www.cssaine.org
Free Green Exchange
www.FreeGreenExchange.org
Green Garden Group of LA
www.g3LA.com
Mediterranean Garden Society (MGS)
www.MGS.org
Pacific Horticulture
www.editor@pacifichorticulture.org
Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden (RSBG)
www.RSBG.org
Santa Barbara Botanical Garden
www.SantaBarbaraBotanicalGarden.org
Southern California Horticultural Society (SCHS)
www.socahort.org
Theodore Payne Foundation (TPF)
www.theordorepayne.org
Office of Sustainability and the Environment
Watershed Management Section
200 Santa Monica Pier, Suite C
Santa Monica, CA 90401
russell.ackerman@smgov.net
(310) 458-8972 ext 2
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