Hi folks,
I'm fairly new to gardening of any sort, other than some containers on my deck. We just had the overgrown backyard cleared out, and rather than put in grass I'd like to do low maintenance plants. My other criterion is that I want plants that are safe for dogs.
The backyard was full of weeds some of which had been growing quite tall. Now it bare dirt with some clover looking plants and not sure what else. What I would like to do is spread seeds and see what takes hold.
Here are the plants I'm considering:
| Latin | Common | Dog Safety |
|---|
| Annual | Eschscholzia caespitosa | Creeping Daisy | ? |
| Annual | | Dwarf California Poppy | ? |
| Annual | Lobularia maritima | Sweet Alyssum | safe |
| Annual | Nemophila maculata | Five Spot | ? |
| Annual | Chenopodium album | lambsquarter | safe |
| Perennial | Stellaria media | chickweed | safe |
| Perennial | Thymus serpyllum | Creeping Thyme | safe |
| Perennial | Trifolium repens | White clover | presume safe |
| Perennial | Trifolium fragiferum | Strawberry clover | presume safe |
| Perennial | Taraxacum officinale | dandelion | safe |
| Perennial | Plantago major | plantain | safe |
| Perennial | Bellis perennis | wild english daisies | may or may not be safe |
| Perennial | Hypochaeris radicata | catsear | safe |
I read somewhere that it's good to include annual seeds for some color the first year and then the perennials take over after that.
My questions:
What do you think of this list? Any you might take out? Suggestions for proportioning the mix? What percentages of each? Can I just spread seeds and water? Or should I prepare the soil somehow?
I'm in San Francisco, CA if that's helpful/important to know.
