All year we have been using Penelope Hobhouse's book, Color in Your Garden, to learn about how to use color in the garden, including whites, clear yellows, the blues, pinks and mauves, strong reds, hot colors, and foliage in
shades of green and gray. Along the way, we've developed a palette of plants
that thrive in our San Francisco Bay Area gardens, whether native or
Mediterranean plants. Now I'd like to part company with Ms. Hobhouse, and
propose a new color for the San Francisco Bay Area – beautiful browns!
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| Golden hills in the inland valley |
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| Golden hills of the San Francisco Bay Area |
Our Mediterranean climate typically provides rain in the
winter, and is dry or dormant in the summer. This leaves us with the dry golden-brown
hills that are characteristic of Northern California for much of the year. Look
at the following gallery, and consider the potential of brown!
Grasses
In addition, ongoing droughts (the most recent lasted four
years), growing demand for water by an increasing number of residents, and
rising water prices have caused us to rethink our gardens. Instead of bemoaning
brown, let's embrace it!
Going to Seed
Let's take a closer look at nature, and the lovely shades of
wheat, gold, bronze, and brown that she provides. We can continue that
trajectory of replacing lawns, modifying our plant choices, and learning to
love brown.
Leaves
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| Rustling brown hedge |
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| Oak in fall brown |
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| Fall leaves |
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| Ivy turning brown in the fall |
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One caveat to this wonderful world of the browns, is that we need to consider fire danger. The natural ecology of the San Francisco Bay
Area includes fires that systematically clear out dry undergrowth. This natural
process is not desirable for a populated area, so we need fill in the gap to mow,
prune, and plant wisely to keep fire safe.
The Beauty of Bark
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| Mahogany textured Manzanita |
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| Brown stretch marks on an Oak |
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| Golden brown Redwood |
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| Shreddy Birch |
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