Design Kits

Understanding your Design

Making it Easy

We have developed five different planting designs to help simplify your parkway transformation. Each of the five design plans feature an artful mix of California Native low-growing groundcovers and shrubs that are uniquely adapted to thrive in our Long Beach climate with varying textures and colors for year-round interest. Review the plants in each design plan to choose the plan that best suits your aesthetic preference and landscape needs.

Understanding your Design

When it comes to understanding each kit's design, it is important to note that each plan is designed for a 10’ by 4’ space or a 40 square foot space. Each plan includes a list of California native plants suited to our Long Beach climate, stepping stones (for a city approved walking pathway), mulch (to retain soil moisture) and a “Native Plants Live Here” sign to show off your accomplishments and entice your neighbors to join! We understand each parkway size is unique and exceeds 40 square feet, so we will do the math for you and multiply your kit material based on your parkway total square feet. There is no need to worry, you will receive ample materials and plant coverage for full growth maturity...for FREE.

Parkway Kit Conversion IllustrationDiagram illustrating a 200 sq. ft. garden space, labeled with dimensions and a curb. Includes images of a planting kit with seedlings, mulch, and a crate.

 

Kit 1

 

design one

Plants Included in Kit 1

An image of Canyon Gray Sagebrush, A silver, feathery foliage with a soft, textured appearance fills the frame, set against a garden backdrop. Icons of a leaf and butterfly are at the bottom.

Canyon Gray Sagebrush

Artemisia californica ‘Canyon Gray’ is a low-growing groundcover that forms an attractive, compact mat of fine-textured, silver-gray foliage. While its flowers are fairly inconspicuous, its foliage has a lovely aroma.

 

 

An image of Seaside Daisy. Cluster of purple and yellow daisy-like flowers in bloom, surrounded by green foliage. Icons of a leaf and a butterfly are below in a circular frame.

Seaside Daisy 

Erigeron glaucus is a low-growing perennial flower that blooms nearly year-round. Lavender petals surround a golden yellow disc of florets, and stems can have anywhere from 1 to 15 flower heads.

 

 

An image of Ashyleaf Buckwheat. Delicate, pale pink wildflowers clustered on green stems, set within a circular frame. Icons of a leaf and butterfly are at the bottom.

Ashyleaf Buckwheat 

Eriogonum cinereum is an important habitat shrub native to the Long Beach area that supports many types of pollinators. The woolly hairs on its stems and foliage give it a light, silvery gray color. Light pink flower clusters stick out from the plant and bloom nearly year round, turning rust-colored in the fall.

 

 

 

Icons for garden features: a green leaf for "Evergreen Native," a butterfly for "Attracts Pollinators," and a hummingbird for "Attracts Hummingbirds."


Parkway Kit 1 Gallery

Kit 2

 

Plan 2: Landscape plan labeled "Plan 2" shows a 10x4 ft area with a curb. It includes Pigeon Point coyote brush (1), sea cliff buckwheat (1), and California fuchsia (1), with a central sign.

Plants Included in Kit 2

An Image of Pigeon Point Coyote Brush. Dense green foliage fills the circular frame with two icons below: a leaf and a butterfly icon.

Pigeon Point Coyote Brush

Baccharis pilularis spp. pilularis ‘Pigeon Point’ is a hardy groundcover that forms a mound of bright green leaves. It can tolerate both coastal conditions and inland heat but may need occasional summer water in inland locations. Since this is a male selection, it does not produce seed.

 

 

An image of Sea Cliff Buckwheat. A small blue butterfly with orange spots perches on pink and white flowers. Two icons below: a green leaf and a butterfly

Sea Cliff Buckwheat 

Eriogonum parvifolium is an important host plant for a number of pollinating insects, including certain endangered species, and the El Segundo blue butterfly.

 

 

Image of California Fuchsia. Close-up of a vibrant red tubular flower with drooping petals, surrounded by green foliage. Below, icons of a butterfly and a hummingbird are visible.

California Fuchsia

Epilobium canum is a perennial known for its profusion of bright scarlet flowers in the summer and autumn – usually the only plant flowering at the height of summer.

 

 

 

Icons for garden features: a green leaf for "Evergreen Native," a butterfly for "Attracts Pollinators," and a hummingbird for "Attracts Hummingbirds."


Parkway Kit 2 Gallery

 

Kit 3

Plan 3:

Plant Included in Kit 3

Image of Yarrow. Cluster of small white flowers with yellow centers against dark green foliage. Icons of a leaf and butterfly are at the bottom.

Common Yarrow

Achillea millefolium is a perennial groundcover with small white flowers with yellow centers. The flowers bloom in the spring and summer, clustering together to create landing pads for pollinators.

 

 

Image of Idaho Fescue. Close-up of ornamental grass with fine blades, in a circular frame. Below are icons of a green leaf and a butterfly.

Idaho Fescue

Festuca idahoensis is a smaller selection of blue-green, densely-clumping, long-lived perennial grass that produces soft foliage and smaller blooms. The flower clusters bloom in the summer and have hairy spikelets which produce bristly, inedible fruits.

 

 

Image of Firecracker Showy Island Snapdragon. Close-up of a vibrant red flower with green leaves, surrounded by icons: a green leaf, a butterfly, and a hummingbird.

Firecracker Showy Island Snapdragon

Gambelia speciosa ‘Firecracker’ is a fast growing perennial that boasts bright long bloom red flowers and a compact habit.

 

 

 

Green Leaf Icon means the plant is an evergreen native plant, butterfly icon means the plant attracts pollinators, and the hummingbird icon means the plant attracts hummingbirds.


Parkway Kit 3 Gallery

 

Kit 4

 

Garden Plan 4 design showing a 10x4-foot layout with stones and five plant types, including sedge, buckwheat, rush, sage, and blue eyed grass.

Plants Included in Kit 4

Image of Clustered Field Sedge. Close-up of green grass in a circular frame, with a leaf and butterfly icon at the bottom.

Clustered Field Sedge

Carex praegracilis is a grass that has an upright, mounding form. It spreads by rhizomes, has a soft texture, and produces flower clusters in the spring. 

 

 

Image of Sand Dune Sedge. Close-up of green grass within a circular frame, bordered by two icons: a leaf and a butterfly.

Sand Dune Sedge

Carex pansa is a grass that prefers a sandy soil and grows from a network of thin, coarse rhizomes. Flowers are made up of clusters of several spikes of dark brown flowers. 

 

 

Image of Red Buckwheat. Pink flowers with clustered petals on green stems are framed in a circle. Below, leaf and butterfly.

Red Buckwheat

Eriogonum grande var. rubescens is a matt-forming perennial that produces flower stalks with clusters of white, pink, or red flowers. It has a long bloom time through the spring, summer, and fall, making it a favorite among pollinators.

 

 

Image of Common Rush. Circular image of a lush clump of tall green grass in a sandy setting. Below, icons of a leaf and a butterfly.

Common Rush 

Juncus patens is a grass-like plant that is tough and easy to grow. It can tolerate both wet and dry conditions, and produces red-brown flower clusters that sprout from the sides of the stems rather than the tips.

 

 

Image of Point Sal Sage. Close-up of a purple sage flower with fuzzy petals and green foliage, encircled with icons of a leaf and butterfly at the bottom.

Point Sal Sage

Salvia leucophylla ‘Point Sal’ is a low-growing groundcover with grayish-green leaves and lavender-pink flower stalks that needs little water and maintenance.

 

 

Image of Silver Carpet Aster. A delicate purple and white flower with a yellow center blooms amidst green foliage. Below are icons of a leaf and a butterfly

Silver Carpet Aster

Corethrogyne filaginifolia ‘Silver Carpet’ is low- growing and compact with a mounding form, beautiful silver foliage, and pink flowers that last from summer through fall.

 

 

Image of Blue eyed Grass. Two vibrant purple flowers with yellow centers are set against a soft green grassy background, enclosed in a circular frame with a butterfly icon below.

Blue-eyed Grass

Sisyrinchium bellum is an easy- to-grow perennial that reseeds easily, and will help fill in spaces. Its blue-purple flowers bloom in the winter and spring, and provide a pop of color in any landscape.

 

 

Icons for garden features: a green leaf for "Evergreen Native," a butterfly for "Attracts Pollinators," and a hummingbird for "Attracts Hummingbirds."


Parkway Kit 4 Gallery

 

Kit 5

 

Alt text: "Landscape plan labeled 'Plan 5' featuring a garden layout with a curbside strip. The design includes stones, a sign, and plant arrangements: Yankee Point Carmel ceanothus (1), Island alum root (2), Douglas iris (1), and an existing tree. Plant symbols and quantities are illustrated on the right."

* Recommended for parkways with trees

Plants Included in Kit 5

Image of Yankee Point Carmel Ceanothus. A lush bush with clusters of small, light blue flowers. At the bottom, icons of a leaf and a butterfly

Yankee Point Carmel Ceanothus 

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus ‘Yankee Point’ is a spreading groundcover that forms a mound with glossy green leaves. It produces one-inch-long blue flowers in the spring.

 

 

Image of Island Alum Root. Pink flowers in full bloom are featured in a circular frame, with icons below depicting a leaf, butterfly, and hummingbird.

Island Alum Root 

Heuchera maxima is an perennial with large, multi-lobed green leaves and erect flower stalks with many clusters of tiny pink flowers that bloom in the winter and spring.

 

 

Image of Douglas Iris. Close-up of vibrant purple iris flowers with intricate white markings, surrounded by green leaves. Two icons below: a leaf and a butterfly.

Douglas Iris 

Iris douglasiana is a perennial herb with a grass-like appearance and beautiful flowers that bloom in the winter and spring. Flowers are typically blue-purple, but the color can be highly variable and many cultivars are available. 

 

 

 

Green Leaf Icon means the plant is an evergreen native plant, butterfly icon means the plant attracts pollinators, and the hummingbird icon means the plant attracts hummingbirds.


Parkway Kit 5 Gallery