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Tour: University Garden

Patio in the Grass
Columbine
Rusty Sedge
Columbine

Common name:Columbine
Botanical name:Aquilegia hybrids

Coumbine has large, spurred flowers with clear colors of white, lavender, yellow, deep red and pink which are borne on 2 1/2' tall plants. The strikingly beautiful blooms make good cut flowers. They require partial shade or full sun, along with well- drained soil. The colors, however, cannot be chosen.

Rusty Sedge

Common name:Rusty Sedge
Botanical name:Carex subfusca

This plant looks like a bunch grass and grows and seeps along seasonal creeks. It prefers full sun and has green foliage. It is an evergreen grass that can be used to create meadows. It can go unmowed or mowed.

Designer: Owen Dell

Patio in the Grass
Image: 17 of 18

Photographer: Owen Dell

Soils and Compost:

Practice grass-cycling by leaving short grass clippings on lawns after mowing, so that nutrients and organic matter are returned to the soil.

Water Saving Tip:

Replace turf with groundcovers, trees, and shrubs. If you have areas where no one uses the grass, patches that do not grow well, or a turf area too small to water without runoff, consider replacing the turf with water-efficient landscaping.

Integrated Pest Management:

Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.