I agonized over drip vs sprinklers and ultimately opted for standard
sprinklers, as I dont like raking up the irrigation system - I am under
dripline of a number of very big Monterrey Pines, and they suck the ground
so dry I need a higher volume water source, and one more robust than those
clogging and fragile drip systems. I use drip on a row of monterey cypress,
tapped off the underground system. I have a system timer, but choose to
water manually, when things get really dry, to save water.
Re natives, I have planted cypress, pacific wax myrtle, coffeeberry,
ceanothus, and several bush and groundcover manzanitas. Unfortunately, I
found that out here on the coast, pittosporum and italian buckthorn (same
genus as coffeeberry) make much more vigorous screens than coffeeberry and
myrtle, respectively, so have replanted in places where natives have not
thrived. Groundcovers on steep slopes are prostrate rosemary, wild ginger,
red apple aptenia (bees love it) , and miniature pink iceplant.