Exterior Garden Map

Select a section on the map below to view details about the plant species it contains or view a full list of all sections below the map.

Full List of Sections

East Water-Wise Garden

East Water-Wise Garden

Twin Flowered Agave

Agave geminiflora

Agave geminiflora has narrow dark green leaves that all grow outwards from the center of the plant. Its flowers grow in pairs that form from a long spike that grows out of the plant. The name 'geminiflora', means "twin flowered" and is a reference to the fact that the flowers grow in pairs.

Plant Type: Evergreen succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 2' - 4'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Season: Infrequent
Native To: Mexico

Mexican Blue Palm

Brahea Armata

The Mexican Blue Palm is a slow-growing fan palm with a solitary stout trunk. The striking fan-shaped leaves are attached on long stalks armed with yellow teeth. In the summer, the spectacular creamy-colored flowers cluster on 15-foot-long inflorescences, which rise up and arch over and down from the middle of the crown of leaves.

Plant Type: Evergreen palm
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 25' - 40'
Mature Width: 6' - 8'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Silver-blue
Bloom Color: Cream
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: Baja California

Guadelupe Palm

Brahea edulis

Brahea edulis is a slow growing, long lived fan palm with a thick trunk and blue-green wide leaves. It flowers in the summer, producing cream yellow flowers that later bear fruits that are edible and are eaten fresh or used in preserves. Brahea edulis is native to the north end of Guadalupe Island where it grows in the fog belt between 1,300 and 3,300 feet in elevation.

Plant Type: Evergreen palm
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 20' - 30'
Mature Width: 13'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Green, Brown, Gold
Bloom Color: Cream, Yellow
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: Guadeloupe Island in the Caribbean

Dwarf Poinciana

Caesalpinea pulcherrima

A fast-growing upright shrub or small tree, the Dwarf Poinciana has colorful flowers on prickly branches. In the tropics it can grow up to 20 feet high and bloom all year.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 10' - 20'
Mature Width: 6' - 12'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Orange-yellow with Red stamens
Bloom Season: Most of the year depending on the climate
Native To: Tropical Americas

Variegated Carmel Creeper

Ceanothus x 'Diamond Heights'

The Varigated Carmel Creeper is an unusual low-growing Ceanothus hybrid that will appeal to those who are attracted to variegated foliage. It is a bright low-growing shrub with chartreuse leaves splashed with dark green, and an excellent choice for containers, along a shady border, or spilling over a wall.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 12"
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Yellow to Chartreuse
Bloom Color: Blue
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: California

Medditerranian Fan Palm

Chamaerops humilis

Mediterranian Fan Palm is a clustering palm that has stocky trunks and a large, bushy, mounded form. It makes a nice barrier or group accent at the corner of the landscape. Use in containers for patio, deck or foundation areas. It's often used in commercial landscapes where its slow growth needs little maintenance. It may even be grown indoors as a houseplant.

Plant Type: Perennial evergreen
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 6' - 15'
Mature Width: 6' - 20'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8a to 11b
Colors: Blue-grey, Green, Brown
Bloom Color: Gold, Yellow
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Mediterranian coast of Europe and North Africa

Toothless Desert Spoon

Dasylirion longifolium

Toothless Desert Spoon is a large evergreen trunk-forming shrub with fairly rigid long narrow grass-like leaves. The leaves radiate symmetrically out of a large woody trunk that can slowly but eventually grow to 6 to15 feet tall. Not each year but generally summer to fall, a nine-foot-tall spike of small white flowers emerge from reddish buds.

Plant Type: Evergreen succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 6' - 10'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 7 to 11
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: Mexico

Moroccan Mound

Euphorbia resinifera

Euphorbia resinifera is a dense, slow-growing shrub that forms a multi-stemmed, cushion-shaped clump with small protruding spines. The name ‘resinifera’ comes from the toxic resinous substance this plant produces.

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2'
Mature Width: 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9a to 11b
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Season: Spring/Summer
Native To: Morocco

Chinese Fan Palm

Livistonia Chinensis

Livistonia Chinensis is often used as an ornamental tree in gardens and parks because of its fan-shaped leaves and its ability to grow well in many conditions. It can grow in a range of soils types including clay, loam, sand, acidic, and alkaline, and it can grow in both full sun and full shade.

Plant Type: Tree
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 20' - 50'
Mature Width: 11' - 15'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Green, Brown, Black
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Japan, Taiwan, China, Ryukyu Islands, and Hainan

Senegal Date Palm

Phoenix reclinata

Phoenix reclinata is a tall multi-trunked palm with slender light-gray trunks that curve outward and hold green leaves at their tips. It is a dioecious species, which means it has either male or female flowers. The females produce small, orange fruits. It is often found in riparian areas, but can also grow in drier areas like grasslands.

Plant Type: Evergreen palm
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 20' - 30'
Mature Width: 15' - 25'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9a
Colors: Green, Brown, Orange
Bloom Color: Insignificant
Bloom Season: Infrequently
Native To: Central Africa, Madagascar, Comoro Islands

Ravenala madagascariensis

Traveler's Palm

Up to one quart of rain water can accumulate in the cupped base of each leaf stalk of the Traveler's Palm, thus giving rise to the common name for this plant which suggests an emergency drinking water source for travelers in need.

Plant Type: Broadleaf evergreen
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 30' to 50'
Mature Width: 15' to 25'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 10a to 11
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Year-round
Native To: Madagascar

Blue Chalksticks

Senecio Serpens

Blue Chalksticks are evergreen succulents that form a semi-trailing mat of upright foliage. Its finger-like leaves are frosty blue-green with pink tips. Blue Chalksticks have white, disk shaped flowers that bloom in summer and attract pollinators.

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1'
Mature Width: 2' - 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 10 to 11
Colors: Blue-green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Summer/Fall
Native To: South Africa

Windmill Palm

Trachycarpus fortunei

Windmill Palms can be grown in large containers. When no protection from strong wind is provided, the leaves tend to tear. The damage is not lethal, but it is unsightly. The dark brown bark is fibrous and often used in the making of rope, brooms, mats, and cloth in China.

Plant Type: Perennial evergreen
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 8' - 10'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 7a to 11b
Colors: Green, Brown
Bloom Color: Gold, Yellow
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: China

Entry Garden

Entry Garden

Cousin Itt Acacia

Acacia cognata ACCOG01

A drought-tolerant shrub with a low-growing mounding form, the Cousin Itt Acacia has bushy branches dense with bright yellow-green foliage. Leaves are long, narrow, and flimsy. Because of its name, this acacia was a question on the popular quiz show Jeopardy in 2019.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 8" - 1'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Yellow, Green
Bloom Color: Pale Yellow
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Australia

Sonoma Coast Yarrow

Achillea millefolium 'Sonoma Coast'

A self-sowing perennial that attracts butterflies and other pollinators, Sonoma Coast Yarrow has low-growing, ferny, aromatic leaves. Flat-topped flower umbels grow on 1' to 2' tall stems. They are tolerant of drought, wind, and heat.

Plant Type: Perennial herb
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 6' - 12'
Mature Width: 2' - 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 4 to 8
Colors: Dark Grey-green
Bloom Color: Creamy White
Bloom Season: Spring, Summer
Native To: California

Sunburst Aeonium

Aeonium decorum 'Sunburst'

Sunburst Aeonium forms large, rounded rosettes in bright, cheerful colors. Leaves are variegated in creamy yellow, pale green, and copper-pink. Pups are peachy-yellow. Stalks of yellow flowers bloom from mature rosettes.

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 2'
Mature Width: 3' - 5'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Varigated
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: Canary Islands

Ray of Light Foxtail Agave

Agave attenuata 'Ray of Light'

Ray of Light Foxtail Agave is a hybrid succulent that forms a spineless, variegated rosette. After several years, the mature plant produces a tall, arching flower spike.

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 4' - 5'
Mature Width: 3' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Varigated
Bloom Color: Yellow-green
Bloom Season: Infrequent
Native To: Mexico

Artichoke Agave

Agave parryi Var. 'Truncata'

Artichoke Agave is a striking ornamental succulent that forms symmetrical rosettes of stiff leathery, grey-blue-green leaves. Needle-sharp, ruddy brown spines arm the leaf margins and leaf tips. Spreads by suckering offshoots. Mature plants produce tall flower spikes.

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 3' - 4'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 6 to 9
Colors: Grey, blue, green
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Season: Infrequent
Native To: Mexico

Fan Aloe

Aloe plicatilis

The Fan Aloe is a succulent shrub distinguished by its grey stems, each topped with a striking fan-shaped cluster of flat, slightly upcurved leaves. These blue‑grey leaves reach about 12 inches in length and end in rounded tips. As the plant matures, older leaves drop away cleanly, revealing an attractive smooth trunk.

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 4' - 8'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Blue-grey
Bloom Color: Red
Bloom Season: Winter-spring
Native To: South Africa

Arabian Aloe

Aloe rubroviolacea

Arabian Aloe is a sprawling succulent that forms rosettes of thick, fleshy leaves atop slow-growing stems. Leaves flush maroon in winter. Tall clusters of tubular orange-red flowers appear in fall to winter.

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Blue-grey
Bloom Color: Red-purple
Bloom Season: Fall-winter
Native To: Arabian Peninsula

Pink African Daisy

Arctotis Spc.

African daisy is a genus of at least 60 annual or perennial flowering plants in the daisy family. The plants grow 1 to 2 feet tall in a mounding or spreading habit. They prefer full sun in well-drained sandy or rocky soils.

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' to 2'
Mature Width: 1' to 1'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9a to 11b
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Gold/yellow, Orange, Pink, Red/burgandy, White
Bloom Season: Fall-summer
Native To: Southern Africa

Bismarck Palm

Bismarckia nobilis

Bismarck Palm makes a fine specimen or street tree, or an accent in a sunny garden. Its silver-blue leaves really pop in the landscape when planted near dark green-leaved plants.

Plant Type: Perennial tree
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 30' - 40'
Mature Width: 10' - 15'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8b to 10b
Colors: Silver-blue
Bloom Color: Brown-copper
Bloom Season: Seasonal Bloomer
Native To: Madagascar

Mexican Blue Palm

Brahea Armata

Plant Type: Evergreen palm
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 25' - 40'
Mature Width: 6' - 8'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Silver-blue
Bloom Color: Cream
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: Baja California

Angel's Trumpet 'Charles Grimaldi'

Brugmansia x Cubensis 'Charles Grimaldi'

Angel's Trumpet is a fast-growing shrub or small tree with woody bark. Its flowers are akin to large, drooping trumpets that emit a strong fragrance, especially in the evening, attracting both hummingbirds and moths. They benefit from a hard cut back or pruning for shape in the spring, but use care working with them as all parts of these plants are poisonous.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 8' - 12'
Mature Width: 6' - 12'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 10 to 11
Colors: Medium-green
Bloom Color: Golden-orange
Bloom Season: Summer to Fall
Native To: Andes

Green Carpet Natal Plum

Carissa macrocarpa 'Green Carpet'

Green Carpet Natal Plum forms a dense mat of attractive, glossy emerald-green foliage set on spiny stems, accented with sweetly-fragrant, star-shaped bright-white flowers. Flowers are followed by small, oval-shaped edible fruit that ripen to bright-red in summer. Its sprawling form makes it well-suited as a low-growing hedge or dense-growing groundcover.

Plant Type: Shrub, ground cover
Water Needs: Low to moderate
Mature Height: 12" - 15"
Mature Width: 4' - 5'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: All year
Native To: Africa

Dwarf Cape Rush

Chondropetalum tectorum

Dwarf Cape Rush is a compact marsh plant with upright, jointed matte blue-green stems that grow as wide as the diameter of a pencil. Each joint is enveloped by an ornamental papery bracht that blends hues of cream, rust, scarlet, and brown. Dark brown flower heads grow at the tips of the foliage.

Plant Type: Grass-like
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 3' - 4'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Blue-green
Bloom Color: Brown
Bloom Season: Summer-fall
Native To: South Africa

Rock Purslane

Cistanthe grandiflora

Rock Purslane grows in clumps and produces pink, or sometimes white, flowers at the end of long stems. The flowers stalks can rebloom, so do not deadhead until all the blooms are completely spent.

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 1.5'
Mature Width: 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 3a to 9b
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Pink, White
Bloom Season: Spring, Summer
Native To: Chile

Cycad

Cycas sp.

The genus Cycas includes 113 species of palm-like cycads. They are native to equatorial regions around the world. Some of these species will grow up to 40 feet tall, while others remain compact enough to be grown as houseplants. The leaves uncoil similarly to ferns and form a whorled arrangement at the top of the trunk.

Plant Type: Cycad
Water Needs: Dependent on species
Mature Height: Will depend on specific species
Mature Width: Will depend on specific species
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9a to 11b
Colors: Medium Green
Bloom Color: Non-flowering
Bloom Season: Non-flowering
Native To: Equatorial regions of Asia, Africa, India, Australia, South America and some Pacific Islands

Giant Chalk Dudleya

Dudleya brittonii

Giant Chalk Dudleya forms lotus-like rosettes of fleshy leaves which are coated in a fine chalky white powder. Stalks of yellow flowers appear in spring and summer, attracting hummingbirds. Avoid overhead watering.

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 2'
Mature Width: 1' - 2'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Chalky White
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Season: Spring, summer
Native To: Baja California

Golden Barrel Cactus

Echinocactus grusonii

Golden Barrel Cactus is widely recognized for its spherical shape. The spines are densely packed and are a vibrant gold color, providing a striking contrast to the green body of the cactus. It is well-suited to the hot and dry conditions of its native habitat, making it an excellent choice for desert gardens in regions with similar climates.

Plant Type: Cactus
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 4'
Mature Width: 2' - 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Green-gold
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Season: Spring-summer
Native To: Queretaro and Hidalgo, Mexico

Sea Breeze Seaside Daisy

Erigeron glaucus 'Sea Breeze'

Sea Breeze Seaside Daisy has a low, mounding habit. Aster-like flowers bloom from spring to summer, opening up to 3 inches across. Threadlike petals appear in lavender-pink with yellow button-centers that attract all sorts of pollinators. Performs best in coastal gardens.

Plant Type: Evergreen perennial
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 6" - 12"
Mature Width: 3' - 5'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Grey-green
Bloom Color: Lavender-pink
Bloom Season: Spring-fall
Native To: Coastal California and Oregon

Miners Merlot Spurge

Euphorbia 'Miners Merlot'

Miners Merlot Spurge is ideal as an accent plant or when used in groupings throughout garden beds and containers. It's perfect for rock gardens and a fine addition to a Xeriscape. The long-lasting lime-colored flowers are excellent for cutting and use in vases, but be careful to avoid getting the sap from cut stems on your skin.

Plant Type: Evergreen perennial
Water Needs: Low-medium
Mature Height: 18" - 24"
Mature Width: 18" - 24"
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 5 to 8
Colors: Burgandy, blackish, olive green
Bloom Color: Lime green
Bloom Season: Late Summer to late Fall
Native To: Chance Hybrid developed in United States

Moreton Bay Fig

Ficus macrophylla

Like the magnificent specimens in Balboa Park, Moreton Bay figs are far too large for home gardens or street plantings, but they make extraordinary park trees. Mature individuals develop massive buttressing roots that radiate from the trunk, and in more humid climates they may also produce dramatic aerial roots.

Plant Type: Evergreen
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 60'
Mature Width: 70' - 75'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 1 to 9
Colors: Glossy dark green leaves above, Brown below
Bloom Color: Inconspicuous flowers, purple or yellow edible fruit
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: Eastern Australia

Globe Daisy

Graptopetalum paraguayense CV. Bronze

Native to Mexico, the Globe Daisy is very popular among succulent enthusiasts for its rosette-shaped foliage and ease of care. The color of Graptopetalum paraguayense depends on the heat and sun it receives, with blue-tinged leaves in the shade and pink edges in sunny and dry conditions.

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 3"
Mature Width: 5"
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9a to 11b
Colors: Gray, Pink
Bloom Color: White, Pink
Bloom Season: Summer, Fall
Native To: Tamaulipas, Mexico

Pink Trumpet Tree

Handroanthus impetiginosus

The Pink Trumpet Tree has a gray fissured trunk and lobed leaves divided into as many as 7 leaflets radiating outward. The pink trumpet flowers have a white throat with yellow stripes and bloom in large clusters in the spring, just before the new foliage emerges.

Plant Type: Semi-evergreen tree
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 20' - 30'
Mature Width: 10' - 20'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8b to 11
Colors: Grey-green
Bloom Color: Pink, White
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Mexico

Kentia Palm

Howea forsterian

The Kentia palm can be grown as a houseplant in temperate climates and requires little light. It can also adapt to sunny locations and it is used as a landscaping plant in Southern California.

Plant Type: Evergreen Perennial
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 4'
Mature Width: 4'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9b to 11b
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Fall, Winter
Native To: Australia

Sweetshade

Hymenosporum flavum

A slender evergreen tree with flowers resembling the scent of Frangipani blossoms (Plumeria). Sweetshade is often used in street plantings or other areas where a narrow upright tree is needed.

Plant Type: Evergreen tree
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 25'- 40'
Mature Width: 15' - 20'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Season: Spring, Summer
Native To: Queensland, New South Wales Australia

Silver Fox Mangave

Mangave 'Silver Fox'

Mangave 'Silver Fox' is a silver-gray succulent that starts off as a solitary rosette and with time it pups out to form a cluster of rosettes. The leaves are covered with a thick, waxy coating and are serrated along the margins. When it flowers, it sends up a tall stalk with bright yellow flowers at the top.

Plant Type: Evergreen succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1'
Mature Width: 2' - 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Silver-grey
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Season: Infrequent
Native To: Mexico

Wheeler's Dwarf Pittosporum

Pittosporum tobira 'Wheeler's Dwarf'

Wheeler's Dwarf Pittosporum is wonderful for the front of shrub borders and ideal for patios and terraces. A very adaptable shrub that will tolerate seaside conditions, inland heat, and alkaline soils. It is good for a low border planting or as a large scale groundcover.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 3' - 4'
Mature Width: 4' - 5'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8b to 11
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: China

Coffeeberry

Rhamnus californica

The Coffeeberry is a California native shrub that provides a habitat for wildlife and is drought-tolerant once established. Despite coming from the coffee-making genus, the Coffeeberry can be poisonous and is not recommended for consumption.

Plant Type: Evergreen Shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 6' - 8'
Mature Width: 6' - 8'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 7 to 10
Colors: Green, Red
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: California

Indian Hawthorn

Rhaphiolepis 'Majestic Beauty'

Indian Hawthorn has grey-brown fissured bark with dark green leathery leaves. Foliage emerges bronze. Light fragrant masses of pink flowers bloom in clusters at branch tips, followed by dark blue fruits.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub or small tree
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 15' - 25'
Mature Width: 8' - 10'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 7 to 11
Colors: Bronze-green
Bloom Color: Pink
Bloom Season: Fall, Winter, Spring
Native To: Horticultural Hybrid

Coppertone Stonecrop

Sedum Nussbaumerianum

A stemmed grower with orange and yellow foliage, Coppertone Stonecrop's leaf tips and margins deepen to a vibrant orange when grown in full sun. It has pointed upturned leaves and grows tall stems that eventually bend and spill nicely out of containers. After years of growth, any tall leggy plants are simple to prune and replant as stem cuttings.

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: Less than 1'
Mature Width: 2' - 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Orange-yellow
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Winter-spring
Native To: Mexico

Deodar Cedar

Cedrus deodara

The Deodar Cedar is a large evergreen conifer commonly used as a specimen tree for expansive lawns or pruned into screens and hedges. It is the most pendulous of the true cedars, characterized by drooping branchlets and gracefully nodding branch tips.

Plant Type: Evergreen tree
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 40' to 50'
Mature Width: 39' to 40'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 7 to 8
Colors: Green needles
Bloom Color: Non-flowering
Bloom Season: Non-flowering
Native To: Himalayas

Windmill Palm

Trachycarpus fortunei

Plant Type: Perennial evergreen
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 8' - 10'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 7a to 11b
Colors: Green, Brown
Bloom Color: Gold, Yellow
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: China

Mexican Fan Palm

Washingtonia robusta

The Mexican Fan Palm has a columnar trunk with a round crown of fan-shaped leaves. Rather than dropping off, dead leaves fold down against the trunk giving it a dense skirt. These are sometimes removed to prevent a fire hazard, but if left in place, they are excellent roosts for beneficial wildlife.

Plant Type: Evergreen tree
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 50' - 100'
Mature Width: 8' - 10'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9a to 11b
Colors: Brown, Gold, Red
Bloom Color: Gold, Yellow, White
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: Northwest Mexico

Giant Chain Fern

Woodwardia fimbriata

Giant Chain Fern is the largest fern in North America. It has arching dark-green fronds and can be either evergreen or summer deciduous, depending on its growing conditions. It prefers at least some shade and some moisture, but does not like continually wet soil. It can be cut back to the ground at the end of winter.

Plant Type: Evergreen or Summer Deciduous Fern
Water Needs: Moderate
Mature Height: 4' - 6'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 10
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: N/A
Bloom Season: N/A
Native To: Western North America

Evening Garden

Evening Garden

Spiny Bear's Breech

Acanthus spinosus

Acanthus leaves have a classical appearance and were the source of the Corinthian leaf motif developed and used as a decoration in ancient Greek and Roman art and architecture.

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 3' - 4'
Mature Width: 2' - 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 5 to 9
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Pink, Mauve
Bloom Season: June - August
Native To: Europe, Mediteranean

Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum

The Japanese Maple's general plant form is rounded to broad-rounded, often with low branching. Each palmate green leaf has 5 to 7 pointed toothed lobes. The flowers are rather attractive close up, but are not particularly showy from a distance.

Plant Type: Tree
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 10' to 25'
Mature Width: 10' to 25'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 5 to 8
Colors: Yellow, Purple, Bronze
Bloom Color: Reddish-purple
Bloom Season: April
Native To: Korea, Japan, China

White Naked Lady Lily

Amaryllis belladonna 'Alba'

A hardy bulb in mild-winter regions, the Belladonna Lily is very easy to grow. Tall white, trumpet-shaped flowers with a touch of yellow at the throat are fragrant. It is perfect for cutting beds, borders, and container gardens

Plant Type: Bulb
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 2' - 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 5 to 9
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: South Africa

Silver Lady Dwarf Tree Fern

Blechnum gibbum 'Silver Lady'

The Silver Lady Dwarf Tree Fern is an evergreen fern with attractive bright green fronds that grow atop a short, slender trunk. Noted for fast growth and a symmetrical crown.

Plant Type: Evergreen fern
Water Needs: Regular
Mature Height: 3' to 6'
Mature Width: 3' to 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Non-flowering
Bloom Season: Non-flowering
Native To: New Zealand

Blonde Ambition Blue Grama

Bouteloua gracilis 'Blonde Ambition'

Blonde Ambition Blue Grama is a clump-forming ornamental grass with unique flower spikes that attach to stems at a 90 degree angle. The seed heads emerge chartreuse and mature to blonde. Foliage is blue-green and finely textured. Very heat and drought tolerant.

Plant Type: Ornamental grass
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 0.75' - 2.5'
Mature Width: 0.75' - 1.5'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 3 to 10
Colors: Blue-green
Bloom Color: Chartreuse
Bloom Season: June-August
Native To: Missouri, United States

Swan Lake Camellia

Camellia japonica 'Swan Lake'

The Swan Lake Camellia is an understory evergreen shrub with exceptionally large white flowers, blooming from January through May in California.

Plant Type: Evergreen Shrub
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 6' - 12'
Mature Width: 6' - 12'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 7 to 9
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Winter, Spring
Native To: China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan

Fairy Crassula

Crassula multicava 'Fairy'

Fairy Crassula is an evergreen, low-growing plant that rarely exceeds a foot tall in the landscape. It is often even shorter when grown in dry shade. Fairy Crassula forms wide mats with glossy rounded leaves that are darker green in the shade and paler green when exposed to more sun. The leaves often have small red dots on the upper surface.

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: <1'
Mature Width: 15" - 24"
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 11
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Pink and White
Bloom Season: Winter to Spring
Native To: South Africa

Spiked Cabbage Tree

Cussonia spicata

Cussonia spicata is an evergreen tree with large green leaves that form 'heads' at the ends of stems, which twist and turn. Small floers bloom at the tips of the branches in short spikes.

Plant Type: Evergreen tree
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 20' - 40'
Mature Width: 15' - 30'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9b to 11
Colors: Brown, Green
Bloom Color: Grey, White
Bloom Season: Spring, Summer
Native To: South Africa

Mexican Cycad

Dioon Edule

The Mexican Cycad is a slow-growing, palm-like evergreen cycad, native to deciduous oak forests and dry rocky slopes in eastern Mexico. The palm-like leaves have a feathery look but the tips are quite spiny.

Plant Type: Palm or cycad
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 6' to 8'
Mature Width: 4' to 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 11
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Showy, edible fruit
Bloom Season: Non-flowering
Native To: Mexico

Giant Chalk Dudleya

Dudleya brittonii

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 2'
Mature Width: 1' - 2'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Chalky White
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Season: Spring, summer
Native To: Baja California

Eastern Cape Blue Cycad

Encephalartos horridus

The Eastern Cape Blue Cycad begins with an upright stem that branches freely before extending downward into the soil. The underground part is usually longer than the above-ground part. Many stems may be grouped together forming an overlapping mass of impenetrable stems and leaves. The shallower the soil, the more above the soil the trunk extends. Plants may become extremely old.

Plant Type: Cycad
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 2' - 4'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 10 to 12
Colors: Blue-green leaves
Bloom Color: Red-brown cones
Bloom Season: Non-flowering
Native To: South Africa

Seaside Daisy

Erigeron glaucus

Often used as a houseplant in warm climates, the Seaside Daisy can be grown in rock gardens and crevice gardens. Aster-like flowers bloom from spring to summer with yellow button-centers that attract all sorts of pollinators.

Plant Type: Perennial
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 6" - 12"
Mature Width: 3' - 5'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Blue-green leaves
Bloom Color: Lavender-pink and Blue
Bloom Season: Spring to Fall
Native To: Coastal California and Oregon

Fiddleleaf Fig

Ficus lyrata

Ficus lyrata grows in lowland, tropical rainforests in its native habitat. The small Ficus lyrata grown as houseplants, are actually immature trees. Trees of this size would typically be found in the protection of the forest understory.

Plant Type: Broadleaf evergreen
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 60' - 100'
Mature Width: 30' - 60'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 10 to 12
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Insignificant
Bloom Season: Rarely
Native To: Western and Central Africa

Whirling Butterflies Gaura

Gaura lindheimeri 'Whirling Butterflies'

Whirling Butterflies Gaura features arching red stems, pink flower buds, and four-petaled snow white flowers which appear in long wand-like panicles above the foliage over a very long late spring to autumn bloom period. Flowers open only a few at a time, and dance in the wind like butterflies, hence the cultivar name.

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 1' - 2'
Mature Width: 4' - 5'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Olive green leaves
Bloom Color: Lavender-blue
Bloom Season: Spring to summer
Native To: Canary Islands

Kentia Palm

Howea forsterian

The Kentia palm can be grown as a houseplant in temperate climates and requires little light. It can also adapt to sunny locations and it is used as a landscaping plant in Southern California.

Plant Type: Evergreen Perennial
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 4'
Mature Width: 4'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9b to 11b
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Fall, Winter
Native To: Australia

Island Pitchersage

Lepechinia fragrans

Island Pitchersage have strongly fragrant fuzzy green semi-triangular leaves. Scented blooms in spring and summer attract many pollinators. Like strands of lavender lanterns, foxglove-like flowers are held in calyces along lax stems.

Plant Type: Semi-evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 4' - 6'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 10
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Lavender-pink
Bloom Season: Spring-Summer
Native To: California

Chinese Fan Palm

Livistonia Chinensis

Plant Type: Tree
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 20' - 50'
Mature Width: 11' - 15'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Green, Brown, Black
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Japan, Taiwan, China, Ryukyu Islands, and Hainan

Platinum Beauty Lomandra

Lomandra x 'Platinum Beauty'

An evergreen grass-like perennial, Platinum Beauty Lomandra has variegated leaves that are light green with white stripes. Fine, upright-arching foliage forms a compact, fountain-like clump. Small yellow flower spikes emit a sweet fragrance in summer. Tolerates seaside, inland, and drought conditions.

Plant Type: Evergreen perennial
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 2' - 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 11
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: Australia

Sweet Olive

Osmanthus fragrans

The Sweet Olive is a small upright tree or shrub, with flowers that have a very powerful apricot fragrance which are sometimes added to teas.

Plant Type: Broadleaf evergreen
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 10' to 20'
Mature Width: 10' to 15'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: April
Native To: Himalayas, China, Japan

Birdtrap Tree

Pisonia bruncniana

This species is native to the main Hawaiian islands of O`ahu, Moloka`i, Lāna`i, Maui, and Hawai`i. The fruit is very sticky and traps small creatures and insects.

Plant Type: Perennial tree or shrub
Mature Height: 15' - 30'
Mature Width: 32'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Colors: Dark Green
Bloom Color: Greenish-white, Purple
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: Hawai'i, Norfolk Island, New Zealand

Silver Shield Plectranthus

Plectranthus argentatus 'Silver Shield'

Silver Shield Plectranthus is an upright-spreading, woody-based sub-shrub (or undershrub). Although its flowers are somewhat showy, this plant is usually grown primarily for its attractive fuzzy grey-green foliage.

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 2' - 2.5'
Mature Width: 2' - 2.5'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 10 to 11
Colors: Grey-green
Bloom Color: Bluish-white
Bloom Season: July-August
Native To: Australia

Karnikara

Pterospermum acerifolium

The Karnikara has broad, dense leaves and large funnel-shaped white flowers. Its leaves can grow large enough to be similar to the size of a dinner plate, which is where it gets its nickname "Dinner Plate Tree" It prefers to grow in a sheltered, bright location and be watered regularly during its growing season.

Plant Type: Perennial Tree
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 100'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 10 to 11
Colors: Green, Grey, Brown, Yellow
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: Assam, Bangladesh, China South-Central, East Himalaya, India, Laos, Malaya, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam

Moonshine Snake Plant

Sansevieria trifasciata 'Moonshine'

The Moonshine Snake Plant is a great container plant that can be grown outdoors or indoors. It requires little care, and will tolerate low light levels. It turns a darker green color with less light, but grows best and may flower in bright light or morning sun.

Plant Type: Evergreen succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 2'
Mature Width: <1'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 10a to 11
Colors: Silver-green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Mid-spring to early Summer
Native To: Western Africa

Lily Pilly

Syzygum smithi

Syzygum smithi is a compact, small tree with leaves that start out a reddish pink and mature to a dark glossy green. In Australian summer (fall and winter months in the Northern Hemesphere) its small, white flowers appear in clusters and are followed by clusters of round light pink fruits, which are edible and sometimes used for jam. Syzygum smithi is native to the forests of eastern Australia.

Plant Type: Perennial tree
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 20' - 50'
Mature Width: 6' - 8'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9a
Colors: Green, Brown, White
Bloom Color: Cream, White
Bloom Season: Fall, Winter
Native To: Australia

Coastal Rosemary

Westringia fruticosa 'Mundi'

Westringia fruticosa 'Mundi" is native to Australia, specifically the coast of New South Wales where it grows along the cliffs and near the sand on the beach. It is drought tolerant but keeps better color and grows more densely if watered occasionally in the spring and summer.

Plant Type: Evergreen Shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 2'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 10
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Year-round
Native To: Australia

Foothill Garden

Foothill Garden

Howard McMinn Manzanita

Arctostaphylos x 'Howard McMinn'

This Manzanita shrub has been widely used in developing manzanita cultivars and hybrids for garden use. Its fruit resembles a tiny apple.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 4' - 8'
Mature Width: 4' - 8'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 5 to 11
Colors: Red-brown, Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: California, Oregon

Pacific Mist Manzanita

Arctostaphylos x 'Pacific Mist'

Pacific Mist Manzanita is fast growing with twisting, pinkish to purplish branches. These branches have foliage that is greyer in hotter inland areas and greener near the coast. It produces small white flowers and red berries.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' to 3'
Mature Width: 6' to 12'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Pinkish to dark Purple-brown branches, Grey-green leaves, and Red berries
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Winter
Native To: California

European Grey Sedge

Carex divulsa

European Grey Sedge has dark green, grass-like foliage. Roots form dense, broad arching clumps. Spikes of small flower heads emerge green and turn brown. It is a great clumping plant for use in solid stands or combined with other sedges, grasses and herbaceous plants for a natural meadow look.

Plant Type: Perennial
Water Needs: Moderate
Mature Height: 12" - 18"
Mature Width: 1' - 2'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 4 to 10
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Brown
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Europe and Northern Africa

Snowball Monterey Ceanothus

Ceanothus rigidus 'Snowball'

Ceanothus 'Snowball' is a dense mounding shrub that is covered in pure white balls of flower clusters in the spring. The flowers really stand out against the plant's arching branches of dark green leathery leaves. It is best near the coast but can take inland heat.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 4' - 6'
Mature Width: 6' - 10'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Medium Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Spring to Winter
Native To: California

Deodar Cedar

Cedrus deodara

Plant Type: Evergreen tree
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 40' to 50'
Mature Width: 39' to 40'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 7 to 8
Colors: Green needles
Bloom Color: Non-flowering
Bloom Season: Non-flowering
Native To: Himalayas

Mountain Mahogany

Cercocarpus betuloides

Mountain Mahogany is known for its long, fuzzy seeds that resemble curled feathers and shine in the sun. "Cercocarpus" means fruit with a tail. The evergreen birch-like leaves have edges that are smooth at the bottom and toothed at the top. Its small yellow flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Mountain Mahogany is named for its dark bark color, but this plant is actually a member of the Rose family.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Very low
Mature Height: 8' - 20'
Mature Width: 10' - 12'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 7 to 9
Colors: Dark Green to Yellow-green
Bloom Color: Creamy-white
Bloom Season: Winter, Spring
Native To: Western United States, Baja California

Santa Cruz Island Buckwheat

Eriogonum arborescens

A fast growing compact mounding evergreen shrub, the Santa Cruz Island Buckwheat is usually a bit wider than tall. It develops a trunk and stems that have red ribbony bark and bears narrow hairy green leaves at the ends of the branches.

Plant Type: Shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 3' - 4'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 7 to 10
Colors: Blue-green leaves
Bloom Color: Pink
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: California

Moreton Bay Fig

Ficus macrophylla

Plant Type: Evergreen
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 60'
Mature Width: 70' - 75'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 1 to 9
Colors: Glossy dark green leaves above, Brown below
Bloom Color: Inconspicuous flowers, purple or yellow edible fruit
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: Eastern Australia

Creeping Fig

Ficus pumila

Creeping fig is a broadleaf, evergreen woody climber in the mulberry family. It climbs like English ivy by attaching itself to walls or supports via clusters of short roots. When grown outdoors, pear-shaped to cylindrical figs, mostly solitary, may appear throughout the year. They are green with white flecks maturing to purple, densely hairy,

Plant Type: Vine
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 10' - 15'
Mature Width: 3' - 6'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Insignificant
Native To: Eastern Asia

Island Alum Root

Heuchera maxima

Island Alum Root is a versatile flowering plant for many landscaping applications. Its large multi‑lobed foliage forms compact mounds that work beautifully as a groundcover, and it also serves as a pollinator‑friendly alternative to common exotic shade plants such as Hostas.

Plant Type: Evergreen perennial
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 2' - 3'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 4 to 9
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Pinkish-white
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: California Channel Islands

Dwarf Karo Pittosporum

Pittosporum crassifolium 'Compactum'

Dwarf Karo Pittosporum is adorned with olive green rounded leaves with greyish hairs on their undersides. New leaves exude a brighter yellow-green hue. Lightly fragrant maroon blossoms appear during spring. Its an excellent fit for borders or hedges.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Olive-green with Grey hairs
Bloom Color: Maroon
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: New Zealand

Western Sword Fern

Polystichum munitum

The Western Sword Fern has large arching, dark green erect fronds in clumps of 75 to 100 fronds that are born from a crown of scaly rhizomes. Sori (spore sacs) are yellowish and arranged in rows on the undersides of the fronds.

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Water Needs: Low to moderate
Mature Height: 3" - 4"
Mature Width: 2" - 4"
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 5a to 9b
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Non-flowering
Bloom Season: Non-flowering
Native To: Western North America

Eve Case Coffeeberry

Rhamnus californica 'Eve Case'

Eve Case Coffeeberry is a versatile shrub with a dense, rounded growth habit. It has leathery green leaves on reddish stems. Small flowers are followed by large berries that ripen to red-black by autumn. Attracts pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 6' - 8'
Mature Width: 6' - 8'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 7 to 10
Colors: Green, Red
Bloom Color: Greenish-white
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: California

Evergreen Currant

Ribes viburnifolium

The Evergreen Currant is considered to be a rare and endangered plant in the wild. It has thin dark red stems bearing aromatic leathery dark green leaves on stems arching up and out from the center of the plant. The small rose pink star-shaped flowers held in open clusters appear in late winter to mid-spring.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 3' - 4'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 11
Colors: Green, Red
Bloom Color: Rose, Pink
Native To: Santa Catalina Island to Baja California

Hummingbird Sage

Salvia spathacea

Salvia spathacea is a low growing sage that can be grown as a ground cover. It has aromatic leaves and pink flowers that bloom from late winter through the summer. Salvia spathacea is native to the grassy slopes along the California coastal ranges in from Solano County to Orange County and possibly north San Diego County.

Plant Type: Evergreen
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 2'
Mature Width: 4' - 5'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 7 to 10
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Pink
Bloom Season: Spring, Summer
Native To: California

Creeping Snowberry

Symphoricarpos mollis

Creeping Snowberry spreads via rhizomes, forming 3 to 4 foot wide patches. It has rounded light green leaves on slightly red stems, and pink flowers that give way to white berries. The flowers attract hummingbirds and the fruit is eaten by birds.

Plant Type: Deciduous Shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1'
Mature Width: 3' - 4'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 5
Colors: Green, White
Bloom Color: Pink
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: California

Asiatic Jasmine

Trachelospermum asiaticum

Asiatic Jasmine is a vine-like woody plant that is a low maintenance groundcover that is great for mass plantings and turfgrass alternatives. It may be used in planters, hanging baskets, or as a ground cover on sloped areas. Take advantage of its sweet-smelling flowers by allowing it to twine up fence, trellis, or arbor.

Plant Type: Vine, groundcover
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 2'
Mature Width: 10' - 12'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 7a to 11b
Colors: Dark Green to Red-bronze
Bloom Color: White, Gold, Cream
Bloom Season: Late spring to early summer
Native To: China, India, Japan, Korea

Giant Chain Fern

Woodwardia fimbriata

Plant Type: Evergreen or Summer Deciduous Fern
Water Needs: Moderate
Mature Height: 4' - 6'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 10
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: N/A
Bloom Season: N/A
Native To: Western North America

Fragrant Garden

Fragrant Garden

Javanese Bishopwood

Bischofia javanica

Growing in full sun on various soil types, Javanese Bishopwood grows quickly and easily. The dense rounded crown and thick trunk makes Bishopwood a popular shade tree. It grows well in confined urban soil spaces, however, the fruit is considered messy and stains walks when it drops to the ground, and aggressive roots can lift sidewalks.

Plant Type: Semi-evergreen tree
Water Needs: Moderate
Mature Height: 30' - 50'
Mature Width: 25' - 35'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 10a to 11
Colors: Green to Bronze-green
Bloom Color: Green-yellow
Bloom Season: Early fall
Native To: Tropical Asia, Pacific Islands

Valley Violet California Lilac

Ceanothus maritimus 'Valley Violet'

Ceanothus maritimus 'Valley Violet is native to coastal California. It is evergreen shrub and produces fragrant, lavender flower clusters in the spring. Ceanothus maritimus 'Valley Violet has small leaves that are grey-green in color. It grows in mounds and is beneficial to pollinators.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 3' - 4'
Mature Width: 3' - 4'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Grey, Green
Bloom Color: Purple
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: California

Green macrocarpa 'Green Carpet'

Green Carpet Natal Plum

Natal plum is an easy-to-grow, spiny evergreen perennial shrub with dense leathery green leaves, fragrant white flowers, and showy edible plum-like fruits. It makes for good ground cover or hedge.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 5' - 7'
Mature Width: 12" - 18"
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9a - 10b
Colors: Fruit: Green, Purple/lavender, Red/burgandy; Leaf: Brown/copper
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Kenya to South Africa

European Grey Sedge

Carex divulsa

Plant Type: Perennial
Water Needs: Moderate
Mature Height: 12" - 18"
Mature Width: 1' - 2'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 4 to 10
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Brown
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Europe and Northern Africa

Concha Wild Lilac

Ceanothus x 'Concha'

Ceanothus 'Concha' is an attractive shrub with arching branches of dark green leaves with notable prominent venation. A profusion of deep blue flower clusters emerge from reddish buds in spring.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low to medium
Mature Height: 4' - 6'
Mature Width: 6' - 10'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 7 to 10
Colors: Dark Green
Bloom Color: Dark blue
Bloom Season: Spring to Winter
Native To: California

Snowball Monterey Ceanothus

Ceanothus rigidus 'Snowball'

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 4' - 6'
Mature Width: 6' - 10'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Medium Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Spring to Winter
Native To: California

Giant Chalk Dudleya

Dudleya brittonii

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 2'
Mature Width: 1' - 2'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Chalky White
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Season: Spring, summer
Native To: Baja California

Hollywood Juniper

Juniperus chinensis 'Torulosa'

The Hollywood Juniper is a tough tree in the cypress family that can tolerate full sun, heat, drought, and most soil types. Its twisted form with tufts of dark green foliage give it a windswept look. It is a signature tree that was once commonly used in southern California landscapes.

Plant Type: Needled Evergreen
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 10' -15'
Mature Width: 6'-15'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 5a to 9b
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Non-flowering
Bloom Season: Non-flowering
Native To: China, Mongolia, Japan

Meerlo Lavender

Lavandula x allardii 'Meerlo'

Meerlo Lavender has aromatic slightly serrated narrow light grey-green leaves that are edged with a decorative light yellow to cream variegation. In mid-summer flowers appear on long stems held erect above the foliage. Though flowering only once and not particularly prolific, the individual flowers are larger than other lavender and the beautiful foliage more than makes up for the short flowering period.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 2' - 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 10
Colors: Gray-green leaves edged with light Yellow to Cream variegation
Bloom Color: Lavender-blue
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: Mediterranean

Pine Muhly

Muhlenbergia dubia

A great looking smaller grass, Pine Muhly is similar in appearance but about half the size of California Deer Grass and is more usable in smaller gardens. A perennial grass that forms tidy, fountain-shaped clumps. Its leaf blades are stiff, finely textured, and green.

Plant Type: Perennial grass
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 2' - 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 7 to 9
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Mauve to Creamy Tan
Bloom Season: Late Summer-fall
Native To: Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, northern Mexico

Purple Phlomis

Phlomis purpurea

Purple Phlomis has upright stems clothed in soft and woolly, lance-shaped grey-green foliage. The upper half of stems carry whorls of purplish pink, two-lipped hooded flowers.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 4' - 6'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Grey-green
Bloom Color: Lavender
Bloom Season: Summer-fall
Native To: Portugal, Spain, Morocco

Dwarf Karo Pittosporum

Pittosporum crassifolium 'Compactum'

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Olive-green with Grey hairs
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: April-May
Native To: China, Japan, Korea

Japanese Pittosporum

Pittosporum tobira

Japanese Pittosporum makes an excellent specimen plant, providing some structure and dense evergreen color to a landscape. The showy fragrant blooms smell like sweet orange blossoms. Fruit is in the fall when its non-edible fruit capsules ripen.

Plant Type: Broadleaf evergreen
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 8' - 13'
Mature Width: 4' - 8'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8a to 10b
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: April-May
Native To: China, Japan, Korea

Boule Rosemary

Rosmarinus officinalis 'Boule'

Named for the game played commonly in the South of France, Boule Rosemary forms a tight, dense mound that has a particularly formal appearance.

Plant Type: Evergreen
Water Needs: Low, Medium
Mature Height: 1' - 2'
Mature Width: 1' - 2'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Gray-green
Bloom Color: Blue
Bloom Season: Spring, Summer
Native To: Mediterranean

Germander Sage

Salvia chamaedryoides

This salvia has a compact, mounding growth habit that spreads slowly by underground runners. Grey-green leaves are small, textured and fragrant. Upward reaching stems carry two-lipped flowers in bright blue. Attracts pollinators.

Plant Type: Evergreen Shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 2'
Mature Width: 3' - 4'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 11
Colors: Gray-green
Bloom Color: Blue
Bloom Season: Year-round
Native To: Mexico

White Texas Sage

Salvia greggii 'Alba'

Salvia greggii is naturally found at elevations from 5000-9000 feet in the mountains and rocky slopes of Mexico and southwest Texas. This is an attractive and tough drought tolerant plant that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.

Plant Type: Evergreen Shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 2' - 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Spring, Fall
Native To: Southwestern United States

Santa Barbara Mexican Bush Sage

Salvia leucantha 'Santa Barbara'

Salvia leucantha 'Santa Barbara' is a quick growing shrub with upright stems covered in white hairs and narrow leaves that are grey green. Its purple flowers grow in rings at the tips of each branch well above the leaves. Salvia leucantha is in peak bloom from spring through fall, or until it gets cold enough for frost.

Plant Type: Evergreen Shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 7a-8
Colors: Gray-green, White
Bloom Color: Purple
Bloom Season: Year-round
Native To: Mexico

Wall Germander

Teucrium chamaedrys 'Prostratum'

Teucrium chamaedrys 'Prostratum' is often grown ornamentally. It has a woody base and its foliage forms clumps of evergreen leaves that look similar to oak leaves. Chamaedrys means "ground oak", as it gets its name from its leaf shape.

Plant Type: Evergreen Shrub
Water Needs: Low to Medium
Mature Height: 6" - 9"
Mature Width: 1.5' - 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 5 to 9
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Pink, Purple
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: Mediterranean

Chinese Star Jasmine

Trachelospermum jasminoides

Chinese Star Jasmine is an, evergreen, woody perennial. In areas where it is winter hardy (Southern California) it may be grown as a vine, a sprawling shrub, or as a ground cover. Sweetly fragrant, starry creamy white flowers appear in late spring with sporadic additional blooms in summer. Its flowers are attractive to bees.

Plant Type: Vine
Water Needs: Moderate
Mature Height: 3' - 20'
Mature Width: 3' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Bronze-green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: May-June
Native To: China, Japan

Chaste Tree

Vitex agnus-castus

The Chaste Tree can be grown as a small tree or a large shrub and does well in a waterwise garden. It is a member of the mint family and has pleasantly fragrant leaves.

Plant Type: Deciduous
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 12' - 15'
Mature Width: 15' - 20'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 6 to 10
Colors: Green, Gray
Bloom Color: Blue, Lavender
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: Mediterranean

Japanese Wisteria

Wisteria floribunda

Although it may be slow to establish, Japanese Wisteria is aggressive and often invasive due to its rampant growth. It has drooping clusters (racemes) of pink to purple pea-shaped, very fragrant flowers. After flowering, pendant velvety seed pods about 6 inches long ripen in fall.

Plant Type: Vine
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: Up to 25'
Mature Width: 10' - 20'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 4a to 9b
Colors: Bright Green
Bloom Color: Pink, Purple
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Japan

Lily Pond Garden

Lily Pond Garden

Seasonal, annual plants are planted at the base of the Lily Pond on a rotating basis. Since these change often, they are not shown in the map.

Everglades Palm

Acoelorrhaphe wrighti

Acoelorrhaphe wrightii is a clustering palm that is native to swamps and other low, wet areas in Florida, the Caribbean, and parts of Central America. Its leaves are fan shaped and can reach up to 2 feet wide. Yellow flowers bloom in spring and are followed by fruits that change color from green to orange to black as they mature.

Plant Type: Perennial tree
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 20' - 35'
Mature Width: 15' - 25'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9a to 11
Colors: Green, Brown, Black
Bloom Color: White, Green
Bloom Season: Winter, Spring
Native To: Caribbean, Central America, Florida, Mexico, Colombia

Rock Purslane

Calandrinia spectabilis

Rock Purslane grows in clumps and produces pink, or sometimes white, flowers at the end of long stems. The flowers stalks can rebloom, so do not deadhead until all the blooms are completely spent.

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 1.5'
Mature Width: 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 3a to 9b
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Pink, White
Bloom Season: Spring, Summer
Native To: Chile

Giant Milkweed

Calotropis gigantea

Giant Milkweed, a large shrub or small tree that has been extensively cultivated in tropical areas around the world. It is noted for its upright growth, milky sap, pale purple or white crown. This giant milkweed is an important larval plant for monarch butterflies.

Plant Type: Broadleaf evergreen
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 8' - 15'
Mature Width: 8' - 15'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 11 to 12
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Pale-purple and White
Bloom Season: Seasonal
Native To: India, southern China, Malaysia, and Indonesia

Canna Lily

Canna 'Peach Delight'

Cannas bring a touch of the tropics wherever they are planted. The "Peach Delight" canna has showy peachy-pink flowers. Cannas are attractive to bees and hummingbirds.

Plant Type: Perennial
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 3' - 4'
Mature Width: 1' - 2'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 11
Colors: Dark green
Bloom Color: Peach, Yellow
Bloom Season: Summer to early Fall
Native To: Hybrid developed by Florida Aquatic Nurseries, USA

Green Carpet Natal Plum

Carissa macrocarpa 'Green Carpet'

Natal plum is an easy-to-grow, spiny evergreen perennial shrub with dense leathery green leaves, fragrant white flowers, and showy edible plum-like fruits. It makes for good ground cover or hedge.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 5' - 7'
Mature Width: 12" - 18"
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9a - 10b
Colors: Fruit: Green, Purple/lavender, Red/burgandy; Leaf: Brown/copper
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Kenya to South Africa

Medditerranian Fan Palm

Chamaerops humilis

Plant Type: Perennial evergreen
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 6' - 15'
Mature Width: 6' - 20'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8a to 11b
Colors: Blue-grey, Green, Brown
Bloom Color: Gold, Yellow
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Mediterranian coast of Europe and North Africa

Orchid Rockrose

Cistus x purpureus

Orchid Rockrose is a low-maintenance shrub with profuse blooms that open and drop daily. Single flowers display deep pink, burgundy-spotted crepe-paper petals and golden stamens. Leaves are narrow and resinous. Tolerates heat, poor soil, and seaside conditions. Attracts butterflies.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 4' - 6'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Grey-green
Bloom Color: Pink with Burgandy spots
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Southern Europe

Magenta Rockrose

Cistus x purpureus 'Sunset'

Magenta Rockrose is an evergreen groundcover that grows low to the ground. It has wavy-edged, slightly fuzzy leaves. In spring and summer, its bright magenta flowers appear with yellow stamens at their centers.

Plant Type: Evergreen Shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 6' - 8'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 7 - 8
Colors: Dull grey green
Bloom Color: Pink with a dark red spot at the base of each petal
Bloom Season: Spring-summer
Native To: Europe, Southern Europe

Crassula arborescens 'Blue Waves'

Silver Dollar Jade is a succulent shrub that forms a stout trunk and dense foliage. Wavy-edged leaves are waxy, narrow, and bright green with fine red margins. Star-shaped flowers bloom in white to pale pink. Can be grown indoors.

Plant Type: Evergreen Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 3' - 4'
Mature Width: 2' - 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8 to 11
Colors: Grey-green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Spring, Summer
Native To: South Africa

Sago Palm

Cycas Revoluta

The Sago palm is a member of an ancient plant family known as cycads which dates back 200 million years. It is very slow-growing and requires very little maintenance.

Plant Type: Evergreen
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 3' - 10'
Mature Width: 3' - 10'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9a-12b
Colors: Green, Brown
Bloom Color: Yellow, Gold cones
Bloom Season: Fall
Native To: Southern China, Japan

Flax Lily

Dianella revoluta 'Baby Bliss'

The Flax Lily forms clumps of grass-like foliage. Its blue-green leaf blades are strappy and slightly arching. Loose clusters of pale violet star-shaped flowers are followed by lustrous purple fruits.

Plant Type: Evergreen perennial
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 2'
Mature Width: 1' - 2'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 7 to 11
Colors: Blue-green
Bloom Color: Violet
Bloom Season: Spring, Summer
Native To: Australia

Spotted Porcupine Mangave

Mangave x 'Spotted Porcupine"

The stunning Mangave ‘Spotted Porcupine’ is a unique hybrid succulent that combines the beauty of Agave toumeyana bella and Bloodspot. This plant features striking spotted foliage and a compact growth habit, making it a perfect addition to any succulent collection. Ideal for containers and small spaces.

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2'
Mature Width: 2'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Red/Burgandy, White
Native To: Man-made Hybrid

Phormium 'Rainbow Sunrise'

Rainbow Sunrise New Zealand Flax

Phormium 'Rainbow Sunrise' is also known as Phormium 'Maori Sunrise'. Its leaves grow from the center of the plant with central new growth coming in pale pink to pale yellow and a narrow bronze-green band along the leaf margin.

Plant Type: Perennial
Water Needs: Moderare
Mature Height: 8' - 10'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 11
Colors: Pink, Bronze, Green
Bloom Color: Insignificant
Bloom Season: Spring-Summer
Native To: New Zealand

Phormium 'Sundowner'

Sundowner New Zealand Flax

Sundownder New Zealand Flax is a cultivar that usually grows 6-8 feet, but that can grow up to 10 feet. It grows upright with wide leaves that are a bronzy green with pink margins. New foliage often grows in fully rose pink.

Plant Type: Evergreen perennial
Water Needs: Moderate
Mature Height: 8' - 10'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 11
Colors: Pink, Bronze, Green
Bloom Color: Insignificant
Bloom Season: Spring-Summer
Native To: New Zealand

Royal Palm

Roystonea regia

Roystonea Regia palm leaf bases overlap to form a smooth region above the trunk called the "crownshaft". Royal Palms drop their dying, old leaves, about one dead leaf per month. They also produce cream colored flowers and reddish-black fruits in the summer.

Plant Type: Evergreen Perennial
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 50' - 70'
Mature Width: 20' - 25'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 10a to 11
Colors: Green. Grey
Bloom Color: Yellow, Cream
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: Florida, Cuba

Bald Cypress

Taxodium distichum

Taxodium distichum may look like a needled evergreen, but it is deciduous and loses its leaves in the summer becoming 'bald', which is where it gets its common name. It is native to swamps, bayous and rivers in the Southern United States where it grows in swampy water with its branches covered in Spanish moss. Its yellowish-green foliage turns a rusty orange-brown in the fall.

Plant Type: Deciduous
Water Needs: Medium, High
Mature Height: 50' - 70'
Mature Width: 20' - 45'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 4 to 9
Colors: Bright Green, Orange
Bloom Color: Produces brown cones
Bloom Season: Non-flowering
Native To: Southern United States

Cardboard Palm

Zamia furfuracea

Cardboard Palm is a cycad native to the coastal mountains and sandy sea cliffs of Veracruz, Mexico. It grows slowly producing leaves that are oblong and coarse (like cardboard). Female plants produce cones that need to be fertilized by pollen from the male plants. Once fertilized, orange seeds mature on the cones.

Plant Type: Cycad
Water Needs: Low, Moderate
Mature Height: 3' - 4'
Mature Width: 4' - 7'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9a to 11b
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: N/A
Bloom Season: N/A
Native To: Mexico

Morning Garden

Morning Garden

Cast Iron Plant

Aspidistra elatior

The Cast Iron Plant, also called the Barroom Plant, does well in low-light and can withstand neglect. It does well in containers.

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennnial
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 2' to 3'
Mature Width: 1' to 2'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 7a to 11b
Colors: Green, Purple, Red-burgandy, Varigated, White leaves
Bloom Color: Tan, brown-copper, purple
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: China, Japan

Hong Kong Orchid Tree

Bauhinia x blakeana

Bauhinia x blakeana is a small tree with a light gray smooth bark and large, thick gray-green double lobed leaves that grow to give the canopy an umbrella shape. It has large flowers, but is sterile, so it does not seed. Bauhinia x blakeana comes from China; it was named after Sir Henry Blake, who was the Governor of Hong Kong from 1898 to 1903. Its flower is now the official floral emblem of Hong Kong.

Plant Type: Semi-deciduous tree
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 12' - 20'
Mature Width: 15' - 20'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Green, Brown
Bloom Color: Magenta
Bloom Season: Fall, Spring
Native To: China

Blonde Ambition Blue Grama

Bouteloua gracilis 'Blonde Ambition'

Plant Type: Ornamental grass
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 0.75' - 2.5'
Mature Width: 0.75' - 1.5'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 3 to 10
Colors: Blue-green
Bloom Color: Chartreuse
Bloom Season: June-August
Native To: Missouri, United States

Giant Chalk Dudleya

Dudleya brittonii

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 2'
Mature Width: 1' - 2'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Chalky White
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Season: Spring, Summer
Native To: Baja California

Seaside Daisy

Erigeron glaucus

Plant Type: Perennial
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 6" - 12"
Mature Width: 3' - 5'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Blue-green leaves
Bloom Color: Lavender-pink and Blue
Bloom Season: Spring-fall
Native To: Coastal California and Oregon

Santa Barbara Daisy

Erigeron karvinskianus

Santa Barbara Daisy is a trailing groundcover that is beautiful cascading over walls or pots. The small white daisies with a touch of pink bloom almost year-round. Flowers are a great treat for bees and tiny beneficial flies and wasps. The heat of summer does make it shut down, but as soon as the weather is a cool again, it perks right up and blooms again.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 2'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Yellow-chartreuse
Bloom Color: Blue
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: California

Whirling Butterflies Gaura

Gaura lindheimeri 'Whirling Butterflies'

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Water Needs: Moderate
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 2' - 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 5a to 9b
Colors: Green, Red-burgandy
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: Louisiana and Texas

Australian Tea Tree

Leptospermum laevigatum

Native to Western Australia, the Tea Tree is salt resistant and often planted in coastal climates to stabilize sand. Its seeds are dispersed by wind and water. It is used in the production of essential oils due to its antimicrobial properties.

Plant Type: Shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 15'
Mature Width: 10' - 30'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Green, Cream
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Eastern Australia

Chinese Fan Palm

Livistonia Chinensis

Plant Type: Tree
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 20' - 50'
Mature Width: 11' - 15'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Green, Brown, Black
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Japan, Taiwan, China, Ryukyu Islands, and Hainan

Tall Verbena

Verbena bonariensis

Verbena bonariensis grows rapidly and often forms clumps of dark green, serrated leaves that are about 1 foot tall. Tiny flowers grow from slender stems that rise out of the mounded leaves. These flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators.

Plant Type: Herbaceous Perennial
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 2' - 4'
Mature Width: 1.5' - 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9a-11a
Colors: Dark Green
Bloom Color: Pink, Purple
Bloom Season: Summer, Fall
Native To: South America

Blue Gem Coast Rosemary

Westringia fruticosa 'Blue Gem'

Westringia fructicosa 'Blue Gem' is an evergreen shrub that often forms mounds. It has silver-green leaves and small purple flowers that bloom year round.

Plant Type: Evergreen Shrub
Mature Height: 6' - 8'
Mature Width: 5' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 7 to 11
Colors: Silver-green
Bloom Color: Purple, Blue
Bloom Season: Year-round
Native To: Australia

Coastal Rosemary

Westringia fruticosa 'Mundi'

Plant Type: Evergreen Shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 2'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 10
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Year-round
Native To: Australia

Princess flower

Tibouchina urvilleana

Tibouchina urvilleana is an evergreen shrub. It's flowers are round and a shade of deep purple that bloom from summer through fall. Its leaves are green with brown velvety hairs.

Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 5' - 18'
Mature Width: 3' - 10'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Green, Brown
Bloom Color: Purple
Bloom Season: Summer, Fall
Native To: Brazil

Sensory Garden

Sensory Garden

Pigeon Pt Dwarf Coyote Brush

Baccharis pilularis 'Pigeon Point'

Pigeon Pt Dwarf Coyote Brush is a reliable slope stabilizer and ground cover. Once established it can get by with little summer water in coastal plantings and a monthly irrigation inland. Supports bees, caterpillars, and butterflies.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' to 2'
Mature Width: 8' to 10'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Cream
Bloom Season: Summer, Fall, Winter
Native To: California

European Grey Sedge

Carex divulsa

Plant Type: Perennial
Water Needs: Moderate
Mature Height: 12" - 18"
Mature Width: 1' - 2'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 4 to 10
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Brown
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Europe and Northern Africa

Ray Hartman Wild Lilac

Ceanothus x 'Ray Hartman'

Ray Hartman Wild Lilac is a fast-growing evergreen shrub or small tree with large rounded dark green leaves and medium blue flowers in 3 to 5 inch-long spikes that appear in late winter through early spring.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 12"
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Yellow to Chartreuse
Bloom Color: Blue
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: California

Valley Violet California Lilac

Ceanothus maritimus 'Valley Violet'

Ceanothus maritimus 'Valley Violet' is native to coastal California. It is an evergreen shrub and produces fragrant, lavender flower clusters in the spring. Ceanothus maritimus 'Valley Violet' grows in mounds with small grey-green leaves, and is beneficial to pollinators.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 3' - 4'
Mature Width: 3' - 4'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Grey, Green
Bloom Color: Purple
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: California

Deodar Cedar

Cedrus deodara

Plant Type: Evergreen tree
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 40' to 50'
Mature Width: 39' to 40'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 7 to 8
Colors: Green needles
Bloom Color: Non-flowering
Bloom Season: Non-flowering
Native To: Himalayas

Mountain Mahogany

Cercocarpus betuloides

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Very low
Mature Height: 8' - 20'
Mature Width: 10' - 12'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 7 to 9
Colors: Dark Green to Yellow-green
Bloom Color: Creamy-white
Bloom Season: Winter, Spring
Native To: Western United States, Baja California

Kashmir Cypress

Cupressus cashmeriana

Kashmir Cypress has a graceful weeping narrow pyramidal form featuring upright ascending main branches, from which droop long cascading pendulous sprays of aromatic blue-green branchlets.

Plant Type: Needled evergreen
Water Needs: Moderate
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 10
Colors: Blue-green
Bloom Color: Non-flowering
Bloom Season: Non-flowering
Native To: Bhutan

Tecate Cypress

Cupressus forbesii

The Tecate Cypress is a relic species from a time when California was wetter and cooler. It survives in a few places in Southern California and Northern Mexico. It relies on intermittent fire for reproduction, and it is important for watershed rehabilitation.

Plant Type: Cypress tree
Water Needs: Low to very low
Mature Height: Usually 20' to 23', can grow up to 33'
Mature Width: 25'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8b to 10b
Colors: Bright Green with Reddish bark
Bloom Color: Cones
Bloom Season: Non-flowering
Native To: Southern California and Mexico

Giant Chalk Dudleya

Dudleya brittonii

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 2'
Mature Width: 1' - 2'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Chalky White
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Season: Spring, summer
Native To: Baja California

Santa Cruz Island Buckwheat

Eriogonum arborescens

Plant Type: Shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 3' - 4'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 7 to 10
Colors: Blue-green leaves
Bloom Color: Pink
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: California

Pine Muhly

Muhlenbergia dubia

Plant Type: Perennial grass
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 2' - 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 7 to 9
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Mauve to Creamy Tan
Bloom Season: Late Summer-fall
Native To: Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, northern Mexico

Canary Island Pine

Pinus canariensis

In the Canary Islands, this fast growing species is used mainly for shade or a windbreak. The fallen leaves are used for packaging bananas. The seeds are used in the preparation of some traditional meals and are often eaten salted, and the oil has been explored as a new source of seed oil for edible, nutritional, and cosmetic uses.

Plant Type: Tree
Water Needs: Moderate
Mature Height: 50' to 100'
Mature Width: 20' to 35'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 12
Colors: Grey-green to Blue-green leaves and Red-brown bark
Bloom Color: Brown cones
Bloom Season: Non-flowering
Native To: Canary Islands

Japanese Pittosporum

Pittosporum tobira

Plant Type: Broadleaf evergreen
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 8' - 13'
Mature Width: 4' - 8'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8a to 10b
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: April-May
Native To: China, Japan, Korea

Quercus tomentella

Island Oak

Sun Needed: Full Sun

Red Flowering Currant

Ribes sanguineum

Red Flowering Currant is a stunning fast-growing native shrub for shady areas. It grows upright with a vase shape. Its dangling tassel-like flowers are dark pink to red. With its broad bright green leaves, it is useful as a background plant under oaks or other trees. The fruit is a dark purple oval berry.

Plant Type: Shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 8' - 10'
Mature Width: 6' - 10'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 6
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Dark pink, Red
Bloom Season: Winter-spring
Native To: British Columbia-California

Matilija Poppy

Romneya coulteri

Matilija Poppy is one of the largest and showiest California poppies. Large white petals with a crinkled texture surround yellow stamens, giving this poppy a bright cheerful appearance. Its flowers, which can be as large as 7 inches across, are attractive to bees and butterflies.

Plant Type: Perennial
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 6'- 10'
Mature Width: 20'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 6 to 10
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Spring/Summer
Native To: California

White Sage

Salvia apiana

White Sage is a fragrant shrub, deeply rooted in the cultures and lifeways of Indigenous communities of Southern California and northern Baja, the only region this sage naturally occurs in the world. This plant's limited wild populations are under threat from poaching, climate change, and development.

Plant Type: Semi-Deciduous Shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 3' - 5'
Mature Width: 3' - 8'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: White, Silver
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Winter, Summer
Native To: Southern California

White Texas Sage

Salvia greggii 'Alba'

Plant Type: Evergreen Shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 2' - 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Spring, Fall
Native To: Southwestern United States

Black Sage

Salvia mellifera

The Black Sage bush has textured dark green leaves and small blue, white, or lavender blooms. The leaves may appear almost black during dry periods, hence the name Black Sage. It is the most common type of sage in California and is a crucial source of nutrients for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Plant Type: Shrub
Water Needs: Extremely Low to Very Low
Mature Height: 3' - 6'
Mature Width: 3' - 10'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 7 to 10
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Blue, Purple, White
Bloom Season: Winter, Spring, Summer
Native To: California

Pozo Blue Sage

Salvia x 'Pozo Blue'

"Salvia X 'Pozo Blue' is an evergreen shrub that grows into a compact mound. Its leaves are grey-green, toothed, and fragrant. Its blooms are purple, and they attract many pollinators. Its heaviest blooms are in spring and fall.

Plant Type: Evergreen Shrub
Water Needs: Low, Medium
Mature Height: 3' - 4'
Mature Width: 3' - 4'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8 to 11
Colors: Gray-green
Bloom Color: Purple
Bloom Season: Spring, Fall
Native To: California

Shade Garden

Shade Garden

Peter Pan African Lily

Agapanthus africanus 'Peter Pan'

Peter Pan African Lily has clumps of narrow, strap-shaped leaves and produces clusters of trumpet-shaped, light blue flowers and darker mid-veins. It is suitable for borders, container plantings, and edgings.

Plant Type: Perennial
Water Needs: 8 to 11
Mature Height: 12" - 18"
Mature Width: 12" - 18"
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8 to 11
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Blue
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: South African Coast

Silk Tree

Albizia julibrissin

"The Silk Tree, also known as the Mimosa Tree, can grow a single trunk or multiple trunks. It has fragrant pink pom-pom flowers that bloom in mass, attracting bees and butterflies.
"

Plant Type: Tree
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 20' - 40'
Mature Width: 20' - 50'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 6 to 9
Colors: Green, Pink
Bloom Color: Pink
Bloom Season: June to July
Native To: Iran to Japan

King Palm

Archontophoenix cunninghamiana

Archontophoenix cunninghamiana gets its name from the "crown" which is the greenish-purplish-brown part of the trunk three feet below the leaves. At the top of this tall palm trunk are its feathery leaves. It boasts pink flowers at the base of the crownshaft.

Plant Type: Evergreen Palm
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 40' - 60'
Mature Width: 8' - 12'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 10 to 11
Colors: Green, Brown
Bloom Color: Pink
Bloom Season: Spring, Summer
Native To: Australia

Cast Iron Plant

Aspidistra elatior

The Cast Iron Plant, also called the Barroom Plant, does well in low-light and can withstand neglect. It does well in containers.

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennnial
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 2' to 3'
Mature Width: 1' to 2'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 7a to 11b
Colors: Green, Purple, Red-burgandy, Varigated, White leaves
Bloom Color: Tan, brown-copper, purple
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: China, Japan

Birds Nest Fern

Asplenium nidus

This resident of rainforests usually grows as an epiphyte, perched on trunks and tree limbs.The Bird Nest Fern is characterized by dramatic foliage, with large strap-shaped, bright green fronds and black midribs with wavy margins. Sori are found in clusters on the undersides, arranged in a herringbone fashion in black straight lines.

Plant Type: Epiphyte
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 3" to 5"
Mature Width: 2" to 3"
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 11a to 12b
Colors: Green, Brown
Bloom Color: Non-flowering
Bloom Season: Non-flowering
Native To: Indonesia, Malaysia, New Guinea, tropical Australia

Heartleaf Bergenia

Bergenia cordifolia

Bergenia cordifolia forms many clumps and is commonly used as a ground cover. It has rosettes of glossy dark green leaves that can turn purple or brown in the winter. In the spring it produces pink flowers at the ends of short stalks.

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 1'-1.5'
Mature Width: 1'-1.5'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 3 to 8
Colors: Dark Green leaves
Bloom Color: Pink
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Russia

Blonde Ambition Blue Grama

Bouteloua gracilis 'Blonde Ambition'

Plant Type: Ornamental grass
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 0.75' - 2.5'
Mature Width: 0.75' - 1.5'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 3 to 10
Colors: Blue-green
Bloom Color: Chartreuse
Bloom Season: June-August
Native To: Missouri, United States

Variegated Carmel Creeper

Ceanothus x 'Diamond Heights'

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 12"
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 10
Colors: Yellow to Chartreuse
Bloom Color: Blue
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: California

Eastern Rosebud

Cercis Canadensis 'Forest Pansy'

The Eastern Rosebud is noted for its pea-like rose-purple flowers in the Spring which can be used for cut flowers. It is often used as a street tree, and attacts birds, hummingbirds, and butterflies.

Plant Type: Tree
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 20' to 30'
Mature Width: 25' to 35'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 5 to 9
Colors: Blue-green leaves, turning pale yellow to greenish-yellow in the fall
Bloom Color: Rosy pink
Bloom Season: April
Native To: North America

Mediterranian Fan Palm

Chamaerops humilis

Plant Type: Perennial evergreen
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 6' - 15'
Mature Width: 6' - 20'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8a to 11b
Colors: Blue-grey, Green, Brown
Bloom Color: Gold, Yellow
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Mediterranian coast of Europe and North Africa

Sugar Gum

Eucalyptus cladocalyx

The Sugar Gum is a large, drought-tolerant eucalyptus that has fragrant white flowers that bloom in the summer or fall. Its fruits have a distinctive bowl shape and its smooth bark peels away to reveal a multitude of brown, cream, and gray colors underneath.

Plant Type: Evergreen Tree
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 90'
Mature Width: 45'-75'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 10
Colors: Green, Cream
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Summer, Fall
Native To: Southern Australia

Chinese Fringe Flower

Loropetalum Chinense 'Razzle-Dazzle'

The Chinese Fringe Flower has striking fushia flower petals against purple-black leaves.The lightly aromatic, spidery flowers bloom in clusters in spring. Plant in a woodland garden or even a container, it also looks good as a stand-alone specimen or planted in small groups. Also useful as a hedge or privacy screen.

Plant Type: Broadleaf evergreen
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 3' - 8'
Mature Width: 3' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 7 to 10
Colors: Purple-black
Bloom Color: Fuscia
Bloom Season: March-April
Native To: China, Japan, Southeast Asia

Hummingbird Sage

Salvia spathacea

Plant Type: Evergreen
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1' - 2'
Mature Width: 4' - 5'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 7 to 10
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Pink
Bloom Season: Spring, Summer
Native To: California

West Water-Wise Garden

West Water-Wise Garden

Twin Flowered Agave

Agave geminiflora

Agave geminiflora has narrow dark green leaves that all grow outwards from the center of the plant. Its flowers grow in pairs that form from a long spike. The name 'geminiflora', means "twin flowered" and is a reference to the fact that the flowers grow in pairs.

Plant Type: Evergreen succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: 2' - 4'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Season: Infrequent
Native To: Mexico

Bitter Tree Aloe

Aloe Ferox

A large plant with broad, bold foliage, Bitter Tree Aloe has candelabra-like spikes. The spikes have dark reddish orange flowers with golden to white tips that are tightly held against the flowering stem. The plant's sap is used internally as a laxative and externally as a treatment for skin ailments, similar in use to Aloe vera.

Plant Type: Evergreen succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 11 ' -15'
Mature Width: 5'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Grey-green
Bloom Color: Red, Orange, Yellow, White
Bloom Season: January- February or May-August
Native To: South Africa

Fan Aloe

Aloe plicatilis

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 4' - 8'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Blue-grey
Bloom Color: Red
Bloom Season: Winter-spring
Native To: South Africa

Orange Kangaroo Paw

Anigozanthos x 'Orange Cross'

The Orange Kangaroo Paw has strappy leaves, with dark orange flowers on multiple branches that resemble the paw of a kangaroo, flowering in the spring. It makes for an ideal landscape or container plant, preferring well-drained soil.

Plant Type: Evergreen perennial
Water Needs: Moderate
Mature Height: 4' to 5'
Mature Width: 2' to 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9a to 11b
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Orange
Bloom Season: Spring and Summer
Native To: Australia

Amole

Beschorneria yuccoides

The Amole is a clump-forming, stemless yucca in the agave family with grey-green stiff leathery leaves and attractive flowers. It works well in containers or planted in small groups along a shrub border. Its architectural shape makes it a lovely specimen plant with soft leaves and it is right at home in a drought-tolerant rock garden.

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 4' to 6'
Mature Width: 4' to 6'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8a to 11b
Colors: Grey-green
Bloom Color: Green, Pink, Red
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: Mexico

Javanese Bishopwood

Bischofia javanica

Plant Type: Semi-evergreen tree
Water Needs: Moderate
Mature Height: 30' - 50'
Mature Width: 25' - 35'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 10a to 11
Colors: Green to Bronze-green
Bloom Color: Green-yellow
Bloom Season: Early fall
Native To: Tropical Asia, Pacific Islands

Bismarck Palm

Bismarckia nobilis

Bismarck Palm makes a fine specimen or street tree, or an accent in a sunny garden. Its silver-blue leaves really pop in the landscape when planted near dark green-leaved plants.

Plant Type: Perennial tree
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 30' - 40'
Mature Width: 10' - 15'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 8b to 10b
Colors: Silver-blue
Bloom Color: Brown-copper
Bloom Season: Seasonal Bloomer
Native To: Madagascar

Green Carpet Natal Plum

Carissa macrocarpa 'Green Carpet'

Natal plum is an easy-to-grow, spiny evergreen perennial shrub with dense leathery green leaves, fragrant white flowers, and showy edible plum-like fruits. It makes for good ground cover or hedge.

Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 5' - 7'
Mature Width: 12" - 18"
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9a - 10b
Colors: Fruit: Green, Purple/lavender, Red/burgandy; Leaf: Brown/copper
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Kenya to South Africa

Medditerranian Fan Palm

Chamaerops humilis

Mediterranean Fan Palm is a clustering palm that has stocky trunks and a large, bushy, mounded form. It makes a nice barrier or group accent at the corner of the landscape. Use in containers for patio, deck or foundation areas. It's often used in commercial landscapes where its slow growth needs little maintenance. It may even be grown indoors as a houseplant.

Plant Type: Perennial evergreen
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 6' - 15'
Mature Width: 6' - 20'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8a to 11b
Colors: Blue-grey, Green, Brown
Bloom Color: Gold, Yellow
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Mediterranean coast of Europe and North Africa

Bush Lily

Clivia miniata

The Bush Lily is a clump-forming plant with stocky rhizomes. It has long bright green leaves that produce flower stems, which are topped with funnel-shaped flowers ranging in color from yellow to nearly red. After flowering it produces red berries. It generally takes three years for bush lilies to flower; producing long blooms that can be used for cut flowers.

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 1.5' - 2'
Mature Width: 2' - 3'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Bright Green
Bloom Color: Yellow, Orange, Red
Bloom Season: Seasonal bloomer
Native To: South Africa

Silver Dollar Jade

Crassula arborescens 'Blue Waves'

Plant Type: Evergreen Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 3' - 4'
Mature Width: 2' - 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 11
Colors: Grey-green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Spring, Summer
Native To: South Africa

Fairy Crassula

Crassula multicava 'Fairy'

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: <1'
Mature Width: 15" - 24"
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 8 to 11
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Pink and White
Bloom Season: Winter to Spring
Native To: South Africa

Dragon Tree

Draceana draco

Dragon Tree species grows slowly. Over many decades its stems branch repeatedly, creating an umbrella-like shape. Its bright red fruits and red sap give the Dragon Tree its name.

Plant Type: Palm
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 15' - 25'
Mature Width: 15' - 25'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 10 to 11
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Green, White
Bloom Season: Spring, Fall
Native To: Canary Islands

Baby Echeveria

Echeveria derenbergii

Baby Echeveria is a low-growing rosette with blue-grey leaves with red margins and produces offsets readily. It is often used as a houseplant. In warm climates it can be grown in rock gardens and crevice gardens.

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 1'
Mature Width: 1'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9a to 12b
Colors: Green, Purple
Bloom Color: Red, Yellow
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Mexico

Echihanga Cycad

Encephalartos ferox

Echihanga Cycad's stem has been used as a source of sago, a traditional starchy foodstuff. Local people on the southeastern coast of Africa have used it for its starch content. Like other cycads, it contains a neurotoxin, which must first be carefully removed from the sago by repeated washings before the starchy product can be safely consumed.

Plant Type: Cycad
Water Needs: High
Mature Height: 6'-7'
Mature Width: 6'-7'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9a to 11
Colors: Green, Brown, Red
Bloom Color: Non-flowering
Bloom Season: Non-flowering
Native To: South East Africa

Mombasa Cycad

Encephalartos hildebrandtii

Mombasa Cycad leaves are glossy and stiff with dentate leaflets overlapping downwards and curving away from the leaf apex. Each leaflet has more than 3 teeth on margin and 2-3 spines on the tip. Mainly found on coastal evergreen bushland and dry lowland forest, in sandy plains, and rocky hill tops.

Plant Type: Cycad
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 18'
Mature Width: 8'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: Yellow-gold seeds
Bloom Season: N/A
Native To: Kenya, Tanzania

Pineapple Zamia

Lepidoamia peroffskyana

Pineapple Zamia is a beautiful fern-like cycad that has no spines or sharp leaf tips. A great plant for the shade garden, and unlike some other cycads, it reliably puts out new crowns of leaves at least once per year.

Plant Type: Cycad
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 8' - 12'
Mature Width: 6' - 8'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 9b
Colors: Shiny Green
Bloom Color: Not significant
Bloom Season: Not significant
Native To: New South Wales and southeastern Queensland

Chinese Fan Palm

Livistonia Chinensis

Plant Type: Tree
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 20' - 50'
Mature Width: 11' - 15'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Green, Brown, Black
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Japan, Taiwan, China, Ryukyu Islands, and Hainan

Puya alpestris

Sapphire Tower

Puya alpestris forms clumping rosettes. The name for the genus comes from the Chilean name, which was used for the species Puya chilensis and the specific name 'alpestris' is the Latin word for alpine, which references where Puya alpestris is native to in the Chilean Andes.

Plant Type: Evergreen Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2'-3'
Mature Width: 3' - 5'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9 to 11
Colors: Green, Silver-grey
Bloom Color: Turquoise
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: Chile

Puya Bromeliad

Puya coerulea

Puya Bromeliad is a large rosette-forming succulent with very attractive silver-white narrow and slightly recurved leaves that have sharp teeth on their margins. Stout silvery spikes rise several feet above the leaves bearing dark blue-purple flowers in late spring.

Plant Type: Succulent
Water Needs: Low
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Mature Width: Spreading
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 9
Colors: Silver-white
Bloom Color: Purple
Bloom Season: Late Spring
Native To: Chile

Traveler's Palm

Ravenala madagascariensis

Plant Type: Broadleaf evergreen
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 30' to 50'
Mature Width: 15' to 25'
Sun Needed: Full Sun
USDA Zones: 10a to 11
Colors: Green
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Year-round
Native To: Madagascar

Royal Palm

Roystonea regia

Plant Type: Evergreen Perennial
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 50' - 70'
Mature Width: 20' - 25'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 10a to 11
Colors: Green. Grey
Bloom Color: Yellow, Cream
Bloom Season: Summer
Native To: Florida, Cuba

Slender Lady Palm

Rhapis humilis

Rhapis Humilis is a palm tree that is low-growing with stems that look similar to bamboo. These bamboo-like stems are covered in fan-shaped leaves. Its flowers give way to small, single-seeded berries.

Plant Type: Evergreen tree
Water Needs: Medium
Mature Height: 15' - 20'
Mature Width: 4' - 6'
Sun Needed: Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 6b to 9a
Colors: Green, Brown
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Spring
Native To: China

Blue Chalksticks

Senecio serpens

Senecio serpens is a small succulent that grows low to the ground and branches from the base. Its powdery blue succulent leaves and roots grow out from these its stems. It produces small white flowers in the summer and fall.

Plant Type: Evergreen Succulent
Water Needs: Low, Moderate
Mature Height: 6" - 12"
Mature Width: 2' - 3'
Sun Needed: Full Sun to Partial Shade
USDA Zones: 7 to 10
Colors: Blue-green, Blue-grey
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: Summer, Fall
Native To: South Africa

Support for garden restoration, maintenance, irrigation, and website generously provided by Stephen R. Dows Memorial Fund and the Lawrence Y. True Memorial Fund. Content for this page is curated by several dedicated volunteers and interns.

Full List of Sections

Support for garden restoration, maintenance, irrigation, and website generously provided by Stephen R. Dows Memorial Fund and the Lawrence Y. True Memorial Fund. Content for this page is curated by several dedicated volunteers and interns.

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