Common name:Angel's Trumpet, Datura
Botanical name:Brugmansia X candida

A tender, subtropical shrub that grows to 12', the Angel's Trumpet shows huge, felty leaves and enormous, pendant trumpet-shaped flowers. It has a sweet, heavy fragrance at night. It should be grown in sun to part shade, with average to little summer watering. The growth rate is faster with fertilizing, but it is more prone to insect damage. This variety seems to recover faster from hard frosts. -Montery Bay Nursery

Common name:New Zealand Flax, Purple
Botanical name:Phormium tenax 'Atropurpureum'

Phormium tenax 'Atropurpureum' is an evergreen perennial. Big, dramatic plant composed of many swordlike, stiffly vertical leaves can reach 5' tall. Leaves are purple red. Flowers stems reach high above leaves, bearing clusters of 1"-2" blossoms in dark red.

Common name:California Poppy, Golden Poppy
Botanical name:Eschscholzia californica

This small annual (sometimes acts as a perennial) plant will grow to less than 1' tall and has light, small blue green leaves with gold and orange flowers that bloom in spring and summer.

Common name:Bearded Iris
Botanical name:Iris Bearded Hybrids

This perennial will grow 1'-3' tall and has medium sized, blue green leaves with flowers of different colors that bloom in spring. It needs well draining soil and full sun. Many are fragrant and rebloom several times a year. Plant rhizomes in Sept or Oct. They need water once a week during the hot spells. Top dress with compost and gypsum in January and August.

Common name:Tree Aloe
Botanical name:Aloe arborescens

This succulent is large, full of branches and produces deep red orange blooms in fall and winter. The flowers produce a nectar that is attractive to many different birds; this plant is grown all over the world. This succulent can reach 8' tall and 5' wide. Leaves are narrow, recurved and tooth margined and can be green or yellowish or blue green, depending on how much sun it receives. It tolerates sun or shade.

Common name:Jerusalem Sage
Botanical name:Phlomis fruticosa

This hardy perennial is a useful, old-time garden plant with coarse, woolly gray green, wrinkled leaves and yellow, 1" flowers in ball-shaped whorls. It handles drought and poor soils but needs full sun.

Common name:Artichoke
Botanical name:Cynara scolymus

This perennial will grow 4' tall and 6'-8' wide. It has silvery green leaves with bluish purple flowers that bloom in spring. Artichoke is a favorite fruit/vegetable of California kitchens but it is a great ornamental plant often overlooked for color contrast. It is very tolerant of little water when planted for ornamental purposes.

Common name:Lavender Blue Iris
Botanical name:Iris Pacific Coast Hybrid 'Lavender Blue

This native Iris will grow 1'-3' tall and has large, dark green leaves with lavender blue flowers that bloom in fall and sometimes in winter. It is drought tolerant.

Common name:Gray Lavender Cotton
Botanical name:Santolina chamaecyparissus

This ground cover/small shrub will grow to 3' tall and has small, grayish silver leaves with yellow flowers that bloom in the summer.

Common name:Chamomile, Roman Chamomile
Botanical name:Chamaemelum nobile

This evergreen perennial will grow 3"-12" tall and works well as a groundcover. It produces flowers from midsummer to fall and does best in light shade to full sun. It can be mowed occasionally to control height and makes a good lawn substitute.

Common name:Purple Carpet Creeping Thyme
Botanical name:Thymus praecox arcticus 'Purple Carpet'

This perennial will grow about 3" tall and 3' wide. It has small, dark green leaves with clusters of purple lavender flowers that bloom in spring and summer. Leaves are fragrant when crushed. Butterflies love this plant too. This ground cover looks great between pavers, as a lawn substitute withstanding some foot traffic.

Common name:Purple Dusty Miller
Botanical name:Centaurea gymnocarpa

This perennial plant won't grow more than 1' tall and has large, silvery white leaves with blue, purple, or yellow flowers that bloom in summer.