California native plant; one of the only native shrubs that blooms year round; yellow flowers attract beneficial insects and hummingbirds to the garden and then develop into attractive seed pods.

California native plant; most dependable hybrid iris of the Pacific coast; white orchid-like flowers light up shady gardens; grows with little maintenance; narrow leaves form an attractive, evergreen, grass-like mound.

Bright yellow poppy flowers bloom spring through fall; bushy perennial with lacy, gray-green foliage; heat and drought tolerant with seeds that grow to replace the mother plant.

California native plant; a good informal groundcover for dry shade; tolerates heavy clay soils; frilly green leaves look good all year.

California native plant; one of the best flowering perennials for dry shade; introduced to the nursery trade by the UC Davis Arboretum.

California native plant; bright pink flowers attract bees and hummingbirds; excellent groundcover for small shady areas or borders.

Shrub with leathery, dark-green leaves and profuse red berries all winter that are popular with cedar waxwings, a species of migrating bird in the Central Valley.

Adds a strong architectural note to the garden with its attractive spiky-looking leaves; very heat and drought tolerant; blooms all summer long; attracts hummingbirds.

Long-lasting, pale-green flowers brighten the winter garden; needs little maintenance and tolerates dry shade; stiff, gray-green foliage adds sculptural interest to the garden year round.

Requires little maintenance and tolerates semi-dry shade; evergreen foliage looks good all year; nodding, rose-like flowers brighten winter gardens.