Common name:Hot Lips Sage
Botanical name:Salvia 'Hot Lips'
A long-blooming Sage that blooms all summer with eye-catching red and white bicolor flowers. The nectar-rich flowers attract hummingbirds and other pollinators. Blooms from spring through hard frost in fall. Bi-colored flowers but turn red in heat.
Common name:Catmint
Botanical name:Nepeta X faassenii
Nepeta faassenii makes soft, grey-green, undulating mounds to 1' tall in bloom, spreading 3'-4' wide. The small leaves are attractive to cats. This perennial has lavender blue flowers in summer. Catmint can be planted in sun or shade and needs medium amount of water. Prune spent flowers to encourage more blooms.
Common name:Margarita Bop Foothill Penstemon
Botanical name:Penstemon heterophyllus 'Margarita Bop'
This is one of the easiest and most versatile California native plants. This is a hybrid Penstemon, which will produce beautiful, purple blue flowers through much of the year when spent flowers are removed. Foliage grows in low growing mats to 6"-8" tall and 12"-18" wide.
Common name:Otto Quast Spanish Lavender
Botanical name:Lavandula stoechas 'Otto Quast'
This round shrub will grow to about 3' high and has small, gray green leaves with purple flowers that bloom in summer. It is more prostrate than its parent Lavandula stoechas. The flowers resemble a purple pineapple! 'Otto Quast' is drought tolerant once it is established and cold tolerant to 5 degrees F.
Common name:Autumn Sage
Botanical name:Salvia greggii 'Alba'
This drought-tolerant, evergreen shrub is 4' tall x 4' wide and produces beautiful white flowers that bloom from spring to fall.
Common name:Point Reyes Bearberry
Botanical name:Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Point Reyes'
This is a low growing ground cover 1-2 ft. high with a 3-5 ft. spread. It has small leathery leaves, red stems, and pink flowers in winter.
Common name:Saltillo Evening Primrose
Botanical name:Oenothera stubbei
This ground cover grows quickly to 6" x 4'. The dense mat of dark green foliage provides a nice back drop for the large butter yellow flowers. Blooms appear spring through fall. The flowers have a sweet fragrance and are open from dusk to early morning. Native to northeast Mexico.
Designer:
Photographer: Vicki Anderson
Practice grass-cycling by leaving short grass clippings on lawns after mowing, so that nutrients and organic matter are returned to the soil.
Drip and other smart irrigation delivers water directly to roots, allowing no excess water for weeds.