Common name: Honey Bush
Botanical name: Melianthus major

Melianthus major is an evergreen shrub. It is a soft-wooded plant of rapid growth to 12'-14'. It has a boldly patterned foliage with grayish green leaves of 1' long, divided into 9-11 strongly toothed leaflets. Foliage smells disagreeable when brushed or bruised. Foot-long spikes of reddish brown, 1" flowers appear in late winter, early spring.

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 heart is a favorite vegetable of California kitchens but it is a great ornamental plant often overlooked for color contrast. Provide full sun, well draining soil and medium amount of watering for best harvest of the hearts.

Common name: Variegated Japanese Silver Grass
Botanical name: Miscanthus sinensis 'Variegatus'

This tall, mounding grass will grow to about 6' high and has seasonally deciduous, greenish white, variegated leaves. Tall grasses are highly combustible.

Common name: Gloriosa Daisy
Botanical name: Rudbeckia fulgida

This perennial will grow to 3' tall and has small, dark green leaves with yellow flowers that bloom in summer and fall. This is a perennial coneflower with yellow-orange, slightly curved petals, each toothed at its apex. The 1-3 ft. stems and scattered, oval leaves are covered with bristly hairs. Flower heads are 2-3 in. wide. Southeastern forms of this variable species have smaller flowers.

Common name: Mexican Sage
Botanical name: Salvia leucantha

The Mexican Sage is a bushy shrub that grows 3'-4' tall and wide. It has hairy white stems, grey-green leaves and velvet-like purple flower spikes that bloom summer through fall. This shrub tolerates sun, light shade, little water, and is hardy to 15 degrees F. The Mexican Sage attracts hummingbirds. Be careful not to overwater. -Cornflower Farms

Common name: Japanese Anemone
Botanical name: Anemone x hybrida

Anemone japonica is a long-lived, fibrous-rooked perennial which produces great fall color when grown in partial shade. Its graceful, branching stems rise 2'-4' out of clumps of dark green, lobed, hair-covered foliage. Flowers are semi-double and are found in white or pink colors with green or yellow centers. Once established, it spreads rapidly as long as the roots remain undisturbed. It needs well draining, moist soil and partial shade.

Common name: Common Foxglove
Botanical name: Digitalis purpurea

This biennial Foxglove will reach up to 4' when blooming in the early summer. The large spire of huge, bell-shaped flowers ranges from purple to pink to cream with purple specks. Large, textured leaves form an attractive rosette until bloom time. This plant likes a moist, filtered-sun area similar to the Lobelias and Columbines.

Common name: Sandankwa Viburnum
Botanical name: Viburnum suspensum

This broad-spreading evergreen shrub produces dense, glossy foliage that is 4" long and oval in shape. Open, loose clusters of white fragrant flowers with a rose tint bloom in spring. This shrub serves as a good specimen, hedge or screen, reaching 10' tall and wide. It is heat loving and can tolerate full sun, part sun or shade. Small round red berries appear in fall.

Common name: Golden Wattle
Botanical name: Acacia longifolia

Fast growing evergreen shrub/small tree grows 20' tall and equally wide. Flower heads are narrow, tubular, bright yellow and scented, appearing in winter and spring. It is used for its fast growth and screening use rather than for its bloom. However, it does need ample room to grow. It is not long-lived perhaps 20 years. Also known as: Sydney Golden Wattle

Common name: Pomegranate
Botanical name: Punica granatum

This small tree or large shrub is very attractive (edible) and ornamental. It is naturally rounding; it can reach 15'-20' tall and wide. It is often pruned into a single trunk tree and kept as a shrub, being used as a hedge row. The baseball sized fruits are usually red. The nutritious edible aggregate-berries (arils) are variably sweet, succulent and tangy. 'Wonderful' is a common cultivar. 'Sweet' has yellow flowers and 'White' has very light pink flowers.

Common name: Apple Blossom Penstemon
Botanical name: Penstemon 'Apple Blossom'

This Penstemon is a showy perennial that remains 2'-4' high It has light pink tubular blossoms on long flower spikes with white throats. It blooms from spring through the fall and is hardy to 15 degrees F. It is also drought tolerant, and attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. -Cornflower Farms

Common name: Common Verbena
Botanical name: Verbena peruviana cv.

This perennial forms a flat mat that covers an area rapidly. It has dark green leaves with clusters of bright flowers in pink, purple, or mauve that bloom all year. Hybrids will have a little more height, different flower colors and spread more slowly. This groundcover is drought tolerant.