Heuchera maxima

Mimulus aurantiacus, or monkey flower, grows to about four feet and blooms in a wide range of colors from white to dark red.  It likes sun or part shade, good drainage and little water.

Buckwheats provide color spring and summer. Eriogonum umbellatum (sulphur buckwheat) sports bright yellow flowers in spring. Eriogonum giganteum (St. Catherine’s Lace) is topped with creamy clusters of flower sprays reaching as high as five feet. The star of the genus, Eriogonum grande var. rubescens (rosy buckwheat) displays rosy buttons atop rounded gray-green leaves for most of…

Heteromeles arbutifolia, or toyon, is an evergreen native shrub with thick, leathery leaves.  The flat heads of white flowers in spring attract bees and the bright red berries that follow are favored by birds.  Toyon usually grows as a dense shrub to six to ten feet tall and wide, but can also be trained as…

There are many species of Ribes, both evergreen and deciduous.  A very nice evergreen species is Ribes viburnifolium with roundish, dark green leaves and dark red stems.  It needs no irrigation, making it ideal for planting under oaks.  It grows three to six feet tall and can spread to twelve feet. A lovely deciduous species is…

This native plant is of variable appearance, but generally has narrow bluish green foliage and blue to purple flowers.  The variety ‘Margarita Bop’ was discovered at Las Pilitas Nursery in Santa Margarita.  It sends up wands of fuchsia and violet blue flowers in spring and early summer and requires little to moderate water, as do other heterophyllus.    

Zauschneria, or California fuschia, is a low spreading plant with green, grey or silvery foliage and orange to scarlet flowers.  Bloom occurs in late summer or autumn and the flowers are very attractive to hummingbirds.  The plant is fast growing and drought tolerant, but as with most plants, it looks better with occasional water.  It…