Romneya coulteri

For the shade, try Heuchera maxima, a cream flowering coral bell that looks great under oak trees and needs very little water.

Another diverse and useful genus is Salvia. The Clevelandii group includes ‘Allen Chickering’, ‘Whirly Blue’, ‘Pozo Blue’ and ‘Winifred Gilman’.  In need of an attractive, drought tolerant ground cover? Try ‘Bee’s Bliss’. This salvia has gray green leaves with lavender flowers in spring; it will spread three to four feet wide or more. Salvia spathacea (Hummingbird sage) A…

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…

Rhamnus californica, or coffeeberry, is an evergreen shrub that can grow from three to fifteen feet, depending on the variety and the climate in which it is planted.  The common name comes from the berries that turn black once they have ripened.  It is not particular about soil and can take sun or partial shade. …

    Carpenteria californica (bush anemone) does best with afternoon shade.  Clusters of white, anemone shaped flowers cover this evergreen shrub in early summer.  

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.