Mimulus

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…

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

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

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…

Tops on the list of desirable shrubs is Arctostaphylos, commonly called manzanita. Again, there are many choices in this genus. Handsome and tree-like are ‘Dr. Hurd’, ‘Hood Mountain’ and ‘Austin Griffiths’. ‘Sentinel’ is one of the more upright varieties, eventually reaching five to six feet.   Medium sized Manzanitas are ‘Howard McMinn,’ ‘Sunset,’ ‘John Dourley’ and ‘Wayside,’…

Ceanothus, ‘California wild lilac’, is known for its wonderful spring floral display.  Flower colors are either white or shades of purple-blue, while height can range from a foot or two to twenty feet.  ‘Ray Hartman’ and ‘Cliff Schmidt’ are among the tallest of the Ceanothus, attaining heights of twelve to twenty feet.   ‘Dark Star’ and ‘Concha’ are among the varieties…