Water Smart Plant Picker

Mediterranean evergreen flowering shrubs that perform well in California gardens with plenty of sun. Good choice for stabilizing slopes and banks. Flowers appear mid-spring into early summer. Many varieties are low, mounding groundcovers while others are more upright.

Examples: C. ladanifer (crimson spot rockrose, 3-5’ x 3-5’) has white flowers with dark crimson spots. C. x hybridus ‘Mickie’ (white rockrose, 1.5-2’ x 2’) has unique variegated foliage with cherry red stems and white flowers. C. x purpureus (orchid rockrose, 4’ x 4’) flowers are reddish purple with maroon blotches. C. salvifolius (sageleaf rockrose, 2’ x 6’) has white flowers and sage-like leaves. C. x skanbergii (2-4’ x 3-4’) bears pale pink flowers. C. ‘Sunset’ (2’ x 3-5’) flowers in magenta pink and has fuzzy gray-green leaves.

The deciduous pipestem clematis is native to dry foothills of California and Baja California and is one of the few flowering vines that requires little-to-no supplemental water. Pipestem clematis produces an abundance of 1-inch, creamy white flowers in spring that develop into attractive, fluffy seed heads. Allow to grow through shrubs or trees or train on a pergola, archway, or fence.

Jasmine is an easy to care for shrub that was an exquisite sweet fragrance. These can reach to as much as 40 feet and spread as much as 15 feet. The fragrant white to pale pink flowers blossom from early summer to autumn.

Large group of annual and perennial plants that produce a vivid display of yellow-to-orange flowers in full sun to part shade. Many cultivars are available from local nurseries. C. lanceolata (lanceleaf tickseed), C. rosea (pink tickseed), and C. verticillata (threadleaf coreopsis) have lower water needs than other species and are likely to be more successful in hot, dry areas.

South Australian evergreen, small-to-medium-sized shrubs with delicate, tubular flowers that vary from white to green and yellow to red. Typical flower time is fall through spring, providing a nectar source when many California native plants are just coming out of dormancy. All require good drainage.

Examples: C. alba (4-8’ x 4-8’) blooms with white, star-shaped flowers. C. ‘Dusky Bells’ (2-3’ x 6-8’) is a mounding shrub with deep red flowers. C. ‘Ivory Bells’ (3-4’ x 4-6’) has white flowers. C. pulchella (2-3’ x 4-8’) is a variable species with several popular cultivars. C. reflexa (1-8’ x 3-9’) ranges from prostrate to upright. C. ‘Wynn’s Wonder’ (2-3’ x 3-5’) has variegated foliage and rosy pink flowers.

Slow growing and long-lived deciduous shrub with rounded oval and coarsely toothed, green leaves. Can live in well drained sandy, sandy loam, and gravel and cannot tolerate clay soils. Producing small, hard-shelled nuts in late winter.

Popular large, accent shrub or small tree with attractive rounded leaves and unique flowers that resemble puffs of smoke. Available in both green and purple-leaved varieties and grown as a natural multi-trunk or as a standard.

Examples: C. c. ‘Golden Spirit’ (15’ x 15’) produces golden-yellow foliage. C. c. ‘Purpureus’ (15-25’ x 15-25’) has purple leaves that gradually become greener. C. c. ‘Royal Purple’ (12-15’ x 12-15’) has dark purple foliage and purple flowers.

South African succulent with fleshy foliage that varies from round and flat to cylindrical, and produces flower stalks above the foliage with bell-shaped flowers. Cotyledon orbiculata has rounded leaves and forms a large clump (2-3’) over time. C. o. var. oblonga has elongated cylindrical foliage.

Winter daphne (D. odora) is an evergreen shrub with lower water needs than most other Daphne species and is prized for the aroma of its flowers. Winter daphne has a reputation for being unpredictable. Plant in well-drained soil with part shade; water infrequently during the dry season to promote flowering in spring. Notable selections include the white-flowered ‘Alba’, ‘Aureo-Marginata’ with yellow-edged leaves, and ‘Leucanthe’ with white-throated pale pink flowers.

Group of highly drought-tolerant evergreen shrubs with long, narrow leaves and tall flower spikes from southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico. Dasylirion wheeleri is perhaps the most commonly available species for planting in Northern California and grows 3-5’ x 4-5’.

Clumping, cool-season grasses that grow over much of North America and Europe. Tufted hair grass (D. cespitosa, 1-2’ x 2’) is widely available and is also native to California. Tufted hair grass has flower spikes in late spring or early summer on slender stems that begin greenish gold and fade to straw-colored.

Small-to-medium-sized deciduous tree with both ornamental and food-production value and low-water requirements. Leaves turn a vivid yellow-orange in the fall before dropping to reveal orange fruits hanging from branches like ornaments from fall into winter or until harvested either by the homeowner or local wildlife. Many cultivars are available with different fruit characteristics and may be purchased either in a container or bare root during the winter months. Rootstock determines overall tree size and is typically labeled as dwarf, semi-dwarf, or standard.