Full disclosure, I never specified this plant on a project, so it is very unfamiliar to me despite being a California native species. It...

An uncommon cross variety of two Southern California native plants.

When living in West Sonoma County, I first came across this unusual fruiting native not far from our home. Situated within a flood plain...

A darling of the small stature understory flowering trees in Northern California may be replacing the ever-popular flowering but...

Every spring for the past eight years, I have been searching for this shrub. And every year, I am both disappointed and bewildered why...

Go seriously local! This species of manzanita was originally introduced by our own Saratoga Horticulture Foundation way back in 1955,...

Imagine a plant lying dormant all through winter looking like a few old remnants of desiccated bamboo. Then in spring, little tuffs of...

No better common name for Lamprocapnos spectabilis than bleeding heart as it reveals its teardrop when the heart breaks. Its species...

For formal and informal hedges, Prunus laurocerasus is a competitive option. They treat us with deep green and lustrous foliage, perfect...

A native azalea that's deciduous? When we think of rhododendrons, their evergreen boughs with pastel clusters of showy flowers might...

Every winter, retail nurseries fill with a variety of bareroot plants including blueberries that at times I have specified in designs but...

Truth be known, I have not specified Koelreuteria paniculata in any of my designs, and I am not sure why. Perhaps one reason is that it...

Easily unnoticeable but offers so much more when looking at the details, we should be seeing more of Melaleuca linariifolia in public...

Need a colorful ground cover that is also drought tolerant? Consider Lantana montevidensis. Unlike its sibling, Lantana camara that...

Lantanas continue to grow in availability offering a wide variety of colors and sizes among hybridized cultivars. For this post, we will...

This little germander always finds its way into my gardens, in part for its versatility. I have primarily specified T. x lucidrys as...

Welcome to floral sunshine in the native garden! Solidago velutina ssp. californica, or California goldenrod, is not well known among...

There are two secrets I will now share with you that many within California's horticultural and landscape industries already know. The...

California has everything, even its own rose. No, it is not a fancy multi-petaled cut flower coveted by lovers, but it certainly has...

Whenever drought reminds us that many Californians live in a Mediterranean climate, succulents rage in popularity with a wide array of...