Common name:California Poppy, Golden Poppy
Botanical name:Eschscholzia californica
This small annual (sometimes acts as a perennial) plant will grow to less than 1' tall and has light, small blue green leaves with gold and orange flowers that bloom in spring and summer.
Common name:Sageleaf Rockrose
Botanical name:Cistus salviifolius
This low-spreading shrub reaches a size of 2' tall by 6'-8' wide. It bears white flowers that are 1" wide with yellow centers. This variety makes a good groundcover. The plant requires average to good drainage, and little or no summer watering when established. It should be grown in sun or part shade. -Monterey Bay Nursery
Common name:Jerusalem Sage
Botanical name:Phlomis fruticosa
This hardy perennial is a useful, old-time garden plant with coarse, woolly gray green, wrinkled leaves and yellow, 1" flowers in ball-shaped whorls. It handles drought and poor soils but needs full sun.
Designer: Robin Lewis and Lynne Tuft
Photographer: GardenSoft
Incorporate compost 6" into your soil to retain water, reduce compaction, feed earthworms, and provide valuable nutrients to your plants.
Change spray sprinklers to low-flow bubbler or drip systems. Shrubs and trees are ideal candidates for this type of irrigation because the water is applied directly to the root zones.
Develop healthy soil for plants that are vigorous and naturally pest-resistant.