Common name:Daffodil
Botanical name:Narcissus Assorted Varieties
Narcissus is a spring flowering bulb. They are permanent, increasing from year to year. Leaves are straight and flat or narrow and rushlike. Flowers are composed of right-angled petals surrounding the trumpet in the center. Flowers usually face sun. Keep that in mind when selecting planting place.
Common name:Pineapple Guava, Feijoa
Botanical name:Acca sellowiana
Classified as an evergreen shrub or a small tree, this plant can be pruned to almost any size or shape. Its foliage is gray green and silvery underneath. White flowers with bright red stamens can be seen, followed by 1"-4" long, oval, edible fruit. Full sun is required for proper growth.
Common name:Common Sunflower
Botanical name:Helianthus annuus
Sunflowers can grow anywhere from 6'-15' tall on top of thick, sturdy stems. They have large, dark green leaves with bright yellow flowers with tender petals that bloom spring to summer. The flowers need direct sunlight and a lot of water.
Common name:Mexican Bush Sage, Velvet Sage
Botanical name:Salvia leucantha
The Mexican Sage is a bushy shrub that grows 3'-4' tall and wide. It has hairy white stems, gray green leaves and velvet-like purple flower spikes that bloom summer through fall. This shrub tolerates sun, light shade, little water, and is hardy to 15 degrees F. The Mexican Sage is drought tolerant and attracts hummingbirds. -Cornflower Farms
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:Five-Spot Nemophila
Botanical name:Nemophila maculata
This beautiful annual is a California native that grow to about 1' tall. Its showy white flower is about 1" wide, with lobes of purple dots. There are usually 5-9 lobes, thus the common name, Five-Spot, for the purple splashes of color on the outer petals. The seeds are greenish-brown and are either smooth or shallowly pitted. Bees love the nectar from the fruit.
Common name:Jacaranda
Botanical name:Jacaranda mimosifolia
This irregular to rounded deciduous tree will reach about 40' tall and has fine, compound green leaves with blue flowers. Jacaranda's main blooming season is in spring and summer, but it will often produce sporadic blooms in fall as well.
Designer: John Wickham
Photographer: GardenSoft
Practice grass-cycling by leaving short grass clippings on lawns after mowing, so that nutrients and organic matter are returned to the soil.
Mulching and adding compost to soil can minimize evaporation and help soil absorb and store water.
Remove irrigation water and fertilizer from areas where you don't want weeds to grow.