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.

Common name:
Botanical name:Euphorbia lambii

This perennial will reach about 4' tall and has blue green leaves with bright green flowers that bloom from late winter to early spring.

Common name:Brazilian Lilac Verbena
Botanical name:Verbena bonariensis

This 4'-5' tall plant is a drought hardy performer, with blooms atop the sturdy, squarish stem all summer and fall. The flower is a striking purple tuft that makes a good fresh or dried flower. The sparse foliage makes this a great accent flower that hovers high and blends well. Deadheading will prolong its blooming.

Common name:Bearberry
Botanical name:Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

A hardy, creeping evergreen shrub, it grows 6"-12" high and spreads as much as 10"-12'. It has glossy green leathery leaves attached to dark brown branches. Its flowers are white to light pink in late winter and early spring; berries are bright red.

Common name:Winifred Gilman Blue Sage
Botanical name:Salvia clevelandii 'Winnifred Gilman'

The ' Winifred Gillman' Sage is a dense, compact sub-shrub that grows to 4'-5' tall and wide, and has a round form. It has blue flowers in spikes above the foliage in the spring and summer. This sub-shrub is native to California and is drought tolerant.

Common name:Deer Grass
Botanical name:Muhlenbergia rigens

The Deer Grass is a warm season perennial that forms dense clumps from the base. The spike-like flower stalks grow 2'-3' tall and this grass has striking foundation form. The Deer Grass is native to California, is drought tolerant, and is a beneficial insect plant.

Common name:Concha California Lilac
Botanical name:Ceanothus 'Concha'

Concha is a lilac that grows 6'-8' in height and width. It has small narrow leaves with intense dark blue flower clusters in spring. It is tolerant of coastal and inland conditions.

Common name:Blue Sage
Botanical name:Salvia 'Allen Chickering'

The Allen Chickering Sage is a perennial shrub that grows 2'-5' high and 2'-4' wide. It has blue flowers that bloom in the spring and summer. This shrub is native to California and is drought tolerant.

Common name:Deer Grass
Botanical name:Muhlenbergia rigens

The Deer Grass is a warm season perennial that forms dense clumps from the base. The spike-like flower stalks grow 2'-3' tall and this grass has striking foundation form. The Deer Grass is native to California, is drought tolerant, and is a beneficial insect plant.

Common name:Bearded Iris
Botanical name:Iris Bearded Hybrids

This perennial will grow 1'-3' tall and has medium size, blue green leaves with wonderful flowers that come in a variety of colors.

The Magic of Mulch

In the natural world the endless cycle of birth, growth, decay, death and rebirth flows throughout the seasons. Plants die, leaves fall and new growth springs up in its place. Nothing is lost and the fallen leaves and dead plants decay into the soil, enriching it for the next generation of growth.

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