Shopping-List Plants for Southern California

Little kid have Christmas . gardener havespring . To anyone who make out plant , this is the most wonderful time of the year . As ardent weather approaches , gardener across the country thirstily anticipate the first twenty-four hours they can graze the colorful row of plants at their localgarden centeror nursery and fill their wagons with novel goodies for their garden . But if you ’re trying to avoid maxing out your credit cards , it ’s a good estimate to make a works shopping listing .

To facilitate you make good , impertinent shopping decisions this spring , we asked regional experts across the land to pick a handful of plant that no gardener in their region would regret purchasing . Any of these perennial , shrubs , and trees would be a valuable investiture in your garden and worthy of a spot on your spring shopping list .

find out great shopping - tilt plants forCaliforniabelow , and take heed tothis episodeof theLet ’s Argue About Plantspodcast to find even more plant recommendations .

1. Lemonade berry

Name:Rhus integrifolia

Zones:8–10

Size:6 to 10 feet marvellous and 10 to 15 feet wide of the mark

Conditions : Full sun to partial shade ; well - drained soil

Native mountain chain : Southern California , Baja California

This handsome native shrub grow in chapparal regions of California . It features charming clusters of whitish - pinkish flowers during spring that give way to sticky , reddish - chocolate-brown yield . Bronx cheer get laid to crunch on these berries and to use the shrub itself for habitat . Lemonade berry is a chic choice for slope stabilization . With its large presence , it ’s also a sound option for screeningor for using as a individual focal - spot specimen . This shrubis extremely drought tolerant once lay down and can take both sunshine and spook , making it one long-lasting workhorse . While it tolerates a blanket range of land types , it does best in ironic , rocky soil .

2. ‘Powerline Pink’ hummingbird salvia

Name:Salvia spathacea‘Powerline Pink’

Zones:8–11

Size:5 to 6 foot tall and 2 to 3 feet panoptic

Native range : Coastal areas of southern and central California

Not a lot of plants can light up an understory like this beauty can . ‘ Powerline Pink ’ is a apace spreading rhizomatous perennial that is extremely fragrant and has marvellous prime spikes . While the plant itself can reach 3 feet improbable , the blossom add another 3 feet of tallness . These strike profoundly pinkish prime are beloved by hummingbird . The sticky leaves below have a pleasant , fruity smell . This salvia perform good in tight - draining soil and is drouth large-minded . While it can take full sun , it does better in partial shade , making it the double-dyed pick for engraft under native oak tree diagram ( Quercusspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–10 ) .

3. ‘Cane’s hybrid’ bottlebrush

Name: Callistemon‘Cane’s Hybrid’

Size:15 to 20 understructure tall and wide

Native range : Hybrid

Australian plant life such as ‘ Cane ’s Hybrid ’ bottlebrush are often well suited to the consideration of California . I be intimate this cultivar for the frail baby pink color of its flowers and willowy look of its leaves ; these detail give it a voiced visual aspect than that of many other bottlebrushes . This shrub can get quite large , but it can also be kept minuscule with pruning . However , when allow to reach its full potential , it can be quite striking as a specimen tree . ‘ Cane ’s Hybrid ’ bottlebrush has low H2O needs and prefers full sun .

4. ‘El Tigre’ fragrant pitcher sage

Name:Lepechinia fragrans‘El Tigre’

Zones:9–11

Size:4 to 5 feet tall and all-encompassing

aboriginal range : Southern California and the Channel Islands

I can not whistle the praises of this sweet - smelling suffrutex enough . Gorgeous tubular lilac blossom that bumblebees and hummingbirds adore begin blooming in springtime and continuethrough summer . The leaves of this plant are distinctly aromaticand fuzzy , actuate you to run your hands over them as you pass it by . I love insert this plant to tike and check it revel their senses . ‘ El Tigre ’ fragrant pitcher sage does best with an annual pruning in tardy summer to encourage fuller growth . It has moderate to low piddle needs .

Cara Hansteinis a plantsman who lives and garden in Tehachapi , California .

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‘El Tigre’ fragrant pitcher sage

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Lemonade berry

Photo: Kerry Ann Moore

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