Designs

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Canyon Gray Sagebrush

Canyon Gray sagebrush (Artemisia californica ‘Canyon Gray’) is a low-growing groundcover that forms an attractive, compact mat of fine-textured, silver-gray foliage. While its flowers are fairly inconspicuous, its foliage has a lovely aroma.

Seaside daisy

Seaside daisy (Erigeron glaucus) is a perennial flower that blooms nearly year-round. Lavender petals surround a golden yellow disc of florets, and stems can have anywhere from 1 to 15 flower heads. Low-growing and evergreen, this daisy also attracts butterflies.

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Ashyleaf buckwheat

Ashyleaf buckwheat (Eriogonum cinereum) is an evergreen shrub native to the Long Beach area. It’s an important habitat plant that supports many types of butterflies, moths, birds, and bees. The woolly hairs on its stems and foliage give it a light, silvery gray color. Light pink flower clusters stick out from the plant and bloom nearly year round, turning rust-colored in the fall.

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Pigeon Point coyote brush

Pigeon Point coyote brush (Baccharis pilularis spp. pilularis ‘Pigeon Point’) is a hardy, evergreen groundcover that forms a mound of bright green leaves. It can tolerate both coastal conditions and inland heat but may need occasional summer water in inland locations. Since this is a male selection, it does not produce seed.

Sea Cliff Buckwheat

Sea cliff buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium) is an important host plant for a number of pollinating insects, including certain endangered species, and the El Segundo blue butterfly

(Euphilotes battoides ailyni). Easy, fast-growing, drought-tolerant, and beautiful, this stunning buckwheat offers both habitat and beauty.

California fuchsia

California fuchsia (Epilobium canum) is a perennial known for its profusion of bright scarlet flowers in the summer and autumn – usually the only plant flowering at the height of summer. It’s a magnet for hummingbirds and other wildlife. In hotter inland areas, water it once a month in the summer. Prune back after flowering, and it will come back lush and healthy in the spring.

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Common Yarrow

Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is an evergreen perennial groundcover with small white flowers with yellow centers. The flowers bloom in the spring and summer, clustering together to create landing pads for native butterflies, moths, and insects.

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Idaho fescue

Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis) is a densely-clumping, long-lived perennial grass. Flower clusters bloom in the summer and have hairy spikelets which produce bristly, inedible fruits. Tomales Bay Idaho fescue is a blue-green, smaller selection with soft foliage and smaller blooms.

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Firecracker showy island snapdragon

Firecracker showy island snapdragon (Gambelia speciosa ‘Firecracker’) boasts bright red flowers and a compact habit. Hummingbirds love this evergreen perennial that grows fast and has a long bloom.

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Clustered field sedge

Clustered field sedge (Carex praegracilis) is an evergreen grass that has an upright, mounding form. It spreads by rhizomes, has a soft texture, and produces flower clusters in the spring.

Sand dune sedge

Sand dune sedge (Carex pansa) is an evergreen grass that prefers a sandy soil and grows from a network of thin, coarse rhizomes. Flowers are made up of clusters of several spikes of dark brown flowers.

Red buckwheat

Red buckwheat (Eriogonum grande var. rubescens) is a matt-forming, evergreen perennial that produces flower stalks with clusters of white, pink, or red flowers. It has a long bloom time through the spring, summer, and fall, making it a favorite among pollinators, especially butterflies.

Common rush

Common rush (Juncus patens) is a grass-like plant that is tough and easy to grow. It can tolerate both wet and dry conditions, and produces red-brown flower clusters that sprout from the sides of the stems rather than the tips.

Point Sal Sage

Point Sal sage (Salvia leucophylla ‘Point Sal’) is a low-growing groundcover with grayish-green leaves that needs little water and maintenance. Lavender-pink flower stalks attract butterflies and hummingbirds. It can be pruned in late fall to produce a good flush in the spring.

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Silver Carpet aster

Silver Carpet aster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia ‘Silver Carpet’) is low- growing and compact with a mounding form, beautiful silver foliage, and pink flowers that last from summer through fall. Keep lightly pruned for best appearance.

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Blue-eyed grass

Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum) is an easy- to-grow perennial that reseeds easily, and will help fill in spaces. Its blue-purple flowers bloom in the winter and spring, and provide a pop of color in any landscape. A little extra water in the summer will help this plant look good year round.

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Yankee Point Carmel ceanothus

Yankee Point Carmel ceanothus (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus ‘Yankee Point’) is an evergreen, spreading groundcover that forms a mound with glossy green leaves. It produces one-inch-long blue flowers in the spring and attracts pollinators.

Island alum root

Island alum root (Heuchera maxima) is an evergreen perennial. It has large, multi-lobed green leaves and erect flower stalks with many clusters of tiny pink flowers that bloom in the winter and spring. They are loved by hummingbirds.

Douglas iris

Douglas iris (Iris douglasiana) is a perennial herb with a grass-like appearance and beautiful flowers that bloom in the winter and spring. Flowers are typically blue-purple, but the color can be highly variable and many cultivars are available.