02/05/2019
The rainy, winter season is best time to plant Mediterranean type plants including California natives. These plants thrive with cool temperatures and rain. Lush new growth occurs and root system grows deeply so that they can survive the summer drought. Some great flowering examples.
Pride of Madeira (Echium fastuosum) from the Canary Islands 1st photo
Rock Daisy (Hymenolepis parviflora) from Cape region of South Africa - shrub with spectacular gold flower heads in spring that have strong orange blossom fragrance 2nd photo
St. Catherine's Lace (Eriogonum giganteum) - shrub 2 to 4 feet high with woolly, gray, oval leaves and creamy white, open heads of flowers on tall stalks above foliage Native to Santa Catalina Island off southern California coast Uncommon in cultivation, but grows well in coastal California
Chalk Buckwheat (Eriogonum latifolium) - perennial from central California coast that is uncommon in cultivation, but grows well in California gardens 3rd photo
Honey Bush (Melianthus major) - shrub 4 to 10 feet high from South Africa with serrated, blue- gray, compound leaves and spikes of reddish-brown flowers; somewhat uncommon
Orphium frutescens - small shrub from South Africa with fantastic bloom of waxy, pink flowers with bright yellow stamens in summer; uncommon
Greek Verbascum (Verbascum olypicum) - perennial from Greece with giant 5 foot columnar spike of bright yellow flowers in spring; uncommon 4th photo
