Plants
Salvia Spathacea (Hummingbird Sage)
Hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea) is a low-growing California native in coastal oak valleys. In the rainy season it grows spiky pink blooms hummingbirds love.
Echeveria agavoides in Bloom
Echeveria agavoides looks like an agave, but it's a succulent from Mexico. The leaves are lime green in winter but turn lemon yellow tipped with red in summer.
Kalanchoe Daigremontiana
Here's a closeup of the Mother of Thousands (Kalanchoe daigremontiana) in our sunroom getting ready to drop some new babies. They look like little green oysters
Aeonium Haworthii ‘Kiwi’ in Winter Colors
Aeonium Haworthii "Kiwi" is hypnotic in its colors both in winter when it's various shades of green, and summer when it's trimmed in reddish-pink.
Abutilon megapotamicum
A Brazilian bellflower is the "roof" in one of our subtropical gardens. The sunlight through the dappled leaves and papery orange flowers is quite pretty IMHO.
Jade Plant (Crassula ovata)
Jade Plants are low care, easy to grow plants you can shape into anything from elegant shrubs to weird martian trees based on how you care for them. Here's how:
Holly Wood California
The Toyon is a California native tree whose deep green foliage and bright red berries in December earned it the nickname "Hollywood"
Marnier’s Kalanchoe in Bloom
Rescued a piece of a Marnier's Kalanchoe from a trash bin in 2019. Today it's flourishing in the succulent garden and blooming like there's no tomorrow
Banana Surprise
Banana Surprise! is something you can legitimately shout when you discover a 15' banana tree loaded with bananas hidden in your garden. (Maybe other times too.)
Monarda fistulosa aka Wild Bergamot or Bee Balm
While Monarda (wild bergamot / bee balm) isn't native to California, it'll make itself at home even in the dry, desert like climate of my San Diego foothills