Common name:Blue Star Creeper
Botanical name:Pratia pedunculata

Laurentia fluviatilis has bright green, nearly stemless, 1/4" leaves. In late spring and summer, these form a backdrop for equally tiny, star-shaped pale blue flowers.

Common name:Golden Bamboo
Botanical name:Phyllostachys aurea

This bamboo will grow to about 25' tall and is drought tolerant with dense foliage.

Common name:Olive, Edible Olive
Botanical name:Olea europaea

This broad tree will slowly grow to 20'-30' tall and wide. It has small, grey-green, evergreen leaves. Small white fragrant flowers bloom in spring, followed by fleshy black fruit that appears in fall. Fruit is messy and can stain sidewalks. There are cultivars that do not produce fruit. Some folks are allergic to the blooms. This tree is very long lived, with a beautiful gnarled trunk. It prefers full sun and low watering in summer months (twice a month) and none during the winter, when established.

Common name:Mendocino Reed Grass
Botanical name:Calamagrostis foliosa

This tufted perennial bunchgrass is native to the Northern California coastal scrub. It forms a beautiful, dense mound of grey-green leaves that reach 2' tall, with showy arching buff colred flower stalks to 3' tall in spring and summer. Reed Grass foliage turn into an attractive purple coloration in the fall and winter. This evergreen should be grown under sun, with little or no summer watering required. -Monterey Bay Nursery

Common name:Dwarf Vinca or Periwinkle
Botanical name:Vinca minor

This groundcover will grow less than 1' tall and has small, glossy, dark green leaves with blue, purple, lavender, or white flowers that bloom in the spring.

Common name:Southern Magnolia, Bull Bay
Botanical name:Magnolia grandiflora

Its large, simple leathery appearance makes the pyramidal Magnolia grandiflora perfect for either a street or lawn tree. Its leaves are 4"-8" long, and its powerfully fragrant blooms are carried throughout the summer and fall. If these plants are grafted , they are more predictable (may take 15 years to bloom). Ungrafted trees will take only 2-3 years. Restricted root areas or heavy soils will slow the growth process. In zones 4 and 5, the tree needs a warm wall or a pocket.

Common name:Garden Hydrangea
Botanical name:Hydrangea macrophylla

This deciduous shrub has bold, rich green foliage and large, showy clusters of flowers to 1' across. Borne in the summer and fall, the flowers are shades of pink, rose, red, white or blue.

Common name:Laurestinus Viburnum
Botanical name:Viburnum tinus

This evergreen shrub will grow 6'-12' tall and has leathery green leaves with clusters of pink buds that bloom into white, fragrant flowers from fall to spring.