Landscaping: More Favorite Plants

I've been in Alaska for the last couple of months and away from our newly landscaped yard in the San Francisco Bay Area, but I'm continuing my Favorite Plants series (see Landscaping: Some Favorite Plants) so I can get to know the plants. From the Bird Buddy cam and reports from my family at home, I can see that the garden is thriving! Plants are still small, but doing well with periodic irrigation. Eventually these native and dry garden plants will become established, and need little to no water. Following are several plants that caught my eye before I left for Alaska in June.

The Centennial Ceanothus (Ceanothus 'Centennial') is a low-growing evergreen shrub that reaches one foot tall and five feet wide, with deep blue flowers growing in clusters and blooming in late spring to early summer. The plant spreads in a tough groundcover that is ideal in small gardens and slopes, thrives in dry shade and under oaks, and attracts pollinators. Calscape recommends planting in full sun in coastal areas, and part shade inland (ours is planted in a sunny and well-drained slope in the lower yard). Centennial Ceanothus is a hybrid of Ceanothus foliosus and Ceanothus griseus,

Ceanothus (Ceanothus 'Centennial')

The Pink and White Coral Bells (Heuchera Canyon Duet) are thriving in the rock garden, which is exposed to the sun most of the day. This evergreen perennial forms compact, mat-like tufts that grow to 5 inches tall and a foot wide. The bi-colored dark pink and white flowers appear on 12-18 inch stems in the spring. Heuchera Canyon Duet works well as a small-scale ground cover, in rock gardens, or containers. They tolerate almost any soil type and do best with regular water. Calscape recommends planting in part shade or shade in coastal sites and shade in inland sites (ours is planted in the sunny rock garden, so we'll see how it does)! Canyon Duet is a hybrid of Heuchera 'Canyon Delight' and the rare Heuchera elegans that is found only in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Heuchera (Heuchera Canyon Duet)

Hummingbirds love these California hedgenettle (Stachys bullata)! Also called Hummingbird Bush, this perennial evergreen herb from the Mint family forms a bushy, spreading groundcover with deep green tongue-shaped leaves, and two-lipped purple or pink flowers that bloom on stalks from spring through summer. The plant attracts hummingbirds, butterflies and other insects. California hedgenettle does well in shade, and in wet, swampy and boggy places. Calscape notes that it is not drought adapted but is a good choice for bioswales, pond margins, and similar areas. Ours are planted in the deep shade under the oak tree on a gentle slope and receive periodic irrigation. They are frequented by many pollinators throughout the day.

California hedgenettle (Stachys bullata)

What beautiful and interesting plants!