Common name:Woolly Blue Curls
Botanical name:Trichostema lanatum

The Woolly Blue Curls is an evergreen shrub that reaches 3'-5' high. It has an open branching habit and has long stalks of brilliant purple woolly flowers in the spring and summer. This shrub is native to California, is drought tolerant, and attracts hummingbirds. -Cornflower Farms

Common name:Point Sal Spreader Purple Sage
Botanical name:Salvia leucophylla 'Point Sal Spreader'

The Point Sal Spreader Sage is an evergreen shrub that grows 3'-4' tall and 4'-6' wide. It has gray green to white leaves. Flowers are pinkish purple. This shrub tolerates heat and droughts. This Salvia is a California native. This variety has a more prostrate form than other varieties.

Common name:Carmel Creeper
Botanical name:Ceanothus griseus horizontalis

Carmel Creeper is one of the most popular forms of spreading shrubs. Its glossy oval leaves of 2" are bright green. The tiny, light blue flowers are abundant and form 1" clusters. This shrub benefits from pruning. It does best in well-drained soil with little to no summer water.

Common name:Western Redbud
Botanical name:Cercis occidentalis

This deciduous shrub ranges from 6'-20' tall and 10'-15' wide. It is desirable for its magenta spring flowers, yellow to red fall color, and dangling winter seed pods. It is tolerant of many soil types, drought and oak root fungus. It attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. The Western Redbud can be found statewide in CA in the foothills below 4500' elevations in chaparral and woodland communities. - Cornflower Farms

Common name:California Black Oak
Botanical name:Quercus kelloggii

The California Black Oak is a deciduous tree that grows 20'-60' tall. It has sharply lobed leaves which turn yellow to orange in the fall. The Black Oak is a California native, is drought tolerant, and attracts butterflies. -Cornflower Farms

Common name:Howard McMinn Manzanita
Botanical name:Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn

This shrub is highly appreciated for its decorative characteristics, which include a dense show of small, pale pink urn-shaped flowers. Above all, it is the mahogany-red to brown bark (which peels beautifully) that is the major attraction. Its fruit resembles the tike apple, and the flowers contrast perfectly to the light green leaf (which can get rather tough). It blooms from late winter to spring. - Cornflower Farms

Dealing With Drought

More than half of the water used at your home is for outside purposes. Studies show that on average, half of the water used outdoors is wasted. The leading cause of waste is incorrectly set and poorly managed irrigation controllers. The second biggest cause of wastage is broken irrigation equipment that goes undetected. There are a few basic things you can do to make a big difference in your water use.

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