The Incense cedar is a slow growing plant that after many years will grow into a tall coniferous tree mostly within the range of 25-40 ft. in urban environments. Pine-scented foliage is comprised of dark green scale-like leaves that develop on flat branchlets. Flowers are insignificant; seeds develop in pairs and are valued by wildlife […]
Cascalote grows as a large shrub to small tree that is semi-evergreen to deciduous with a low branching habit, 15-20 ft. tall and as wide. Trunks and branches are covered with heavy thorns; leaves are bipinnately divided into 8-10 pairs of rounded leaflets. Long arching panicles of lemon-yellow flowers grow above the foliage in late
The Kurrajong bottle tree is a handsome evergreen species with a fast growth rate and height range between 30-45 ft. tall. Young trees grow with an upright habit; mature plants develop a round dome shape. Foliage consists of glossy medium green, 2-3 in. long, leaves that shimmer in wind similar to poplars. Large numbers of
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The Ponytail palm is a unique landscape plant that slowly grows from small container sizes to spectacular specimens with large swollen bases, several branches and heights ranging 12-25 ft. tall. The foliage is comprised of 3-5 ft. long weeping strap-like leaves, producing a ‘Dr. Seuss’- type character. Hundreds of creamy-white flowers make a very showy
The Desert milkweed is a distinctive shrub that develops an upright habit comprised of large numbers of many leafless blue-green stems growing 3-4 ft. tall. Terminal clusters of cream to yellow flowers are heaviest in mid spring, and are highly attractive to butterflies and nectar-seeking insects. Desert milkweed grows throughout the southwest United States and
Narrow leaf milkweed is a robust perennial native to many habitats and conditions across all of California. This easy to grow plant is often part of wildlife gardens and restoration projects where it can be planted from seed to mix with native grasses and wildflowers. It is one of several milkweeds that are well known
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Please note: For most situations, we would not recommend installing this plant in new gardens, landscapes, or plantings in southern California. Some of our top large evergreen shrub recommendations to consider planting instead include coffeeberry, hollyleaf cherry, lemonade berry, and sugar bush. This plant profile is included in this site as a reference for two
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Please note: For most situations, we would not recommend installing this plant in new gardens, landscapes, or plantings in southern California. Our top recommendations to consider instead of this plant are desert willow and pink chitalpa. This plant profile is included in this site as a reference for two primary reasons: If you already have
Palo blanco (white stick) is a small to medium size deciduous tree with an upright habit and open branching character that can grow 15-25 ft. tall and 10-15 ft. wide. Tiny green leaves are attached to 6-10 in. long narrow petioles that gracefully hang from thin branches. Creamy-white flower spikes occur in late spring, occasionally
The Scarlet bugler penstemon is an upright species, growing 2-3 ft. high, with distinctive gray foliage and orange-red flowers. Widely distributed throughout dry coastal and inland foothill zones of California from the Bay Area into Mexico. It’s common name refers to the scarlet colored bugle-shaped flowers that appear in spring and ascend above the plant
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