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Suggested Drought Tolerant Plants

For Orange County Gardens

Trees

• Thorn-less Mesquite (Prosopis chilensis ), a beautiful semi evergreen tree native to California’s deserts. Airy umbrella like canopy 30’ wide 25’ high.
• Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana ), a substitute for Olive trees.  Handsome evergreen with grey sheen, nice bark, edible fruit & flowers 25’ tall & wide.
• Shoe String Acacia ( Aacia stenophylla), evergreen tree for dramatic effect. Use as specimen tree, small yellow flowers in summer 25’ tall 15’ wide.
• Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia), So Cal native. Beautiful durable evergreen tree with broad crown, 30’ high & wide, makes dense shade, can be messy.
• Lehua (Metrosideros excelsa), evergreen tree from Hawaii. Nice red summer flowers used in leis. Adaptable, easy to grow, tolerates seacoast, 30’ high & wide.
• Redbud (Cercis mexicana), So Cal native, nice small tree. Deciduous but has beautiful magenta spring flowers. Grows dense & rounded 20’ tall & wide.
• Camphor (Cinamomum camphora), useful multipurpose evergreen tree with little fuss. Nice billowy crown 30’ high & wide, control size by keeping them dry.
• Purple Mint Willow ( Agonis flexuosa ‘After Dark’), dramatic evergreen tree with weeping habit & purple leafs to 25’ high & wide, easy to grow.
• Tree Spurge (Euphorbia lambii), unusual small tree from the Canary Islands. Evergreen 12’ tall & wide, with strange lime green winter flowers in clusters.
• Smoke Tree (Cotinus coggygria), nice small deciduous tree to 15’ tall & wide. Deep purple leafs & unique smoke-like flowers, good choice for patio tree.

Shrubs

• Cleveland Sage (Salvia cleavlandii), native to So Cal. Nice evergreen shrub with aromatic leafs & large violet flowers in spring 3’ tall & 5’ wide.
• Wormwood (Artemisia ‘Powis castle’), small evergreen shrub with lacy grey foliage. Good companion plant for contrast, very hardy 3’ high & 4’ wide.
• California Lilac (Ceanothus spp.), diverse group of evergreen shrubs native to California. Have beautiful blue, pink, or white flowers, they are easy to grow.
• Dwarf Poniciana (Caesalpinia pulcherrima), native to the Caribbean. Great plant for hot sunny sites, brilliant orange & red flowers in summer 8’ tall & wide.
• Manzanitas (Arctostaphyllos spp.), group of versatile evergreen shrubs native to California. Many have attractive foliage, flowers, & unusual maroon to red bark.
• Carpinteria (Carpenteria California), native to Central CA. Similar to a camellia with evergreen glossy foliage & white 3” spring flowers, for shade.
• Grevilleas (Geaveillea spp.), diverse group of evergreen shrubs from Australia. Very hardy, many have attractive flowers & interesting foliage.
• Calliandra (Calliandra californica), heat loving evergreen shrub native to Baja, Mex. Nice red 3” powder-puff flowers in spring summer, attracts hummingbirds.
• Kohuhus (Pittosporum spp.), diverse group of evergreen shrubs from Africa. Very hardy with attractive foliage & growth habit, makes excellent screens.
• Rockroses (Cistus spp.), handsome group of evergreen shrubs from Mediterranean region. Know for attractive flowers & toughness, good for slopes.

Groundcovers

·         Senecio (Seneco merlandialce), attractive evergreen succulent from South Africa, 1’ tall 4’ wide. Loves heat & slopes, good for fire retardant landscaping.

·         Bergenia (Bergenia cordifolia), choice plant for dry shade, 1’ tall & 3’ wide. Large evergreen leafs with pink to magenta flowers in winter, from Mongolia.

·         Dymondia (Dymondia margarete), tight evergreen groundcover from Africa. Useful in between stepping stones & tolerates light traffic, easy to grow.

·         Wild Lilac (Ceanothus griseus horizontalis), California native with shiny green leafs. Grows 2’ tall 8’ wide. Blue 3’’ spring flowers attract beneficial insects.

·         Santa Barbara Daisy (Erigeron karviskanus), full sun, native to Mexico. Evergreen. 10”high & 3’ wide, blooms profusely with small white daisies.

·         Sunroses (Helianthemum spp.), nice small scale groundcovers from Southern Europe. Resemble dwarf Rockroses, all have attractive flowers in many colors.

·         Oscularia (Oscularia deltoids), succulent groundcover with interesting evergreen foliage. Abundant pink flowers in spring smother plant, fire resistant.

·         Low Acacia (Acacia redolens), evergreen & fire resistant from Australia. Makes a 2’ tall 10’ wide plant with yellow 3” spring flowers. Useful for slopes.

·         Ageline Sedum (Sedum agelinum), bright lime green foliage that reaches 6” high & wide. Very hardy & useful for small areas. Use as foliage contrast.

·         Thymes (Thymus spp.), traditionally an herb, Thymes make a good choice for light traffic areas, or between stepping stones. Aromatic foliage, native to Europe.

Perennials

·         Margarita Penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus), a beautiful plant native to So Cal. A profusion of small blue flowers in late spring grows to 1’ tall 2’ wide.

·         Mandevellias (Dipladenia spp.), hardy South American vining plants for containers. They tolerate hot sun, neglect, & pink, red, or white 3” flowers.

·         Bush Verbenia (Verbenia illiacina), shrubby 3’ evergreen plant from Baja, Mex. Blooms year round with 3” purple flowers. Loves heat & attracts butterflies.

·         Callandrinia, (Callandrinia spectablis), heat loving plant from Mexico. Succulent leafs on plant 2’ high & wide, tolerates poor soils. Fire resistant.

·         Matijilla Poppy, (Romneya coulteri), large perennial native to So Cal. Grows as a mass of stems 6’ high & wide. Stunning large “fried egg” flowers in white.

·         Sinaloa Sage (salvia sinaloensis), from Mexico. Tolerates heat, nice low plant 1’ high & 3’ wide. Purple foliage sets off 3” electric blue flowers spikes, choice.

·         Yellow Primroses (Callyophus spp.), group of three or so small perennials from New Mexico. Bloom with attractive 2” yellow flowers spring & summer, hardy.

·         California Fuchsia (Epilobium californicum), beautiful plant native to So Cal. Grows 2’ tall 4’ wide. Orange 3” flowers adored by hummingbirds, easy to grow.

·         Chiapas Sage (Salvia chiapensis), native to Mexico. This adaptable plant is good for part shade. Grows 4’ tall & wide. Nice 6” magenta flowers spikes all year.

·         Yarrows (Achillea spp.), group of plants native to North America. Many have showy flowers in various warm colors. Tough & adaptable, good for butterflies.

Annuals

·         California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), native to California. Beautiful 3” orange to yellow flowers in winter-spring. Reseeds, needs full sun to do best.

·         Vinca (Vinca rosea), hardy plant from Madagascar. Loves hot sunny sites with well draining soil. Pretty 1” flowers in many colors in the summer, can reseed.

·         Desert Blue Bells (Phacelia campanularia), native to So Cal deserts. Intense 1” cobalt blue blooms in spring after winter rains. Loves full sun & reseeds easily.

·         Tall Verbena (Verbena bonairiensis), from the Caribbean. This plant can be a short lived perennial. Blooms summer with 4’ tall purple flower spikes, full sun.

·         Love in a Puff (Nigelia damscena), delicate looking plant from Turkey. Grows just 1’ tall & wide. Lacy foliage & interesting blue to purple flowers, reseeds.

·         Moss Rose (Portulaca gandiflora ), native to South America. Colorful plant with brilliant 2” multicolored flowers in summer. Loves heat & intense sun, reseeds.

·         Tidy Tips (Laya platyglossa), native to California. Small plant 1’ tall & wide blooms in spring early summer with 2” white tipped yellow daisies, reseeds.

·         Amaranths (Celosias), unusual blooming plants from South America. Blooms come in many bright colors; all provide useful texture to sunny hot gardens.

·         Zinias (Zinea spp.), native to the Americas. Prefers sunny locations, with colorful flowers all summer. Great variation in flower color & plant stature can reseed.

·         Lupins (Lupinus spp), large group of plants from around the world. Bloom in spring with tall flower spikes. Good choice for attracting beneficial insects.

Vines

·         Wild Grape (Vitis californica), native to California’s canyons. Deciduous with deep burgundy fall color. Grows to 30’, full sun. Abundant small tasty fruits.

·         Bower Vines (Podranea spp.), native to Australia. Hardy, easy evergreen vines with white to pink 3” trumpet flowers. Grow to 20’, tolerates part shade to sun.

·         Wisterias (Wisteria spp.), from Northern Hemisphere. Beautiful spring flowers cascade down like rain in white, lavender, or pink. Hardy grows to 30+’, full sun.

·         Bluebell Creeper (Solloya heterophylla), native to Australia. Nice evergreen vine with 3” clusters blue bell flowers. Grows to 15’, full sun to part shade, easy.

·         Carolina Jasmine (Gelsimium sempervirens), native to Southern USA. Hard working evergreen vine up to 20’, with abundant 2” yellow trumpets in spring.

·         Cal Trumpet Vine, (Calystegia macrostegia), native to So Cal. Semi evergreen vine to 20’. Blooms spring & summer with 3” light pink trumpet flowers.

·         Madagascar Jasmine, (Stephanotis floribunda), native to Madagascar. Evergreen vine for part shade with fragrant 3” white trumpet flowers, easy.

·         Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata), from Japan. Deciduous vine to 40’ with beautiful fall color. Lush look for part shade to full sun, adaptable, clings.

·         Clock Vine, (Thumbergia gregorii), from South Africa. Non stop bloomer with 3” orange flowers. Evergreen & durable growing to 20’, a twining vine.

·         Trumpet Vines (Clytostoma callistegioides), from Argentina, very hardy vines for sun. Bloom with colorful trumpet flowers 3” long, attractive to hummingbirds.

Accents

·         Aloes (Aloe spp.), native to Africa. Diverse group of succulent plants that range from trees, shrubs, to ground covers. Many have stunning winter flowers, easy.

·         Woolly Bush (Adenathos drumondii), dramatic evergreen with feathery soft silver foliage. Grows 8’ high & wide needs full sun to grow best, from Australia.

·         Mullins (Verbascum spp.), group of plants that grow as a rosette of often furry leafs. Bloom with a dramatic spike of flowers usually in yellow tones, full sun.

·         Cycads (Cycadaceae), native to subtropical regions of the world. Similar appearance to palms. Tough plants for tropical effect, many are drought tolerant.

·         Mirror Plant (Coprosma spp.), shrubs from New Zealand. Glossy evergreen leafs in dazzling colors. Vary in size; tolerate seacoast, full sun, & fire resistant.

·         Succulents, native world wide. Use these plants for their bold architectural forms. Fire resistant & easy to grow on hillsides. Not all of these plants are spiny.

·         Foxtail Asparagus (Asparagus meyeri), a non invasive asparagus from South Africa. Very though foliage accent for sun or part shade. Easy to grow.

·         Palms (Aracaceae), native to tropical & subtropical areas of the world. Some species are hardy & drought tolerant. Use for architectural effect & foliage.

·         Tollsons Weeping Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum), from western USA. Interesting small evergreen tree with grey weeping foliage to 25’ high 10’ wide.

·         Clivia (Clivia minata), native of South Africa. Useful for dry shade, very adaptable. Orange to yellow 8” flowers in winter. Can grow in shallow soil.

Grasses

·         Deer Grass (Muhlenbergia dumosa), dramatic bunch grass native to So Cal. Grows to 4’ high & wide. Tall flower spikes move gracefully in wind, easy.

·         Sedges (Carex spp.), diverse group of grass like plants. They provide a useful source of foliage texture. Evergreen foliage cokes in many “styles” & colors.

·         Dianella (Dianella tasmanica), from Tasmania. This is an elegant evergreen plant with attractive foliage. Spikes of light blue flowers atop plants 3’ tall.

·         Restios (Restios), grass like plants from South Africa. Many intriguing textures of foliage raging from reed-like to feathery. Excellent for containers, use for foliage.

·         Blue Eyed Grass (Sysrinchium bellum), native to So Cal. Small evergreen plant to 1’ high & wide. Small but abundant blue flowers in spring, easy to grow.

·         Iris (Iris spp.), native to the Northern Hemisphere. Many are hardy & drought tolerant. Beautiful flowers in spring sometimes fall. Easy to grow, many varieties.

·         Festival Grass (Cordyline spp.), nice plant for bold foliage. Satrapy leafs on plants 5’ wide & 3’ tall, & is deep burgundy color. Easy to grow, useful in pots.

·         Fescue (Festuca spp), group of grasses that are ornamental uses as well as turf grass use. All are drought tolerant; turf forms make good lawn choices.

·         Bear Grass (Nolina texana), native to Texas. Nice evergreen mounding plant to 4’ wide & 3’ tall. Interesting cream flowers in spring, useful for mass plantings.

·         Quaking Grass (Brizia media), nice grass native to Northern Hemisphere. Has interesting nodding seed heads. Plants grow 3’ tall & wide in part shade.