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South African bulb that needs a summer dry period and good drainage so is best grown in a pot.

Annie's Annuals says this annual self-sows 4 to 5 times a year here in coastal California and at least once or twice a year in harsher climes so you can enjoy a succession of blue blooms, great for growing at the base of roses too.

Large bloom with heavy substance.

Can be invasive where soil is disturbed, so check your local Ag. dept. in your area.

This is a sport of the parent Salvia officinalis 'Berggarten' that occurred in the U.S. The variegation is very stable. The plant should be trimmed often, taking several inches off the new growth.

This ajuga is not invasive like the more common Ajuga reptans, so it can be used for smaller areas and alongside pathways. A nice feature is that it thrives in both sun and bright shade and it's also cold hardy.

This rare aeonium is endemic to the Canary Island of Lanzarote. It is currently endangered in its natural habitat.

According to Annie's Annuals, the ferny foliage stays green throughout summer and it doesn’t go bald in the center like so many other yarrows, plus it's not invasive.

According to Annie's Annuals, it's quick to grow to 9-10’ tall but is easily pruned to any shape, especially to show off those silver-blue trunks & branches.

Perennial USDA Zones 8b-11, annual elsewhere

Gall mite resistant.

Gall mite resistant, evergreen in zones 9-11.

The blooms appear on previous year's growth, so prune right after flowering. It can also be cut to the ground after flowering if shrub becomes scraggly looking or otherwise in need of rejuvenation. I just pruned mine in half and the new growth is now fuller and lusher than last year.

If you love orange blooms (and I do!), this is the one to get! If you don't, seeing this bloom in person may convert you. The distinct blooms are large with a tangerine and orange blend that really stands out and commands attention in the garden, especially in full clump size. Well loved by gardeners in a wide range of zones, it won the highest honor for a daylily in 2003, the Stout Metal.

This may be registered as a dormant, but it my zone it certainly isn't set back by that fact. It is one of the best looking plants foliage wise, with it's large fans and it's fast to increase too. It puts on a long show (it's the perfect example of a bud builder), with these stunningly rich, velvety-red, star-shaped blooms on tall scapes. A real standout in my garden and one I will never be without.

A beautiful elegant bloom with twists, curls, and wavy edges along both the petals and the sepals. It's just gorgeous in a clump and has great substance, turning a pure white in the noonday sun, and it's reportedly a great rebloomer even in northern gardens. It won the highest honor in 2013, the Stout Metal.

This was one of Luddy Lambertson's early intros and it's a lovely bloom and still unique enough for me to recognize it instantly. I have had mine for many years now, and even though in my new garden I do get a touch of rust on it later in the season, I love it enough to still keep it

Winner of numerous awards and for good reason! Even though this is registered as an evergreen, it reportedly does quite well in colder zones. For me, it quickly made a large clump, is a long time bloomer/rebloomer, and the large blooms have great substance and stand up to the heat, maintaining its rich coloring. The large yellow-green throat is a drawing beacon in the garden too!

The young leaves can be steamed or eaten raw in salads as a good hot weather spinach substitute. Heavy yield of nutritious, amino-rich edible seed. The high-protein grain can be ground into a flour, popped, or flaked.

Even though Agrostemma is an annual, it will self-seed, giving you even more plants the following year. In zones 9 and 10, it blooms year round.