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Incense cedars are aromatic with upward-curving branches — candelabra-like with age. It is native from Oregon to California, southwestern Nevada and northern Baja California. It's 100-150 feet tall in the wild and lives to 1000+ years (plant a big tree for the future); 50 feet tall is more usual in cultivation....

Fabulous pyramidal winter flame of gold with tawny amber tips. This one really lit my fire the first time we met. Slow-growing conifer. Mature size: 6 ft T x 3 ft W in 10 yrs Minimum temperature: -20° F

Single, reddish-pink, funnel-shaped flowers bloom in late winter and sporadically rebloom on artfully zig-zagging stems. This photo was taken in early January! 'Unryu' means "dragon in the clouds" in Japanese, suggesting the twisting of a dragon as it ascends to the sky. Nice for bonsai, evergreen, reliable. Mature size: 6-8 feet...

A 3'x3' deciduous shrub, 'Dark Knight' has the deepest blue color of any of its relatives and a profusion of flower clusters. Silver beneath the small lanceolate leaves augments the blue! Its habit is upright, rounded, and tidy, and it blooms on new growth, so if you'd like it to be dense...

This deciduous tree has large heart-shaped leaves of chartreuse to rich yellow depending on the degree of light exposure. It adds a jolt of drama to any garden or border. It can be pollarded (for which there is much historical precedent and we do in our garden) to promote vigorous new...

Cobalt-blue flowers and glistening, wrinkled, fine foliage, 'Centennial' is tolerant of light shade and prefers well-drained soil. Stays low to the ground, suppressing weeds. Mature size: up to 24 in T x 4 – 5 ft W, Minimum temperature: 5° F

An unusual light yellow-green flowered form (like an unfolding lotus) of the deciduous native sweetshrubs, introduced by Mike Dirr. Also known as Carolina Allspice, it blooms in May and intermittently thereafter pervading the atmosphere with a pleasant, subtle, fruity fragrance—probably the strongest fragrance of all the Calycanthus (one wonders where the...

Fragrant and floriferous, "Venus" produces an ivory bud that opens to a white magnolia-like blossom with a coy red blush inside. It blooms in summer on densely branched shrubs, 6' x 6'. This large beautiful flower will make you think you are vacationing in exotic climes. So much cheaper this way. Minimum temperature:...

This bright pink, semi-double sasanqua camellia has dark green, shiny evergreen leaves and blooms fall, winter, and spring—hence 'Winter's Joy' at the very least. Upright habit. Mature size: 6 feet tall x 5 feet wide Minimum temperature: -10° F

A tidy, grassy mound with arching, silver-white-margined dark green blades makes a nice accent plant that will brighten any garden and make a great textural contrast. It likes moist, well-draining soil but doesn't want to sit in water. 1'-2' x 1'-2' mound+. Sorry, no grasses or sedges can be shipped to California. Minimum temperature:...

This tough evergreen ground cover has bright yellow-green stems and light blue flowers in late spring. It rebounded well from single-digit temperatures here. Mature size: 1 ft tall x 8 ft wide Minimum temperature: 10° F

Flowers are light indigo, foliage is deciduous to semi-deciduous depending on the hardiness zone where it is grown. Prune hard in late fall for more flowers and a more compact form. A cross between a C. coeruleus (Mexico) and C. americanus (Eastern U.S.). Recipient of the 1993 Award of Garden Merit. We are...

Large, ruby-red thistle-type blooms ride atop tall strong stems. Before the flowers appear, attractive buds of brown and green scales require you to move in close for a better look. A rosette of long, feathery, silver-gray leaves support this garden gem. Mature size: 3-4 feet tall & 2-3 feet wide Minimum temperature:...

Intense cobalt blue pinwheel flowers bloom from summer into late fall on stems with noticeable reddish-brown hairs. Flowers persist simultaneously with brilliant red and orange fall leaves — the whole shrub glows with this intense color combination! A deciduous shrub, resistant to deer without looking armed and dangerous. Mature size: 3 feet...

Glossy green, hosta-like leaves feed a mega-bulb that supports a tower of fragrance that wafts a considerable distance on the breeze. The parent bulb will die once it flowers, but the offsets will bloom in the following years, usually 3-4 years after the large bulb has expired. 10" white trumpets (as many as...

I doubt we could be without this useful, hardy, and brilliant Carex. Luminous chartreuse new spring growth thrives in sun to shade (gold in sun, chartreuse or brilliant light green in shade) and average moisture to wet soils. Try it in partial shade with Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' (blue-green), or with...