Camellia japonica
Camellia, Common Camellia

• Long-lived large shrubs or small trees grown for their thick-petaled, eye-catching flowers. Plants have deep-green leaves and generally bloom for one to two months sometime from November through April, depending on the variety. Plant flowers during dormancy. Provide a location with morning sun and afternoon shade that is not regularly hit by winds.

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Passiflora edulis
Passion Fruit, Purple Granadilla, Edible Passion Fruit

• Passion vine is vigorous but short lived, 5-7 years, with edible fruit. Vigorous growth may grow 15-20 feet per year. Needs strong support. Passion vine is extremely cold sensitive to frost and cannot take high heat.

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Magnolia grandiflora
SOUTHERN MAGNOLIA

• The Southern Magnolia is famous for its huge (up to a foot wide) fragrant waxy-white flowers, as well as its large, leathery glossy-green leaves, and it is a stately tree with a bold presence. Unfortunately, the most common Southern Magnolias in landscapes (and all of the really old trees) are seedlings, which eventually can grow quite large (to 60’) and are unpredictable in bloom. Much better are the numerous grafted varieties, which bloom reliably even when young and have been selected for larger flowers, better foliage, more compact habit, and climate tolerance. These grafted varieties now allow gardeners to choose small, medium, or large types of trees with uniform qualities, all of which bloom heavily even when young. The Southern Magnolia likes full sun, lots of water, and deep, rich soils. In dry and/or heavy soils, it usually fails. In the minds of some, it does have its drawbacks, in the sense that it has fairly shallow roots and drops some of its large leaves and also woody seed pods throughout the year. Deep watering will encourage a deeper root system, and if you plant this tree in a lawn, you’ll just have to rake a few leaves once in a while. If planted as a street tree, it’s best to use a root barrier to encourage deep rooting.

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Citrus reticulata blanco
Tangerine, Mandarin Orange, Satsuma Orange

• Mandarin oranges, also called tangerines, are a group of thin-skinned, easy-to-peel citrus fruits. Those varieties known as satsuma are the group of mandarins that are used to create canned mandarin oranges. Trees are slow-growing and tend to bear heavily in alternate years.The tree is a native of south-eastern Asia and the Philippines. They grow well in containers.

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Citrus limon 'Eureka'
Eureka Lemon

• Plant bears the lemon variety generally sold in markets. Grows to 20 feet tall and wide. Bears juicy fruit with few seeds year-round. New growth is bronze, eventually greening. Make good container plants.

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Prunus salicina 'Santa Rosa'
Santa Rosa Plum

• In coastal Southern California, it is important to choose plum trees with a low chilling requirement. A number of Japanese Plum varieties generally fruit well in this climate, and some are even self-fruitful (others need a different variety for pollination). Since fruit is formed on year-old wood, it is often recommended to prune these vigorous trees in the late spring or early summer (rather than in winter), especially if you are pruning to control the size of the tree.

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Persea americana 'Hass'
Hass Avocado, Avocado, Alligator Pear, Vegetable Butter, Or Butter Pear

• Avocados are not difficult to grow in the mild Southern California climates, as long as drainage is excellent and the plants are watered regularly. To get a good crop of fruit, it is important to plant in locations which are protected from frost, which can damage flowers. The best crops are assured if you plant two compatible pollinating varieties; for example, pairing \'Fuerte\' with \'Hass\'. This combination will also provide you with fresh avocados over a long harvest season once your trees are mature.

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Rosa hybrid 'Typhoo Tea'
Typhoo Tea Hybrid Tea Rose

• This is my ORGANIC ROSE CARE Calendar for Southern California. Feel free to use it! Click the link below to read more about caring for roses.

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Rosa hybrid
Rose

• This is my ORGANIC ROSE CARE Calendar for Southern California. Feel free to use it! Click the link below to read more about caring for roses.

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Rosa hybrid
Rose

• As a group, roses are the most popular shrubs of all in temperate climates worldwide. California is a great place to grow roses, especially because of its mild-winter climates, where some roses seem to always be in bloom. \"Roses\" is a big category, and there are many different kinds. In general, all roses like sun, good soil, good air circulation, and regular water and fertilizer. Since they bloom on new growth, they also need a certain amount of pruning in order to produce the most flowers -- but it\'s probably true that most people prune their roses too heavily. Mostly, it\'s the cut-flower \"hybrid teas\" that need a seasonal pruning -- the many popular shrubby landscape roses generally don\'t need much cutting back. And even with the hybrid teas, consider that when you cut your blooms for bouquets, you\'re really accomplishing your pruning chores at the same time. Just remember that a big shrub produces more flowers, so do give your roses a seasonal haircut with just a little thinning, but don\'t overdo it (and remember to wear your gardening gloves when you do!).

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Anigozanthos sp 'Harmony'
Kangaroo Paws, Red-yellow Kangaroo Paw

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Anigozanthos spp
Kangaroo Paws

• Emblematic of their native Western Australia, Kangaroo Paws are justly famous for their showy and interesting clusters of flowers which attract hummingbirds and other nectar-feeding birds. The many modern hybrids available are generally resistant to leaf diseases and make good drought-tolerant garden plants, as long as you give them good drainage and control snails and slugs. Plant sizes and flowering stem heights vary from dwarf to tall -- the tall ones in general make the most stunning show in the garden, and great cut-flowers too. Buy in bloom to get the flowers you want; look for brightly-colored tall varieties such as \'Big Red\' and \'Harmony\' (yellow) for the showiest display.

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