Common name:Italian Cypress
Botanical name:Cupressus sempervirens 'Stricta'

Italian Cypress is often associated with Italian and Spanish architecture, providing columns in the landscape. They often reach 60' tall. 'Stricta' is compact, columnar and produces long, straight branches with deep green foliage.

Common name:Date Palm
Botanical name:Phoenix dactylifera

This tree, the source of edible dates, will grow up to 80' tall and has grayish green leaves on a slender trunk. It does well in desert and ocean gardens and those in between. This palm is often used in formal groupings around large buildings.

Common name:Olive
Botanical name:Olea europaea

This broad tree will grow to 40' tall and has small, gray green leaves with fleshy black fruit that appears in fall. Purchase fruitless varieties to avoid the mess.

Common name:Butterfly-Iris, Fortnight Lily
Botanical name:Dietes iridioides

This clumping evergreen Iris bears tall, narrow leaves to 30" tall and white flowers marked purple in the center on stalks up to 3' tall. This variety has stiffer, darker foliage than the bicolor form. It requires sun to part shade with little or no summer watering when established.

Common name:Pride Of Madeira
Botanical name:Echium candicans

Mature specimens of this evergreen shrub can grow to a size of 6'-8' tall and 8'-10' wide. In the spring, spikes of rosy-violet to blue-purple flowers appear. It should receive sun to part shade, with little or no summer watering when established. This plant can be severely damaged by frost below 25 degrees F.

Common name:Iceberg Floribunda Rose
Botanical name:Rosa 'Iceberg'

This is a shrub rose (there are climbing varieties) with an abundance of fragrant, medium sized, white blooms. It is one of the most popular roses and very tough.

Common name:Red Cross Kangaroo Paws
Botanical name:Anigozanthos 'Red Cross'

Red Cross Kangaroo Paws has showy, tall (4'-5'), multi- branched stems with rich red color on both flowers and stems. The flowers have a green interior. It is fast growing.

Common name:Century Plant, Maguey
Botanical name:Agave americana

This plant is fast growing to about 6'-10' tall and 8'-13' wide. Wide gray leaves have stiff terminal spines and recurved teeth on margins. It prefers full sun and well-drained situations. After blooming, which could take several years, it will die but will send up new pups from around the base. Some people are allergic to the sap. Removal is difficult if unwanted.

Common name:Parasol Aeonium
Botanical name:Aeonium arboreum

Parasol Aeonium is an upright succulent with rosette leaf clusters. It forms a mound and can be easily propagated by cuttings.

Common name:Indian Hawthorne
Botanical name:Rhaphiolepis indica

This small shrub will grow 2' tall and 4' wide. It has small, dark green leaves that get a red tint in the winter and deep pink flowers that bloom fall through spring.