(Grapefruit, Thompson Pink Grapefruit)

Large, pendent clusters of sunny, yellow fruit, reminiscent of grapes, give grapefruit its common name. It is a natural hybrid of the Asian pummelo (Citrus maxima) and sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) that was first described as the Barbados “Forbidden Fruit” by Griffith Hughes in 1750. The tree was later found on several islands of the West Indies, including Jamaica, and arrived in the United States around 1853 thanks to Odette Philippe.

Grapefruit trees are large, evergreen...

(Tangelo)

Surprisingly sweet and tart, easy to peel and eat, tangelos are favored by citrus gourmands and often planted in backyard orchards. These large evergreen trees are either a happy accident or purposeful cross between a grapefruit (Citrus x paradisi) and tangerine (Citrus x reticulata). The hybrids were first described in both California and Florida in the late 1890s.

Tangelo trees have upright, rounded crowns covered with large, glossy, linear, pointed leaves. Flowers appear...

(Honeybell Tangelo, Tangelo)

Surprisingly sweet and tart, easy to peel and eat, tangelos are favored by citrus gourmands and often planted in backyard orchards. These large evergreen trees are either a happy accident or purposeful cross between a grapefruit (Citrus x paradisi) and tangerine (Citrus x reticulata). The hybrids were first described in both California and Florida in the late 1890s.

Tangelo trees have upright, rounded crowns covered with large, glossy, linear, pointed leaves. Flowers appear...

(Orlando Tangelo, Tangelo)

Surprisingly sweet and tart, easy to peel and eat, tangelos are favored by citrus gourmands and often planted in backyard orchards. These large evergreen trees are either a happy accident or purposeful cross between a grapefruit (Citrus x paradisi) and tangerine (Citrus x reticulata). The hybrids were first described in both California and Florida in the late 1890s.

Tangelo trees have upright, rounded crowns covered with large, glossy, linear, pointed leaves. Flowers appear...

(American Yellowwood, Yellowwood)

Lovely drooping chains of white blossoms in late spring is the forte of the yellowwood, but its bright green leaves that become a brilliant yellow in autumn is also spectacular. A deciduous tree from the American Southeast (North Carolina to Tennessee and Kentucky), it attains a rounded shape with low and spreading branches. Its smooth bark is sandy brown but becoming increasingly gray with age. The name "yellowwood" refers to the color of the heartwood.

The foliage emerges in spring with a yellow-green...

(Farewell-to-Spring, Herald-of-summer, Satin Flower)

A fast-growing annual wildflower, herald-of-summer bears pinkish lavender flowers with papery petals from early to late summer. However, it can be grown as a cool season annual any time of year as long as temperatures are mild and weather fair. It is native to coastal British Columbia southward to northern California where it happily grows along open, upland bluffs and slopes. It is adapted to sharply drained, nutrient poor soils and is both drought and salt tolerant.

Two natural forms of this...

(Herald-of-summer, Lindley's Farewell-to-Spring, Lindley's Satin Flower)

A fast-growing annual wildflower, the Lindley's farewell-to-spring produces red-spotted, pinkish lavender flowers during summer. It may also be called Lindley's herald-of-summer. This subspecies is native to British Columbia's Vancouver Island southward to southern Oregon, mainly west of the Cascade Mountains.

This wildflower can be quite variable in mature height as well as if a plant freely branches. The stems carry lance-shaped gray-green leaves. Upright flower buds open to cup-shaped, flaring...

(Botta's Clarkia, Punch Bowl Godetia)

One of California's prettiest wildflowers, the punch bowl godetia produces cup-shaped lilac-pink flowers that look like tulips before they fully open. This adaptable annual is native to the mountains of Southern California where it is most commonly found in Monterrey County's forests. It can also be found in chaparral and coastal scrub habitats.

Punch bowl godetia is a wispy, tall annual with very fine foliage. The stems could be described as upright, but they are so fine they readily topple...

(Brewer's Clarkia, Fairy Fans)

This is one of California's best wildflowers for the garden! Not only does fairy fans produce a delightful floral fragrance, the blossoms are unique and lovely. This annual is endemic (native only) to central California. In its native habitat it can be found in chaparral lands, wooded foothills and coastal scrub. In the wild it is quite rare. Under ideal growing conditions, it forms a wispy dome of foliage, topped with flowers.

Plants sprout from seed either in autumn or early spring. The thin...

(Red Ribbons)

An otherwise wispy plant, red ribbons grabs your attention from mid-spring to midsummer with its delicate but colorful violet-pink, cross-shaped flowers. This drought tolerant annual wildflower is native to the dry woodlands in the foothills of northern California's Coastal Ranges. It's a worthwhile, dainty plant for dry, porous soils that are in partial shade.

The leaves are small, oval and light gray-green. Showy flowers arise in loose clusters on stem tips and side branch shoots in the warmth...