(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...

(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...

(Elegant Clarkia, Mountain Garland, Woodland Clarkia)

Upright reddish stems lined with rosy papery flowers are highlights of the elegant clarkia. This tall wildflower is endemic (native only) to California, existing in chaparral, grasslands and forest clearings. It is a fast-growing annual that naturally blooms from mid-spring to early summer when conditions are mild and cool. Garden grown specimens can be sown year-round as long as temperatures and mild and humidity low.

Elegant clarkia grows upright with reddish stems and sparse green to gray-green...

(Golden Rat Tail)

Among the easiest cacti to grow, the golden rat tail's yellowish spines are visually interesting, but when the salmon-orange and coral flowers appear, this cactus is a conversation-piece. It is a mountain-dwelling species found in the rocky, well-drained foothills of Uruguay and nearby Argentina. Because it exists at relatively high elevations it’s somewhat frost hardy, but must have very dry winter conditions.

This succulent cactus' coloring results from a dense cloak of tiny tan-gold hairs...