Native to Australia, Anigozanthos (Kangaroo Paw) are tufted evergreen rhizomatous perennials with vibrant flower colors atop fans of narrowly strap-shaped leaves. Borne on leafless flowering stalks, the remarkable flowers are clustered at the ends of the stalks. Tubular, they are covered with velvety hairs and have pointed lobes, which are curved at their tips, giving them the appearance of kangaroo paws, hence the common name.

Award-winning Helianthemum 'Henfield Brilliant' (Rock Rose or Sun Rose) is a vigorous, low-growing evergreen shrub resembling a flower carpet from late spring to midsummer. Abundant, showy, single, bright orange flowers, 1 in. across (3 cm), adorned with a boss of central yellow stamens literally smother the plant. Each flower opens for one day only, but new buds keep opening, enabling a long-lasting display for months. While the flowers are the main attraction, the evergreen foliage of dark silvery-green leaves is almost as compelling. Because of its ground-hugging habit, 'Henfield Brilliant' makes a terrific ground cover for a sunny location. Once established, this Mediterranean native is very drought tolerant and quite resilient, without being invasive.

Compact and eye-catching, Gaura 'Siskiyou Pink' features airy-looking, 4-petaled pink flowers fluttering along thin stems and resembling clouds of butterflies. This North American wildflower adds an interesting fine texture in the garden with its flowers dancing and dangling above the red-tinged foliage. It enjoys a long blooming season, typically from early summer into fall and forms a vase-shaped clump, about 18-24 in. tall (45-60 cm). Tolerates drought, heat, humidity, partial shade and dry soils and doesn't self-seed. Deer and rabbit resistant, Gaura attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

One of the cold-hardier New Zealand Hairy Sedges, Carex testacea forms a low, cascading mound of narrow, arching, olive-green leaves turning coppery-brown in summer and adding warm, orange tints in winter. Inconspicuous brown flower spikes are produced in early summer whose stems droop gracefully as they age. Evergreen, this clump-forming perennial grass is valuable for its year-round appeal and regarded as one of the most beautiful ornamental grasses for the garden, where it provides a lovely contrast with other plants, mulch or gravel.

Requiring very little care and providing striking color as well as graceful movement in the garden or patio, Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' has become a real favorite among gardeners. How not to resist the spectacular rich burgundy foliage, the exceptionally long arching crimson plumes or the outstanding contrast provided with the surrounding plants and flowers? Fast grower, it typically grows in 3-5 ft. tall (90-150 cm) and 2-4 ft. wide (60-120 cm) rounded mounds. They are topped with soft and fluffy, red-burgundy flower plumes on arching stems from mid-summer until frost. Drought tolerant and ignored by deer!

Stipa tenuissima (Mexican Feather Grass) is an exceptionally lovely and graceful ornamental grass that exhibits silvery-green thread-like leaves in late spring, that sway gracefully in the slightest breeze, delicately softening any landscape. All summer, it bears abundant feathery panicles, which are held a little above the foliage and can be used in dried arrangements. Native to the Americas, this perennial grass provides a fairly long-lasting display with its airy silky green leaves turning golden brown towards fall.

A colorful southern Oregon, California and Baja California native, award-winning Mimulus aurantiacus (Bush Monkey Flower) is a bushy evergreen shrub with narrow, lanceolate, dark-green leaves typically 2-3 in. long (5-7 cm) on very sticky stems, and flowering stems that grow vertically. Trumpet-shaped, the exuberant flowers, 1.2 in long (3 cm), are tubular at the base with five broad lobes. They bloom profusely over a long season extending from spring through summer. They occur in a variety of shades and are pollinated by bees and hummingbirds. An ideal garden companion adding a touch of exoticism and a Mediterranean feel.