Bring California's golden hills into your garden with fragrant purple Cleveland Sage, fiery California Fuchsia, creamy California Buckwheat, and graceful Deer Grass. These native flowering shrubs, perennials, and ornamental grass create a colorful, low-water landscape, with blooms from late spring through fall and year-round texture for sunny, dry-summer gardens.
Imagine wandering along a gently curving gravel path, surrounded by fragrant purple sage, brilliant red flowers, creamy buckwheat blossoms, and graceful grasses glowing in the afternoon sun. Beyond the garden, golden hills stretch into the distance, while a rustic pergola offers an inviting spot to relax. This beautiful California native garden captures the warmth and easygoing charm of a Mediterranean-climate landscape.
Four native plants create this colorful display: Salvia clevelandii (Cleveland Sage), Epilobium canum (California Fuchsia), Eriogonum fasciculatum (California Buckwheat), and Muhlenbergia rigens (Deer Grass). Their contrasting flowers, silvery foliage, and airy textures create a water-wise garden that provides nectar for hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.
Main plants used: Salvia clevelandii, Epilobium canum, Eriogonum fasciculatum, and Muhlenbergia rigens.
The combination of purple, scarlet, and cream gives this garden its Mediterranean charm. Salvia clevelandii provides the fragrant backbone, producing whorls of lavender-purple flowers in late spring to early summer. Its aromatic gray-green foliage remains attractive long after flowering.
As summer progresses, Epilobium canum takes center stage with brilliant red-orange tubular flowers that attract hummingbirds. Flowering from summer into fall, this spreading perennial or subshrub brings welcome color when many spring bloomers have faded.
Eriogonum fasciculatum softens the composition with rounded clusters of creamy-white flowers that gradually age to warm rust tones. Its small evergreen leaves create a beautiful contrast with the larger flowers. Nearby, Muhlenbergia rigens forms graceful fountains of narrow foliage topped with tall, airy flower stems.
The gravel path, low stone edging, and rustic pergola give the garden structure without making it feel formal. Repeated drifts of the four plants create a natural rhythm, while the golden hills beyond reinforce the relaxed California atmosphere.
Create a colorful, low-water California garden with fragrant native shrubs, hummingbird-friendly flowers, graceful grasses, and a relaxed gravel path leading toward an inviting seating area.
Approximate visual proportions, not exact plant quantities.
Let the curving gravel path guide visitors toward a shaded pergola. Position Cleveland Sage toward the middle and rear of the beds, allowing room for its mature spread. Place California Buckwheat along the path in loose, rounded groups, then weave California Fuchsia between them for scarlet summer and autumn color. Repeat Deer Grass at intervals to provide height, movement, and structure. Keep mature shrubs clear of the walkway.
Late spring brings fragrant purple Cleveland Sage and creamy California Buckwheat flowers. In summer, buckwheat continues attracting pollinators as Deer Grass develops airy flowering stems. California Fuchsia takes over from summer into fall, providing brilliant red flowers for hummingbirds. In winter, evergreen shrubs and graceful grass clumps maintain the garden’s structure.
| Hardiness |
9 - 10 |
|---|---|
| Climate Zones | 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 |
| Exposure | Full Sun |
| Season of Interest | Spring (Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Water Needs | Low |
| Soil Type | Loam, Sand |
| Soil pH | Acid, Neutral, Alkaline |
| Soil Drainage | Well-Drained |
| Characteristics | Showy |
| Native Plants | California, United States |
| Tolerances | Drought, Deer |
| Attracts | Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Birds |
| Landscaping Ideas | Beds And Borders |
| Garden Styles | Butterfly Garden, Informal and Cottage, Pollinator Garden |
| Hardiness |
9 - 10 |
|---|---|
| Climate Zones | 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 |
| Exposure | Full Sun |
| Season of Interest | Spring (Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Water Needs | Low |
| Soil Type | Loam, Sand |
| Soil pH | Acid, Neutral, Alkaline |
| Soil Drainage | Well-Drained |
| Characteristics | Showy |
| Native Plants | California, United States |
| Tolerances | Drought, Deer |
| Attracts | Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Birds |
| Landscaping Ideas | Beds And Borders |
| Garden Styles | Butterfly Garden, Informal and Cottage, Pollinator Garden |
Recreate this garden. Specify the percentages you would like to have of each plant and input the dimensions of your garden space.We'll give you a shopping list so you know how many plants you need.
| Plant | Quantity | |
|---|---|---|
| Salvia clevelandii (Cleveland Sage) | N/A | Buy Plants |
| Epilobium canum (California Fuchsia) | N/A | Buy Plants |
| Eriogonum fasciculatum (California Buckwheat) | N/A | Buy Plants |
| Muhlenbergia rigens (Deer Grass) | N/A | Buy Plants |
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Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.
Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.
Join now and start creating your dream garden!
