Common name:Chinese Pistache
Botanical name:Pistacia chinensis

The Pistacia chinensis is a deciduous tree with broad, spreading growth to 50' in height. Its leaves have 10-16 leaflets, and the fall coloring arrives in beautiful shades of red, orange and yellow. Prune young trees to shape. This tree does not have edible nuts. Female trees have tiny red fruit, turning dark blue. It prefers full sun and deep, infrequent waterings. This is a great street or park tree.

Common name:Common Field or Slender Sedge
Botanical name:Carex praegracilis

This California native grass can tolerate occasional flooding or standing water as it is found in marshes and wetlands. It does make a great lawn substitute as it can be mowed, will take sun and part sun and need watering once a week in hot summer months. This sedge uses much less water than sod. It can be used for erosion control also.

Common name:Tobira
Botanical name:Pittosporum tobira

This large, dense, evergreen shrub or small tree has shiny dark green leaves. In the spring, clusters of small, cream-colored flowers appear with the fragrance of orange blossoms. Mock Orange can be grown in full sun or partial shade. It is considered one of the most durable shrubs in California landscapes.

Common name:Giant Chain Fern
Botanical name:Woodwardia fimbriata

The Giant Chain Fern is a large fern that grows 4'-8' tall. It can tolerate full sun but does best in some shade. This fern is native to CA and is drought tolerant. -Cornflower Farms

Common name:Australian Bluebell Creeper
Botanical name:Sollya heterophylla

The Australian Bluebell creeper is a spreading evergreen shrub that grows 2'-3' tall, or a climbing vine that grows to 8' tall with support. It has attractive, glossy green foliage and blue, bell-shaped summer flowers. This shrub can tolerate full sun or part shade on the coast , and part shade inland. It can grow under Eucalyptus trees, and needs good drainage. The Australian Bluebell Creeper is also drought tolerant. -Cornflower Farms

Dealing With Drought

More than half of the water used at your home is for outside purposes. Studies show that on average, half of the water used outdoors is wasted. The leading cause of waste is incorrectly set and poorly managed irrigation controllers. The second biggest cause of wastage is broken irrigation equipment that goes undetected. There are a few basic things you can do to make a big difference in your water use.

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