PERENNIAL: Pride of Madeira; family Boraginaceae (Echium candicans) is native to the island of Madeira in the Canary Islands. It can grow to 10 feet and is an herbaceous perennial subshrub and a dramatic landscape plant whose flowers attract bees butterflies, and hummingbirds. The flowers are blue, small but very numerous around the main stalk. I was introduced to this plant as a gift from a violinist who plays in the Stockton Symphony. He gave me some plants several years ago and a seedling from one of these plants has grown to seven feet in my garden this spring and is still growing. It is considered to be an invasive plant in coastal areas but not likely here in the Central Valley. It is hardy in USDA zone 9-11, likes full sun and is drought tolerant. The pride of Madeira is toxic to humans and animals. It has earned the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

FLOWER: Calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) is not a true lily but is a great warm weather flower grown from rhizomes and it grows to 3 feet tall. There are other Zantedechia sp that comes in a great variety of colors and heights. Here in California they start to bloom in April and they are easy to care for as it has few pests or diseases. The smaller hybrids can be grown in containers or in large masses in the border. I have a large group of white Calla lilies that are the older large variety that are in a corner of my garden. A lot of the newer colorful Calla lilies are smaller and more conducive to container growing. Callas have an elegant trumpet shaped flower with an attractive center spiky light yellow colored pistil. Plant Calla Lilies in a moist, sunny location with soil that has been amended with a lot of organic matter. Plant the rhizomes 3" deep and 12-15" apart and water liberally during the growing season. Calla lilies are hardy in zones 8-10, so here in California there is no need to dig them each fall.

SUB-SHRUB: Salvia greggii; Salvia microphylla and their hybrids. Salvia greggii is a popular, usually evergreen sub-shrub native to Central, West and South Texas, and Mexico.

Heat and drought are commonplace in western gardens; so when a garden plant thrives and blooms repeatedly in these harsh conditions they become a mainstay in the garden. Salvias are just such a plant. It has small, dull pale green, glandular, aromatic leaves. Salvia hybrids come in colors of red, red and white, pink, pale yellow, orange, fuchsia, raspberry, violet and blue as a result of a lot of crossbreeding. Salvia greggii blooms continuous from spring until frost and has a varying growth habit from very upright to sprawling. It is a magnet for hummingbirds. It is also very forgiving and responds well to being pinched back to re-flush and re-bloom. The main chore is maintenance pruning which is required in late winter and over half to 2/3rd of the branches should be removed to encourage new growth and blooms. To shape the plant trim back to just above green leaves and remove old flowering stems and thin out dead or weak branches in the center of the plant. Light renewal pruning can be done in August but do not prune heavily until late winter. For information on pruning various types of salvia go here.