November arrived with some strong winds and as Norm Schilling found, lots of color in the garden.

Sky Flower (Durante erecta): Gorgeous little flowers of purple with a white rim. 8-15' High x 6-10' Wide. Can freeze back to the ground in a cold winter, but then will regrow. Long bloom season (spring through fall)

Indian Blanket Flower (Gaillardia grandiflora): Stunning red to orange to yellow daisy-like flowers. 1-2' H x 1-3' W, depending on the growing habits of the particular variety or cultivar.

Cape Plumbago (Plumbago capensis): - Lots of blue, blue, blue flowers! 3-6' H x 3-6' W. A shade lover that likes moister soils, so use organic (wood chip) mulch. Great for planting in a shady area (especially next to a lawn, so it can pick up the extra water it needs).

California Fuschia or Hummingbird Flower (Epilobium californica - was formerly Zauschneria californica): Masses of fall coral-colored blooms, spectacularly bright. Grows to about 2' H., and will spread slowly over an area. A great plant for attracting and feeding hummingbirds!

Sierra Gold Dalea (Dalea capitata 'Sierra Gold'): Cute little upright blooms of yellow with red. Very soft looking foliage. About 1' H x 4-6' W. Great groundcover.

I also mentioned 'Tecoma sp'. It is a variety of different plants but all of the same genus (Tecoma). The common name for this genus is ''Yellow Bells'' but the named varieties often are referred to as a common name based on the particular name of that variety. In other words, Tecoma hybrid 'Orange Jubilee' often goes by the common name of Orange Jubilee. Individual species include:
Tecoma stans 'angustata' gets 5' High x 5' Wide
Tecoma stans gets 6-15' H x 6-10' W
Tecoma x 'Sunrise' gets 8' H x 8' W
Tecoma hybrid 'Orange Jubilee' gets 12' H x 8' W
Tecoma stans 'Gold Star' 8' H x 8' W
Tecoma hybrid 'Sierra Apricot' 3' H x 6' W

All species of Tecoma bloom constantly with very impressive flower shows from spring through late fall. However, they freeze back hard every winter, usually dying back to the ground, or nearly so. Following winter, they grow back quickly, and one simply prunes off the dead wood after new growth has begun.

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