Thanks for all your replies! Yes, duh, of course that's what it is. I try to avoid planting this, so I'm not all that familiar with it. I guess I had high hopes that it was something more interesting.

I used to run a landscaping business in NorCal and I planted a lot of CA native gardens. In general you wouldn't amend the soil for native plants, but that's assuming you're planting locally native plants in the same kind of soil and habitat they would normally be growing in. And that your soil is relatively healthy. Stripped, graded, compacted soil from recent construction will need some kind of work before you could plant anything except stuff that likes those conditions. California is a political designation, plants don't care. There are multiple ecoregions within that political boundary. Plants native to one, won't necessarily grow that well in others. I had a real issue with that in my landscaping. Most of the 'CA Native' plants available from nurseries were from particular ecoregions, like the Channel Islands. They did ok most of the time but they weren't frost tolerant at all. Bush monkey flowers (Diplacus) were a popular native plant when I was working there, but they barely made it through most SF Bay Area winters and were all wiped out in one bad winter. Native to CA, but not locally native to the SF area. Then even within a particular ecoregion you have different habitats. Big-leaf maple is a CA native but it's a riparian tree, needs water and drainage. Plant it in the central valley or the desert and it's not gonna make it on its own. Up here in Washington it's a weed, grows anywhere and everywhere. Even the driest soils are wet enough for it. Down in CA you need a wetter soil for it to thrive. But not a wetland soil. I would plant stuff in unamended soil usually, with drip irrigation for the first couple years or so, to get them established. Then depending on the species and the weather they ideally wouldn't need irrigation after that. Or fertilizer. But that's assuming you're choosing locally adapted native plants. Woodland plants would like mulching, but desert or alpine plants probably not. I don't believe I mulched chaparral plants, like the manzanitas and ceanothus. Chaparral soils tend to be dry and lean and that's what the plants native there need. Rott: pepper trees are not native to CA. They're from South America, even though they're called CA Pepper Tree. And I'd be careful with Matillija poppy. they're a garden thug. Unbelievably aggressive rhizomes. I wouldn't give them any compost or fertilizer or water, that's for sure!

Hello, How close to the ocean is your garden? and what is the average day temperature during summer? With no water at all for 3-4 months in summer during our annual California seasonal drought, band sized and many gallon sized plants might die from lack of water if planted right away in your dry garden. Where day temps are more often in the 80's and higher, I would go with Ramblers which the East Bay park department says are drought tolerant in our area, and species and species hybrids. For 20 and more years, in the woodland acreage at the Morcom amphitheatre of roses, in Oaklland , Califorornia grow many R. brunonni outside of the irrigation system, ( many are seedlings from a mother plant) a few R. moschata, and many Banksiae., as well as Alberic Barbier, all do fine with no water at all during our annual summer drought which lasts 3-4 months each year. I volunteered at that park and made a cultiver and rose species database in the late 1900's(crikey that makes me sound old) and early 2000's. Large trees shade these roses for 4-6 hours out of the day, but all but those in the deepest shade bloom normally. My 'Albertine' was lost when moving and found months later crammed between several pots, with no water, and it lived and thrived. Because so many of the Rambler roses are species hybrids, and said to be drought tolerant, here, I would try the re-blooming rose 'Mermaid' in a dry garden after it had grown to be 5-6 feet tall. It reblooms very well and is gorgeous. I imagine a dry hillside planted with Mermaid, with a few Veilchenbleu , Kiftgate, Silver Moon, R. laevigata, Alberic Barbier, Susan Louise and other R. gigantea hybrids. R.californica transplanted after their roots are 3 feet long, or more. . If I never intended to water them. I might plant Califorinia lilac, ceanothus as mounds for the ramblers to ramble over. If I watered deeply once a month as Gregg does, I'd try the same with the largest cultivars of Old Garden Tea roses, and a few Tea-Noisettes. Tea roses seem to be common among the found roses in warm climates, where live and bloom without being watered during summer, in California and the Southern States. I believe that any of the huge roses R. gigantea , for instance, may be drought tolerant to an extent because of the depth to which their roots reach. R. palustris is said to be drought tolerant as well as wet tolerant, and it has a long bloom cycle too. A row of Susan Louise could provide more shade if needed, it is a gorgeous plant, grown on the ground or as a tree shaped rosebush with the lower canes removed. I would add R. californica, I rarely remember to water mine and it is glorious. It grows to be more than 13 feet tall and has a big bloom cycle in June and scattered bloom of c. 15% for 4+ months after wards, I find that the scent of its leaves has an affect of aromatherapy. The eglantine Meg Merrilees has the strongest foliage scent of any of the eglantine hybrids I've smelled, as good as the species. R. primula would be a treat by the edge of a pathway, for its incense scented leaves. Alba Semi Plena is also reported to be drought tolerant where summer temps average in the 70's F. I spoke to a woman at the Old Rose celebration who told me of a large 'Anna Olivier' growing by a highway near Santa Cruz, California. I'd try growing a large plant in a low-water zone. I've documented a 'Grandmothers Hat' and 'Alliance Franco-Russe' both mature plants, in abandoned gardens in Oakland, where they received no water from a hose nor rain for 3-4 months out of the year, for 10 years (g.hat) and 5 years (the Old Garden Tea). the grandmothers hat is a climber of c. 12 feet tall, and growing up a fir tree, the alliance f.russe was c. 8 feet in each direction the last time I visited it. I hope you can use some of this info. Good Luck, Lux

Sages are an impressive group, aren't they? We have a couple of natives as well that I welcome into the garden; one, S. glutinosa, is adapted to shade and heavy dank soil (DH and I originally dug it out of a roadside ditch in woods), which just goes to show that there's a sage for every situation. Your rose and sage are lovely: I still marvel that Rugosas grow so well for you. Enjoy the festival!