Common name:Pansy
Botanical name:Viola

Okay, so you might not think of pansies as a low-water plant, but given that they are typically planted in the fall or early spring, they manage on very little supplemental watering, at least until summer. So, used in those seasons, they may be well suited to a water-wise garden. They come in too many colors and combinations to mention. They are all relatively low-growing, and bloom when its cool. A wonderful companion to flowering cabbage and kale. Just don't put them out in the sun in the hot summer months and expect them to thrive.

Common name:Hosta
Botanical name:Hosta

Hosta are herbaceous perennials, hardy to Zones 3 or 4, depending on the variety. Sometimes referred to as the plantain lily, hosta have fleshy roots and short spreading rhizomes; in spring broad leaves emerge from a central crown and develop into a mounded form. Leaves come in colors from bright green to gold and even blue tones; some have variegated leaves, with strips, blotches, or margins of varying shades of green, white, cream or gold. Leaf texture varies and can be smooth, veined, or even puckered. Leaf size ranges from petite (a few inches long) to gigantic (a few feet long). Descriptions such as heart-shaped, lance-like, and cupped characterize different leaf shapes. Depending on growing conditions and variety, individual plants range in size from six inches high and a foot or less across to 3 to 4 feet high and 5 to 6 feet across. Although hosta flowers are sometimes discounted as secondary, they can provide great ornamental value. The flower stalks, known as racemes, hold bell-like blossoms of white or lavender to blue. Some flowers are exceptionally fragrant as well as attractive to hummingbirds and bees. Use as an understory plant in the shady shrub or foundation border, or under trees, or in the shady perennial garden.

Common name:Beacon Silver Dead Nettle
Botanical name:Lamium maculatum 'Beacon Silver '

'Beacon Silver' is another lamium cultivar, with silver-white leaves and green margins. The margin between the white and green areas seems more crisp than in 'White Nancy.' Grows about 6 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide by underground runners. Has small pink flowers in late spring to early summer. A great groundcover for partial shady to shady areas.

Common name:Boston Ivy
Botanical name:Parthenocissus tricuspidata

This semi-evergreen vine has dark green leaves that are usually lobed and divided into 3 leaflets. Clings with both tendrils and adhesive-like tips that cements itself to all manner of surfaces. Leaves turn orange or red in autumn. Flowers are inconspicuous. During fall, small blue black berries appear to the delight of birds. This vine can grow 50'-60' long but it really depends on what it is growing on. This vine is aggressive.

Common name:Apple Serviceberry
Botanical name:Amelanchier x grandiflora

A hybrid between A. arborea and A. laevis, the new leaves of this species have the pubescent foliage of the former and the purplish cast of the later. Summer foliage is a soft green, turning orange to scarlet in the fall. This hybrid has larger and showier flowers then either parent. Numerous cultivars have been selected from this species, including 'Princess Diana,' 'Prince William,' and 'Cole's Select.' Generally 18 to 25 feet tall and about half as wide. Grown as both a single or multi-stemmed small tree or shrub. Lovely as a specimen or in masses.

Common name:Western Sword Fern, Alaska Fern
Botanical name:Polystichum munitum

This Fern produces upright fronds, reaching 4'-5' tall in moist, cool forests in Northern California. This size is usually lower, especially without summer watering. It is great in containers or dry shade landscapes. This species is especially useful to give the illusion of lush, moist gardens where little water is actually being used. It should receive part shade to dense shade. -Monterey Bay Nursery