Serape colors in a water-wise garden - Garden: Northern California Guide - flower gardening - Brief Article

Sunset, June, 2003 by Debra Lee Baldwin

For anyone who took a childhood field trip to California missions, flowers in the colors of a Mexican serape--such as red bougainvillea, yellow euryops, and purple statice--probably remain a vivid memory.

When Matthew Midgett bought and restored a mid-20th-century adobe, he chose those very plants to brighten its entry. But the plants do more than evoke Midgett's memories of a boyhood visit to Mission San Fernando. They work because they're more suited to California's predominantly Mediterranean climate and terrain than many of the pastel-flowered plants used in traditional gardens. They get by on minimal water and care, and their bright colors complement mission-style architecture.

The curved wall pictured above is an attractive backdrop. The scarlet bougainvillea, yellow Euryops pectinatus, pink ivy geraniums, purple sea lavender (Limoniurn perezii), and succulents such as aeonium, echeveria, and jade plant surround a dramatic-looking agave, Behind the wall, a pink-flowered Nerium oleander makes a splash of bright color against the grassy green fronds of a ponytail palm. These dazzling colors are repeated throughout the garden. In the backyard, bird of paradise plants flank a fountain that's reminiscent of those found in mission courtyards.

Californians see these plants so frequently that they view them as common, Midgett says. But when they're planted together, they can form a beautiful tapestry.