Question
Tom;

So I've ordered Ice Plants (assorted colors) for a west-facing border. Flossflower, Blue Fescue (but I'm taking your advice and not putting under orange tree in company with ground morninglory!), Bath's Pink Dianthus, Veronica, Star Jasmine, and red Penstemon for the front (East-facing bed). A Ficus for the back patio in a 15-gallon pot. Some lavender for top of a strawberry pot (then different herbs coming out the side holes), and Clematis (Jackmanii Superba) to grow over my ugly shed. Thoughts?

Still at a loss as to what to plant in the 15-gallon earthenware pot under the liquidamber, amidst the wildflowers...any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.


Answer
Hi Nicholas,
Thanx for the followup.  I appreciate your confidence in my answers.  Wow! It's been a long time since I've lived in California so I'm having to dig way back in my brain cells to remember what would do well underneath a tree in California.  My best advice to you would be to go to your local nursery and ask after advice for shade plants.  I can guarantee you they will have an incredible line of plants as most do.  I live in Kansas now and I can tell you that most of our better nurseries have a complete section of shade or partial shade loving plants.  We often have a month or more of drought and 90-105 degree temps from the end of May until mid September.  I have shade gardens but what I would use here might not be appropriate for California.  One thing though that will do well in pots (no blooms mind you) in the shade are the ornamental sweet potatoes that come in lime green, green, purple, purplish-black, black and variegated (white, pink and green) and make a great foliage arrangement.  I have lantana growing in a pot in partial shade (lantana comes in tons of different colors and is perennial in California.).  Coleus come in all kinds of colors, the blooms are inconsequential but the foliage can be great!  Coleus will survive the winter in Southern California.  Gingers can be grown in pots in the shade but tend to be tropical so if the temps drop below 50 degrees they won't die but they'll quit performing until temps warm up.  I hope this helps.
Tom