Color Planting for Pacific Coast Gardens
In the southern section, the growth of plants is twice as great as in the central and northern sections, and moreover, a great number of plants are hardy here that will not thrive successfully north of Santa Barbara. The gardens favor the bright and winter-blooming plants, making this part of the coast particularly attractive to the winter tourist.
From December to March, the flora is in strong contrast to that of the central and northern sections which is more dormant, and much of it deciduous....The possibility of color schemes for the garden is far greater in southern California than elsewhere in the state, for the ever-bloomers are helped out by the winter-bloomers, followed in turn by the summer-bloomers.
Gardening is fast becoming of general interest in this section, and with its very great possibilities, it is right and necessary that it should be so. It is, in fact, just in its infancy in this southwestern land. Material for Color Schemes: In yellows the material is abundant....In blues, there is Jacaranda mimosaefolia, a tree that in late spring and early summer is like a huge cloud settling in the garden.
Kate O Sessions, Garden and Home Builder, "Color Planting for Pacific Coast Gardens", 1921
The Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
These newer kinds are not so well known as they should be. They are very desirable for any situation where sun-loving bedding plants are used in groups or borders, window boxes, baskets, and vases. The lantana is not particular as to soil, provided the exposure is sunny, and also that the soil is well supplied with moisture - at least until a fair growth has been made.
When well-established, the plants do not seem to mind drought and continue bright and attractive, even in the hottest weather.
Liberty Hyde Bailey, The Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, 1916
The genus Bignonia brings in a large contingent of different species among the most useful and conspicuous in this class of plants.
First of all, Bignonia venusta from Brazil, covers with brilliant orange trusses of flowers, many roofs and verandas from September to May. Quite recently, many other desirable kinds we have been introducing ourselves, namely Bignonia magnifica....
Emanuele Orazio Fenzi, Santa Barbara Exotic Flora: a handbook of plants from foreign countries , 1895
Shrubs with Fragrant Leaves or Flowers: It is pleasant to brush against fragrant foliage along the garden walks. The leaves of such plants, when crushed, yield fragrance any day of the year. The names with the asterisk indicate plants with fragrant foliage. Nearly all the plants given below have fragrant flowers. Some are indicated by "F"....
WITH WHITE FLOWERS ......*Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) Petals twisted, reflexed, 1 inch across, low, ever-blooming, free, fragrant
William Tyler Miller, The Garden Magazine, Vol 32,
"Shrubs and Vines for Southern California", 1921
Flowers and Trees in Southern California
Leaving nature in its wildness. we will now go where nature and man have combined their forces. My intention in the start was simply to describe a few of the flowers and trees I saw growing in Los Angeles.....As you walk up through the residence portion of the city, you see the streets on either side lined with the Pepper tree, which, by the way, is quite beautiful, its long, pendent branches resembling whip lashes clothed with a light green foliage, intermingled with numerous clusters of pale pink berries swinging gracefully in the breeze.
The trunks are somewhat crooked and gnarled, but its good qualities over balance that defect. The Eucalyptus tree is seen very frequently.... On either hand, beautiful and well-kept lawns greet you.... Jasmine is frequently growing by its side. The showy Hibiscus, with its large brilliant blooms, enlivens the scene.
Vick's Monthly Magazine, "Flowers and Trees in Southern California", 1887
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