Need a little help choosing plants? I recommend the California Gardening Guide written by Bruce and Sharon Asakawa's published by Cool Springs Press of Franklin, Tennessee. Although it was published in 2000, It has been very helpful to me in helping to choose plants that grow well in California. Our plants have been around a very long time, so what's 15 years. I ran across this book when I took Ken William's Plant Identification Class at Solano College a couple of years ago. The photographs of each plant are large enough that you can really get a sense of what they will look like in the landscape, something lacking in many other reference books. Also included for each selection are sun and moisture preferences, pests and diseases, pruning and care considerations along with when and where to plant. I gave found this added information very helpful especially when helping others choose appropriate plants. When I took Ken's landscape design class at Solano, I used this book to help my client choose plants for her garden. The photos helped her to recognize some favorites. I have many plant reference guides with The Sunset Western Garden book as my main guide, although the California Guide is not nearly as comprehensive, if the plant is listed it will provide more details and good photographs, frequently with a mature specimen in the landscape. I have purchased used copies online at very reasonable prices.