Test PB Collection: FTE

Penstemon heterophyllus 'Margarita BOP' in San Joaquin County demonstration garden. Photo: SK Reid. A delightful introduction from the late Bert Wilson of Las Pilitas Nursery.

Saponaria x lempergii 'Max Frei'. Photo: SK Reid. This low-mounding perennial/groundcover produces masses of pink blooms that completely obscure foliage early in the season.

A tidy, low-growing succulent with small leaves and tiny, star-shaped yellow flowers in spring, this plant did not survive the heavy soils of our trial grounds and was not a success in the majority of the UC Master Gardener demonstration gardens where it was planted.

Overall these produced a really handsome, dense, tall shrub in 2 years. They would fit the niche of a tall, narrow hedge material quite well. Though the flowers were mostly inconspicuous, the seed heads gave the appearance of a general hairiness for weeks on the plants that flowered heavily.

Iris 'Canyon Snow' Photo: SK Reid. Possibly the best performer of the Pacific Coast Hybrid irises, Canyon Snow is a prolific spring bloomer with sturdy evergreen foliage. Though some tip death happens as the heat of the summer wears on, this is a fairly typical habit of irises.

Rosa Pink Drift in full bloom in April 2016. Showy stamens are popular with bees. Photo: SK Reid.

Young Acacia boormanii in San Mateo County demonstration garden. Photo: SK Reid. A lovely, small multi-stemmed tree or large shrub with a willowy appearance and an incredible show of sulfur yellow flowers in February to March.

Marie Simon is a hybrid ceanothus that is semi-deciduous with spearmint green leaves and large panicles of fluffy pink blooms from April to June. In 2 years the average height and width grew from 20 X 13 to 36 x 53.

Trachelospermum Star of Toscane on 40% ET0 in September 2011. Photo: SK Reid. The slow start and late performance of this star jasmine was undoubtedly due to the small size of the transplants.

Woodwardia fimbriata in April 2011 on 80% ET0. Photo: SK Reid. Giant chain fern struggled during establishment in the trials field. Having deficit irrigation treatments its first summer (2010) may have played a role in its struggling performance during the more severe deficit treatments of 2011.