Drought tolerant plants for a Thousand Oaks Garden.

In the 1500's California went through an 80 year drought. During the winter there were blizzards in Central California, the Salinas river froze solid where it flowed into the Monterey Bay. During the summer there was no humidity, no rain, and temperatures in the hundreds for many  months. During one year in the 1840's there was no measurable rain in Santa Barbara. (The highest measured rainfall in an hour also was in Southern California,  11 inches in an hour)  The same native plants that lived through that are still on the hillsides of California. California native plants that do not normally live in the creeks and ponds are very drought tolerant.
The best way to find your plant is to check www.mynativeplants.com and do not water at all. But if you want a simple list of drought tolerant plants that can work for your garden here are some.

Buckwheat and sages used to cover your hills with flowers

Abronia villosa aurita
Abronia villosa aurita Sand Verbena
Abronia villosa var. aurita has larger flowers than Abronia villosa var. villosa. It is found on the... Learn more
Adenostoma fasciculatum
Adenostoma fasciculatum Chamise
Chamise tends to be a medium to large shrub, 3-10 ft., tall. Native to the coast ranges (Mendocino a... Learn more
Adenostoma sparsifolium
Adenostoma sparsifolium Red Shanks
Red shanks grows from the San Luis Obispo/Santa Barbara County line south in chaparral, down throug... Learn more
Antirrhinum coulterianum
Antirrhinum coulterianum Coulters Snapdragon
Antirrhinum coulterium, Coulters snapdragon is another one of the many plants that is not supposed t... Learn more
Antirrhinum kelloggii
Antirrhinum kelloggii Climbing Snapdragon
Antirrhinum kelloggii(Antirrhinum hookerianum, Antirrhinum strictum, Maurandyra strictum, Asarium st... Learn more
Argemone munita
Argemone munita Prickly Poppy
Short lived perennial. A very thorny plant that is nearly unweedable. Why do we grow it? It has 3" ... Learn more
Artemisia californica
Artemisia californica California Sagebrush
California sagebrush is an evergray shrub, three to four foot high. This sage brush is native to mu... Learn more
Artemisia californica Canyon Gray Canyon Grey
Artemisia californica Canyon Gray Canyon Grey Trailing Sagebrush
An evergray shrub, 1ft high 4ft across. A gray groundcover that likes sun, good to fair drainage. It... Learn more
Artemisia ludoviciana
Artemisia ludoviciana White Sagebrush
Artemisia ludoviciana, White Sagebrush is a rhizomatous perennial native from Baja to Ontario Canada... Learn more
Asclepias erosa
Asclepias erosa Desert Milkweed
(A.leucophylla, A.l. var.obtusa, A.erosa var. obtusa,A.obtusata, A.Rothrockii) Milkweeds are amongs... Learn more
Astragalus Douglasii
Astragalus Douglasii Douglas milkvetch
Douglas milkvetch is really a nice little plant that causes no problems that I've seen while creatin... Learn more
Bloomeria crocea aurea
Bloomeria crocea aurea Golden Stars
Corm, 2 ft., flowers yellow in cluster (like exploding fire works), April-June, South coast ranges, ... Learn more
Bothriochloa barbinodis
Bothriochloa barbinodis Cane Bluestem
Cane Bluestem,Plumed Beard-grass Native from San Diego to Samta Barbara east to Oklahoma and down ... Learn more
Brodiaea pulchella
Brodiaea pulchella Wild Hyacinth
Dichelostemma pulchella, Corms, 1' in height, blue 1" flowers, spring, throughout Ca.,UT, Nev,Ariz.... Learn more
Calochortus weedii
Calochortus weedii Weeds Mariposa
Native throughout much of San Diego Co.. In De Luz it is under Adenostoma fasciculatum and Rhus ovat... Learn more
Calystegia macrostegia
Calystegia macrostegia California Morning Glory
This coastal/Island Morning Glory is a twining vine with large creamy flowers. Calystegia macrostegi... Learn more
Ceanothus L.T. Blue
Ceanothus L.T. Blue White Bark Mountain Lilac
L.T.Blue is eight foot tall and four foot wide. This ... Learn more
Ceanothus leucodermis
Ceanothus leucodermis White Bark California Lilac
White bark California Lilac is an evergreen shrub to eight feet tall and six to ten feet wide. Wit... Learn more
Chaenactis glabriuscula
Chaenactis glabriuscula Pinchusion Flower
Low-growing annual with yellow flowers, very showy when massed, excellent butterfly flower for adult... Learn more
Cirsium californicum
Cirsium californicum California Thistle
A biennial or short-lived perennial.... Learn more
Cupressus forbesii
Cupressus forbesii Tecate Cypress
Tecate cypress is native to the southern California mountains looking down into Tijuana. It is fas... Learn more
Dendromecon rigida
Dendromecon rigida Bush Poppy
An evergreen shrub normally 6 feet tall. It has yellow flowers, 2 inches across in March - June, gre... Learn more
Emmenanthe penduliflora
Emmenanthe penduliflora Whispering Bells
A common fire follower. Whispering Bells would be an excellent additive to seed mixtures for ersion ... Learn more
Ephedra californica
Ephedra californica
Evergreen shrub, 5 ft., dry areas, central and southern California stems used for tea. Ephedra spp. ... Learn more
Ephedra viridis
Ephedra viridis Green Mormon Tea
Green Mormon Tea is an evergreen shrub, 4 ft., desert areas, Calif. to Utah, looks like leafless shr... Learn more
Eriogonum bailey bailey
Eriogonum bailey bailey Annual Field Buckwheat
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. We don't sell it. This picture is mostly to remember what it was.... Learn more
Eriogonum fasciculatum polifolium
Eriogonum fasciculatum polifolium Interior California Buckwheat
California interior buckwheat ia as Eriogonum fasciculatum but grayer and tougher, hardy to -20 . Fo... Learn more
Eriogonum nudum pubiflorum
Eriogonum nudum pubiflorum Naked buckwheat
Naked buckwheat is a slender spike of white or pink or yellow flowers. It harbors a deliteful littl... Learn more
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Gilia tricolor
A small little annual with somewhat tubular purple flowers and yellow centers. Massed they can be qu... Learn more
Gnaphalium californicum
Gnaphalium californicum California Pearly Everlasting
A native biennial or short-lived perennial that grows in disturbed places.This species is a pioneer ... Learn more
Haplopappus linearifolius
Haplopappus linearifolius Narrowleaf goldenbush
(Ericameria linearifolia, Stenotopsis linearifolia) Perennial, 3 ft., yellow flowers 1 inch across, ... Learn more
Hazardia squarrosus
Hazardia squarrosus Yellow Squirrel Cover
A common perennial from coastal bluffs into interior chaparral, common on road cuts mixed in with sq... Learn more
Helianthemum scoparium
Helianthemum scoparium Sun Rose
A little non-descript perennial that grows in openings amoungst shrubs,. When it flowers it turns in... Learn more
Iva hayesiana
Iva hayesiana Hayes iva
An evergreen groundcover in warm winter areas, deciduous in colder areas. It is supposed to spread b... Learn more
Juniperus californica
Juniperus californica California Juniper
Shrub-tree, bluish berries, 10-15\', no water after established, coast ranges and Sierras, edible be... Learn more
Lotus purshianus
Lotus purshianus Lotus
Annual, weedy plant of roadsides, open, dry, disturbed areas, thickly branched, fixes nitrogen. CA(e... Learn more
Lupinus excubitus
Lupinus excubitus Grape soda lupine
Grape soda lupine is one of the smaller bush lupines with many different forms that range from the ... Learn more
Mimulus fremontii
Mimulus fremontii
A delicate little perennial that grows in sandy scree areas throughout much of Central and S. Calif.... Learn more
Monardella breweri
Monardella breweri Mustang Mint
This annual grows in open areas of gravelly sandy soil. If weeds overcome area it will die out. Very... Learn more
Oenothera californica
Oenothera californica California Evening primrose
This plant used to be in most of the road cuts of Southern California. Clumps 3 ft. by 10 feet Ac... Learn more
Opuntia littoralis
Opuntia littoralis Prickly-Pear
A cactus with yellow to red flowers, prickly, red fruit, very important wildlife plant, somewhat low... Learn more
Orthocarpus densiflorus
Orthocarpus densiflorus Owl's Clover
A semi-parasitic annual common in areas that still have some annual native plants left. Difficult t... Learn more
Oryzopsis hymenoides
Oryzopsis hymenoides Indian Rice grass
Indian rice grass is a one foot perennial with a delicate lace work of seed 'pods'. It looks like a... Learn more
Pellaea mucronata
Pellaea mucronata Bird's Foot Fern
Bird's Foot Fern is one tough fern. About one foot tall, native throughout California and tolerant ... Learn more
Pickeringia montana
Pickeringia montana Chaparral Pea
Chaparral Pea is an evergreen shrub (deciduous under stress). It will grow to 3' tall and 6' wide. I... Learn more
Pinus edulis
Pinus edulis Pinyon Pine
Pinyon pine (or Colorado Pine) is a short conifer usually reaching less than 45 feet at the most, w... Learn more
Pinus quadrifolia
Pinus quadrifolia Parry Pinyon
A pinyon pine from So. Calif. into Baja on the west slopes of the desert margins. We've had customer... Learn more
Pinus sabiniana
Pinus sabiniana Gray Pine
Gray Pine. Foothill Pine. This conifer grows fast to 45 ft. in 15 years. It can gradually get to 75'... Learn more
Platystemon californicus
Platystemon californicus Cream Cups
A annual wildflower. In the past it was common in open fields and following fires. Now largely repla... Learn more
Salvia brandegei
Salvia brandegei Brandegees Sage
Brandegee's sage, named after an early American botanist, is a beautiful sage with shimmering, blue... Learn more
Salvia carduacea
Salvia carduacea Thistle Sage
A very colorful annual of hot interior areas. ... Learn more
Salvia Celestial Blue
Salvia Celestial Blue Las Pilitas Sage
Celestial Blue Sage is a hybrid between Salvia clevelandii and Salvia pachyphylla or a three way hy... Learn more
Salvia clevelandii Alpine Cleveland sage
Salvia clevelandii Alpine Cleveland sage Musk Sage
A form of Salvia clevelandii that was found near the town of Alpine in San Diego County. The form a... Learn more
Salvia Gracias
Salvia Gracias Creeping sage
Salvia sonomensis X Salvia clevelandii Gracias is all the information we can find as to the history ... Learn more
Salvia leucophylla
Salvia leucophylla Purple Sage
Purple sage is a three to six foot evergreen shrub with flowers that are light purple in May-Jul.. ... Learn more
Salvia mellifera
Salvia mellifera Black Sage
Black Sage is a three foot evergreen shrub with white to light blue flowers from March to July. Thi... Learn more
Salvia Pozo Blue
Salvia Pozo Blue Grey Musk Sage
Salvia Pozo Blue is very drought tolerant three foot green-gray perennial. A hybrid of Salvia cleve... Learn more
Solanum umbelliferum incanum
Solanum umbelliferum incanum Bluewitch
Bluewitch is a 1-2' perennial with 1"flowers bright blue, with yellow centers and blooms most of the... Learn more
Sphaeralcea ambigua
Sphaeralcea ambigua Desert Mallow
Desert Mallow is a two foot perennial with many one inch orange flowers on a two to three foot spi... Learn more
Stipa coronata
Stipa coronata Giant stipa
Giant needlegrass is a bunch grass, 4 ft. high, distinctive, grows in the mountains of central and s... Learn more
Stipa lepida
Stipa lepida Foothill Stipa
A 1-2 ft. perennial bunch grass, native to most of the foothills of California. Native on the nurser... Learn more
Trichostema lanatum
Trichostema lanatum Woolly Blue Curls
Woolly Blue Curls is a three to four foot evergreen shrub with flowers violet in fuzzy spikes in May... Learn more
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Edited on Dec 16, 2013. Authors:
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