Also I noticed the muscari is already starting to get some green stems poking out on the top of the bulb, do these need to be planted now even though they weren't chilled yet or is it ok to put them in the refrigerator? In checking the zone on numerous muscari at Brent and Becky's I see they are for zones up to 9, so would not require chilling. I think it would be fine to either plant now, or to wait and plant a bit later. btw...the foliage of muscari will often emerge in the fall, (which is fine) though they won't bloom until spring time. One more thing, I was just in the garden now digging around and I came across my old hyacinth bulbs that I planted last january. They too seem to be getting green sprouts on the tip of the bulbs. I think it would do them more harm than good to dig them out now as they have broken dormancy and probably started to root in for the growing season. I'd leave them, but chances are they will not bloom well, but then many Hyacinths don't bloom well (big robust blooms) after their initial bloom. I'd suggest digging them next spring about 6 weeks after their normal bloom time and storing them until chill and replanting next fall. Here is more about hyacinths their second season and later...Hyacinths and their flowerings Sue

The most amazing gardens world famous is the Huntington Gardens and library. This massive acreage was owned way back when Huntington started the railroads. They have huge marble, gorgeous, furnished buildings that used to be their homes, with the finest collections of everything, paintings,antiques, just breath taking. The gardens are amazing, huge collections of every rose possible old and new, cactus gardens, Japanese gardens, even a tea house. It's a full day and plenty of benches for relaxation and docents to explain everything. Look up Huntington Library for all the details. The weather is gorgeous and perfect for a stroll through the very best ever. Debby

Some of your plants are not as drought tolerant as others so placement of those and the ability to water as necessary is critical. In particular, the echinacea (coneflowers), penstemon and the May Night salvia are thirstier than the others. Also the kangaroo paws vary in their water needs - some species/cultivars are more DT than others. The BeWaterWise or California Friendly Gardening programs are great resources for you. I've linked to one resource for Orange County that may be helpful. Be sure to take some time to go through the photo gallery........there are some stunning xeric gardens included that you can use for inspiration as well as to gather some tips for placement. While you don't necessarily need to be restricted to natives, they are a great source of plant material to select from, being both ideally suited to climate as well as having low water needs. And they are generally colorful, attractive to wildlife and not much bothered by pests or disease issues. Any lavender will work and they are pretty commonly found in most nurseries - both English and Spanish lavender are great xeric plants and put on a long lasting flower show but I wouldn't spend a lot of lime looking for so-called "colored" varieties (lemon lavender very blah in flower - hardly noticeable). Other plants I would consider including are California fuchsia (Zauschneria californica, aka Epilobium canum), manzanita (Arctostaphylos species), California lilac (Ceanothus), Salvia greggii, S. jamensis and Justicia californica. byw, Rogers Gardens in Corona del Mar is an excellent resource for this type of project. You might also get some very good feedback on your plans in the Californium Gardening forum.

Mimulus aurantiacus. It's a US native sub-shrub, so not an annual. However, it might be treated as such in cold winter areas.