If you like the look of those two homes, why not just replicate the plantings used on them? The link you provided has stereotypical southern California plants, such as the Cycas revoluta, Agave attenuata, what looks like Olive trees, English lavender, Navel Orange trees, etc. Boxwood hedges are often used in classic mediterranean garden designs, but you could just as easily use a similar substitute which is actually more drought tolerant, such as Myrsine africana.

Besides the look, are you after installing a more drought tolerant garden which doesn't require much summer water? I'd suggest using a mix of California natives such as sun/drought loving Howard McMinn manzanitas, Salvia clevelandii sages, Sticky Monkey Flower and Dudleya caespitosa in combination with more drought tolerant succulents in combination with the Bougainvillea if you are after drought tolerance. South African plants such as Streltizia reginae, Plumbago capensis, Tecomaria capensis, Aloes and Mexican plants such as Agaves, Sedums, Crassulas, Echeverias, etc could also be part of an "old California" look. Gardens in Pasadena would be worth a visit to get more ideas of plant combinations, or a trip to the Norton Simon Museum grounds for a more contemporary take. You could also get lots of ideas for interesting plants by visiting the gardens at the new Getty Museum in the hills above Brentwood, and the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden would be an excellent location to see California natives that do well in southern California.

Hi xoxosmom,

Can you wait until October to do the actual planting?

It is very difficult to get plants off to a good start at this time of year. Plants will usually grow much more rapidly and get a better root system developed if planted in the fall.

That said, I believe some tropical plants prefer being planted in the spring or early summer.

I love the "Old California" look more than any other. I second Bahia's recommendations: for the dark green, why not plant the sago palms you see in the photo? Orange trees and giant bird of paradise for sure. Palm trees! (Beware of Queen Palms- I regret mine twice a year when I have to pay a tree trimmer to prune off the dates).

Box hedges bring English gardens to my mind. So much work! Here in CA, boxwood turns yellow and looks sickly if it gets sun. For a plain green shrub, pittosporum (sp?)is pretty and its flowers are sweet.

The San Diego Mission has a beautiful garden that you may want to go visit for more ideas.

Good luck with your garden project!
Renee

Thank you so much for the suggestions. I can't wait to look up all the rec's especially the drought resistant ones that we can implement.

We are installing the underground sprinkler and drip system at the moment. This is the first time we have attempted anything of this size landscape wise. Dh and our finances would definitely appreciate a wait until October to plant the majority of the plants. So that fits right into our doing the landscaping in manageable steps.

Any other suggestions are much appreciated.

I think tree selection is the most important. It determines the choice of shrubs.

I love Jacarandas with bougainvillea. They need to be chosen in bloom to get one that retains its leaves at bloom time. Much prettier than those blooming after leaf drop.

Crape Myrtles are another alternative to Olives.

Sago palms --- love, love, love in semi-tropical gardens.

Rosemary and Lantanas.

And if you want a bit of a "disciplined" look, Wheeler's dwarf pittosporum is an excellent substitute for boxwood. Much less pruning. Low hedging can pull a garden together and can be quite compatible with look you want. The landscaping in the link photo is very disciplined to my eye.

Good luck on achieving a stunning garden!