I too am from the north, transplanted 3 years ago to KY - the hybrid musks do very well for me here, and my experiments with bourbons and chinas have done well also. I just started with teas and have had some success although the late spring frost this year spelled death to my climing teas and tea noisettes. Since the teas take a while to build their structure I'm growing quite a few of them in large pots until I can evaluate their survival potential. I don't winter protect them and so far I've done fine with them. I do grow some of my old northern favorites, rugosas in particular because they are so undemanding, smell wonderful, and can take some of our less than favorable soils. I don't have many roses yet - maybe two dozen varieties with some repeats in the ground and almost that many in pots that I'm watching - but I'm beginning to develop favorites. I can identify certain varieties but, like Ann, I think seeing first hand at a public garden is invaluable. You can really separate the good "doers" from the weak in those situations simply because maintenance in a public garden can be less than in a home garden situation. Being a lazy gardener I tend to choose the easiest to maintain. I mix the no smell, "will grow in pavement" types with the divas, and yet I never spray. So it's fun to experiment and discover what you like and how you like to garden. Have fun.

I am presented with similar problems, but am in Bakersfield, CA, not LA. In BKF, things are even more scrubby and sandy. I know however, that simply saying LA, does not mean mediterranean climate. LA is a big place and has several regions or zones with their own micro climates, depending upon whether you are close to the coast, inland or at a higher altitude up the side of some range of hills or low bergs ( mountains ). Heck, after they changed location of a weather monitoring station in LA, they found they had to change it back because the new location, completely threw off the mean temps and rain fall averages. If you are near the coast and have that Santa Barbara-like zone 8/9 weather, I envy you. But what I am going to suggest may get me some hisses and cat call rejections from the bleachers, but let me give you the reasoning ... Every well populated area uses hired landscapers. They in turn, know what will survive in the area and what won't. Further down that economic pipe are the suppliers, nurseries and the local gardening section of stores like Home Depot, Orchard Supply, Lowes, Wal-Mart, Target and humble K-Mart. If it sells, they stock it. There is no demand for plants that die. Go to Home Depot or Walmart and you'll find that they even separate out the house plants and keep them indoors while the outdoor thrivers are ... fancy that, out in the outdoor area. Does that help to give you some clues about choosing outdoor plants? It's when you order stuff over the internet that you can get in trouble. In those cases you get unique plants, but you take your chances whether they will thrive in your region. Going down to the HD or WM gets you some assurance based on experience and demand for plants that thrive in your area that you'll get exactly that. However, you pay a price. Your neighbor's plants will often look exactly like yours. ;-) Might I suggest something that you probably can order over the internet and have it survive there in LA? Pacific Iris and the further north, Douglas Iris, the wild flower varieties of Iris native to the West Coast. These critters can flower in several color variations and are just the height you are looking for. Douglas Iris however, are always lavender colored. It's the Pacific Hybrids that vary in color.

Congratulations on your beautiful hollyhocks. I know there are a number of dwarf hollies available, but I can't say if they will do well for you. Big Smile, Sunny Smile, and Teddy Bear are three that come to mind. Try Johnny's Selected Seeds. ThinMan

In Seattle area only the windmill palm is a permanent feature. Mediterranean fan palm tries to do as well, but gets hurt periodically. Other species are seen in the gardens of enthusiasts, but only the windmill palm is seen commonly - none of the others have done well enough to make lasting skyline specimens. A windmill palm in Tacoma, on the other hand was 38' high some years ago. In the Carl English Botanical Garden, Seattle, windmill palms have been observed coming up spontaneously from seed. During 1990, at the same site a Mediterranean fan palm was reduced to a stump (but grew back later). Possibly Mediterranean fan palms of different origins than (most of) those sold and planted here will prove to be or already have been shown by specialists to be hardier, the gray-leaved type for instance. I'm not going to hold my breath, however.