Don't get desperate. That makes for bad plant decisions. Your circle is small, so that means relatively few plants. Consider 2-4 'specimen' evergreens with good foliage interest and occasional bloom. Then fill in with annuals for seasonal interest to give variety. I'm in zone 17 but that's a very large zone (I wish Sunset would break this one up someday). I'm 25 miles from the coast in the Oakland hills, so I get the fog but more sun than you do. The following are all ones that have done well in my shady areas (of which I have a lot). Many of them have variegated leaves. I love variegation and because most annual flowering plants have uninteresting leaves save for coleus, I think it adds a brightness to shady beds. You need to think in terms of foliage: the contrasts of texture, size, shape and color. Thats what gives you year-round interest, allowing you to ramp up the drama with seasonal changes in bursts of flowering. Decide what overall shape you want, especially if this bed is viewed from a distance as well as close-up. Medium-height center, surrounded by low growers? A taller center for more striking contrast with lower undergrowth? You might envision your circle design as the spokes of a wheel  the outer circle of plants alternating between evergreens and annuals. Strong winds mean that if you want a dwarf tree or shrub to act as the 'backbone' for your circle, it needs to be one that develops a strong trunk so when properly staked, it will grow nicely upright without a 'wind bend' to it. Note that using a tall-growing center plant may mean even more shade for the plants on the leeward side. IÂd use a nice Japanese maple, like ÂEmperor 1 for its beautiful dark red leaves and graceful layered upright shape, for example. Or a Rhamnus variegatus, tall and narrow. The Rhamnus (buckthorn) is evergreen, with white-edged small leaves that catch a lot of light. Both are wonderful background plants that top out around 12Â. 'Emperor 1' Japanese maple: Rhamnus variegata, long view: Closeup of leaf color (it's above a pelargonium fancy-leaf hybrid 'Vancouver Centennial', but you wouldn't want this one as it has orange-red flowers): Conversely, you could use something of modest height - say, around 3-6 feet  as the center. A spiky phormium (New Zealand flax), for example: the red/pink varieties are much more modest growers than the larger brown-leaved P. Atropurpureum. If you want an almost perfect round ball instead of vertical spikes, the shrub Lantana ÂPeaches and Cream (donÂt get the trailer of the same name!) ignores the wind and will flower even in the fog; it gets 3-4 around but is easily pruned. 'Sundowner' phormium in heavy shade, 3 yrs old: 'Peaches & Cream' shrub lantana, planted atop a concrete wall -- right hand side, just in front of the cluster of blue agapanthus flowers: With a more open, irregular branching shape in partial sun, 3 tall evergreen Rhaphiolepsis indica (Indian Hawthorn) ÂBallerinaÂ, is a dwarf that has lovely pink flowers sporadically through the year, with handsome dark leaves that have a tan underside. Shade groundcovers will live near and under this, such as Stacchys byzantina (lambÂs ears; ÂHelen von Stein should be selected if you donÂt like the bee-favored flower spikes of the standard varieties) or the gorgeous burgundy Oxalis ÂCharmed WineÂ. Rhaphiolepsis indica 'Ballerina': Oxalis 'Charmed Wine' (just planted last week): For sheer unabashed colorful variegation, the fuchsia ÂFirecracker is a stunning specimen at 4x2 that catches the eye even when it isnÂt flowering (BTW, these are height x width measurements). Magilla perilla, a coleus relative, might work for you as coastal fogs keep frosts away from your garden. Strobilanthes aka Persian Shield, is another possibility that is even more beautiful. Fuchsia 'Firecracker': Magilla perilla: Strobilanthes: I love pelargoniums, but many of them are scraggly in shape or flop over. Only a few have shown tight bushy shape, but the labels aren't much help that I've found. You should be sure to select them in flower as some of them have rather strident hues that donÂt always play well with others. This fancy-leaf is either "Skies of Italy" or "Mrs. Pollack". The leaves of both varieties are virtually identical, but one has pink flowers and the other has reddish-orange flowers. Lower growers could include the 1x2 mini-trailer Erysimum ÂvariegataÂ, my favorite for beautiful variegated leaves that produce gorgeous spikes of lavender flowers for months on end. Lamium ÂPurple Dragon has beautiful silver leaves and purple flowers that really stand out on dull gray days. Even purple variegated sage, the ordinary cooking herb, has nice leaves and surprisingly pretty flower spikes once a year, although it generally only lives 2-3 years. Erysimum 'Variegata': Lamium ÂPurple DragonÂ: If you want taller Âspokes alternating with lower ones, consider a mini-rose. They grow much better in the ground than in pots, and come in many colors; they are easily found during the holiday season. Or an azalea: a little acid fertilizer and sulphur will take care of its soil requirements. 1x2 Brunnera ÂJack Frost has amazing silver leaves and sky-blue flower spikes. Brunnera ÂJack FrostÂ: I have an unnamed reflowering dark purple iris that has marvelous blue-green sword-like leaves that look wonderful with other foliage and flowers, even when out of bloom. Another remarkable, unusual specimen is the true dwarf canna ÂPink SunburstÂ. unnamed reflowering dark purple iris - that's a variegated Aucuba 'Gold Dust' next to it, a good shade plant easily kept to about 4x4' with pruning: Dwarf canna ÂPink Sunburst - all other 'dwarf cannas' seem to be 4' tall. This one is truly only 2' or less: Lithodora is a magnificent blue low-growing perennial  you might have better luck with it where you are. In my crowded and xeric Oakland hills garden, it canÂt seem to establish itself well enough against the more established evergreens. Variegated heuchera ÂSnow Angel is a delicate plant that might be worth trying; itÂs amazingly floriferous for its size. Lithodora - this is the dark blue variety; most are a lighter blue: Variegated heuchera ÂSnow AngelÂ: Anyway, hope the photos help you envision some possibilities.

Sandy, I am also from San Jose. The ACE that i got my Oxalis X is the one in East Bay called Dale Hardware. They have them in stock or can order bigger sizes of it if you need it. I called around and only this ACE had it in stock and the garden department people there seemed to know what I was talking about. there was a specialist at Yamagami's nursery in San Jose who said that they can order it for me, but I might have to buy the whole case from them and probably share it with someone else. So, it is possible to order it in san jose. Oxalis X is certified for sale in all of California. Dale Hardware tel # is 510-797-3700. And here is their website: Here is a link that might be useful: Dale Hardware ACE in Fremont

I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area, Oakland hills, about 25 miles from Romando. Here it is always 5 degrees warmer but much less windy and on the edge of the fog belt, so it is much sunnier. I truly wish Sunset would break up its zone map of area #17, which covers a large area where temps differ 15-20 degrees from one end to the other, with much less fog at the outer borders of #17, leading to much greater temp fluctuations on a daily basis. In many cities located 10+ miles from the coast, it's common to have a 25-40 degree difference between day/night temps, especially in summer. These cool nights are why roses and citrus do so well in the East Bay counties; almost everyone has a lemon or orange tree in the front or back. A number of older EBay homes have the unfortunate choice of giant redwood trees taking up an entire front yard bed - a once-popular but very poor choice for an urban lot. Gardening here is year-round. There is no 'off' season, which can be a bit tiring (no end, ever, to weeding!) but the rewards are HUGE. Some plants flower all the time - polygonum, lantana, aptenia groundcover, pelargoniums, osteospermums, cestrum, euryops, solanum jasminoides vine. Winter bloomers like hellebore (foetidus and argutifolius) can last 6+ months with flowers. Citrus blooms scent the air. Spring starts in mid-February, when the winter rains encourage the leafing out of freesias, nasturtiums, and CA poppies. The one month it's dreary - January - suddenly changes to those fresh new greens everywhere. The hideously invasive but pretty weed Oxalis pes-caprae shows up everywhere, turning even neglected gardens and vacant lots into a sea of soft clover-shaped leaves and nodding stalks of pale yellow flowers. Coleonema and rhaphiolepsis burst into bloom, and erysimums start flowering in yellow and lilac. Oxalis siliquosa, a non-invasive species, puts up little yellow flowers like the charmer it is. March is fast and furious, with callas and iris blooming, Japanese maples showing buds, azaleas and rhodies beginning to bloom. My roses start blooming in March (and are still offering a few blooms in mid-December). Daffodils are everywhere, as Oakland has given away free bulbs for several years now and people plant them in the median strips. Wisteria begins to show some green, but hardenbergia is far more floriferous and starts throwing out its purple racemes for an earlier and longer show. Leptospermum and ceanothus put on their once-a-year display of beauty, making them almost worth the 10 months of boring dull dark green the rest of the time. April and May are the showiest in my garden because nasturtiums and CA poppies have reseeded wildly. I yank them out by the handful to keep them from smothering my evergreen perennials, just leaving some to give those bright pops of color. The weather starts to warm because it's early summer now, so hydrangeas are leafing out like crazy even as the rhodies continue their show. Lavender - I have both English and Spanish - come into bloom. I have a single clematis and am glad I didn't plant more. They just can't compete with the evergreen vines, and their short bloom season just doesn't seem worth it. Out here, perennial morning glories are 45' monsters that crush fences while remaining in bloom for six months or more. My gladiolas are weeds - pretty, but weeds nonetheless, dropping bulblets everywhere. June is full summer here. The rains ended a month or more previous, and there'll be no more rain until mid-October. The soil warms up, so the dahlias will start and hydrangeas begin blooming, even as the nasturtiums and callas start to fade because they hate "warm feet". One of my bearded iris varieties is deciduous and blooms only this one month; unlike my other iris which are spring/fall rebloomers. Limonium starts to come up, always a good pairing with the roses for bouquets. My prized Lavatera olba "Aureum" blooms this month as well, with its gorgeous flower spikes of lavender-pink singles (it's related to hibiscus and the blooms are like mini-hibiscus, but multiples on single spikes). July dries out the garden. The nasturtiums fade, the CA poppies set seeds. But the roses are massive, the passionflower vines have encouraged lots of Gulf Fritillary butterflies. Ceratostigma gives bright burst of blue. Agapanthus send up their allium-like flower stalks: light blue, medium blue, purple, white. Cannas prove they are not really water hogs although they look better with summer water. The hills are all golden, and fire season is now a huge concern. August and September continue the same theme. The year-round bloomers keep trucking along, responding to deadheading by blooming again and again. Argyranthemums, aeoniums, Shasta daisies, dahlias, and chrysanthemums abound. Lavender reblooms in Sept/Oct. October is when the rains return. It's planting time in CA, even as the selection in the nurseries begins to fade. We can put away the hoses, but cleanup of deciduous litter starts now and continues for the next couple of months. The nights turn cooler, and we get some fall color from Japanese maples, Liquidamber (sweetgum) and Chinese pistache trees, even as the ever-bloomers keep up the flower show. November is cleanup leaf litter month, and enjoying the last of the heirloom tomatoes from the farmers markets. December is when we who live on hills worry about mudslides and flooded basements/garages; this and January are prime weeding time because the rains have sprouted all the chickweed, oxalis, dandelion, and Bermuda grass seeds. Mid- to late January is when the roses get cut back, and then it all starts over again.

I'm on my way to buy a thingamabob to connect my camera to computer to download a pic. But, since I wrote the following, thinking I could then find this weed online, here's my effort: Forget what I wrote in entry #1. Almost all in shade. Now up to 14" high. Top of plant looks like a very, very poor man's Baby's Breath . Beginning at bottom of plant: Taproot + branching roots from tap. 1" thru 2" above ground begins few branches. Branches do not re-branch for 8" to 10". Leaves are very faintly hairy on both surfaces. Leaves alternate every 2", except at top of stem where re-branching occurs where they are opposite. Leaves on stem oval to round, show very slight indentation(s). Leaves after branching near top are oval. At top of plant are flowers on 1/2" to 1" stem, usually from 2 stems that branch from end of 2" stem. Flowers are tiny, white, accompanied by larger 3-part (indented) tiny (head of pin or smaller) green seed pod (?). What surprises me is that as closely as I've examined this (weed) I can't find it online. Does seem that the photo collections of "weeds" for identifying are comprised 50% of marijuana weed photos. LOL