Hello Lucy! Nice blooms. I have some kangaroo paws in ground. They are actually very fussy plants. They are from parts in Australia where they experience regular, prolonged drought. They often go dormant in the summer, so summer water will kill them. I have mine on a drip irrigation system and they receive minimal water in the summer, but they also have excellent drainage, so the water just keeps them from going dormant. They are an excellent plant for xeric gardens. I have mine growing alongside aloes, agaves, beschorneria, ice plants, yuccas, sedums...all of which have similar water needs. One other thing, they are very suceptible to a kind of fungus if they are watered overhead. That's why I have mine on a drip system. Do a google search to find out more infomation on them. They are also fussy about soil PH requirements I think. Good luck! Note: If you remove spent blooms, most varieties will rebloom for you.

First of all, you might want to start posting on the CA gardening forum. There are quite a few SoCal gardeners on it. Second, soil and prep are ALWAYS more important than plants. If you have clay soil it won't drain well and watering so often will create root rot. Yes, new plants need to be watered to establish themselves - so it's a fine line between "watering enough" and "drowning", in this case. Your calla lilies will yellow and go away very soon. They HATE hot soil. They are partial shade plants at best, especially in your area. In coastal CA they bloom around Nov/Dec thru mid-May. "Hercules" gets not only very tall but will grow outwards at a steady rate. I wasn't successful with my own Anigozanthosos (kangaroo paw), but when advice says to prune back after flower, they mean the flower STEM, not the whole plant including leaves. Sage can be pruned almost any time, as far as I can tell. But like rosemary, you want to avoid cutting into the woody stems. Cut it back to a pair of leaves - any pair, just so you don't leave it leafless on that stem. Bougainvillea can be touchy about getting established. They hate being transplanted and it's very easy to harm the rootball because it falls apart easily. Once it's adjusted, you can cut back the watering gradually. "Sulking" won't harm it as long as you water as soon as you see the symptoms of leaf curling, etc. Dahlias are prone to root rot, especially when dormant in winter. With your clay soil you might be better off growing them in pots if you refuse to amend your soil. Watering too often and shallowly is a common error for beginners. Most plants prefer watering less often and deeply, and from underneath rather than above. Good luck!

The seeds of Kangaroo Paws are located at the base of the flower, where there is what looks like a swelling. Finger pressure will tell you that it is firm and when shattered between the fingers you can see the segments which contain the seed and some chaff. Place the drying old flowers in a paper bag to finish drying off and squeeze the base of each flower to break it apart to obtain the seed. According to Murray Ralph's book on propagating from seed, the seed of Macropidia is viable for 8 years. However seed is difficult to germinate. Soaking seed in hot water for 15 minutes may improve results. Natural weathering of seed sown in a pot has been successful with seed germinating in the second autumn following soaking. Smoke treatment has not been successful.

I have found that Anigozanthos is quite long lived especially in neglected areas or areas that did not and do not receive wonderfully rich organic compost applications. That first photo is a commercial shopping center bed that was planted about a decade ago ( Hopmonk Brewery in Novato ) . It receives some commercial level maintenance attention but it is not lovingly cared for by a home gardener ( no disrespect to commercially cared for landscape companies) . The second image is of a residential project in Belvedere that was also planted about 10 years ago. It has not received 'attention to detail' maintenance over the years yet the Anigozanthos is doing well . The Leucadendron Jesters have not been adequately pruned and are out of scale now and looking rangey. I have some 'neglectful' areas in my own experimental home garden. Some of the kangaroo paws are going on 15 years old and still bloom despite the poor soil and infringing shade from the overhead oak trees . I believe that true to their native habitat that the Anigozanthos prefers lean soil fertility conditions and good drainage for it to be successful in the long run. Good gardening to you.