I'm interested in your Amaryllis belladonna, Echium wildprettii, Pink Rainlily and Watsonia seeds. Please take a peek at my (miraculously!) updated list and see if something is of interest. Grow well, seedmoney

Lazy gardeners, abandoning your plant babies to the freeze; how could you? In zone 9b even! You could keep your plants from freezing there by breathing on them. Well, it's a matter of choice. Love the callas and keep them looking great all winter, most years (once in a while a freeze surprises me, then I'm sad, and my garden reflects it). In dry season, it's hard to give the callas enough water to keep them happy and they eventually go into dormancy, then come back gang-busters with the rain in October. Brand new, beautiful lush green leaves, big white lilies for winter arrangements. In my sunny-site garden, the calla reigns as a winter plant. Where I live it only drops below freezing a few periods a year. We plant in the fall for bigger and better plants the next spring and summer, but then they do better if protected from freezing. Otherwise, plenty of them die! With our cool summers many plants (especially peppers!) often don't put on a lot of growth in one season. It's discouraging to nurse peppers along all summer (no use planting them earlier, they don't grow at all), then have a 10" tall plant in the fall with a couple peppers. So DH wants to protect them this year, and see if they bear earlier and more peppers for us. No electricity needed (unless we get a record 23 degrees, but that only happens here once a decade). It's good to know about the Christmas lights option. Pepper plants, at $4.00 plus tax for a six pack, or for ONE 4" plant, along with everything else, adds up. It's cheaper to protect the perennials from a few cold snaps a year. The frost blankets can keep the plants up to 9 degrees warmer, and they last for years. I just lay them over the plants, maybe put rocks on the corners so they don't blow off. Old sheets would work nearly as well. Tarps being heavier, we provide support besides the plants. It's hard for me to go out in January to take care of my roses, if the garden looks neglected. My not yet reached goal is to have a really beautiful winter garden. Primroses; I'm trying one (again!) this year, and it's limping along. But from what I read, it needs protecting too. We put in some Iceland poppies, but they're not blooming yet. Maybe I don't put them in early enough, but the warmest and sunniest part of our year is usually autumn. Does anyone have a wildprettii echium? Mine is from Annie's Annuals. This is my first year growing it. Looking forward to that big spike of red jewels next year. How does it handle frost and freezing, and winter rains? I'm reading widely varying info. How about your perennial status? Mine were looking so good, 3' tall, blooming away, but I didn't cover them, the first night, then they suffered; I read they're damaged (or lost?) at 27 degrees.

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.

Gill, I think the temperature is not as much a factor as is the amount of moisture it receives. According to what I have read, it likes dry, arid conditions which in colder temperatures may cause it to rot. Maybe you could consider building a temporary greenhouse around it.