Consider a variety of ornamentals for the garden

There are a myriad of reasons why cacti and succulents have taken the limelight when it comes to home gardens and landscape design in Southern California. One reason is these water-storing plants are incredibly resilient. Present on six continents, they can grow in some of the most inhospitable places on Earth, including water-scarce climates like ours.

For the amateur growers, they are easy to cultivate and require minimal maintenance. They are fire-resistant and grow year-round. Ranging in size from ground cover to trees, there are about 2,000 varieties of cactus and about 20,000 varieties o...