1Herbs: Wall germander (Teucrium chamaedrys) is a member of the mint family from a Mediterranean habitat and an excellent candidate, despite its delicate look, for water-thrifty herb gardens. It has tiny, half-inch leaves that are densely packed, giving germander an extremely lush appearance. It contrasts well with the foliage of other drought-tolerant plants, which often have gray to dull green foliage. It grows 1 foot tall and spreads to 2 feet or more due to its creeping underground roots. It can be utilized as a low hedge to border an herb garden and also performs well as a container subject. Its fragrance is somewhat citrusy, especially when its leaves are crushed. Pink flowers appear in midsummer for about a month, but its dark emerald foliage is what makes it special. The scent of fruity germander (Teucrium cossonii) has been compared to that of pineapples. Its foliage is gray, and it makes a perfectly symmetrical, 6-inch mat that spreads to 3 feet, flowering in spring and fall.

2Fruit: Where thinning is required, do it ruthlessly. The time to do this is when tree fruit is dime-size or around an inch long. Plums should be thinned so fruit is separated by 4-6 inches, peaches and nectarines should be separated by 5-7 inches, and apples should get 6-8 inches on the stem. When thinning of these trees is not done, June drop will occur, meaning fruit will be rather small, and you may lose more than if you had thinned it out. Citrus, avocados, figs, cherries and guavas do not require thinning. On any tree, however, branches overloaded with fruit should be propped up with some sort of support in order not to break. Search “fruit tree branch support” on the Internet to find products made for this purpose.

3Perennials: We think of impatiens as a bedding plant that lasts a year or so, or even less. However, there are several species of perennial impatiens, native to East Africa, that bloom nonstop and last for years as long as they are protected from frost. I recently planted white shrub balsam (Impatiens sodenii “Madonna”) and it has been flowering with reckless abandon ever since, potentially growing as tall as 8 feet. It is even considered to be somewhat drought-tolerant once established. This plant shares its growth and flowering habits with pink shrub balsam (Impatiens sodenii). Blue impatiens (Impatiens arguta) only reaches 2 feet in height yet shows violet-blue blooms throughout the year. Plant perennial impatiens in full sun along the coast but partial sun inland. Propagation is easily achieved with shoot tip cuttings.

4Annuals: Plant zinnias from seed. They are among the most rewarding of annual flowers with their many varieties that come in all sizes, from 4-foot-tall California giants to the Profusion ground cover series. All colors are represented, excluding those in the blue to purple spectrum. Zinnia seeds require sunlight to germinate, so scatter them on the soil surface and cover them with one-quarter of an inch of compost. Thoroughly mist the area after planting and apply a spray of water twice a day until germination occurs. Once seedlings are visible, water from below and, throughout the growth of your plants, never wet the foliage to minimize mildew development. A drip irrigation line for zinnias is recommended.

5Vegetables: Asparagus is probably the easiest vegetable to grow. You might not think so, judging by its price at the grocery store. Its durability is attributable to clusters of stout underground rhizomes from which spears are produced. In the manner of any bulbous or rhizomatous plant, allowing vegetative growth to flourish until it turns brown is essential to the yield of next year’s crop, be it flowers or spears, which are specialized flower stalks topped by flower buds. You will quickly become aware that there are two types of asparagus growth: spears and ferns. After harvesting spears in the spring, ferny growth should be allowed to fully develop — sending its metabolites down to the rhizomes for next year’s spears — until it dies. It is recommended not to harvest any spears for the first two years after planting asparagus crowns, widely available through Internet vendors, so that thick rhizomes, needed for growth of robust spears, can form.

— Joshua Siskin