| Type_Class | Genus | Species | Variety | Common Name | Comments |
|---|
| Fruit |
Citrus | | | Citrus | Fruit of citrus trees turns color in winter, which is when most varieties ripen. The following have especially abundant, attractive, or interesting fruit. |
| Fruit | Citrus | Citron | Buddha's Hand - (Fingered citron) | Citrus: Citron | Fruit forms finger-like sections resembling a human hand. Lemon fragrance. Fruit has virtually no pulp and is not eaten. It is beautiful as an evergreen ornamental with multiple "hands" hanging from the branches. [FWG] |
| Fruit | Citrus | Mandarin | Owari Satsuma | Citrus: Mandarin | Hardiest of all mandarins. Ripens in November, December (and January). Seedless, peels easily. [FWG] One of the most popular citrus, easy in containers, and one of the smallest trees (more like a bush) when grown on semi-dwarf rootstock. |
| Fruit | Citrus | Other Citrus | Calamondin (Kalamansi) | Citrus: Orange, sour | Prolific fruit production. Zesty acid juice, used as a garnish in the Philippines. Handsome compact habit. [FWG] Also called Philippine lime. |
| Fruit | Citrus | Tangelo | Minneola | Citrus: Tangelo | Deep reddish-orange colored fruit in winter. Leave fruit on tree for rich tangerine-like flavor in late spring. A beautiful tree in the landscape. [FWG] |
| Fruit | Citrus (Fortunella) | Kumquat | Meiwa Kumquat | Citrus: Kumquat | Sweet round fruit, prized flesh. Candied or in marmalade. Grows best in hotter locations. [FWG] |
| Fruit | Citrus (Fortunella) | Kumquat | Nagami Kumquat | Citrus: Kumquat | Olive size and shape, bright orange fruit, fruits best in warmer areas. Late spring ripening. Very ornamental! [FWG] |
| Fruit | Citrus x Fortunella | Other Citrus | Indiro Mandarin-Quat | Citrus: hybrids | A mandarin/kumquat hybrid! Rich juicy flesh, sweet peel. |
| Fruit | Malus | X | Transcendent Crabapple | Crabapple, fruiting/flowering | Fragrant white blossoms; small tree. High quality, pretty bright yellow to red fruit which ripens in August. Pollenizes regular apples. Fruit eaten fresh, preserved, or for jam. |
| Shrubby ground covers | Cotoneaster | buxifolius | | Box-leaf Cotoneaster | Tiny silver fuzzy leaves on a spreading shrub. Occasional upright shoots can be pruned out. Small white flowers in spring, and little cranberry red berries in winter, are pretty. Tough, tolerates drought or regular watering, sun or light shade. Can be pruned as low hedge. |
| Shrubby ground covers | Cotoneaster | dammeri | 'Coral Beauty' | Bearberry Cotoneaster | Fast spreading shrub with shiny leaves and showy berries. |
| Shrubby ground covers | Cotoneaster | horizontalis | | Rock Cotoneaster | Very tight habit with small leaves. Branches take a formal, herringbone pattern. Effective trained flat against a wall. Nice fall color before brief deciduous period. 'Little Gem' is a miniature form. Very cute. |
| Shrubby ground covers | Pyracantha | koidzumii | 'Santa Cruz' | prostrate Firethorn | A form of Pyracantha which hugs the ground. Same nice winter berries as the bigger forms. Resistant to fireblight. |
| Shrubs | Arbutus | unedo | 'Compacta' | Strawberry tree | Showy flowers and fruit, beautiful bark like madrone. Heat and drought tolerant. Grows 1 - 2' a year. Easily kept at 6' with one annual pruning. |
| Shrubs | Berberis | gladwynensis | 'William Penn' | Barberry | All the barberries grow readily here. Small yellow flowers are profuse enough to be pretty. Fruit attracts songbirds. This form is evergreen and stays pretty compact. |
| Shrubs | Berberis | mentorensis | | Barberry | Very heat tolerant barberry. |
| Shrubs | Berberis | thunbergii | 'Crimson Pygmy' | dwarf Japanese barberry | Vivid red-purple foliage on a tight, spiny shrub to about 2'. |
| Shrubs | Berberis | thunbergii | 'Rose Glow' | variegated Japanese barberry | Similar to above, but has white splotches on leaves. |
| Shrubs | Berberis | wilsoniae | | | Not common in the trade, but has especially showy berries. |
| Shrubs | Berberis | thunbergii | 'Atropurpurea' | Red-leaf Japanese barberry | Vivid purple-red foliage. Interesting growth habit. Very, very thorny--great barrier plant. Nice fall color. |
| Shrubs | Callicarpa | dichotoma | var. albifructa | Beautyberry | To 8', but easily kept lower. Informal growth habit, with pretty white berries in winter. |
| Shrubs | Cotoneaster | X | 'Lowfast' | |
to 2' tall, 15' wide |
| Shrubs | Cotoneaster | congestus | | Pyrenees Cotoneaster | Low spreading shrub with nice winter berries. Very tough. |
| Shrubs | Cotoneaster | divaricatus | | Spreading Cotoneaster | |
| Shrubs | Cotoneaster | franchetti | | Red clusterberry | Large shrub to 10' with an arching habit and scarlet fruit. Availability limited. |
| Shrubs | Cotoneaster | lacteus | | Red clusterberry | Very graceful shrub with arching growth habit, masses of white flowers in spring, and heavy crop of bright red fruit in winter. Highly recommended. |
| Shrubs | Cotoneaster | lucidus | | | |
| Shrubs | Heteromeles | arbutifolia | | Toyon | Very sensitive to overwatering; keep dry in summer. Slow grower. Flowers are very attractive to beneficial insects. Beautiful shiny red fruit hangs on into winter, attracts birds. Subject to fireblight, lace bug. |
| Shrubs | Ilex | altaclarensis | 'Wilsoni' | Wilson holly | Big holly with large, shiny, dark green leaves. Sets large lacquer-red berries without a pollenizer. |
| Shrubs | Ilex | aquifolium | 'Variegata' is most common | English holly | The classic holly. Nice pyramidal growth habit with foliage that looks clean and shiny year-around. Great cover for songbirds. Male and female plants needed to get berries, and they aren't labelled for this. Highly recommended. |
| Shrubs | Ilex | cornuta | | Chinese holly | 'Burfordi Nana' and 'Rotunda' are most common forms. 'Rotunda' has rounder leaves. |
| Shrubs | Ilex | crenata | 'Rotundifolia' | Japanese holly | |
| Shrubs | Ilex | hybrids | | Hybrid hollies | 'Nellie Stevens' and 'San Jose' are two that are common in the trade. These both set fruit without cross-pollination. |
| Shrubs | Nandina | domestica | | Heavenly bamboo | Nandina is a very versatile shrub with an upright habit. Tolerates shade; even grows in full sun if watered regularly. Nice lacy foliage; orange-red berries in winter (not poisonous).
The species is tall with an open habit |
| Shrubs | Nandina | domestica | 'Compacta' | Compact Heavenly bamboo | This form has a nice dense growth habit, and turns bright red in cold winter weather. Grows to about 4' tall and wide. |
| Shrubs | Nandina | domestica | 'Royal Princess' | Heavenly bamboo | This form is tall with lacy leaves and nice winter color. Grows to 5' tall and wide. |
| Shrubs | Punica | granatum | 'Chico', 'Nana' | Dwarf pomegranate | All pomegranates tolerate heat, wind, drought, poor soil. Great choices for west exposure. These varieties grow to 3 - 6' tall, set tiny inedible (but showy) fruit. |
| Shrubs | Pyracantha | coccinea | 'Kasan', 'Lalandei' | Firethorn | Upright growers with orange-red berries. Fireblight can be a problem.
|
| Shrubs | Pyracantha | crenatoserrata | 'Graberi' | Firethorn | Formerly P. fortuneana. Probably the most common large Pyracantha variety. Profuse dark-red berries. Fireblight can be a problem. |
| Shrubs | Pyracantha | koidzumii | 'Santa Cruz' | Firethorn | Red berries. Spreading habit, but very trainable as espalier. Resistant to fireblight. |
| Shrubs | Pyracantha | X | 'Leprechaun' | dwarf Firethorn | Miniature form of the familiar winter-berried shrub. This one grows to 3' x 4'. |
| Shrubs | Rosa | hybrids | many cultivars have attractive winter hips | Roses | Most roses are medium-sized shrubs. See our separate list for descriptions. |
| Shrubs | Viburnum | tinus | 'Robustum' | Laurustinus | One of the few Viburnums that can take direct sun and grows very well here. Attractive flower buds in fall, flowers in winter, shiny blue berries in spring and summer. Great for beneficial insects and songbirds. Can be pruned, but looks especially good if allowed to grow naturally with only light clipping. This form grows fast to 10' +. Highly recommended. |
| Shrubs | Viburnum | tinus | 'Spring Bouquet' | Laurustinus | This form grows 2 - 3'/year to 6'+. Highly recommended. |
| Trees | Arbutus | X | 'Marina' | | madrone-like tree |
| Trees | Crataegus | laevigatum | | English hawthorn | 'Paul's Scarlet' has very showy rose pink flowers, very little fruit. 'Crimson Cloud' has bright red flowers, showy red fruit. These are very pretty trees, but unfortunately availability is very limited. Not recomended: prone to fireblight. |
| Trees | Crataegus | phaenopyrum | | Washington thorn | Masses of white flowers in spring. Shiny red fruit hangs on through fall and winter. Good in lawns. Fireblight resistant. Availability very limited. |
| Trees | Malus | floribunda | Japanese flowering Crabapple | Crabapples, flowering | Small tree with spreading crown, 12' x 18'. Deep pink buds, white flowers are profuse, incredibly fragrant. Small fruit is red, blushed yellow. |
| Trees | Malus | X | Prairifire Crabapple | Crabapples, flowering | Round head, 20 x 20; Red buds, deep pink flowers. Dark red fruit hangs well into winter. Foliage changes from red to bronze-green. Disease resistant. |
| Trees | Malus | X | Robinson Crabapple | Crabapples, flowering | Upright tree 25 x 15. Red buds, deep pink flowers. Dark red fruit. Coppery foliage. Disease resistant. |
| Trees | Malus | X | Transcendent Crabapple | Crabapple, fruiting/flowering | Fragrant white blossoms; small tree. High quality, pretty bright yellow to red fruit which ripens in August. Pollenizes regular apples. Fruit eaten fresh, preserved, or for jam. |
| Trees | Schinus | molle | | California pepper | Shiny fern-like green foliage is very pretty. Red berries useful in dried flower arrangements and wreaths. Incredibly drought-tolerant. Too messy for small yards.Tends to split in windy areas. Good in rural areas. |
| Trees or Large Shrubs | Arbutus | unedo | 'Compacta' | Strawberry tree | Showy flowers and fruit, beautiful bark like madrone. Heat and drought tolerant. Grows 1 - 2' a year. Easily kept at 6' with one annual pruning. |
| Trees or Large Shrubs | Arbutus | X | 'Marina' | Strawberry tree | Showy flowers, light crop of attractive fruit, beautiful bark like madrone. Heat and drought tolerant. Grows 2 - 3' a year. |
| Trees or Large Shrubs | Citrus | many varieties | Citrus | | See above |
| Trees or Large Shrubs | Punica | granatum | 'Wonderful' | Pomegranates | All pomegranates tolerate heat, wind, drought, poor soil. Great choice for west exposure. This is the standard commercial variety. 'Grenada' is a sport which ripens a month earlier. 'Sweet' has pink, sweet fruit that isn't tart. Fruitless forms with showy flowers are available and are equally tough. |
