Southern California Mountains

The Southern California/Northern Baja Coast ecoregion covers the coastal plain from Ventura through Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego. This is coastal sage scrub country, with mild winters, marine-layer mornings, and very little summer rain. Natives such as California buckwheat, white sage, and lemonadeberry hold their form through the dry months, which matters in neighborhoods where a tidy street view is expected.

Conditions: Sandy loam to clay soils, 10–15 inches of winter rainfall, mild year-round temperatures, marine influence near the coast.

Cities and areas: Los Angeles, San Diego, Anaheim, Long Beach, Riverside, Oxnard.