Drought tolerant plants for a Thousand Oaks Garden.

In the 1500's California went through an 80 year drought. During the winter there were blizzards in Central California, the Salinas river froze solid where it flowed into the Monterey Bay. During the summer there was no humidity, no rain, and temperatures in the hundreds for many  months. During one year in the 1840's there was no measurable rain in Santa Barbara. (The highest measured rainfall in an hour also was in Southern California,  11 inches in an hour)  The same native plants that lived through that are still on the hillsides of California. California native plants that do not normally live in the creeks and ponds are very drought tolerant.
The best way to find your plant is to check www.mynativeplants.com and do not water at all. But if you want a simple list of drought tolerant plants that can work for your garden here are some.

	Abronia villosa aurita Sand Verbena Abronia villosa var. aurita has larger flowers than Abronia villosa var. villosa. It is found on the... Learn more
	Adenostoma fasciculatum Chamise Chamise tends to be a medium to large shrub, 3-10 ft., tall. Native to the coast ranges (Mendocino a... Learn more
	Adenostoma sparsifolium Red Shanks Red shanks grows from the San Luis Obispo/Santa Barbara County line south in chaparral, down throug... Learn more
	Antirrhinum coulterianum Coulters Snapdragon Antirrhinum coulterium, Coulters snapdragon is another one of the many plants that is not supposed t... Learn more
	Antirrhinum kelloggii Climbing Snapdragon Antirrhinum kelloggii(Antirrhinum hookerianum, Antirrhinum strictum, Maurandyra strictum, Asarium st... Learn more
	Argemone munita Prickly Poppy Short lived perennial. A very thorny plant that is nearly unweedable. Why do we grow it? It has 3" ... Learn more
	Artemisia californica California Sagebrush California sagebrush is an evergray shrub, three to four foot high. This sage brush is native to mu... Learn more
	Artemisia californica Canyon Gray Canyon Grey Trailing Sagebrush An evergray shrub, 1ft high 4ft across. A gray groundcover that likes sun, good to fair drainage. It... Learn more
	Artemisia ludoviciana White Sagebrush Artemisia ludoviciana, White Sagebrush is a rhizomatous perennial native from Baja to Ontario Canada... Learn more
	Asclepias erosa Desert Milkweed (A.leucophylla, A.l. var.obtusa, A.erosa var. obtusa,A.obtusata, A.Rothrockii) Milkweeds are amongs... Learn more
	Astragalus Douglasii Douglas milkvetch Douglas milkvetch is really a nice little plant that causes no problems that I've seen while creatin... Learn more
	Bloomeria crocea aurea Golden Stars Corm, 2 ft., flowers yellow in cluster (like exploding fire works), April-June, South coast ranges, ... Learn more
	Bothriochloa barbinodis Cane Bluestem Cane Bluestem,Plumed Beard-grass Native from San Diego to Samta Barbara east to Oklahoma and down ... Learn more
	Brodiaea pulchella Wild Hyacinth Dichelostemma pulchella, Corms, 1' in height, blue 1" flowers, spring, throughout Ca.,UT, Nev,Ariz.... Learn more
	Calochortus weedii Weeds Mariposa Native throughout much of San Diego Co.. In De Luz it is under Adenostoma fasciculatum and Rhus ovat... Learn more
	Calystegia macrostegia California Morning Glory This coastal/Island Morning Glory is a twining vine with large creamy flowers. Calystegia macrostegi... Learn more
	Ceanothus L.T. Blue White Bark Mountain Lilac L.T.Blue is eight foot tall and four foot wide. This ... Learn more
	Ceanothus leucodermis White Bark California Lilac White bark California Lilac is an evergreen shrub to eight feet tall and six to ten feet wide. Wit... Learn more
	Chaenactis glabriuscula Pinchusion Flower Low-growing annual with yellow flowers, very showy when massed, excellent butterfly flower for adult... Learn more
	Cirsium californicum California Thistle A biennial or short-lived perennial.... Learn more
	Cupressus forbesii Tecate Cypress Tecate cypress is native to the southern California mountains looking down into Tijuana. It is fas... Learn more
	Dendromecon rigida Bush Poppy An evergreen shrub normally 6 feet tall. It has yellow flowers, 2 inches across in March - June, gre... Learn more
	Emmenanthe penduliflora Whispering Bells A common fire follower. Whispering Bells would be an excellent additive to seed mixtures for ersion ... Learn more
	Ephedra californica Evergreen shrub, 5 ft., dry areas, central and southern California stems used for tea. Ephedra spp. ... Learn more
	Ephedra viridis Green Mormon Tea Green Mormon Tea is an evergreen shrub, 4 ft., desert areas, Calif. to Utah, looks like leafless shr... Learn more

	Eriogonum bailey bailey Annual Field Buckwheat Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. We don't sell it. This picture is mostly to remember what it was.... Learn more
	Eriogonum fasciculatum polifolium Interior California Buckwheat California interior buckwheat ia as Eriogonum fasciculatum but grayer and tougher, hardy to -20 . Fo... Learn more
	Eriogonum nudum pubiflorum Naked buckwheat Naked buckwheat is a slender spike of white or pink or yellow flowers. It harbors a deliteful littl... Learn more
	Gilia tricolor A small little annual with somewhat tubular purple flowers and yellow centers. Massed they can be qu... Learn more
	Gnaphalium californicum California Pearly Everlasting A native biennial or short-lived perennial that grows in disturbed places.This species is a pioneer ... Learn more
	Haplopappus linearifolius Narrowleaf goldenbush (Ericameria linearifolia, Stenotopsis linearifolia) Perennial, 3 ft., yellow flowers 1 inch across, ... Learn more
	Hazardia squarrosus Yellow Squirrel Cover A common perennial from coastal bluffs into interior chaparral, common on road cuts mixed in with sq... Learn more
	Helianthemum scoparium Sun Rose A little non-descript perennial that grows in openings amoungst shrubs,. When it flowers it turns in... Learn more
	Iva hayesiana Hayes iva An evergreen groundcover in warm winter areas, deciduous in colder areas. It is supposed to spread b... Learn more
	Juniperus californica California Juniper Shrub-tree, bluish berries, 10-15\', no water after established, coast ranges and Sierras, edible be... Learn more
	Lotus purshianus Lotus Annual, weedy plant of roadsides, open, dry, disturbed areas, thickly branched, fixes nitrogen. CA(e... Learn more
	Lupinus excubitus Grape soda lupine Grape soda lupine is one of the smaller bush lupines with many different forms that range from the ... Learn more
	Mimulus fremontii A delicate little perennial that grows in sandy scree areas throughout much of Central and S. Calif.... Learn more
	Monardella breweri Mustang Mint This annual grows in open areas of gravelly sandy soil. If weeds overcome area it will die out. Very... Learn more
	Oenothera californica California Evening primrose This plant used to be in most of the road cuts of Southern California. Clumps 3 ft. by 10 feet Ac... Learn more
	Opuntia littoralis Prickly-Pear A cactus with yellow to red flowers, prickly, red fruit, very important wildlife plant, somewhat low... Learn more
	Orthocarpus densiflorus Owl's Clover A semi-parasitic annual common in areas that still have some annual native plants left. Difficult t... Learn more
	Oryzopsis hymenoides Indian Rice grass Indian rice grass is a one foot perennial with a delicate lace work of seed 'pods'. It looks like a... Learn more
	Pellaea mucronata Bird's Foot Fern Bird's Foot Fern is one tough fern. About one foot tall, native throughout California and tolerant ... Learn more
	Pickeringia montana Chaparral Pea Chaparral Pea is an evergreen shrub (deciduous under stress). It will grow to 3' tall and 6' wide. I... Learn more
	Pinus edulis Pinyon Pine Pinyon pine (or Colorado Pine) is a short conifer usually reaching less than 45 feet at the most, w... Learn more
	Pinus quadrifolia Parry Pinyon A pinyon pine from So. Calif. into Baja on the west slopes of the desert margins. We've had customer... Learn more
	Pinus sabiniana Gray Pine Gray Pine. Foothill Pine. This conifer grows fast to 45 ft. in 15 years. It can gradually get to 75'... Learn more
	Platystemon californicus Cream Cups A annual wildflower. In the past it was common in open fields and following fires. Now largely repla... Learn more
	Salvia brandegei Brandegees Sage Brandegee's sage, named after an early American botanist, is a beautiful sage with shimmering, blue... Learn more

	Salvia carduacea Thistle Sage A very colorful annual of hot interior areas. ... Learn more
	Salvia Celestial Blue Las Pilitas Sage Celestial Blue Sage is a hybrid between Salvia clevelandii and Salvia pachyphylla or a three way hy... Learn more
	Salvia clevelandii Alpine Cleveland sage Musk Sage A form of Salvia clevelandii that was found near the town of Alpine in San Diego County. The form a... Learn more
	Salvia Gracias Creeping sage Salvia sonomensis X Salvia clevelandii Gracias is all the information we can find as to the history ... Learn more
	Salvia leucophylla Purple Sage Purple sage is a three to six foot evergreen shrub with flowers that are light purple in May-Jul.. ... Learn more
	Salvia mellifera Black Sage Black Sage is a three foot evergreen shrub with white to light blue flowers from March to July. Thi... Learn more
	Salvia Pozo Blue Grey Musk Sage Salvia Pozo Blue is very drought tolerant three foot green-gray perennial. A hybrid of Salvia cleve... Learn more
	Solanum umbelliferum incanum Bluewitch Bluewitch is a 1-2' perennial with 1"flowers bright blue, with yellow centers and blooms most of the... Learn more
	Sphaeralcea ambigua Desert Mallow Desert Mallow is a two foot perennial with many one inch orange flowers on a two to three foot spi... Learn more
	Stipa coronata Giant stipa Giant needlegrass is a bunch grass, 4 ft. high, distinctive, grows in the mountains of central and s... Learn more
	Stipa lepida Foothill Stipa A 1-2 ft. perennial bunch grass, native to most of the foothills of California. Native on the nurser... Learn more
	Trichostema lanatum Woolly Blue Curls Woolly Blue Curls is a three to four foot evergreen shrub with flowers violet in fuzzy spikes in May... Learn more