Forgot to mention Epilobium (CA Fuchsia). Flowers in the summer. Looks best with some summer water. I water it about once a month. Currently flowering and hummingbirds LOVE it.

For ideas you might try the search function on this website. It is Annies Annuals but they also have perennials. You can put in your zone, water requirements, and other criteria. I don't think that all that come up for "no summer water" really are, but if you read the actual description they have better information.

https://www.anniesannuals.com/

Are you near Richmond? Come see Bart O'Brien speak at Annie's Annuals on Sept. 2nd. Talk starts are 11am.

SeedsG- Where in the Mediterranean do you live? Just about all the plants that might be suggested here will require some water during the first few years to become established. Can you supply that? Hope so.

-Babka

I'd include euphorbias, salvias, watsonia, kniphofia, echium, agapanthus, phlomis, lion's tail (leonotis), phygelius and Isoplexis.

While many Mediterranean type climates have wet winters, most Mediterranean type plants do need very good drainage. As long as you can accommodate that, you aren't particularly limited :-)

You can probably get a lot of the many decorative plants that grow wild in the Mediterranean region to grow. Helleborus, Anemone, Paeonia, Matthiola, Lupinus, Lathyrus, Linum, Euphorbia, Lavatera, Eryngium, Ferula, Cyclamen, Convolvulus, Cerinthe, Teucrium, Phlomis, Salvia, Verbascum, Digitalis, Campanula, Echinops, Aloe, Colchicum, Tulipa, Fritillaria...

The garden is in Europe, Istria peninsula.

I already have Epilobium and I planted it in April and thought it would be established until now but it keeps wilting, I have watered it with a garden hose. I hope the roots are fine and that it will get established.

The problem is, I am only there at summer so can't really care for plants daily.

The drainage is a problem, though. I had many billbergias in the garden and all of them died this winter due to poor drainage.

This year I have bought leonotis leonurus, it was very stressed in the heat, hope it'll survive. It flowered way too early. I also have asclepias curassavica, agapanthus dr. Brouwer, carpobrotus and red salvia (don't know the species). I also bought verbena rigida, ajania pacifica, rudbeckia fulgida and perovskia atriplicifolia. I also brought from my home garden chrysanthemum rubellum and aster novi belgii. I bough seeds for Calandrinia spectabilis, ruellia brittoniana, some salvias, diascia, hesperaloe parviflora, and datura wrightii. I planted pentas, pavonia missionum and arctotis.

Linum doesn't work it died right away. The others you mentioned are not summer bloomers.

Forgot to mention - geranium sanguineum Max Frei beats the heat and the drought. It blooms in April, you shear it back in the June and get a second bloom in July. It's in full sun, doesn't mind the heat nor the drought, I have actually never watered it, apart from the first time I planted it.

Istria is beautiful. I traveled with OAT through Croatia and Slovenia. Probably one of the best trips I have ever been on. I didn't realize it gets that hot!

I know some of these are shrubs but they are drought tolerant and fit with perennials. Salvia 'Hot Lips', Bulbine frutescens, Leucophyllum frutescens, Senna artemisioides, Phlomis sp., Santolina, Tithonia, Helianthus (native), Grevilleas, Callandrinia spectabilis, Calylophus, and Gaillardia. Native Eriogonums, and Salvias.

Maybe you need to install an irrigation system?

Kerry, indeed it is. I live in Slovenia and have a weekend house in Croatia, so irrigation system won't work.

Thanks for the suggestions, will try those. I already have santolina. I have already bought calandrinia spectabilis, and I have planted Gaillardia although it doesn't like clay. I dug a bigger hole and put some stones below. I hope it'll do.

Eriogonum sounds interesting, never heard of it and it looks really nice. And Tithonia too.

Bulbine frutescens, Senecio barbertonicus, Cotyledon orbiculata v. Flavida, Grevillea, Melaluca, Lomandra, Dianella.

Unfortunately, most plants from Mediterranean climates need excellent drainage. You have heavy soil. You will probably have to do some work on it.

The others you mentioned are not summer bloomers.

That was just the start of a listing of all the decorative plants seen wild in the region. A sampler given to indicate the potential. Hence the ... at the end of the sentence. If you look at discussions of native and naturalized plants to be found there plenty of choices adapted to local climates and soils should present themselves.

Geranium Rozanne is not a California native, but it's hard to kill. Mimulus, a native, is more tolerant of drainage issues.

The blue flower is Rozanne, the yellow is Mimulus aurantiacus, white is Eriogonum fasciculatum, and pink is Dianthus Firewitch. These are all pretty easy to grow. Rozanne sort of crawls around through everything and blooms continuously without ever setting seed.

Clay is a problem here indeed that's why it's so hard to find anything. And amending it is easier to say than do it. If I want to dig even a small hole, I have first to water it. If I want to plant something bigger I have to use a pickaxe every time. The problem is if anything can grow in clay then it usually isn't drought and/or heat tolerant or vice versa. That's why all that grows here are usually the most invasive plants for everyone else (campsis, poison ivy, datura, ruellia, oenothera speciosa...). Surprisingly, lavender grows very well and some other plants that normally require sharp drainage. That's why I experiment with the plants so thanks for the suggestions again.

Eriogonum fasciculatum grows wild on the hillsides in Castro Valley. You definitely need to try this fabulous plant. I planted it in the fall last year (so it got a ton of rain this year) and have only watered it 3 times since planting it. It is in full bloom now and as I mentioned above attracts all kinds of cool bees (probably even cooler bees in your region).

Not sure how much room you have but if you can plant a tree, a Fremontadendron might work for you. It does need good drainage. Plant in the fall, water it in well and let the rain do the rest. This plant really does not like summer water. If you have a smaller yard, look for Ken Taylor or Dara's Gold. Doesn't need a lot of pruning and if you do prune it, be cautious of the leaves, they are hairy and can be irritating.

Another great shrub that does well in Livermore is Dendromecon hardfordii and Dendromecon rigida (Bush Poppy). I have seen both here and they bloom ALL year round. Bright yellow flowers that are so cheery. It can get 8-10 feet tall and 5 feet wide if it is happy. Once established, it survives on NO summer water here in Livermore and we just had a 107 degree day.

Not a native but does great in my yard, Nepeta faassenii (Cat Mint). Adored by bees and certain butterflies. It has purple flowers and the leaves have a nice scent. I have it in my front and backyard. I water in my backyard (which is not native) and don't really water in my front yard (which is native). Haven't really noticed a difference. This plant is a trooper. Needs to be pruned back once it blooms the first time in late Spring and then it blooms a second time. I got lazy and didn't prune it in my backyard and it still blooming. Go figure.

Good luck!!

Irrigation systems can be battery operated (in case you need to turn off the power when you are not in residence). We do that every time we travel. Just curious as to why you wrote that it wouldn't work for you. With all these suggestions, I hope you have a whole hillside to plant.

Kerry, that's great. I always wanted to attract bees and it's great I can do it here in this problem place as well.

Babka, there are water restrictions. And as I said, I am there in the summer when I can water so the problem is mostly excessive water in the winter and clay. I am also fond of xeriscaping and don't really want to use much water.

Here's a list of xeric clay tolerant perennials from a California nursery. You should be able to find aome of them locally.

If you need a tolerant, handsome, small tree, I recommend Arbutus marina. It is, surprisingly, a native of Ireland, but tolerates low water, Mediterranean climates.

Arbutus 'Marina' is not native to Ireland :-) It is a hybrid of two species of Arbutus and was actually propagated/introduced in San Francisco and named for the Marina district where the original nursery was located. I believe the arbutus you are referring to is Arbutus unedo (one of the parent species of 'Marina'), which IS native to the Mediterranean area and up into western Ireland. Western and southern Ireland as well as parts of southwestern England are considered Mediterranean (or at least modified Mediterranean) climates as well.