My sister lived for many years in coastal Orange County and I helped her design and plant her garden as well as designing gardens for several of her friends and neighbors. Although her climate (z 10b) was milder than yours both in summer and winter (due to the ocean influence), there wasn't much she couldn't grow than I can grow up here in the PNW. Roses, clematis, and most perennials (including daylilies, hostas, etc.) did fine. But there was also a bunch of stuff she could grow easily that I could not!!

Your biggest concern will likely be the aridity. The climate around Temecula is rather arid overall and especially during the summer months when there may be no measurable precipitation at all. And since most of SoCal is a very droughty area and watering is often restricted, you will probably want to focus on more drought tolerant plantings.

An excellent gardening resource for that area are the various California Friendly or Waterwise Gardening websites - lots of advice and suggestions, plant lists and tons of inspirational photos. You also should get a copy of the Sunset Western Garden Book - pretty much the gardener's bible for all of the west coast, including all parts of SoCal. Very area specific.

This is a major growing area for wholesalers of houseplants and cut flowers so you should have no shortage of retail nurseries around. I am most familiar with the more coastal offerings and can recommend both Roger's Garden in Corona del Mar and Plant Depot in San Juan Capistrano. And I would definitely schedule a visit to the Huntington Garden in San Marino (next to Pasadena), Balboa Park Gardens in San Diego and the UC Riverside Botanical Garden. And if you make it to Corona del Mar to visit Roger's Gardens, be sure to take in the Sherman Gardens and Library as well - very close by (and make it a day trip and take in Fashion Island as well!!)

There will be lots of plants to attract hummingbirds! In fact, you may have difficulty in limiting the selection :-)

Great advice from gardengal. A lot will depend on the landscaping which comes with your new home. Happy plants, growing well, are often best left to be. As for tropicals, I would save those for houseplants. Californians are very skittish about water usage, and tropicals usually are thirsty plants. So unless they already exist in your new yard, probably best to pass on those. We had a lovely, wet winter, but we could see an extended drought again.

Best wishes....

You need to rewire your brain for successful CA gardening if you've lived in most of the US where spring and summer are prime growing times and autumn is a winding down time to prepare for winter dormancy. In the drier areas of southern CA like Temecula, full summer, while things are still growing, is a kind of dormant period. The intense heat makes it a time for scaling back on planting most things. Autumn, instead of a time for gearing down is when you need to start gearing up, preparing the soil and planting almost anything. And winter, with its rain, is really the southern CA springtime when things come back to life.

Instead of one growing season for vegetables and annuals you will now have two, one for cool season plants that can be planted in fall and that thrive in the winter and one for warm season plants that are started in spring and thrive during the warm months. That's where garden books that are specific to CA are valuable, they understand the unique nature of gardening here. Most garden books have a traditional North American temperate climate bias that can give you bad advice for California's mediterranean climate. Better Homes and Gardens magazine and publications and Taunton Press Fine Gardening are two examples of that. Good luck, if you love gardening CA is a great place to live.

You can grow daylillies and clematis where you are going. If you end up in Temecula, you can also grow grapes. There are a lot of wineries there. Tropicals will be hard to grow because most require more moisture. By all means, pick up the Sunset Western Garden Book. You can also use the Riverside County Master Gardener organization as a resource. https://ucanr.edu/sites/RiversideMG/

Plants for a hummingbird garden - Hummingbird Garden

In addition to the Sunset book I recommend Pat Welsh’s Southern California gardening book that has a month to month guide on when to do what depending on whether you live near the coast (me) or inland (you).

Hi, and welcome to California! I live west, over the mountains from your target home location, closer to the coastal influence. The Temecula / Murrieta area is generally Sunset Zone 18. You'll likely get a little chill in the winter (for the plants that require a bit to produce), and a lot of dry heat in the summer. It will be more of a gardening change for you than if you were moving to a more coastal area of CA, but some nice plants can become new favorites.

Another book recommendation, for plant ideas and selection, and their adaptability for specific zones, is Landscape Plants for California's Gardens by Bob Perry. It is a big, pricy book though, at about $80. You might be able to borrow it, or view it, at a library.

Best of luck with your home search.

As I said in the “seasonal thread”(in the Rose forum), I love to be your friend in real life!!!! Lisa

Thank you so much everyone!! This makes me so excited for a new garden opportunity and learning about a new climate . Certainly the weather doesn’t hurt !! We were almost moved to the Midwest and while land and large houses sound nice the winter weather was not exciting at all .

will bougainvillea do well for me ? I haven’t seen any on the homes we look at so I was just curious.

im going to look for those books to enjoy while we are in the moving and settling in ! Thank you for the recommendations !! I realize now that my idea of tropicals must not be terribly practical there so I’ll jist see what is on nurseries and ask lots of questions there . I cannot wait to visit all the botanical gardens !! I’m so excited for those . We only have one here in Nashville and while I like it I have been to much better .

Thanks for all the links and encouragement! I agree it will be arewiring of my mind .. I feel very confident as a Gardener up to this point and now I feel like a brand new kid just starting out again .

Lisa !!! I am so so beyond ecstatic that you will be nearby ! I was praying and asking God for a friend there . It’s so scary to move so far away to a whole new world and even more with a husband who works tons and a little girl in tow . I’m so thankful that I’ll get to meet you and would be so blessed to be your real life friend too !! And help you in your garden and Lucia loves kitties so much , I’m sure her and Millie will be fast friends !! When we know our moving date we will reach out and let’s get together!!! I’m so excited!

Welcome to California! You are correct to say you need to rewire your thinking.... no rules you ever knew apply.... well..... good gardening principles do, but otherwise.....

You will be thinking in terms of "transpiration rate" instead of fungus; and Spring begins in January/February. You plant peas in November and eat them all winter. Your tomatoes go dormant in July and pick up again in October, and you will have tomatoes in December.

You asked about plants for hummingbirds: many types of Salvias do really well in CA and the hummers love them.

Regarding hummingbirds, check out Abutilon. They seem to love ours.