The mild year-round climate of the Channel Islands off southern California harbors special plants, including several found nowhere else, and lends a refinement to coastal gardens. Lacy ironwoods and rose-flowered buckwheats vie for a place in the sun. A garden design incorporating a mix of island elements is both appropriate and beautiful, evoking a place of remote and singular flavor. By mixing the components of a rock outcrop or a stony wash with a copse of trees, say, you can grow a diversity of beautiful island plants from different environmental niches.
