Romneya may be the most beautiful, and possibly the toughest, California native plant. Long blooming, with exquisite "fried-egg" flowers apprearing to float above the tall glaucous foliage. Sometimes challenging to start but once established can make large colonies without any irrigation. The trick is to not overwater when young, but give enough water the first season or two to keep it growing. In Not Quite Happily Ever After Sara has them planted down her driveway. Cutting back can be a once a year lopping of all the stalks to the ground in early winter, or they can be treated like a perennial and take each stalk to the ground after it has flowered during the growing season. Deer don't eat Romneya.
