What to plant?

I specialize in drought tolerant and native gardens.  I often use a blend of native and non-native plants to expand the palette to include more color and texture in my gardens.  One of my gardens has intense clay soil that I have slowly worked over the years.  It also has so many deer that they have taken over the lawn for a friendly game of croquet.  I have managed this garden for nearly a decade so I have had a lot of time to experiment with plants that meet these criteria:

1. Provide color

2. Has interesting foliage or bloom

3.  Is drought tolerant

4. Resists deer* (Doe will try anything, also all deer love juicy new nursery plants)

5. Handles heavy soil

Here are a few images from this garden.

And a list of some current favs in no particular order:

Rock rose (many types)

Leucodendron

Salvia (many types)

Pennisetum orientale

Kangaroo paw

Lavender

Coleonema 'sunset gold'

Ribes sanguineum "claremont" *sometimes gets nibbled

Berberis (a beautiful plant, very thorny, not so fun for a gardener)

Pierris 'silver flame'

Bacopa

Nepeta (otherwise known as catnip.  deer disdain it, but the neighborhood cats may attack)

Hakonechloa macra 'aureola' (Okay, this may be my favorite)

Ceanothus 'dark star'

Phormium (not a big love of mine, but very useful at times)

Foxglove

Douglas iris

Manzanita (most types)

Echium (I can't overstate it's usefulness on a dry slope)

Succulents -too many to name

This list could go on and on.  Actually there are many other resources wherein the list does go on and on.  Take heart, while the drought condition is bleak for California, plants can do amazing things in rough conditions.  Take a look at this one, the Ocotillo, from the Anza Borrego desert.