Nearly impossible?

Hello CA gardeners. I have 2 questions.

I have been sent on a task by my dear, dear husband. I asked him what plant reminded him of southern CA and he replied, "A succulent ground cover." "Which one?" I asked, looking skeptical. "I don't know. It wasn't a bush."

After many questions as to size, leaf shape and color, and areas where he saw this "succulent ground cover", I'm still no closer to the answer. Here's what I have...knee high, green like an aloe, finger-shaped leaves about as long as a pinky and succulent that's found all over the San Diego area. The only thing I could think of was a sedum of some kind.

Any ideas? Please?

I'm asking because I have started a memorial garden for our parents. We lost his dad in 1986 and are taking a rose from his lovely rose garden. We lost my dad, my mom and his mom all last year. We have hollyhocks planted for my mom, the rose for his dad, a plant form our yard that reminded his mom of Puerto Rico where she was born but we have nothing for my dad. He's from CA and dearly loved the southern regions. My brothers and I all grew up in Santa Ana but we can't think of any specific flower or plant dad liked. He loved it all.

Suggestions for any SoCal looking plants that would be hardy in a Z5a area are needed. Perennials, reseeding annuals or vines would be fine.

Thanks in advance!

I am thinking ice plant.

Thanks, Lily. I will put that one on my list to ask if that's the one. I do remember he said he doesn't remember any flowers on the plant, though. I should have put that in the 1st post.

the flowering season is very brief for most of them--in spring for a week or so. Show him a picture of plant and see if he recognizes it.
sedums have long blooming season.

I didn't know that. Thanks again.

There are several kinds of ice plant---some with longer leaves than others.
Another one it could be is "Greenbeans" http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/96376/ or "Pork and Beans" http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2251/

Would any of these get as high as your knees?

They can if they kind of "pile up" on each other....if that makes any sense at all!

mother of thousands and elephant's food plants get knee high. Elephant's food comes in green and variegated colors. Please take a look.
PS: most of these succulents you may have to take them indoors in your winters and replant them outside in spring.

We do have some similar ones in our yard that are hardy here. I've showed him those before and (I would hope ^_^ ) he remembers those and they aren't it.

I may have to show him again.

this has nice pictures for him to see.
Portulacaria(elephant's food) does fit your description. Mine is knee high and does not flower.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://mountaincrestgardens.com/images/SOFT-CRASS-PORTULACARIA.jpg&imgrefurl=http://mountaincrestgardens.com/index.php%3FcPath%3D83%26osCsid%3D2c911ac5cd6c25b1d2af561ea11cdca9&h=270&w=360&sz=25&tbnid=qYaaNE1nA6R8cM:&tbnh=91&tbnw=121&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dportulacaria&usg=__HuJntLfVq5cO3d905N5Q1UtHyA4=&ei=SujMSqTKB5XwMef7tTo&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=4&ct=image

Could be senecio, or blue chalk fingers that your DH is thinking of. There's a larger variety that can grow 6-8 inches high. The type in this picture, are mini blue chalk fingers which grows about 3 inches high (it's interplanted with dymondia, the grasslike plant, in a small bird bath with a little cement bird in the middle).

Senecio does flower occasionally as all succulents do, but the flowers on senecio aren't particularly attractive and I just pinch them off when the stalks appear. Senecio is very easy care, isn't picky, and needs very little water, if any, once established. There's a green variety, too, but I like the grayish blue of the "chalk fingers".

According to the plant files I looked at, it's hardy to 20 degrees.

Kwan,
This is one I got at the beach. It was broken so I rooted it. Needs way to much water for me. Hope it helps. Only thing is, it is frost sensitive. Those dried up brown things were when it didn't get enough water. Freezing does the same thing to them.
Hope it helps, girlfriend.
WIB,
SW

I immediately thought of ice plant too, and this seems to fit the description, except for the flowers. Hope it helps,
http://www.sac.edu/HomePages/nigro_dan/Ice_Plant.jpg

Same plant gardenza, only yours shows the flowers. Pretty aren't they.
Good job there.
Hope it helps you kwanjin.
WIB,
SW

Hello, all! I was away for the weekend and didn't have "innernet".

I will show DH all these and ask him which it might be. I got alittle more info from him. He says they are all along the freeways in San Diego and in front of homes there. I'm going to see if there's a site or two that show the freeways.

I found a good pic of the iceplant that looks like the one along the freeways. We'll see what he says.

Love that pic of your 'Pork and Beans' Sedum kwanjin. I have a bed that's covered in it.

And it probably is some sort of ice plant or Sedum that your husband is referring to. There is certainly lots of it on our freeways here.

Randy

Oh! I see you're in San Diego county, so you would know.

I would say the one SW and gardenza posted would be the one along the freeways.

The other popular one for homes is Candy Apple / Aptenia cordifolia - http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53485/
- very invasive, requires lots of water and fertilizer to look good. Don't plant it or you'll regret it. LOL

Hey, don't bad mouth the poor candy apple, I have hopes it will take over dh's lawn! : - )
I don't fertilize the patch we've got, and it gets regular watering from his sprinklers. Flowers a lot for us so I guess it's happy. Don't think DH knows he's supposed to fertilize his lawn, and I'm not telling him.
Seriously kwan, I took that piece of iceplant because it was the same kind we used to slide the slopes on, while seated in the old waxed cardboard boxes when we were kids. Closest thing we had to sledding, although the home owners prolly weren't too happy about us playing back there, but the slopes were perfectly graded . . .
That was back in the 60's when no one worried about how much water we used or misused.
I really don't think it will survive in your zone.
Let us know what your DH says.
WIB,
SW

We have a winner! Iceplant. Thanks, Lovetropics. You nailed it the first day. It isn't hardy here so I need to find something like it that is.

Surfcity, I love your "chalk fingers", too. I may have to find something like that, as well.

SW, Kaper, DesertPirate, Imapidgeon and Gardenza, thank you all for trying to help me figure this one out. Do any of you have suggestions for look-alikes?