After writing, my second love is gardening, and because we recently bought a second home on the beautiful Central Coast of California, I'm starting to explore a whole new world of wonderful, unfamiliar plants.

I've always lived in the midwest and understand what will grow here. I even managed to adapt to the brief growing season in Minnesota with the most beautiful rose garden in the neighborhood. But a climate that never varies more than 15 degrees and has only rainy and dry seasons is a completely new challenge.

Because we won't be living there full time and water is in short supply, I'm interested in native plants that don't require irrigation. My husband found a lot of helpful information on the Monterey County website with lists of appropriate plants. I'd never heard of a single one, but how can I pass up something called sticky monkey flower? They have gorgeous yellow or orange flowers, and I have to have one for my tiny new front garden.

A large part of the fun of living in a new place is the adventure of discovering new things, and we're having a blast with this new adventure.