Gardening Methods

Best year-round plants?

Are there any good plants that could grow anytime of year or all year? Vegetables too? If so what are they? I live in central california. And I’m looking to plant a victorian garden.

The underlying theme of the Victorian garden, as in much of Victorian life in general, was man’s conquest over the elements. So I can see your desire for evergreen growth to represent their search for the universal rule of nature. The great vegetable gardens of the Victorian era gave us items such as glass cucumber straighteners, rhubarb forcers, cloches and dibbles, all interesting additions to the potager or potting shed.
A very Victorian plant was the bergenia. This was popular in the earlier years and it is evergreen.
I grow Bergenia omeiense ‘Snow Chimes’ It has panicles of nodding white that become light pink with time. I grow Anemone ‘White Splendor’ as a companion bloom. It makes a white flower grouping with contrasting foliage. The large glossy leaves of Bergenia against the filigree of the Anemone.
I also have Bergenia x omeiense ‘Appleblossom’ White blossoms turning pink with a darker throat on red stems. Flower spikes of large 1.5″ light pink (not dark like pepto bismol) bells. The leaves lie very flat so the bronzed Fall color is very obvious.
Bergenia omeiense ‘Snow Chimes’ http://www.northwestgardennursery.com/plants-woodland-images/3915.jpg

Bergenia omeiense ‘Appleblossom’
http://www.northwestgardennursery.com/plants-woodland-images/2234.jpg

Bergenia ciliata is like an African Violet for the garden with 10″ spikes of white flowers in early Spring http://www.lazyssfarm.com/Plants/Perennials/B files/B_images/bergenia_ciliata.htm

Bergenia ciliata ‘Patricia Furness’ pink flowers

Bergenia cordifolia ‘Baby Doll’, ‘Winterglut’ (or ‘Winter Glow’ flowers red), ‘Abendglocken’ really dark leaves with pepto bismol pink flowers

Another exotic the Victorians collected was the fritillary bulbs.
Fritillaria camtschatcensis
http://www.northwestgardennursery.com/plants-woodland-images/2480.jpg

After 1860 they became interested in the year round use of plants like pampas grass and bamboo, they focused more towards plants with attractive foliage rather than flowers. The yucca, tamarix, acanthus and the lovely camellia were brought back to become the basis of the subtropical garden. Tresco Abbey Gardens on Scilly were built to exemplify the Victorian Garden.
http://www.tresco.co.uk/the_abbey_garden/

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Central Meadow Panorama