Bupleurum fruticosum anchors the scene—a rounded evergreen shrub with acid-yellow summer umbels that the bees can't leave alone. Its leathery foliage is present and handsome in every month, which makes it the reliable backbone of this combination. Tucked low at the front, Agave bracteosa 'Calamar' holds its tidy rosette year-round, sea-green leaves curling slightly at the tips—unbothered by heat, drought, or neglect.

Golden Nugget barberry (Berberis thunbergii 'Monlers') brings a different kind of contribution: compact and deciduous, its small golden leaves complement the Bupleurum's chartreuse-yellow flowers naturally, and in fall they shift to reddish-orange before dropping to reveal clean winter structure. Three seasons of color, and it earns every one of them.

The evergreen anchor, the year-round succulent, and the season-long golden foliage give the planting something to read in any month. What comes next is the summer show.

Phlomis fruticosa — Jerusalem sage — has woolly gray-green foliage that's evergreen and weed-suppressing. Whorled yellow flowers appear in late spring to summer on tall stems, followed by dried seed heads with real architectural presence. It's fast-growing and tough, and it doesn't ask much once it's in. Artemisia versicolor 'Seafoam' keeps low nearby—a frothy silver-gray carpet that flows between whatever surrounds it. Both hold the ground and the composition through the off-season.

At the front, Sempervivum 'Pacific Shadows' spreads in deep burgundy rosettes—hen and chicks in their darkest form, evergreen and nearly indestructible. They look exactly right next to the silver Artemisia.

The summer perennials are a study in contrast. Liatris spicata 'Kobold' is upright and emphatic—dense purple spikes that read as strong verticals. Echinacea pallida is tall and transparent, its narrow drooping petals catching light rather than blocking it. Achillea millefolium 'Little Susie' from the Song Siren series fills mid-height with flat-topped pink clusters and finely cut foliage. Mimulus 'Pamela'—a shrubby monkeyflower—adds warm yellow blooms to a palette that's already working hard.

Purple from the Liatris. Pink from the Achillea. Pale lavender from the Echinacea. Yellow from the Mimulus. And running through all of it, the yellow of the Bupleurum and the gold of the barberry tying the scheme together.

This combination works in a full-sun border backed by a fence, wall, or loose evergreen screen. Built for low water once established.