Now is the time to choose and plant a bit of gray among the green so plants can get their roots established before winter becomes spring and summer is suddenly upon us. Once established, they seldom wilt and rarely show stress during the harshest Northern California summers, and manage to do so with very little water and care. There are gray-leaf plants for the front of the border, for the back of the border, for creeping along the ground, as well as shrubs and trees that can be planted as a focal point in the garden.