For California winter-rainfall coastal areas, there are a lot of southern African ice plant relatives that form loose shrubby mats to varying heights. A bonus is usually spectacular flowers. This group of plants is known as the mesembs, from the former name of the family, Mesembryantemaceae. They are often native to the exact areas from which your bulbs originate. Most of these shrubby mesembs will flower the second growth cycle from seed. Most are much better plants than the ones often used along freeways. Some are winter growers, some summer growers, but they are drought-tolerant and evergreen. Look up genera Antimima, Astridia, Braunsia, Delosperma, Drosanthemum, Jordaaniela, Lampranthus, Leipoldtia, Machairophyllum, Rhombophyllum, Ruschia, Sceletium and Trichodiadema. Of these the easiest would be Antimima, Astridia, Delosperma, Drosanthemum, Lampranthus and Ruschia. Seed is readily available from many sources, and is very easy to grow.It must be planted at the appropriate season. For you this would generally be late summer through early fall. Birds will destroy seedling containers but once established these plants are very easy to grow. In the US there is http://mesagarden.com/ which lists them under Mesembs. The growth cycle is indicated by captial letters A, B, C, D and is explained at the bottom of the first page. For your purposes and the way you intend to water, plants with growing cycles B (mostly spring) and D (opportunistic) would be attractive. Few of these species are available except from seed. Leo Martin Phoenix Arizona USA