In the early 1990s I decided to plant three redwoods in our front yard: a coast (S. sempervirens), sierra (S. giganteum) and dawn (M. glyptostrobidies). 
About 20 years later they were becoming quite substantial (note I planted an additional coast redwood there too).
The dawn got out-competed badly, so I decided to plant another one (2020).
Also in the early 1990s I did some covert gardening in one of our local parks, planting some redwood sorrel, a classic redwood forest understory groundcover. It has naturalized nicely. 
Some other specimens I have:
Lophocerus schottii “Totem Cactus”
Paliurus spina-christi “Crown of Thorns”
Carnegia gigantea “Giant Saguaro”
Camelia siniesis “tea”
Laurus nobilis “True Laurel”
Russell Yee 