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Ridge Road Garden 4
Brittlebush
Red Yucca
Azure or Russian Sage
Donkey Tail Euphorbia
Desert Spoon
Organ Pipe
Common Verbena
Brittlebush

Common name:Brittlebush
Botanical name:Encelia farinosa

Silvery gray mounding shrub grows to 3' x 4'. Yellow daisylike flowers appear winter to spring. Short lived individual plants but will reseed easily. Good for naturalistic landscapes. Rapid growth following rain. Overgrown and fragile if overwatered. Seeds attract birds. Native to Sonoran & Mojave deserts.

Red Yucca

Common name:Red Yucca
Botanical name:Hesperaloe parviflora

Upright rosettes grow quickly to 3' x 5' wide. Spectacular accent for desert landscape. Leaves are dark green and strap-like. Coral red flower spikes emerge in spring & remain on plant till end of summer. Tolerates tough conditions including reflected heat and frost. Attracts humingbirds. Native to western Texas and northeastern Mexico.

Azure or Russian Sage

Common name:Azure or Russian Sage
Botanical name:Perovskia X atriplicifolia

This broad perennial will grow 3'-6' tall and has small, gray green leaves with blue violet flowers that bloom in the summer.

Donkey Tail Euphorbia

Common name:Donkey Tail Euphorbia
Botanical name:Euphorbia myrsinites

This hardy perennial grows 4-6" and has blue glaucous leaves that are stiff and round, set closely to the stem. Flattish clusters of chartreuse to yellow flowers bloom between late winter and early spring.

Desert Spoon

Common name:Desert Spoon
Botanical name:Dasylirion wheeleri

Evergreen with open rosette form grows at a moderate rate to 4' x 4'. Saw toothed gray-green leaves have interesting twisting affect. Flowes are cream and appear on tall stalks late spring to summer. Distinct accent plant. Accepts full sun and is very frost tolerant. Native to southern Arizona and the Chihuahuan Desert.

Organ Pipe

Common name:Organ Pipe
Botanical name:Stenocereus thurberi

Evergreen columnar cactus grows slowly to 10' x 10'. Olive-green stems covered in black spines. Pale pink night blooming flowers appaer spring to summer. Accepts reflected heat. Striking focal point in the landscape given time. Native to the Sonoran Desert.

Common Verbena

Common name:Common Verbena
Botanical name:Verbena peruviana cv.

This perennial forms a flat mat that covers an area rapidly. It has dark green leaves with clusters of bright flowers that bloom all year. Hybrids will have a little more height, different flower colors and spread more slowly. This groundcover is drought tolerant.

Designer: Sallie Homan

Ridge Road Garden 4

Photographer: GardenSoft

Soils and Compost:

Physical weed control, including mulching, or hand removal protects the watershed from harmful chemicals.

Water Saving Tip:

As the weather gets hotter avoid the temptation to increase run times.

Instead, schedule more start times with one to two hours in between to allow the water from the previous session to soak in before watering again.

Integrated Pest Management:

Develop healthy soil for plants that are vigorous and naturally pest-resistant.