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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 |
Practice grass-cycling by leaving short grass clippings on lawns after mowing, so that nutrients and organic matter are returned to the soil.
Remember to check your irrigation system at least once a month, especially your valves, sprinkler heads, and drip emitters.
Remove irrigation water and fertilizer from areas where you don't want weeds to grow.