Common name:Pink Muhly
Botanical name:Muhlenbergia capillaris
Mounding grass grows quickly to 3' x 3'. Leaves are medium green and turn tan in fall. Pink airy plumes appear in fall. Place plants where pink flower plumes can be backlit by the sun. Look for selections with deep pink flower plumes. Accepts full sun or partial shade. Very frost tolerant. Prune in early spring for best looking new growth. Native to Texas and Mexico.
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:Desert Bigelov Nolina
Botanical name:Nolina bigelovii
Large shrub-like succulent. Dull blue-green leaves 1" wide & up to 4' long form rosettes. White filaments form on the edges of leaves. Flowers appear May-June and are cream colored and small. Accepts full sun. Very drought tolerant. Some additional water in summer. Good choice for mixing with agaves, yuccas, cacti and other desert plants. Native to Arizona and California.
Common name:Chinese Pistache
Botanical name:Pistacia chinensis
Deciduous tree with rounded crown 40' x 35'. Its leaves have 10-16 leaflets, and the striking fall coloring arrives in beautiful shades of reds and orange. Dense shade tree. Red fruit on female trees. Native to China and the Philippines.
Common name:Chocolate Flower
Botanical name:Berlandiera lyrata
This perennial grows quickly to 1' x 2'. Will bloom from spring to fall with yellow daisylike flowers. Flowers have distinctive chocolate scent. Full sun to part shade. Dead head to prolong flowering. Native to the southwest U.S. and Mexico.
Designer: Sallie Homan | Courtyard El Paso Garden 13 |
Photographer: GardenSoft |
Physical weed control, including mulching, or hand removal protects the watershed from harmful chemicals.
Water-wise plants can be beautiful as well as practical.
Ask at your local nursery for the types of plants that have minimal watering needs.
Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.