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Courtyard El Paso Garden 13
Pink Muhly
Brittlebush
Desert Bigelov Nolina
Chinese Pistache
Chocolate Flower
Pink Muhly

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.

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.

Desert Bigelov Nolina

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.

Chinese Pistache

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.

Chocolate Flower

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

Soils and Compost:

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

Water Saving Tip:

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.

Integrated Pest Management:

Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.