Courtyard El Paso Garden 16

Common name:Mexican or Texas Needle Grass
Botanical name:Nassella tenuissima

The Mexican Fan Grass is a beautiful, fine, airy grass that is emerald green in color. It has many soft yellow-beige flower stalks in the spring. This grass grows 1' x 2' and is drought tolerant.

Common name:Blue Sage Allen Chickering
Botanical name:Salvia X clevelandii 'Allen Chickering'

The 'Allen Chickering' is a California native sage, growing as an evergreen shrub to 5' x 5'. It bears rounded whorls of light lavender blue flowers that appear in skewered clusters in spring and often again in fall. The leaves are dark green. The plant does best when cut back after flowering to prevent seed formation. Does best with some afternoon shade.

Common name:Gaura
Botanical name:Gaura lindheimeri

Flowering perennial that quickly reaches 1' x 1-1/2'. This semievergreen plant has pink buds that open to showy white flowers spring to fall. The flowers resemble butterflies and it attracts butterflies. Accepts full sun to partial shade. Native to the southwest U.S. and Mexico.

Soils and Compost:

Practice grass-cycling by leaving short grass clippings on lawns after mowing, so that nutrients and organic matter are returned to the soil.

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:

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