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:Fruitland Silverberry
Botanical name:Elaeagnus pungens
Evergreen shrub to 10-15' equally tall as wide. Through pruning you can keep it smaller. Large silvery leaves with rusty dots. Armed with spines. Good for hedge or dense barriers. Can be sheered; tolerates heat and wind. Tolerates bad soil.
Designer: Sallie Homan
Photographer: GardenSoft
Maintain a two to four inch layer of mulch on the soil surface to reduce weeds, infiltrate rain water, and reduce compaction.
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.
Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.