Common name:Mexican Palo Verde, Jerusalem Thorn
Botanical name:Parkinsonia aculeata
Light, airy tree with prickly stems and green bark. Very fast growing with sparse foliage & very long narrow leaves. Yellow flowers with orange red throats spring for at least a month. This is a messy and shortlived palo verdy. Usually found on limestone soils in areas with moisture but is strongly drought tolerant. Withstands saline conditions. Can be cold or drought deciduous.
Common name:Mescal Ceniza
Botanical name:Agave colorata
This agave has a compact rosette form and gows at a moderate rate to 3' x 3'. Striking grey-green leaves are banded and have distincitive toothed margins. Tips of leaves are sharp. After many years, yellow flowers appear on a stalk in the spring. Like all agaves, it will die after flowering. Accepts full sun. Great in pots or in the landscape. Native to Sonora.
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.
Designer: El Paso Desert Botantical Gard | El Paso Desert Botantical Gardens 5 |
Photographer: GardenSoft |
Incorporate compost 6" into your soil to retain water, reduce compaction, feed earthworms, and provide valuable nutrients to your plants.
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.
Remove irrigation water and fertilizer from areas where you don't want weeds to grow.