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El Paso Desert Botantical Gardens 12
Mexican Palo Verde, Jerusalem Thorn
Coast Sunflower, Coast Encelia
Red Yucca
Azure or Russian Sage
Sweet Acacia
Mexican Palo Verde, Jerusalem Thorn

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.

Coast Sunflower, Coast Encelia

Common name:Coast Sunflower, Coast Encelia
Botanical name:Encelia californica

Encelia californica is a fast growing woody subshrub with bright green foliage and yellow daisy-type flowers. It can be used effectively in the natural landscape with regular pruning to maintain form. It is more commonly used in native restoration work. In inland situations, it requires more regular water. It grows to 3'-5' tall and 3'-5' wide.

Red Yucca

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.

Azure or Russian Sage

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.

Sweet Acacia

Common name:Sweet Acacia
Botanical name:Acacia farnesiana (smallii)

Large thorny shrub or small tree has a soft texture as a result of its finely divided leaves. Bright yellow flowers have a light, sweet fragrance. Bloom is heaviest in the spring and may continue intermittently throughout summer and fall. This beautiful dense tree is evergreen in mild winters. Branches are armed with paired, 2" long spines. This tree is drought tolerant once it's established. Seed pods may create litter and caterpillars may appear in spring.

Designer: El Paso Desert Botantical Gard

El Paso Desert Botantical Gardens 12

Photographer: GardenSoft

Soils and Compost:

Maintain a two to four inch layer of mulch on the soil surface to reduce weeds, infiltrate rain water, and reduce compaction.

Water Saving Tip:

Different areas of your landscape have different water requirements.

Shrubs need much less water than lawns and drip systems should never be scheduled on the same program with lawns.

Establish separate watering schedules for those areas.

Integrated Pest Management:

Develop healthy soil for plants that are vigorous and naturally pest-resistant.