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El Paso Desert Botantical Gardens 32
Mexican Palo Verde, Jerusalem Thorn
Sprawling Prickly Pear
Red Yucca
Desert Willow 'AZT Bi-Color'
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.

Sprawling Prickly Pear

Common name:Sprawling Prickly Pear
Botanical name:Opuntia phaeacantha

This attractive cactus grows slowly to 3' x 3'. It has sage-green pads and yellow-orange flowers that bloom in summer. It is extremely drought tolerant. Accepts full sun to partial shade. Needs good drainage.

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.

Desert Willow 'AZT Bi-Color'

Common name:Desert Willow 'AZT Bi-Color'
Botanical name:Chilopsis linearis 'AZT Bi-Color'

Chilopsis linearis 'AZT Bi-Color' grows quickly to 30' x 15'. Glossy green leaves contrast nicely with the gray-white bark. Fragrant flowers appaear spring to fall and are unique among the Desert Willows with dark burgandy petals and pink throats. This tree will need some pruning to achieve and attractive single or multitrunked form. They provide excellent filtered shade for understory plantings. Consider planting where you need winter sun, as they are deciduous. -Arid Zone Trees

Designer: El Paso Desert Botantical Gard

El Paso Desert Botantical Gardens 32

Photographer: GardenSoft

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:

Remove irrigation water and fertilizer from areas where you don't want weeds to grow.