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: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.
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.
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 |
Maintain a two to four inch layer of mulch on the soil surface to reduce weeds, infiltrate rain water, and reduce compaction.
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.
Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.