Plant of the Month – January
Lace Aloe Torch Plant Aloe aristata Plant Form: Succulent Water Use: Very low Mature Size: 0.8-1 ft. tall x 1-2 ft. wide Exposure: Full sun, light shade Bloom Time: Spring (May), Summer (June – Aug) Native to: South Africa Hardiness: Cold hardy to 15°F Lace Aloe is a dwarf succulent species perfect for edging, ground covers, or in pots. It only asks for well-draining soil and not too much water, especially in hot summers, needing watering only 2 to 4 times […]
Plant of the Month – December
Ocotillo Fouquieria splendens Plant Form: Deciduous succulent shrub Water Use: Very low, low Mature Size: 8-20 ft. tall x 5-10 ft. wide Exposure: Full sun, reflected sun Bloom Time: Spring (March – May), Summer (June – Aug) Native to: Southern California, southwest US, Mexico Hardiness: Cold hardy to 0-10°F Ocotillo is an iconic symbol of the southwest that forms a vase-shaped shrub with up to 100 wand-like, thorny stems that radiate from the crown. Small, oval, fleshy leaves appear […]
Plant of the Month
Blue Palo Verde Parkinsonia florida Plant Form: Tree Water Use: Very low Mature Size: 20-30 ft. tall and wide Exposure: Full sun Bloom Time: Spring (March-May) Native to: California, Arizona, Mexico Hardiness: Cold hardy to 12°F Blue Palo Verde is prized as much for its unique green branches and trunk as it is for the masses of lemon-yellow flowers that cover this fast-growing tree in spring. Its green limbs allow this graceful but thorny tree to continue to carry […]
Plant of the Month – March
Showy Penstemon Penstemon spectabilis Plant Form: Perennial herb Water Use: Very low Mature Size: 2-4 ft. tall x 3-4 ft. wide Exposure: Full sun Bloom Time: Spring (March-May), Summer (June) Native to: Southern California, Central California, Baja California Hardiness: Cold hardy to 0°F Showy Penstemon knocks you out with its spectacular blue, purple, and pink flowers, while their wide-mouthed, tubular blossoms also attract butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, and other beneficial pollinators. The upper half of their leafy stems can produce up […]
Plant of the Month – October
Lion’s Tail Leonotis leonurus Plant Form: Semi-evergreen shrub Water Use: Low Mature Size: 3 – 6 ft. tall x 2-3 ft. wide Exposure: Full sun Bloom Time: Summer (Aug), Fall (Sept-Nov) Native to: South Africa Hardiness: Cold hardy to 20°F Lion’s Tail is prized for its dazzling, tubular flowers covered with a fur-like coat of fine hairs, said to resemble either lions’ tails or lions’ ears. Tiered whorls of orange blossoms encircle the square stems, which are covered with dark […]
Plant of the Month – September
Yellow Bells, Esperanza Tecoma stans ‘Gold Star’ Plant Form: Semi-deciduous shrub Water Use: Low, moderate Mature Size: 4 – 6 ft. tall and wide Exposure: Full sun, part sun Bloom Time: Spring – Fall (Apr-Nov) Native to: Florida, Texas, W. Indies, Mexico, Central & South America Hardiness: Cold hardy to 15-20°F Yellow Bells, or Esperanza, impresses everyone with its large clusters of golden yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers, bending the branch tips into arches with their weight. The profuse, 1 to 2-inch-long blossoms […]
