Plant of the Month – October
Palmer’s Indian Mallow Abutilon palmeri Plant Form: Shrub, perennial herb Water Use: Extremely low Mature Size: 4-6 ft. tall and 3-5 ft. wide Exposure: Full sun Bloom Time: Spring (Mar – May), Summer (June – Aug), Year-round Native to: Southern California, SW U.S., Northern Mexico Hardiness: Cold hardy to 20°F Palmer’s Indian Mallow has lush subtropical foliage and fast growth that belies its extreme tolerance for heat, drought, and poor soil. This mallow is a relatively rare native of the […]
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 – November
Desert Broom, Broom Baccharis Baccharis sarothroides Plant Form: Semi-deciduous shrub Water Use: Very low Mature Size: 6-12 ft. tall x 6-7 ft. wide Exposure: Full sun Bloom Time: Summer (June – August), Fall (September – October) Native to: Southern California, southwest US, Mexico Hardiness: Cold hardy to 15°F Desert Broom has branches that are so green, you won’t notice that it drops its small, narrow leaves during drought, making this rounded shrub look like a giant, green broom. This fast-growing, […]
Plant of the Month – September
Deer Grass Muhlenbergia rigens Plant Form: Ornamental Grass Water Use: Low Mature Size: 2-6 ft. tall and wide Exposure: Full sun, part sun Bloom Time: Fall (September – November) Native to: California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, northern Mexico Hardiness: Cold hardy to -10°F Deer Grass is an adaptable, large bunch grass with blue-green foliage that softens desert landscapes wherever it is planted. Fast-growing, it typically reaches mature size in one or two years, with leaves reaching lengths of three […]
Plant of the Month – July
Pencil Cholla Cylindropuntia ramosissima Plant Form: Cactus, succulent Water Use: Extremely low, very low Mature Size: 5-6 ft. tall and wide Exposure: Full sun Bloom Time: Spring (March-May) Native to: California, Baja California, northwestern Mexico Hardiness: Cold hardy to 10°F Pencil Cholla can be either erect and treelike, or trailing on the ground with rising branch tips. It also expresses its individuality in the number of spines it produces, with some plants having no spines, others sporting sparse spines, while […]
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 […]
