Plant of the Month – February
Red Valerian Jupiter’s Beard Centranthus ruber Plant Form: Perennial sub-shrub Water Use: Very low, low Mature Size: 2-3 ft. tall x 1-2 ft. wide Exposure: Full sun, light shade Bloom Time: Spring (March – May), Summer (June – Aug), Fall (Sept – Nov) Native to: Mediterranean region, North Africa Hardiness: Cold hardy to -10°F Red Valerian, also known as Jupiter’s Beard, is a moderately fast-growing, erect sub-shrub that is not fussy about its growing conditions. Showy, rose-red flowers appear continuously […]
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 – 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 – May
Mojave Aster Xylorhiza tortifolia Plant Form: Perennial sub-shrub Water Use: Very low Mature Size: 1-2 ft. tall and wide Exposure: Full sun Bloom Time: Spring (March-May), Fall (October) Native to: California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah Hardiness: Cold hardy to 10°F Mojave Aster adds unexpected color to the normally harsh habitat where it grows naturally. In your garden, the long-stalked flower heads on this perennial sub-shrub hold two-inch-wide, yellow-centered, lavender-petalled flowers that are beautifully iridescent. After plants are established with regular […]
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 […]
