Common name:Fox Tail Agave, Velvet Agave
Botanical name:Agave attenuata
This Agave has a dramatic tropical form. Even light frost can damage its succulent leaves. It is great for containers. In the low desert, partial sun will be best. If it becomes top heavy, simply cut and stick in the ground to root. It is not a fast grower and has light green foliage. It will also die after flowering but pups around the mother will survive. Distinctive with its large rosette of leaves perched on a long curving trunk, it is a native from Mexico.
Common name:Blue Beach Aster, Seaside Daisy
Botanical name:Erigeron glaucus
This perennial will grow 1' tall and 1.5' wide. It has blue green foliage and lavender flowers that bloom in spring and summer.
Common name:Deer Grass
Botanical name:Muhlenbergia rigens
The Deer Grass is a warm season perennial that forms dense clumps from the base. The spike-like flower stalks grow 2'-3' tall and this grass has striking foundation form. The Deer Grass is native to California, is drought tolerant, and is a beneficial insect plant.
Common name:Yarrow Moonshine
Botanical name:Achillea 'Moonshine'
Pale yellow flowers appear to float on long, slender stems. Leaves are green to gray-green leaves, which are flatter and less divided than those of the Achillea millefolium. Yarrows propagate easily from rooted cuttings or division, which should be performed in the early spring or fall. Following bloom, one should dead head the plant and divide the clumps when it appears crowded.
Common name:Wisteria
Botanical name:Wisteria sinensis
While the sinensis is similar to the floribunda, it bears more rounded, full clusters of strongly fragrant flowers which open more or less, all at once. There are usually 13-15 leaflets per leaf, and they require full sun and average to little watering. It comes in many colors in the blues, whites and purples.
Common name:Sunset Manzanita
Botanical name:Arctostaphylos 'Sunset'
This manzanita is a mounding shrub 4'-5' high and 4'-6' wide. It has coppery red new growth, then later turning bright green. It has pinkish-white flowers in winter to early spring.
Common name:Mexican Feather Grass
Botanical name:Nassella tenuissima
This ornamental grass grows to 2' tall. It goes partially dormant during the summer but green in spring and fall. It prefers a sunny, well drained site. This plant can be invasive in some areas, so use caution. To keep reseeding to a minimum, drip irrigation will be best. Cut back in early spring to remove dormant foliage and dried seed heads. It can also tolerate dry shade. It grows to 10" wide and is the finest textured of the ornamental grasses.
Designer: Carol Bornstein
Photographer: GardenSoft
Maintain a two to four inch layer of mulch on the soil surface to reduce weeds, infiltrate rain water, and reduce compaction.
Develop healthy soil for plants that are vigorous and naturally pest-resistant.