Common name:Red Rose Penstemon
Botanical name:Penstemon superbus
Red Rose Penstemon has vivid coral flowers along 4' tall stalks in spring. Leaves are gray green, glaucous, 4"long, and 1.5" wide. Hummingbirds love this plant. It does well in desert areas but needs regular water in summer.
Common name:Strawberry Madrone
Botanical name:Arbutus 'Marina'
The 'Marina' has gorgeous bark, with leaves that are smaller and not as glossy as Pacific Madrone. Its flowers are pink, borne in pendant clusters in the summer. The fruit is large, red and quite ornamental. The plant should be grown in sun to part shade, with little or no summer watering when established. The 'Marina' prefers good drainage. -Monterey Bay Nursery
Common name:California Pepper, Mission Pepper
Botanical name:Schinus molle
The California Pepper is a fast growing evergreen tree that will mature to a height of 25'-40' and as wide. Its bright green leaves are divided into many narrow, 1.5"-2" long leaflets.
Common name:Curly Top Sedge
Botanical name:Carex buchananii
This orange bronze ornamental grass is 2'-3' tall and 1'-2' wide and does best in full sun to part shade. It needs moderate amount of water. Blades have gentle curls. This grass looks great when planted with green or gray colored foliage plants.
Common name:Sea Lavender, Statice
Botanical name:Limonium perezii
This mounding shrub will reach about 3' high and has large, dark green leaves with small blue and purple flowers that bloom in spring and summer.
Common name:Yellow Moraea, Fortnight Lily
Botanical name:Dietes bicolor
This clumping perennial Iris relative stands 3'-4' high. It has light yellow, iris-like flowers with maroon blotches that are about 2" wide. It performs best in full sun and in soil with good drainage.
Compost for Healthy Soil and Plants
The natural world works in cycles. Everything is changing form and moving from place to place in an endless energy exchange system. The leaves and twigs that fall to the ground, not to mention other life forms that might die, decompose and combine with water, air and minerals of the soil to create a medium for future plants.
Click in the green box for more information
| Designer: | Sunbathing in the Patio |
Photographer: GardenSoft |
Soils and Compost:
Practice grass-cycling by leaving short grass clippings on lawns after mowing, so that nutrients and organic matter are returned to the soil.
Water Saving Tip:
Mulching and adding compost to soil can minimize evaporation and help soil absorb and store water.
Integrated Pest Management:
Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.