Common name:Amazing Red Flax
Botanical name:Phormium 'Amazing Red'
Phormium 'Amazing Red' is an evergreen perennial. It is a 2' tall, dramatic plant composed of many swordlike, stiffly vertical leaves in a fan pattern. Leaves are dark reddish brown in color.
Common name:Butterfly Bush, Summer-Lilac
Botanical name:Buddleja davidii
Butterfly bush is a fast growing deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub ranging from 3' up to 10', with an open, rangy growth habit. It should be cut back nearly to the ground in fall for size control and appearance. Purple, pink, white or red flowers appear in spring and summer, attracting butterflies. This shrub looks great in mass plantings.
Common name:Arizona Flattop Buckwheat
Botanical name:Eriogonum fasciculatum polifolium
Flattop buckwheat is a clumping, grass-like plant that grows to 3' tall by 4' wide. White to pink flowers appear in dense, flattened clusters throughout the summer. Plants are tolerant of drought and heat. It is adaptable to most soil conditions but prefers a coarse, well drained site in full sun. It has a naturally low, rounded form. Leaves are dark and gray green with white woolly undersides. This is a highly combustible plant.
Common name:Variegated Japanese Silver Grass
Botanical name:Miscanthus sinensis 'Variegatus'
This tall, mounding grass will grow to about 6' high and has seasonally deciduous, greenish white, variegated leaves. Tall grasses are highly combustible.
Common name:New Zealand Flax
Botanical name:Phormium tenax
New Zealand Flax is a large, bold plant with stiffly vertical, sword-like, green leaves that arise from its base. It should be grown under full sun for best color. Varieties will offer different growth habits and leaf color.
Common name:Society Garlic
Botanical name:Tulbaghia violacea
This clumping perennial will grow less than 1' tall and has narrow, blue green leaves. Clusters of lavender flowers bloom in spring and summer. Leaves and flowers have a distinct onion or garlic smell if crushed.
Common name:Upright Maiden Grass
Botanical name:Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus'
The 'Gracillimus' is a taller variety, often growing to 6'-8' tall with delicate feathery plumes and very thin graceful leaves. It should receive sun to part shade, and average to little summer watering. Tall grasses are highly combustible.
Common name:Pincushion Flower
Botanical name:Scabiosa caucasica
A perennial, this plant is a cushion-form groundcover or bedding plant. It grows to 1' to 2' tall, 2'-3' wide. White, bluish and lavender colored pompom-like flowers rise above the foliage.
Designer: Jane Gate | Bridge |
Photographer: GardenSoft |
Practice grass-cycling by leaving short grass clippings on lawns after mowing, so that nutrients and organic matter are returned to the soil.
Apply a layer of mulch around plants to reduce moisture loss.
Choose organic mulches, such as shredded bark, compost or aged sawdust.
Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.