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: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:Lily of the Nile
Botanical name:Agapanthus hybrids
This evergreen ground cover/shrub will grow about 3' tall and has large green leaves with blue flowers (there is a white variety and dwarf varieties) that bloom in spring and summer. It will grow in all soils but prefers loam soil.
Common name:Bird Of Paradise
Botanical name:Strelitzia reginae
This shrub will grow to 6' tall and has large, gray green fronds with orange, blue, white, or multi-colored flowers that bloom throughout the year.
Common name:Eureka Lemon
Botanical name:Citrus limon cv.
This tree produces bright yellow lemons that have an exceptionally 'bitter' taste. The lemons have a high juice and acid content and are nearly seedless.
Common name:Butterfly-Iris, Fortnight Lily
Botanical name:Dietes iridioides
This clumping evergreen Iris bears tall, narrow leaves to 30" tall and white flowers marked purple in the center on stalks up to 3' tall. This variety has stiffer, darker foliage than the bicolor form. It requires sun to part shade with little or no summer watering when established.
Managing Your Soil
Healthy soil is the cornerstone of a vibrant landscape. It provides oxygen and nutrients vital to plant growth and sustenance. It provides protection from the sun and stability for root systems.
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| Designer: California Native Garden | Country Hillside |
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.
Integrated Pest Management:
Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.