Common name:Germander Sage
Botanical name:Salvia chamaedryoides
Low mounding perennial with long bloom spreads by underground runners. Produces a small, silvery foliage which serves as a background for bright blue flowers. Bruised leaves have spicy fragrance. Native to eastern Mexico 7-9000' in desert habitat
Grows to mature size of 2' tall and wide. Heaviest bloom in spring and early fall, intermittent throughout the rest of the season. Full sun, well drained site. No fertilizer. Drought tolerant.
Common name:Dymondia, Rock Ditty
Botanical name:Dymondia margaretae
This foliage is gray/green/silvery; it is a very dense, mat forming ground cover. It tolerates drought, cold, salt spray and poor soils. It's deep rooted and produces small, inconspicuous yellow flowers. Rock Ditty is great for use in between stepping stones or pavers.
Common name:Allan Bloom Hybrd
Botanical name:Achillea 'Moonshine'
Long, straight stems with pale yellow flowers are apparent on the mats of green to grey-green leaves of this plant, which are flatter and less divided than those of the Achillea millefolium.
The yarrow 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:Dwarf Japanese Barberry, Pygmy
Botanical name:Berberis thunbergii 'Crimson Pygmy'
This small barberry is a deciduous plant, only reaching 2' in height.. Foliage is red/purple; bright red berries appear in the fall. It needs full sun to develop the deep red color. Each branch has long thorns so it forms a good barrier.
Common name:New Zealand Flax
Botanical name:Phormium tenax 'Atropurpureum'
Phormium tenax 'Atropurpureum' is an evergreen perennial. Big, dramatic plant composed of many swordlike, stiffly vertical leaves (9 ft. long, to 5 in. wide) in a fan pattern. Leaves are purple red. Flowers stems reach high above leaves, bearing clusters of 1-2 in. blossoms in dark red to yellow.
Common name:California Poppy, Golden Poppy
Botanical name:Eschscholzia californica
This small annual (sometimes acts as a perennial) plant will grow to less than 1' tall and has light, small blue green leaves with gold and orange flowers that bloom in spring and summer.
Photographer: Vicki Anderson
Practice grass-cycling by leaving short grass clippings on lawns after mowing, so that nutrients and organic matter are returned to the soil.
Replace turf with groundcovers, trees, and shrubs. If you have areas where no one uses the grass, patches that do not grow well, or a turf area too small to water without runoff, consider replacing the turf with water-efficient landscaping.
Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.
