Garden Plants Archives - Page 9 of 13 - Summer-Dry | Celebrate Plants in Summer-Dry Gardens

26 09, 2016

Perovskia

Perovskia

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:26:20-07:00Categories: Blog, perennials|Tags: perennials|

Perovskia atriplicifolia Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) is a deciduous woody perennial or subshrub with strongly scented gray-green leaves, silvery gray mostly upright stems, and masses of tiny lavender-blue to deep blue flowers on tall spikes from summer through fall. A fine-textured plant two or three feet tall and wide with an open, airy habit, perovskia is content in full sun with only occasional deep summer watering. It thrives in almost any soil type, including clay, but must have decent drainage; it sulks and rots where drainage is poor, especially in rainy winters. Native to rocky steppes of southwestern

3 07, 2016

Hesperaloe

Hesperaloe

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:26:20-07:00Categories: Blog, perennials|Tags: shrubs|

Hesperaloe parviflora Hesperaloe parviflora is a handsome architectural plant, as effective singly in large pots as in mass plantings geometrically arranged in the ground. It is equally pleasing in a naturalistic mixture of succulents, grasses, or other dry-garden plants. An evergreen plant with long, narrow, gracefully arching foliage, hesperaloe grows three to four feet tall and spreads six or more feet wide by rosettes so closely spaced that they seem to be part of the same plant. The leathery dark green leaves are spineless with distinctive white threadlike fibers along the margins. Sprays of pink or pinkish coral

17 05, 2016

Agave parryi

Agave parryi

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:26:19-07:00Categories: Blog, succulents, California Native|Tags: nora harlow, shrubs|

Agave parryi Agave parryi is quite variable, some forms or varieties an ethereal blue-gray, others a silvery gray-green, some with leaves that are broad and rather blunt on top, others with narrower and more elongated leaves. But all are elegantly symmetrical, and all bear leaves with distinctive dark brown to maroon to almost black marginal teeth and an equally dark, viciously sharp terminal spine. Agave parryi grows fairly slowly to about two to three feet tall and wide, and most spread by offshoots or “pups.” As the plant grows the leaves open from a tightly packed central core,

3 05, 2016

Dasylirion

Dasylirion

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:26:18-07:00Categories: Blog, shrubs, succulents|Tags: california native, nora harlow, shrubs|

Dasylirion wheeleri in succulent border with barrel cactus in foreground A boldly architectural plant for big drama in pots or in the ground, Dasylirion wheeleri (desert spoon or sotol) forms a dense, symmetrical rosette of long, narrow, silvery blue-green, somewhat twisted leaves with aggressively hooked teeth along the margins and attractively frayed straw-colored tips. Over time plants develop a short, stout trunk, which may not be noticed unless older brown leaves are removed. Native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, Dasylirion wheeleri is rather widely available in the trade. Several other dasylirions are available with a

26 03, 2016

Salvias

Salvias

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:26:15-07:00Categories: Blog, perennials|Tags: california native, nora harlow, shrubs|

Salvia officinalis with oregano in background There are sages (Salvia) for almost any garden. Annuals, perennials, or shrubs; low and spreading to tall and upright; sun or shade loving; moist or dry soils or anywhere in between. If you are unsure what a particular sage needs, look it up or consult your nursery professional before adding it to your garden. One of the most reliable low-water sages for full sun is Cleveland sage (Salvia clevelandii), and one of the best varieties is ‘Winifred Gilman’. The spikes of bright lavender-blue to purple flowers in early summer are memorable, especially

15 03, 2016

Coffeeberry

Coffeeberry

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:26:13-07:00Categories: Blog, shrubs, California Native|Tags: california native, nora harlow, shrubs|

Frangula californica (Rhamnus californica) California coffeeberry (Frangula californica, formerly Rhamnus californica) is a handsome evergreen shrub with significant wildlife habitat value. Low and spreading to tall and upright, coffeeberry is an excellent candidate for the summer-dry garden. Coffeeberry can grow to ten feet tall or more and eight or more feet wide, but some varieties are only four to six feet tall and others are mounding groundcovers. All have substantial dark green to olive green leaves, gray-green beneath, inconspicuous greenish yellow flowers, and copious berries loved by birds and other wildlife. Berries turn from lime green to red

27 02, 2016

Leymus condensatus ‘Canyon Prince’

Leymus condensatus ‘Canyon Prince’

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:26:13-07:00Categories: Blog, grasses|Tags: california native, grasses, nora harlow|

Leymus condensatus 'Canyon Prince' with Artemisia pynocephala 'David's Choice' in foreground This is a wonderful grass if you have the space for it and don’t need to try to contain it. Left to its own devices, Leymus condensatus ‘Canyon Prince’ billows around in a large meadow planting, giving the impression of movement without the slightest breeze. It also makes an effective bank cover, its extensive root system grabbing and tightly holding the soil and its leaves cascading like falling water. It is especially nice as a background or complement to other plants. Coming out bright green in spring, this