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Railroad Ties Rustic Walk
Lavender Cotton
Mother-of-Thyme, Creeping Thyme
European White Birch
Red Star Texas or Autumn Sage
Santa Barbara or Mexican Daisy
Monarch Blanket Flower
Prostrate Rosemary
Elijah Blue Fescue
Lavender Cotton

Common name:Lavender Cotton
Botanical name:Santolina chamaecyparissus

This groundcover-small shrub will grow to 3' tall and has small, greyish-silver leaves with yellow flowers that bloom in the summer.

Mother-of-Thyme, Creeping Thyme

Common name:Mother-of-Thyme, Creeping Thyme
Botanical name:Thymus praecox arcticus

This evergreen groundcover needs full sun to light shade. It grows to 3" tall, forming a dense, thick mat. It needs well-drained, light soil. Creeping Thyme is considered drought tolerant. The foliage is dark green and slightly hairy. It has a pleasant, minty fragrance when crushed, though not considered for culinary uses. Flowers are lilac-purple and bloom in the summer. Attractive to bees and butterflies.

European White Birch

Common name:European White Birch
Botanical name:Betula pendula

This medium-size weeping tree will grow to about 40' tall and has a whitish-brown bark with deciduous green leaves.

Red Star Texas or Autumn Sage

Common name:Red Star Texas or Autumn Sage
Botanical name:Salvia greggii 'Red Star'

This shrub will grow 1'-4' tall and wide. It has glossy green leaves with red flowers that bloom from spring through fall. It prefers well draining soil with regular watering although it will take drought conditions. It will become leggy looking. Prune spent flowers to encourage more blooming.

Santa Barbara or Mexican Daisy

Common name:Santa Barbara or Mexican Daisy
Botanical name:Erigeron karvinskianus

This low mounding perennial, with fine leaves and white to pinkish daisy-like flowers, is an excellent asset to rock gardens.

Monarch Blanket Flower

Common name:Monarch Blanket Flower
Botanical name:Gaillardia X grandiflora 'Monarch'

Gaillardia gra. 'Monarch' is a perennial. Grows to 2'-4' high, 1.5' wide, with roughish grey-green foliage and single or double mixed red and yellow bicolor blooms 3"-4" across. Exceptionally long bloom. Keep dead-heading and they'll bloom til frost.

Prostrate Rosemary

Common name:Prostrate Rosemary
Botanical name:Rosmarinus officinalis 'Prostratus'

The 'Prostratus' grows to a height of 2'-3' with a spread to 8'. Its flowers are pale, lavender-blue in color, and the leaves are needle-like with a dark, blue-green color. This plant makes a good ground cover, and its leaves can be used as seasoning in cooking. Bloomtime is winter and spring, but also intermittently throughout the year. This ground cover like full sun and well draining soil. It is drought tolerant once it's established.

Elijah Blue Fescue

Common name:Elijah Blue Fescue
Botanical name:Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'

The 'Elijah Blue' is a lovely ground cover grass with silver blue foliage that quickly reaches 12" tall and wide. This evergreen grass has golden flowers that bloom in summer. However, 'Elijah Blue' is grown for its foliage. Plant in full sun in coastal areas; in warm inland areas, it should receive afternoon shade to prevent it from turning brown. It is drought tolerant once it's established. It prefers well draining soil.

Designer:

Railroad Ties Rustic Walk

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:

In general, lawns only need to be watered once every three days.

Check your irrigation controller and reduce watering times if necessary.

Integrated Pest Management:

Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.