Pleasing Walkway

Common name:Black or Honey Sage
Botanical name:Salvia mellifera

This woody shrub has fragrant, dark green leaves with blue, white, or lilac flowers that bloom in the spring and summer.

Common name:White Gaura
Botanical name:Gaura lindheimeri

White Gaura is a profusely flowering perennial for all zones that grows 2'-4' high. It has pink buds that open to showy white flowers in spring and fall. It needs full sun and is drought tolerant. -Cornflower Farms

Common name:Century Plant
Botanical name:Agave americana

This agave is fast growing to about 6-10' tall and 8-13' wide. Wide, gray leaves have stiff terminal spines and recurved teeth on margins. It prefers full sun and well-drained situations. It is prone to agave snout weevil which will eat the roots and leaves. After blooming, which could take several years, it will die but will send up new pups from around the base. Some people are allergic to the sap. Removal is difficult if unwanted. Water once a month during the summer.

Common name:Columbine
Botanical name:Aquilegia hybrids

Large, spurred flowers with clear colors of white, lavender, yellow, deep red and pink are borne on 2 1/2' tall plants. The strikingly beautiful blooms make good cut flowers. They require partial shade, well draining, moist soil. This lovely perennial is great in a woodland setting with ferns or Heuchera. It will go dormant in summer if water or heat stressed. Plants reseed.

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:

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.

Integrated Pest Management:

Remove irrigation water and fertilizer from areas where you don't want weeds to grow.