Common name:New Zealand Flax
Botanical name:Phormium tenax
New Zealand Flax is a large, bold perennial with stiffly vertical, sword-like, green leaves that arise from its base, reaching 6'-9' tall. It should be grown under full sun for best color. Varieties will offer different growth habits and leaf color. Many varieties have reddish yellow flowers in summer but may be considered insignificant.
Common name:Jerusalem Sage
Botanical name:Phlomis fruticosa
This hardy perennial is a useful, old-time garden plant with coarse, woolly grey-green, wrinkled leaves and yellow, 1" flowers in ball-shaped whorls. It handles drought and poor soils but needs full sun. It can grow to 4' tall.
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.
Common name:Bush Spurge
Botanical name:Euphorbia characias
This perennial will reach 3'-4' tall and 3'-6' wide. It has blue-green leaves with bright green flowers that bloom from late winter to early spring.
Common name:Bush Spurge
Botanical name:Euphorbia characias
This perennial will reach 3'-4' tall and 3'-6' wide. It has blue-green leaves with bright green flowers that bloom from late winter to early spring.
Common name:California or 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.
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: | Colorful Textural Perennial Bed |
Photographer: GardenSoft |
Soils and Compost:
Maintain a two to four inch layer of mulch on the soil surface to reduce weeds, infiltrate rain water, and reduce compaction.
Water Saving Tip:
Check your irrigation controller once a month, and adjust as necessary.
Most plants require only one-third as much water in winter as they do in summer.
Integrated Pest Management:
Remove irrigation water and fertilizer from areas where you don't want weeds to grow.