Mexican Evening Primrose

One of the best looking and most attractive flowering perennial ground cover/shrubs that can be used in the xeriscape garden is the Mexican Evening Primrose, Oenothera mexicana (berlandieri). These perennials pack a whallop when it comes to providing awesome and unique color and as such are right at home in any desert friendly/xeriscape garden. If you happen to be looking for an easy to care for perennial ground cover for your garden look no further than Mexican Evening Primrose.

This is such an easy plant to grow and care for; no fuss or muss....just add water! Basically it's just that simple. This is an extremely hardy plant that can take all that winter has to dish out and comes popping back to glorious life in the spring. Native to all of the desert southwest and Mexico Mexican Evening Primrose has a very delicate, almost papery, looking flower that starts somewhat white and finishes as a pastel pink. Leaves are roughly 1-2 inches long and fairly insignificant. Flowers open during daylight hours hours, and bloom from early spring to late August/September.

It's best if you can plant Mexican Evening Primroses among other full sun loving plants. Make sure to plant them with plants of complimentary colors for a fabulous and striking look. Be prepared to divide the clumps every 3 years as this will help promote healthy new growth and consistent flowering. Keep in mind this plant can readily self-sow so be sure to plant these in well defined planting beds where growth can be controlled. Mexican Evening Primroses are a great perennial for novice gardeners to grow because they are simple to grow and maintain. They are relatively pest or problem free.

These plants can be used as either a small shrub as well as a ground cover but it is generally best to consider Mexican Evening Primroses a ground cover because they generally won't grow more than 18 inches tall but can, and will, spread 4 feet wide. Definitely keep this in mind when considering this plant for your garden. For a naturalistic look make sure to plant these among rocks or boulders.

Damianita Daisy

Damianita Daisy, Chrysactinia mexicana, sometimes called Mexican Daisy, is truly an awesome shrub fit for any xeriscape landscape. This plant packs quite a punch when it comes to color in that it's bright yellow daisy-like flowers are extremely abundant during its long blooming season. Blooming season runs from early March to late September and may even reach into October! Planted "en masse" and this low growing, compact and mounding shrub will provide a striking look that will surely turn heads.

Native to the low ranges of West Texas and Northern Mexico this plant is at home in elevations of
3000 ft. or even higher so as you might guess it is very hardy. Damianita Daisy will easily take the low temperatures and crazy winds that the desert can dish out. This shrub will even take temps as low as 0°F. Damianita Daisy is not overly picky about soil conditions but just like many xeriscape plants it does prefer good draining soil, so keep this in mind. The plant isn't supper fussy when it comes to watering needs either. Keep in mind that the plant does require regular water during hottest part of year and this additional water will help to increase blooming.

This evergreen shrub prefers direct sun and will certainly tolerate reflected sun as well. This type of hardiness makes the plant highly desirable in the xeriscape garden. Too much shade will cause the plant to look scraggly so make sure they get at least 6 hours of direct sun; more is preferable. Truly this is a plant that has it all and will set-off any xeriscape garden. It has all the attributes to bring great satisfaction to gardeners of all skill levels. Its hardy, drought tolerant, easy to care for, and full of bright, colorful blooms that last a long time. The foliage of the plant also provides interest and a fairly pleasant aroma when brushed.

So sum things up this is a plant that is very worthy of a place in your garden. Damianita Daisy won't disappoint. Enjoy!

Coast Rosemary

When is rosemary not rosemary? That's an interesting question isn't it and one that really isn't all too difficult to answer when discussing Coast Rosemary, Westringia fruticosa. While Coast Rosemary looks a great deal like common Rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis), in terms of leaf structure and flower type and color, it tends to stand much more erect and is much more airy and open than common Rosemary. Its lavender-blue flowers tend to be more pastel in color than common Rosemary but they also have slightly shorter stamens. The cultivar "Morning Light" produces pale white flowers and has generally a more pale leaf color. Lastly Coast Rosemary is not nearly as fragrant as common Rosemary. These are just a few things that can help differentiate the two.

Coast Rosemary is quite adaptable to our harsh desert climate of both the low and high deserts. A hardy evergreen shrub native to New South Wales, Australia this plant will easily take temps into the low 20's. Depending on which cultivar you may happen to select the plant is capable of growing up to 6 feet tall and wide. However most cultivars are much smaller growing usually around 3-4 feet. Occasional pruning can keep the size of taller cultivars in check.

This shrub is drought tolerant and will subsist with infrequent water just fine but it will ultimately look its best with regular water. Coastal rosemary will take full sun or even partial shade and will tolerate a mix soil types. Keep in mind that no matter what type of soil it is it should be well drained.

One thing to consider with Westringia fruticosa is that the plant is generally not the most profuse bloomer in the landscape of the desert. Closer to the coast the plant will flower more regularly where as the farther inland they are found the bloom period is generally shorter. But don't let that stop you from wanting to use the plant. Its airy and open structure and excellent dark foliage color the plant is still plenty attractive and desirable.

One other important fact to keep in mind is that Coast Rosemary is just like most flowering shrubs in that bees are quite attracted to them. This is always a good fact to note believe it or not because it is a question that does come up regarding many flowering plants.

So in keeping with many of the plants I've written about here in the Riverside Gardening Examiner Coast Rosemary is an excellent plant to add to any xeriscape landscape. It provides wonderful textural interest due to its open and airy nature as well as being good for the environment since Coast rosemary is hardy, doesn't need much water and will get by with minimal care. It will be an excellent addition to your landscape.

Green Feathery Cassia

Plant texture is one element that can create wonderful interest in the landscape. Texture involves many aspects that include plant form & shape, leaf type & color, as well as flower color, style & shape. Texture also involves planting techniques such as alternating heights or styles of plants. In essence then plant texture is an important attribute in most landscapes because this is what aides in creating the "architectural" element of the landscape.

That said I find one of the most striking and interesting architectural plants happens to be the Green Feathery Cassia, Senna nemophila. This is a plant that offers many desirable attributes in our harsh Inland Empire climate such as low water use, toughness, hardiness, great color, interesting seed pods and a light and airy texture. Cassia is evergreen and native to Australia. It produces masses of bright yellow pea shaped flowers. After flowering the plant produces somewhat elongated, dark brown, papery seedpods that stay on the plant. They can be removed by hand or by shearing.

Pruning after flowering helps to control the size of the plant which can reach heights of 6 to 8 feet without regular pruning. So keep this in mind when deciding to use Cassia and where it is placed in the landscape. Don't whack the plant too much either. This type of stress can be detrimental to the long term health of the plant.

Cassia is tough and hardy. It will take full and reflected sun with ease and yet stand up very well in the cold winters of the High Desert. It can take temps as low as 10 degrees. They can take just about any soil type but like many desert plants Cassia's prefer well drained soils. Cassia can survive well without regular water but do ultimately look much better and much healthier with regular water. It would be good to note at this time that it's best to err on the side of too little water as opposed to too much water. Over watering can cause Cassia to become chlorotic. This is where iron leaches out of the plant causing a loss in chlorophyll and a yellowing of the leaves. At the same time however Cassia doesn't require regular feedings. A once a year application of an all-purpose fertilizer should tide the plant over quite nicely.

Here is a plant that offers a wide range of interest, from texture and color to shape and style, as well as ease of care and maintenance. Feathery Cassia is well worth considering for your landscape and is certainly a must in any xeriscape landscape. It's tough and yet fairly easy to care for and maintain. It takes heat and cold and it doesn't need regular feeding or pruning. And best of all Feathery Cassia doesn't require much water to look it's best and will even