wicked green

Dasylirion wheeleri aka Desert Spoon This is technically a shrub but it definitely has a grassy feel to it though the thin leaves are on the stiff side. It has a great silhouette and a nice, soft green color.  It’s larger size makes i it a great focal plant. Best Feature:  round shape, thin green [...]

Here’s a picture I took at the Cuyamaca Water Conservation Garden. It’s a demonstration garden for low water use plants at Cuyamaca Community College in Rancho San Diego. Definitely worth checking out if you’re in that area. The Euphorbia ‘Sticks on Fire’ and Twin Flowered Agave (detailed info in previous posts) work really well together [...]

Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Fire Sticks’  aka Euphorbia Fire Sticks, Sticks on Fire, Fire Sticks Pencil Cactus I think this is a sort of love it or hate it type of plant. It is a succulent and so distinct in it’s color and silhouette. This plant adds an interesting element to a garden area. And it is [...]

Hesperaloe parviflora aka Red Yucca The gray/green foliage and the tall red/coral (though there are some with yellow) flowers are a really nice contrast. Best Feature:  tall, arching thin stalks of flowers in late summer to early fall, low maintenance, low water From :  Texas and Mexico Preferable Places : Sunset Zones 2b, 3, 7-16, [...]

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ aka Stonecrop (I’ve also seen this called Sedum telephium ‘Autumn Joy’) These perennial succulents provide great, bright color from late summer through the fall and interesting texture. There are a few variations in color from pink to red to orange. They need little maintenance and water. Best Feature:  bright flowers in late [...]

Santolina virens A great flowering ground cover that is also drought tolerant. Santolina chamaecyparissus or Lavender Cotton, is also a great option with gray foliage and lighter yellow flowers. Best Feature:  dark green, evergreen foliage and masses of small button-like bright yellow flowers, low maintenance, drought tolerant From :  Mediterranean Preferable Places : Sunset Zones [...]

Senecio vitalis aka  Narrow Leaf Chalk Fingers (sometimes called Senecio cylindricus) This is a succulent perennial plant but I think that the delicate texture of the foliage make it more appealing and approachable than other succulents. It can cover an area as a high ground cover or can even be used as a houseplant. Best [...]

Euphorbia cotinifolia aka  Carribean Copper Plant, Mexican Spurge Striking Color (Best Feature), Low Maintenance, Low to Medium Water (will tolerate drought but may loose leaves) From : Mexico Sunset Zones 23-24, H1, H2, USDA Zones 9-11 Looks :  9-12 ft. high and wide shrub, taller if trained as tree Personality :  evergreen in warm climates, [...]

My husband and I are trying to eat more organic produce. We are new homeowners with a large (and currently very unattractive) yard to revamp. There will eventually be raised beds to grow our own veggies but in meantime we’ll be buying all of our produce. The other factor is that I am recently unemployed, [...]

I have talked to several people who have visions of gravel and cacti when they hear “drought tolerant” , “low water use”, or “xeriscape” (some think this is zero-scape and I see the logic but it’s derived from the greek word xeros, meaning dry). But there are a lot of attractive plants out there that don’t need large amounts of water. There are plants that are native and therefore drought tolerant and even a few of these are quite attractive.