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 [...]

There are a few very affordable ways to save some water at your house. One of these products is a low flow faucet aerator for your sink(s). The ones that are low flow are under 2.75 gpm (gallons per minute). The first thing to do is to check if you have aerators in your sink [...]

Aeonium arboreum ‘Atropurpureum’ aka Purple Aeonium The green center of these mostly purple plants create interest and contrast when it’s not in bloom and the bright yellow flowers add even more when in bloom. Best Feature:  shiny purple leaves with green center, bright yellow flowers, evergreen, low maintenance, relatively low water From :  Canary Islands [...]

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 [...]

I walked by this very cute garden the other day here in San Diego. It’s a good example of a low water, low maintenance garden. No grass here. The larger succulent to the left is Aeonium ‘Kiwi’, the ground cover in the foreground is Senecio mandraliscae (Blue Finger), the grass in the front is Nassella [...]

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, [...]

It poured here today which is not common. It made me wish I had a rain barrel but we unfortunately do not even have gutters. That’s pretty common here due to the lack of rain. If we did, all of the water from the gutter downspouts could be collected in large containers and reused. You [...]

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 [...]

Aloe barbadensis…….aka Aloe vera These ornamental succulents look great in small masses, especially when flowering. They need little maintenance or water and even have medicinal uses. They are fairly common, making them easy to find. Best Feature:  bright yellow flowers in spring and summer, low maintenance, drought tolerant From :  South Africa Preferable Places : [...]