Common name:Butterfly-Iris, Fortnight Lily
Botanical name:Dietes iridioides

This clumping evergreen Iris bears tall, narrow leaves to 30" tall and white flowers marked purple in the center on stalks up to 3' tall. This variety has stiffer, darker foliage than the bicolor form. It requires sun to part shade with little or no summer watering when established.

Common name:New Zealand Flax
Botanical name:Phormium tenax

New Zealand Flax is a large, bold plant with stiffly vertical, sword-like, green leaves that arise from its base. It should be grown under full sun for best color. Varieties will offer different growth habits and leaf color.

Maintenance Tips

Phormium tenax is a perennial that grows as a clump with strap-like leaves. This is a very popular plant and has many different hybrids that are selected for their different foliage colors, sizes, and textures. When growing this species, there is a lot of genetic variety, so the size of the mature plant can range from 2' up to 8'. To keep the maintenance as low as possible, plant in a location that is full sun, and well-drained and give it the space it needs to reach maturity. These plants are often the victim of poor pruning habits, with gardeners cutting the leaves off in the middle or shearing them because they are too large for the space they have been given. If this is the case, they should be transplanted to a location where they can reach their full size, or other plants around them should be moved out of their way.

Common name:Jacaranda
Botanical name:Jacaranda mimosifolia

This irregular to rounded deciduous tree will reach about 40' tall and has fine, compound green leaves with blue flowers. Jacaranda's main blooming season is in spring and summer, but it will often produce sporadic blooms in fall as well.

Common name:Common Garden Canna
Botanical name:Canna X generalis (assorted varieties)

These lilies will grow anywhere from about 2-5' tall and have large dark green or bronzy green leaves with flowers that come in a variety of beautiful colors and that bloom spring to fall.Needs protected location and extra care to survive in Las Vegas and desert regions.

Common name:Eureka Lemon
Botanical name:Citrus limon cv.

This tree produces bright yellow lemons that have an exceptionally 'bitter' taste. The lemons have a high juice and acid content and are nearly seedless.

Common name:Dwarf Pomegranate
Botanical name:Punica granatum 'Nana'

A dense growing shrub to 3' tall, the Dwarf Pomegranate produces single, orange red flowers that are followed by 2" diameter fruit. Its apple green leaves are about 1" long and 1/2" wide.

Common name:Fox Tail Agave, Velvet Agave
Botanical name:Agave attenuata

This Agave has a dramatic tropical form. Even light frost can damage its succulent leaves. It is great for containers. In the low desert, partial sun will be best. If it becomes top heavy, simply cut and stick in the ground to root. It is not a fast grower and has light green foliage. It will also die after flowering but pups around the mother will survive. Distinctive with its large rosette of leaves perched on a long curving trunk, it is a native from Mexico.

Common name:Tree Aloe
Botanical name:Aloe arborescens

This shrub is large, full of branches and produces deep orange blooms. The flowers produce a nectar that is attractive to many different birds; this plant is grown all over the world.

Common name:Myoporum
Botanical name:Myoporum laetum

This evergreen shrub/tree will grow quickly to 30' tall and 20' wide. It has narrow, dark green leaves with small, white flowers that bloom in the summer and are followed by reddish purple fruit. This is a good coastal plant.

Common name:Lavender Cotton
Botanical name:Santolina chamaecyparissus

This ground cover/small shrub will grow to 2' tall and has small, grayish silver leaves with yellow flowers that bloom in the summer.

Maintenance Tips

Santolina chamaecyparissus is a Mediterranean native that can be found in many California gardens. It is very drought tolerant and is very low maintenance if it is planted in a location where it can reach its full mature size of 2’ tall to 3’ wide. This plant is susceptible to root rot or fungal diseases if the soil is too wet or doesn’t drain easily. If the plant develops fungal issues, allow the soil to dry out and treat with a systemic fungicide. This plant usually blooms in the summer, and the plant will continue to bloom if you deadhead the spent flowers. In the late winter or early spring, you can cut back the foliage by one-third of the current size to maintain the size and encourage new growth.

Common name:Jade Plant
Botanical name:Crassula ovata

Crassula ovata is an evergreen shrub that grows to 2' to10' tall and 3' to 6' wide with light green leaves. It like full sun, low watering, and will live in any type of well drained soil.