Common name:Crape Myrtle
Botanical name:Lagerstroemia indica
The new leaves of this species are 2" long, bright green, and tinged with bronze. Some cultivars have spectacular fall color. When it has a bare outline, its rounded seed capsules add interest. Its delicate flowers bloom in 6"-12" long clusters. The flower colors could be shades of red, rose, pink, purple, and white, blooming in summer. It thrives on heat, and new cultivars have been created that resist mildew. This tree prefers full sun and has low watering needs once it's established.
Common name:Maidenhair Tree, Ginkgo Tree
Botanical name:Ginkgo biloba
The Ginkgo biloba, with its distinct fan-shaped leaves, initially grows with a pyramidal habit, but later becomes wide-spreading. It is generally not bothered by insects or disease. It slowly reaches 35'-50' tall and wide. It needs regular watering and more during hot summer months. Flowers are inconspicuous. Fall color is spectacular with changing color of leaves from light green with a yellow tinge to yellow.
Common name:Snow White Spreading Manuka
Botanical name:Leptospermum scoparium 'Snow White'
New Zealand Tea Tree has small, needle-like green leaves with showy, .5" wide rose-like flowers in fall and spring. These shrubs can be thinned to enhance their attractive branch structure and flaking bark. They need very little water once established. 'Snow White' is spreading and compact, reaching 2'-4' tall by 4-5' wide. It has white blooms with green centers. It can tolerate coastal conditions and warm inland valleys.
Common name:California Fuchsia
Botanical name:Zauschneria californica
The California Fuchsia is a showy perennial shrub that grows 1'-2' high with upright stems. It has grey-green foliage and bright orange-red tubular flowers and attracts hummingbirds. This shrub is a native to CA and is drought tolerant. This plant is known as Epilobium in some books and botanical gardens. -Cornflower Farms.
Common name:Carpet Geranium
Botanical name:Geranium incanum
Geranium incanum is grown as a trailing or mounding perennial to a size of 1' tall, spreading by underground runners to cover relatively large areas if healthy. Its foliage has a wispy, ferny texture. The dark, rosy violet flowers can appear almost all year in areas of mild climates. The plant needs good drainage, and most suffer die back in cold winters. Proper growth conditions include sun with little or no summer watering. -Monterey Bay Nursery
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Photographer: GardenSoft
Practice grass-cycling by leaving short grass clippings on lawns after mowing, so that nutrients and organic matter are returned to the soil.
Mulching and adding compost to soil can minimize evaporation and help soil absorb and store water.
Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.
