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:New Zealand Flax, Purple
Botanical name:Phormium tenax 'Atropurpureum'
Phormium tenax 'Atropurpureum' is an evergreen perennial. Big, dramatic plant composed of many swordlike, stiffly vertical leaves can reach 5' tall. Leaves are purple red. Flowers stems reach high above leaves, bearing clusters of 1"-2" blossoms in dark red.
Common name:Coast Rosemary
Botanical name:Westringia fruticosa
The Australian Rosemary is an evergreen shrub that grows 3'-6' tall. It has soft, gray green leaves and white flowers throughout the year and prefers sun and little to average amounts of water. This shrub is also drought tolerant. -Cornflower Farms
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.
Common name:Queen Palm
Botanical name:Syagrus romanzoffianum
This palm has a very straight trunk to about 50' in height. It has arching, feathery, bright green, glossy leaves that can be 10'-15' long. It is fragile in heavy winds and a fast grower. It will become damaged in temperature below 24 degrees F.
Sustainable Fertilization
If you mulch heavily as recommended in the compost and mulch fact sheets you should not need traditional fertilization. Sustainable landscapes fertilize themselves as soil organisms break down and recycle the dropped leaves into nutrients.
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| Designer: | Old Mexico Style Entry |
Photographer: GardenSoft |
Soils and Compost:
Practice grass-cycling by leaving short grass clippings on lawns after mowing, so that nutrients and organic matter are returned to the soil.
Integrated Pest Management:
Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.