Best Drought Tolerant Shrubs

To keep the plants from losing many leaves in the summer, they can be watered sparingly, but this also tends to shorten their life. You may want to wait to trim until that plant has gone to seed, for quail and small birds like the seeds.

Plants should be grown in full sun. There is no rain for months at a time. Life is rough in the coastal sage scrub. To keep the plants from losing many leaves in the summer, they can be watered once a month, but this also tends to shorten their life.

The yellow-green foliage is the perfect contrast to the red bark. The shrubs are setting seed. Soil should be well draining and rocky soil is preferred.Red shank has been used as a medicine by Native Americans, old time Spanish Californians, and modern...

In fact, apiana means 'pertaining to bees'. Fresh leaves were placed on the forehead to relieve headaches.The foliage of white sage has been used as smudge sticks by many Native American tribes in purification rituals.

Some species form a burl at the base that resprouts after a fire. In fact, often seed will only sprout after it has been subjected to a fire.Many manzanita species and subspecies are narrow endemics.

Choose your site carefully, as these shrubs do not appreciate transplanting once established. I recently planted a new one in a new garden, placing it between some sea holly plants.

Dave's Garden members have had success with this plant in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, and of course Texas. Plants are usually evergreen but some cultivars may go deciduous during the...

Bright yellow blooms appearA quick search through the PlantFiles here at Dave's Garden will turn up many more shrubs that will grow and even thrive in sandy soil. Others will grow in sandy soil which has had limited amendments.

Cooler evening temperatures encourage them to flower for longer periods of time.Kalanchoes are generous with their blooms, but they will only flower under the right conditions. If you've never tried growing kalanchoe, now's the time to purchase one to...

Once I mention some of the unique characteristics of the plant, however, which gave it the common names "gas plant" and "burning bush," visitors to my garden are even more intrigued!

The rubber and metal washer create a great seal, and the male copper adapter is the right size for the job. My own experiences with deluges of spring rains taught me to work on creating well draining soils and provide areas for water-run off.

Consider where the specimens originated; what are the conditions in their native habitat? Having moved from a lush city lot with abundant water at hand to a rural setting on a hill serviced by a not-so-abundant well, I learned quickly that my plant choices...

The British and French cultivars would of necessity be more water tolerant. I do not know if summer heat was the problem, but I think breeders are missing out on a market niche by not creating heat-tolerant cultivars.I learned a lot in my research into...

There are literally hundreds more aloes in cultivation but this venue is not the right one for creating a complete cataloguing of such plants. Though the flowers themselves open up only near the very end (this photos shows upopened flowers)They have red,...

The best sources include: kippered herring, salmon, sardines, rainbow trout, steelhead trout, mussels and halibut. Check out Chia! (part 3) According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the majority of us consume too little dietary fiber, potassium,...

They are found all over the New World and chances are, there is a species that is right for your climate. It is estimated that 25% of the diet of deer in Texas consists of prickly pear pads.

As plants become older, they become woody and exhausted. Bright yellow, single, daisy-like flowers with a contrasting black disk are about 2.5 inches in diameter. On a recent trip to Henderson Beach State Park in Destin, Florida, I was struck by the number...

Color and texture were everywhere and I do want to thank Kip and his wife for their gracious hospitality and I came home with some interesting cuttings packed in my suitcase. It was a huge change in scenery and climate so I thought you all would enjoy...

Occasionally, spent flowering stalks can be removed. If you have a friend who grows it, ask for a start when the clumps are divided. Flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects.Society garlic is a dependable, long-lived...

Adventurous gardeners love to experiment, and what better way than to explore some of the lesser-known perennials that don't usually inhabit the local greenhouse. Each article in the series will feature one sun-loving and one shade-loving plant.

Not all products using chia are gluten-free; be sure to read the product label.View on the Copper Canyon (barranca del cobre) in Chihuahua, Mexico photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons by Jens Uhlenbrock.Thumbnail and food collage photos Copyright ©2011 D.Wind.

Nutritious Chia seeds come from Salvia plants (sages in the Mint family) and grow easily in the home garden. Chia adds nutrition to your plate and interest to your kitchen garden, hummingbird garden and potted arrangements.

I don't spray or fertilize them...heck, I don't even water them during the scorching depths of a Texas summer. Most woody perennials and herbs don't like being radically chopped, and Perovskia is no exception.

The 'Allen Chickering' and 'Whirly Blue' types, which feature a more open and tall growth habit and have paler blue flowers, are considered to be Salvia clevelandii hybrids, while the previously mentioned ‘Winnifred Gilman' is thought to be the "true"...

While the original species have attractive grey-green, rubbery foliage, many of the new cultivars are more blue-tinted, purple or variegated. For the most part, they are fail-safe and plants are attractive all season.

They may become invasive where there is constant moisture.The Chumash Indians, and probably other groups, used crimson pitcher sage as an herbal remedy. This corresponds to USDA zones 9-10, excluding desert regions.

The Malibu Hills would be her Scottish Highlands and sagebrush would be her heather.Coastal sage scrub is a vegetation type found in the lower elevations ofcentral and southern California and adjacent Mexico.