Common name:Santa Barbara Daisy, Mexican Daisy
Botanical name:Erigeron karvinskianus
This low mounding perennial, with fine leaves and white to pinkish daisy-like flowers, is an excellent asset to rock gardens.
Common name:Japanese Green Lace
Botanical name:Acer palmatum 'Dissectum Viridis'
This small maple has bright green lacy leaves. It grows to 10 ft. and spreads 8 ft. This plant gives a weeping, delicate appearance. Flowers are purple and inconspicuous. The fruit is a winged samara.
Common name:Crape Myrtle
Botanical name:Lagerstroemia indica
The new leaves of this species are 2" long, bright gren, and tinged with bronze. Its fall color is affected by the weather. While it has a bare outline, its rounded seed capsules add interest. Its delicate flowers bloom in 6-12" long clusters. The colors of its flowers are shades of red, rose, pink, purple, and white. It thrives on heat, and new cultivars have been created that resist mildew.
Common name:Chinese Pistache
Botanical name:Pistacia chinensis
The Pistacia chinensis is a deciduous tree with broad, spreading growth to 50' in height. Its leaves have 10-16 leaflets, and the fall coloring arrives in beautiful shades of red, orange and yellow. Prune young trees to shape. This tree does not have edible nuts. Female trees have tiny red fruit, turning dark blue. It prefers full sun and deep, infrequent waterings. This is a great street or park tree.
Common name:Dwarf Periwinkle, Dwarf Vinca
Botanical name:Vinca minor
This groundcover will grow less than 1' tall and has small, glossy, dark green leaves with blue, purple, lavender, or white flowers that bloom in the spring.
Common name:Bowles Mauve Wallflower
Botanical name:Erysimum 'Bowles Mauve'
This shrubby evergreen perennial reaches a size of 3' tall and 6' wide with narrow, dark foliage and a dense habit. Its flowers always emerge as mauve purple, and are produced on 4' tall stalks. Blooms throughout warm months.
Can bloom continuously in mild climates. It should receive sun to part shade, with little or no summer watering. It is hardy to frost.
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Photographer: GardenSoft
Maintain a two to four inch layer of mulch on the soil surface to reduce weeds, infiltrate rain water, and reduce compaction.
Remove irrigation water and fertilizer from areas where you don't want weeds to grow.