El Paso Desert Botantical Gardens 5

Common name:Mexican Palo Verde, Jerusalem Thorn
Botanical name:Parkinsonia aculeata

Light, airy tree with prickly stems and green bark. Very fast growing with sparse foliage & very long narrow leaves. Yellow flowers with orange red throats spring for at least a month. This is a messy and shortlived palo verdy. Usually found on limestone soils in areas with moisture but is strongly drought tolerant. Withstands saline conditions. Can be cold or drought deciduous.

Common name:Mescal Ceniza
Botanical name:Agave colorata

This agave has a compact rosette form and gows at a moderate rate to 3' x 3'. Striking grey-green leaves are banded and have distincitive toothed margins. Tips of leaves are sharp. After many years, yellow flowers appear on a stalk in the spring. Like all agaves, it will die after flowering. Accepts full sun. Great in pots or in the landscape. Native to Sonora.

Common name:Red Yucca
Botanical name:Hesperaloe parviflora

Upright rosettes grow quickly to 3' x 5' wide. Spectacular accent for desert landscape. Leaves are dark green and strap-like. Coral red flower spikes emerge in spring & remain on plant till end of summer. Tolerates tough conditions including reflected heat and frost. Attracts humingbirds. Native to western Texas and northeastern Mexico.

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.

Water Saving Tip:

As the weather gets hotter avoid the temptation to increase run times.

Instead, schedule more start times with one to two hours in between to allow the water from the previous session to soak in before watering again.

Integrated Pest Management:

Drip and other smart irrigation delivers water directly to roots, allowing no excess water for weeds.