Drought Tolerant Ideas, Tips & Guides

When I first moved to southern California from Montana to attend university, I was amazed by the diverse array of stunning plants: the pink sprays of bougainvillea, the purple flush of jacaranda trees, the orange-tufted, sharp-beaked birds of paradise.It’s uncanny how much this flower resem

How does your garden grow?Well, we know that trees and shrubs are the “bones” of a garden – they p

The hackberry tree is one of the most easygoing deciduous varieties. It is remarkably versatile and adapts to many different locations and growing conditions, making it a great option for tricky backyards or urban environments.Hackberries do well as street trees – they c

Of all the wildflowers I’ve worked with, Gaillardia is the one to never disappoint me.It puts on an effortless and long-lasting show of bright, lovely f

Whether it’s the blooms of an evening primrose, a pizza delivery place with extended hours, or a 24/7 gas station during a well-hydrated road trip, anything that’s “open late” can be an absolute blessing.We link to vendors to help you find relevant products

A gift from the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, sun-loving turpentine bush is native to the southwestern United States, including southeastern California, west Texas, southern New Mexico, and southern Arizona, as well as north-central Mexico.And in addition to tolerating blistering desert heat, this tough ev

These peculiar desert plants bring a sense of wonder to the arid landscapes they thrive in with their distinctive and stunning appearance.They are popular in xeriscape gardens and can be found in many co

Asian or Asiatic jasmine, Trachelospermum asiaticum, is a somewhat aggressive ground cover that utterly disregards the well-considered edgings you carefully construct to contain it.Its greatest feature – the ability to quickl

Yarrow, Achillea spp., is a semi-evergreen flowering perennial in the aster, or Asteraceae family.Suitable for growers in USDA Hardi

Chamomile is a marvelous medicinal herb with beautiful blooms. But let’s be honest: it can be a bit boisterous in the garden.It’s one of those plants that you

Don’t you just love unusual plant names? There are species with names like turpentine bush, and of course there’s snake plant and Persian shield, too.Here’s another good one for you: bat-faced cuphea.As you migh

Unlike its rather dull brown rodent namesake, gopher plant is beautifully colored, impressing with distinctive gray-blue, lance-shaped leaves, chartreuse bracts, and bright yellow springtime flowers.Gopher plant (Euphorbia rigida) is native to the Mediterranean and th

Upon seeing the title of this article, you may be thinking, “What is Mexican oregano? Is it different from “regular” oregano?”We’re so glad you asked. To start, for pur

Garden pinks are an old-fashioned favorite beloved for the sweetly spicy fragrance and charming, frilled flowers in shades of pink, red, and white.With all the appeal of their larger cousin, the carnatio

Coneflowers are the ultimate triple threat. They add beauty to the garden, can be used as food and medicine, and are about as unfussy as they come.It makes sense, then, that this popular perennial has transitioned from a hu

If you are looking for a plant with large, show-stopping blooms, look no further than the bird of paradise.With its orange, blue, and white flowers that look like a bird in flight,

Anise hyssop, Agastache foeniculum, is a short-lived, edible herbaceous perennial in the Lamiaceae, or mint family.It’s a native plant suited to gardens in USDA Hardiness

Hey, get your cats straight! CatMINT is not catNIP.Unlike its cousin catnip (Nepeta cataria), Faas

Bright and dainty yet boldly toothed, coreopsis flowers aka tickseed, are a lot prettier than their name suggests.The blooms are so cheerful that t

Beloved for their striking, elegant flowers in a sumptuous array of colors, iris is a shining star in the early spring to midsummer garden.The showy flowers sit atop tall, slender stalks,

Because it has so many redeeming qualities, we’re willing to overlook the origin of tickseed’s scientific name, Coreopsis.It comes from a combination of two Greek words

Vitex is one of the most liberally reseeding plants I have ever grown.In an interesting twist, it got a couple of its nicknames – chaste

I’m always interested in growing plants that offer a solid ROI. And while plants that offer a lovely flower or an unusual leaf shape in exchange for my work in cultivating them are nice, even better is a plant that rewards with something I can put on the dinner table.And the caper bush fits this bill to a T

Strawflower, Xerochrysum bracteatum, is an annual in the Gnaphalieae group, which is in the huge Asteraceae, or Compositae family.It is related to thousands of other plants, including

Small globe thistle, Echinops ritro, is a perennial member of the Asteraceae family that includes sunflowers, daisies, globe artichokes, and asters. It is suited to cultivation in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 8.Also called Southern globe thistle, this flower is nativ

An almost-ubiquitous ground cover in much of the American South, Asiatic jasmine is actually not jasmine at all, though it is Asian, with origins in Korea and Japan.It takes the second half of its name from its frag

The first time I was introduced to chamomile flowers, I was floored.I walked into the raised garden beds

With its deep purple leaves and long, colorful flower spikes, purple fountain grass is among the loveliest of the ornamental grasses.Alas, its beauty is fleeting. Hardy in Zones 9 to 11, P. x advena ‘Rubrum’ is gr

While calamint (Calamintha) might not be the most well-known shrub in the United States, it certainly deserves a more prominent role in our landscapes.A hardy, deer-resistant perennial

We all have that friend who is perfect in many ways, but conversations about them always end with, “But….”Nerium oleander is like that. It has many wonderful t

Greek oregano is perhaps one of the most familiar of the culinary herbs among cooks in North America.I use this spicy and flavorful seasoning in just about everyt

In the world of perennials we have few options better than blanket flowers, Gaillardia, for easy, carefree gardening.These native wildflowers in the Asterac

Before we get too far into this, I have a confession:I love marigolds, everything about them.

The first time I interacted with verbena, I kind of hated it.I was working at a garden center many years ago and dis

For a beautiful evergreen tree that produces amazing flowers and delicious fruits, have you ever considered loquats?We link to vendors to help you find relevant products.

Do you love the bright flavor and aroma of fresh herbs? Then you should really devote some time and garden space to growing summer savory.An annual herb, Satureja hortensis is a low-growing plant tha