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Dream Veggie Garden 5
Avocado, Palta
Artichoke
Iceland Poppy
Sunburst Coreopsis
Beach Strawberry, Sand Strawberry
Tall Fescue, Marathon (turf)
Avocado, Palta

Common name:Avocado, Palta
Botanical name:Persea americana

This is a large tree that can grow as large as an oak. Its exotic, semi-tropical, drupe fruit is famous for making guacamole dip. Frost damages this plant.

Artichoke

Common name:Artichoke
Botanical name:Cynara scolymus

This perennial will grow 4' tall and 6'-8' wide. It has silvery green leaves with bluish purple flowers that bloom in spring. Artichoke is a favorite fruit/vegetable of California kitchens but it is a great ornamental plant often overlooked for color contrast. It is very tolerant of little water when planted for ornamental purposes.

Iceland Poppy

Common name:Iceland Poppy
Botanical name:Papaver nudicaule

This Iceland Poppy produces leaves that are divided with flowers, appearing on stems 1'-2' high. These flowers are cup-shaped to 3" across, and come in colors of yellow, orange, salmon, rose, pink and cream.

Sunburst Coreopsis

Common name:Sunburst Coreopsis
Botanical name:Coreopsis grandiflora

The 'Double Sunburst' is a wonderful cultivar and a showy, Southern U.S. native. Golden yellow, double flowers on 2' bushy plants bloom from June to September in full sun and average to dry soils. It makes for good cut flowers, and pruning keeps the plants abundant with blooms. -Holland WIldflower Farm

Beach Strawberry, Sand Strawberry

Common name:Beach Strawberry, Sand Strawberry
Botanical name:Fragaria chiloensis

This perennial grows 4"-8" high with tooth-edged leaves and ornamental strawberries during the fall. Cut back or mow in early spring to encourage new growth.

Tall Fescue, Marathon (turf)

Common name:Tall Fescue, Marathon (turf)
Botanical name:Festuca arundinacea 'Marathon'

This grass is best when kept at about 2"-2.5" high, but it has a root depth of about 6'. It is a beautiful, dark green color all year and is used in a variety of locations.

Designer: DeeAnn Ayers

Dream Veggie Garden 5
Image: 5 of 18

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.