Menu

Hotlinks:

Tour: Color Walk Garden

Add
Color Walk Garden 3
Butterfly-Iris, Fortnight Lily
Sticks on Fire Pencil Tree
Garden Geranium
Wax Leaf Privet
Fraser Photinia
Australian Willow
Butterfly-Iris, Fortnight Lily

Common name:Butterfly-Iris, Fortnight Lily
Botanical name:Dietes iridioides

This clumping evergreen Iris bears tall, narrow leaves to 30" tall and white flowers marked purple in the center on stalks up to 3' tall. This variety has stiffer, darker foliage than the bicolor form. It requires sun to part shade with little or no summer watering when established.

Sticks on Fire Pencil Tree

Common name:Sticks on Fire Pencil Tree
Botanical name:Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire'

In frost free areas, Euphorbia can become a 30' tree but in colder areas, it is often knocked back by frost. It can be single or multiple trunked. It has green cylindrical branches that are about the diameter of a pencil. Leaves are not usually present. Some people are allergic to the sap. It is tolerant of salt, full sun, part shade and quite drought resistant. It is a great accent plant for a container. This form has yellow or orange branches if in full sun.

Garden Geranium

Common name:Garden Geranium
Botanical name:Pelargonium X hortorum

Pelargonium X hortorum is a shrubby, succulent perennial stemmed to 3' or more. Round or kidney-shaped leaves are velvety and hairy, soft to the touch, aromatic, with edges distinctly lobed and scalloped toothed. Single and double flowers are flatter and smaller than those of Pelargonium domesticum variety, but clusters bear more blossoms.

Wax Leaf Privet

Common name:Wax Leaf Privet
Botanical name:Ligustrum japonicum 'Texanum'

This dense evergreen shrub of an upright habit is capable of growing as a shrub or small tree. Its dark green, leathery leaves are opposite those of a simple evergreen plant.

Fraser Photinia

Common name:Fraser Photinia
Botanical name:Photinia X fraseri

The Photina fraseri is an evergreen, medium-sized shrub with new foliage that is a glistening, copper red color. It is excellent as a hedge, screen, or accent plant. It should be grown under conditions of sun.

Australian Willow

Common name:Australian Willow
Botanical name:Geijera parviflora

Australian Willow (Geijera parviflora) is an excellent specimen tree for medium-sized gardens. This Australian native tree reaches 45’ tall and 20’ wide and is very low-water-use and low maintenance. These trees can be found in nurseries in both single-trunk and multi-trunk forms. The natural growth habit is weeping and irregular, so it does require some selective pruning and shaping when young to achieve the desired look. Thinning out the heavy, weeping branches will take some of the weight out of them, and they usually lift. The tree may require this type of pruning a few times a year for the first two or three years, but once it has achieved a height requiring a ladder to prune, it should be shaped by a licensed arborist. This tree is a slow grower and would benefit from an application of nitrogen fertilizer every year. It should be planted at least four feet away from any hardscape areas, 15 feet from structures such as houses and buildings, and not near any powerlines. Shrubs and perennials should be planted about three feet away from this tree. It should be irrigated for about 45 minutes once a week when using most in-line drip irrigation systems.

Designer: Annie Hall

Color Walk Garden 3
Image: 3 of 15

Photographer: GardenSoft

Soils and Compost:

Physical weed control, including mulching, or hand removal protects the watershed from harmful chemicals.

Integrated Pest Management:

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