Common name:Blackfoot Daisy
Botanical name:Melampodium leucanthum
Small mounding perennial grows quickly to 1' x 2'. White daisylike flowers with yellow centers cover the plant nearly year-round The leaves are narrow and gray-green. Accepts full sun or partial shade but blooms better in the sun. Bright and colorful groundcover. Plant in well-drained soil. Native to the southwest U.S. and Mexico.
Common name:Yellow Bulbine
Botanical name:Bulbine latifolia
This clumping ground cover grows 1' tall and 1'-3' wide. It produces 12"-18" flower stalks that bear clusters of small yellow flowers almost all year. Succulent evergreen leaves are fragile, so locate away from foot traffic. Growth habit is not very tidy whereas the orange cultivar 'Hallmark' is a bit more so. This So. African native blooms most heavily in spring and fall with sporadic spikes in summer. It is also a good container plant and for erosion control.
Common name:Ferned-Leaved Tickseed
Botanical name:Bidens ferulifolia 'Goldmarie'
Tickseed grows 14'-18" tall. It is a heat tolerant variety that is perfect for cascading, bright color in baskets, containers, and window boxes. Finely divided foliage is covered with gold, single flowers. It blooms until first frost. Plant in full sun. It needs well-drained soi.
Common name:Yarrow
Botanical name:Achillea millefolium
This Achillea features spreading mats of fern-like rosettes, along with deeply divided leaves of a green or gray green color. In this form, the flowers are usually a white tone. Stems can reach 2'-3' above foliage. Yarrows propagate easily from rooted cuttings or division, which should be performed in the early spring or fall. Following bloom, one should dead head the plant and divide the clumps when it appears crowded.
Common name:Coral Fountain, Firecracker Plant
Botanical name:Russelia equisetiformis
This heavy blooming shrub is from tropical Mexico. Coral Fountain can reach a mature size of about 5' tall and wide in frost-free climates. In colder climates, foliage will die back at freezing, but the plants will survive all but a hard frost. This is an excellent plant for containers, so plants can be moved to a sheltered location in winter for frost areas.
Designer: Susan Trindle
Photographer: GardenSoft
Physical weed control, including mulching, or hand removal protects the watershed from harmful chemicals.
Mulching and adding compost to soil can minimize evaporation and help soil absorb and store water.
Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.