Common name:Spineless Yucca
Botanical name:Yucca recurvifolia
This evergreen shrub is part of the Agave family and reaches 6'-10' tall. It has distinctive blue-grey leaves that bend sharply downward. It blooms with white flowers on 3'-5' tall spikes in late spring and early summer. Leaf tips have spines but they bend and do not cause injury.
Common name:Santa Barbara Daisy
Botanical name:Erigeron karvinskianus
This low mounding perennial, with fine leaves and white to pinkish daisy-like flowers, is an excellent asset to rock gardens.
Designer: Chico State University
Photographer: GardenSoft
Practice grass-cycling by leaving short grass clippings on lawns after mowing, so that nutrients and organic matter are returned to the soil.
Apply a layer of mulch around plants to reduce moisture loss.
Choose organic mulches, such as shredded bark, compost or aged sawdust.
Remove irrigation water and fertilizer from areas where you don't want weeds to grow.