Menu

Hotlinks:

Gallery: Front Yards

Add
Curving Shrub Border
Mexican Bush Sage
Lamb's Ear
Ruby King
Catmint
Moonshine Yarrow, Milfoil, Sneezewo
Eaton Canyon Dwarf Fountain Grass
Lavender Cotton
Lemon Swirl Bush Lantana
Azure or Russian Sage
Mexican Bush Sage

Common name:Mexican Bush Sage
Botanical name:Salvia leucantha

The Mexican Sage is a bushy shrub that grows 3'-4' tall and wide. It has hairy white stems, grey-green leaves and velvet-like purple flower spikes that bloom summer through fall. This shrub tolerates sun, light shade, little water, and is hardy to 15 degrees F. The Mexican sage is drought tolerant and attracts hummingbirds. -Cornflower Farms

Lamb's Ear

Common name:Lamb's Ear
Botanical name:Stachys byzantina

This tiny shrub will grow less than 1' tall and has medium-size, greyish-green leaves with blue and lavender flowers that bloom in the spring.

Ruby King

Common name:Ruby King
Botanical name:Penstemon 'Ruby King'

Penstemon 'Ruby King' has tubular flowers. Hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers. Needs fast drainage. Usually short lived (3-4 years).

Catmint

Common name:Catmint
Botanical name:Nepeta X faassenii

Nepeta faassenii makes soft, grey-green, undulating mounds to 1.5' high in bloom, spreading 3'-4' wide. The small leaves are attractive to cats. This perennial has lavender blue flowers in summer. Catmint can be planted in sun or shade and needs medium amount of water. Prune spent flowers to encourage more blooms.

Moonshine Yarrow, Milfoil, Sneezewo

Common name:Moonshine Yarrow, Milfoil, Sneezewo
Botanical name:Achillea 'Moonshine'

Long, straight stems with pale yellow flowers are striking on the mats of green to grey-green leaves of this plant, which are flatter and less divided than those of the Achillea millefolium. This Yarrow propagates easily from rooted cuttings or divisions 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. Introduced by Alan Bloom in the 1950's.

Eaton Canyon Dwarf Fountain Grass

Common name:Eaton Canyon Dwarf Fountain Grass
Botanical name:Pennisetum 'Eaton Canyon'

This grass will grow 2'-3' tall and has red or bronze colored stems that are very slender and topped red- purple whips.

Lavender Cotton

Common name:Lavender Cotton
Botanical name:Santolina chamaecyparissus

This groundcover-small shrub will grow to 3' tall and has small, greyish-silver leaves with yellow flowers that bloom in the summer.

Lemon Swirl Bush Lantana

Common name:Lemon Swirl Bush Lantana
Botanical name:Lantana camara 'Lemon Swirl

Showy lemon yellow blooms contrast beautifully with chartreuse-edged foliage. Very useful as a colorful substitute to annuals in flower beds or pots. An excellent low hedge or accent shrub. Evergreen in frost-free areas; treat as an annual elsewhere. Attracts hummingbirds, dramatic foliage color, easy care, waterwise, benefits birds. This is a fast grower to fill in a young landscape for the first season or two until woody plants are established. A great color source for hot and dry gardens, along driveways and full sun banks. Plant in flower and shrub beds, raised planters, along fence lines and foundations, and in parkways, where they take the reflected heat from the pavement in stride. Put it in pots for powerful color on a deck or patio. Thrives in average, well-drained soils. Water deeply, regularly in first growing season to establish root system. Once established in the landscape, reduce frequency; continue to water container plants regularly. Fertilize in spring. Remove spent blooms periodically and prune annually to shape. Reaches 4'-6' tall and wide.

Azure or Russian Sage

Common name:Azure or Russian Sage
Botanical name:Perovskia X atriplicifolia

This broad perennial will grow 3'-6' tall and has small, grey-green leaves with blue-violet flowers that bloom in the summer. Foliage is aromatic if brushed against it.

Designer: Terri Nichols

Curving Shrub Border
Image: 3 of 31

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.

Water-Saving Tip:

Replace turf with groundcovers, trees, and shrubs. If you have areas where no one uses the grass, patches that do not grow well, or a turf area too small to water without runoff, consider replacing the turf with water-efficient landscaping.

Integrated Pest Management:

Develop healthy soil for plants that are vigorous and naturally pest-resistant.