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Natural and Hilly Path
Fox Tail Agave, Velvet Agave
Blue Beach Aster, Seaside Daisy
Deer Grass
Yarrow Moonshine
Wisteria
Sunset Manzanita
Mexican Feather Grass
Fox Tail Agave, Velvet Agave

Common name:Fox Tail Agave, Velvet Agave
Botanical name:Agave attenuata

This Agave has a dramatic tropical form. Even light frost can damage its succulent leaves. It is great for containers. In the low desert, partial sun will be best. If it becomes top heavy, simply cut and stick in the ground to root. It is not a fast grower and has light green foliage. It will also die after flowering but pups around the mother will survive. Distinctive with its large rosette of leaves perched on a long curving trunk, it is a native from Mexico.

Blue Beach Aster, Seaside Daisy

Common name:Blue Beach Aster, Seaside Daisy
Botanical name:Erigeron glaucus

This perennial will grow 1' tall and 1.5' wide. It has blue green foliage and lavender flowers that bloom in spring and summer.

Deer Grass

Common name:Deer Grass
Botanical name:Muhlenbergia rigens

The Deer Grass is a warm season perennial that forms dense clumps from the base. The spike-like flower stalks grow 2'-3' tall and this grass has striking foundation form. The Deer Grass is native to California, is drought tolerant, and is a beneficial insect plant.

Yarrow Moonshine

Common name:Yarrow Moonshine
Botanical name:Achillea 'Moonshine'

Pale yellow flowers appear to float on long, slender stems. Leaves are green to gray-green leaves, which are flatter and less divided than those of the Achillea millefolium. 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.

Wisteria

Common name:Wisteria
Botanical name:Wisteria sinensis

While the sinensis is similar to the floribunda, it bears more rounded, full clusters of strongly fragrant flowers which open more or less, all at once. There are usually 13-15 leaflets per leaf, and they require full sun and average to little watering. It comes in many colors in the blues, whites and purples.

Sunset Manzanita

Common name:Sunset Manzanita
Botanical name:Arctostaphylos 'Sunset'

This manzanita is a mounding shrub 4'-5' high and 4'-6' wide. It has coppery red new growth, then later turning bright green. It has pinkish-white flowers in winter to early spring.

Mexican Feather Grass

Common name:Mexican Feather Grass
Botanical name:Nassella tenuissima

This ornamental grass grows to 2' tall. It goes partially dormant during the summer but green in spring and fall. It prefers a sunny, well drained site. This plant can be invasive in some areas, so use caution. To keep reseeding to a minimum, drip irrigation will be best. Cut back in early spring to remove dormant foliage and dried seed heads. It can also tolerate dry shade. It grows to 10" wide and is the finest textured of the ornamental grasses.

Designer: Carol Bornstein

Natural and Hilly Path
Image: 1 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.