Common name:Blanket Flower
Botanical name:Gaillardia X grandiflora
This perennial has daisylike flowers in warm colors on sturdy stems. Plants form medium-sized clumps. It likes full sun and well-drained soil but tolerates poor soil and drought. It makes a great cut flower.
Common name:Dusty Miller Shrub
Botanical name:Senecio cineraria
The Dusty Miller grows to 2' tall and wide, with velvety gray leaves that have broad, roundish lobes. Yellow flowers heads appear in summer and sometimes, intermittently. Dead head occasionally to encourage bushiness. Use foliage for cut flower arrangements. It prefers full sun and medium amount of watering. It is not frost hardy.
Common name:Red Flowering Currant
Botanical name:Ribes sanguineum
This upright, multibranched deciduous shrub has medium green, maple shaped leaves. The rose-red flowers appear in clusters in mid winter offering winter color for the garden, and food for hummingbirds. This shrub can tolerate some shade on the coast, and needs shade in warm inland areas. It makes a wonderful backdrop in a woodland garden, foundation shrub, or an informal hedge.
Designer: One Earth Landscaping
Photographer: Donna Breedlove
Practice grass-cycling by leaving short grass clippings on lawns after mowing, so that nutrients and organic matter are returned to the soil.
Drip and other smart irrigation delivers water directly to roots, allowing no excess water for weeds.