Blue Grama is a warm-season, perennial bunchgrass that grows up to 3 by 3 feet. Growing in full sun and dry, well-drained, gravelly soils, this ornamental grass produces attractive, blue-green seed heads that hang horizontally. Blue Grama is very drought tolerant, surviving conditions with only few inches of annual rain. It attracts butterflies and seed-eating birds, and turns a tan color when dormant.
A perennial, warm-season bunch or sod-forming grass, Side-Oats Grama has 2 to 3 foot stems that grow in erect, wiry clumps. Also called Banderilla, Banderita, and Navajita, this plant produces purplish, oat-like spikelets that lighten to a tan color in the fall. Growing in full to partial sun and in dry to moist, well-drained soils, Side-Oats Grama provides food, nesting material, and cover for birds and mammals.
This climbing, woody vine attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and even deer with its large, trumpet-shaped, orange-red flowers that hang in clusters of two to five. The vine climbs by means of clawed tendrils that allow it to cling to surfaces like stone, brick, and fences without any support. It has glossy, semi-evergreen leaves that change from dark green in the summer to reddish-purple in the winter. Crossvine can reach up to 50 feet long in full sun to partial shade, and in dry to moist, well-drained soils.
Also known as White Birch and Aspen-leaved Birch, this narrow-columned tree typically grows to 30 to 50 feet tall. Often a pioneer tree in clearings, this perennial grows quickly though is short-lived, and provides shade to seedlings of other forest trees. Its white bark becomes darker as it ages, and its dark green foliage turns yellow in the fall. Gray Birch typically occurs in both dry and wet soils, and can withstand full sun to shade.
Also called Canoe Birch or White Birch, this small to medium sized deciduous tree has attractive white, papery, peeling bark. It can reach 50 to 75 feet in height, with an irregularly rounded crown and bright green leaves that turn yellow in the fall. Paper Birch provides food and shelter for many animals, and grows in full sun to shade, in moist, fertile soils.
This small, deciduous tree or large shrub grows up to 40 feet tall, noticeable for its shiny, reddish-brown bark with white, horizontal streaks. Typically found along streams and wetlands, this tree grows in full sun to partial shade, and in moist to wet soils. Browsers like sheep and goats enjoy its foliage, and beavers find the plant useful for housing materials.
River Birch, also known as Red, Black, or Water Birch, is a vigorous, fast-growing tree that naturally occurs on floodplains, swampy bottomlands, and along streams. Typically growing 40 to 70 feet tall, it is one of the most disease-free birches, with an irregular crown and silver bark that peels to uncover a cinnamon-brown trunk underneath. River Birch grows in partial shade and moist, sandy soils.
Sweet Birch, also known as Cherry, Black, or Mahogany Birch, is a perennial, deciduous tree that grows 50 to 75 feet tall with golden yellow fall foliage. Its scaly, dark shiny red, almost black bark resembles that of the cherry tree. Growing in partial shade and moist, rich, and well-drained soil, Sweet Birch is known for the strong wintergreen scent of its bark and leaves.
This is a robust, perennial plant that grows about 1 foot tall in full sun and moist, sandy or gravelly soils. Its large, bright yellow or golden sunflower-like flowers and arrowhead-shaped leaves make it eye-catching and easy to identify. Arrow-Leaf Balsamroot requires deep soil for its taproot, and often does not take well to transplanting.
Desert Marigold, or Paper Daisy, is a short-lived, annual shrub that grows to about 1 foot tall. It produces hairy, gray foliage and lovely yellow flowers that persist throughout most of the year on top of leafless stems. This plant thrives in hot conditions, partial shade, and dry, gravelly or sandy soils
Subscribe to