Common name:Midnight Penstemon (dark purple)
Botanical name:Penstemon 'Midnight'
This bushy, perennial shrub is 2'-3' high with tall, deep violet or blue flower spikes that bloom in spring through fall. Leaves are dark green, lance-shaped and evergreen. Plant in full sun in coastal areas but give afternoon shade in warm inland areas. This plant is a show stopper but short lived, lasting 3-5 years. Well worth the effort to plant!
Common name:Apple Blossom Penstemon
Botanical name:Penstemon 'Apple Blossom'
This Penstemon is a showy perennial that remains 2'-4' high It has light pink tubular blossoms on long flower spikes with white throats. It blooms from spring through the fall and is hardy to 15 degrees F. It is also drought tolerant, and attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. -Cornflower Farms
Common name:Jerusalem Sage
Botanical name:Phlomis fruticosa
This hardy perennial is a useful, old-time garden plant with coarse, woolly gray green, wrinkled leaves and yellow, 1" flowers in ball-shaped whorls. It handles drought and poor soils but needs full sun.
Designer:
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.
Adjust sprinklers to avoid watering sidewalks and driveways.
Develop healthy soil for plants that are vigorous and naturally pest-resistant.