Tag Archive for: white gaura

White Flowering Plants for the Southwest Landscape: Part 1

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Embracing White Flowering Plants

Are white flowering plants a part of your landscape design? They certainly are in mine.

Surprisingly, white flowers are often overshadowed by more vibrant shades like yellow, orange, or red. However, it’s worth noting that white flowers can play a pivotal role in enhancing your landscape by creating striking color contrasts.

In addition, white flowering plants also have a visually cooling effect in the garden, which is a welcome sight in the Southwest where summers are hot.

I’d like to share with you some of my favorite white flowers, all of which do well in the Southwestern landscape.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Bush Morning Glory (Convolvulus cneorum) White Flowering Plant

Bush Morning Glory (Convolvulus cneorum)

Bush Morning Glory (Convolvulus cneorum)

Pretty white flowers with yellow centers are just one of the reasons people love bush morning glory. Its silvery foliage is another great color that it adds to the landscape.

In the desert, the flowers appear for several weeks in spring before fading away. However, the silvery foliage is evergreen and will add great color contrast when planted nearby plants with dark green foliage.

Do you have an area that gets full afternoon sun? Bush morning glory can easily handle it while looking great.

Hardy to zone 8, bush morning glory grows approximately 2 ft. tall and 4 ft. wide. Prune back in spring, after flowering has finished by 1/2 its size.

White Gaura (Gaura lindheimeri) White Flowering Plant

White Gaura (Gaura lindheimeri)

White Gaura (Gaura lindheimeri)

A flowering perennial, white gaura, has a prominent place in my landscape. It has small flowers, shaped like small butterflies, that start out pink and turn white as they bloom.

Siskyou Pink White Flowering Plant

This lovely perennial does best in filtered sun and flowers in spring and fall. It requires little maintenance other then shearing it back in spring to 1/2 its size.

White gaura is related to the pink variety ‘Siskyou Pink’, but has a bushier appearance and grows larger – approximately 2 1/2 ft. wide and tall. This native perennial is hardy to zone 6 gardens.

Use in areas that receive filtered sunlight.

 

White Cloud' Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens 'White Cloud') White Flowering Plant

‘White Cloud’ Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens ‘White Cloud’)

‘White Cloud’ Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens)

While most people are more familiar with the purple-flowering Texas sage shrubs, there is a white variety that is well worth adding to your landscape.  

If given enough space, ‘White Cloud’ Texas Sage can grow large, 6+ feet tall and wide. It thrives in full sun, and in summer and fall, periodic flushes of white flowers cover the silvery green foliage.

Avoid the temptation to excessively prune this shrub, as this decreases flowering and is not healthy for this type of shrub. Hardy to zone 7, this shrub looks great as an informal hedge or against a wall.

Hedge trimmers aren’t needed for pruning Texas sage. I’ve used my Corona Compound Loppers to prune mine for over 10 years, with some hand pruning as needed for wayward branches.

For guidelines on how to (or how NOT to) prune flowering shrubs, click here.

Texas Olive (Cordia boissieri) White Flowering Plant

Texas Olive (Cordia boissieri)

Texas Olive (Cordia boissieri)

This Texas native is a huge favorite of mine – Texas olive is a large shrub or small tree, depending on how you prune it. It has dark green, leathery leaves, and beautiful white flowers, which appear spring through fall on evergreen foliage.

Whenever I see this shrub, I always take a moment to admire its beauty, since it isn’t used often in the landscape – but it should be!

Small fruit, resembling an olive, is produced and is edible. They thrive in full sun. Allow plenty of room for it to grow as it gets 25 ft. tall and wide. Hardy to zone 9, the only drawback of this white-flowering beauty is that it can be a little messy, so keep away from swimming pools.

All of these white flowering plants are drought tolerant and do well in hot, arid climates.  

Do you grow any of these in your garden? Which is your favorite?

As beautiful as these plants are, there are more to consider. Check out more in Part 2!

A Front Garden (NOT a Yard)

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Exploring My Front Garden: More Than Just a Yard

Do you have a front garden adorned with perennials and succulents, or do you simply call it a front yard? Personally, I prefer not to refer to the front area of a home as a mere ‘yard’. The definition of the word ‘yard‘ is “a piece of ground adjoining a building or house.”

A Burst of Color from Perennials and Succulents

Now, while I do have a piece of ground adjoining my house – it is so much more than that.  

The piece of ground is filled with trees, shrubs, perennials, and succulents, which in my opinion makes it not a ‘yard’ BUT a ‘garden’.

So, I thought that I would show you a little of what is growing in my front ‘garden’….

firecracker penstemon (Penstemon eatonii) perennials and succulents

Blooming Beauties: Firecracker Penstemon and White Gaura

This time of year, my firecracker penstemon (Penstemon eatonii) is in full bloom, much to the delight of bees and hummingbirds.

This tough perennial blooms January through April in my zone 9a garden. In cooler climates, it will flower in the summer.

white gaura (Gaura lindheimeri) perennials and succulents

Underneath the front window, lies a row of white gaura (Gaura lindheimeri), which flowers in spring and fall.  This perennial is hardy to zone 5.

Embracing the World of Agave, Alongside Perennials and Succulents

artichoke agave perennials and succulents

Agave are my favorite type of succulent and I have several different types in my garden.

This one is near the front entry and is called artichoke agave (Agave parryi ‘truncata’).

It is a medium-sized agave and can grow in zones 7 and up.

As you can see, it has produced some offsets (babies, pups, volunteers). They are attached to the mother plant by a underground stem.

I have taken several of the offsets and replanted them around my garden…

artichoke agave perennials and succulents

This one was planted 2 years ago from the mother plant.

It is easy to take offsets and plant them in other areas in the garden.  I wrote about it a few years ago and you can read it here.

The Charm of Globe Mallow in Various Shades

globe mallow perennials and succulents

In late winter, I am always impatient to see my globe mallow begin to show the first glimpse of color peeking through.

I have several globe mallow plants and each one produces a different-colored flower.  

pink globe mallow perennials and succulents

Here is my pink globe mallow.

white globe mallow flowers perennials and succulents

And it’s neighbor, which has white flowers.

red globe mallow perennials and succulents

This globe mallow has vibrant, red flowers and is located on the other side of my front garden landscape with other perennials and succulents.

While I love all of my globe mallow flowers, I think that the pink are my favorite…

hot pink globe mallow perennials and succulents

The most common color of globe mallow is orange.  But, as you can see, there are other colors available.

Agave Wonders: Octopus Agave and Victoria Agave

octopus agave perennials and succulents

I mentioned that I had a few different species of agave in my garden.

This is my largest one, which is called octopus agave (Agave vilmoriniana).  

octopus agave pups perennials and succulents

I raised this agave from a tiny pup (bulbil) from the flowering stem of its mother, who I had grown in a large pot.

This agave has a tropical look with its curvy leaves and does best in areas with filtered or afternoon shade.

Victoria agave (Agave victoria-reginae)

Victoria agave (Agave victoria-reginae) was named for Queen Victoria.

This smaller agave has a very distinctive look and is highly-desired, which makes it rather expensive.

I was given the largest one in the photo, above, by a client and it has since gone on to produce many babies for me.

A Twist on Lantana with a Splash of Color

lavender lace lantana

Some people may think that lantana is overused in the landscape with perennials and succulents, but I like to put a twist on the traditional lantana.

There is a lantana called ‘Lavender Lace’ that produces both purple and white flowers on the same plant.  BUT, it can be hard to find and is expensive.

So, I create the same look by planting both a purple and a white trailing lantana in the same hole.

Succulents Adding Texture to the Garden

desert spoon (Dasylirion acrotriche)

My favorite types of plants are flowering shrubs and groundcovers.  However, I like the different textures that succulents add to my front garden.

So, I have green desert spoon (Dasylirion acrotriche) on both sides in the front.  This species of desert spoon has a darker-green color then the gray/blue leaves of regular desert spoon.

Valentine: A Favorite Flowering Shrub

Valentine shrub perennials and succulents

Finally, I’d like to finish with my favorite flowering shrub, Valentine whose red blooms began to appear at Christmas and will last through April.

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I hope you enjoyed this partial tour of my front garden.  I do have trees and other plants growing, but because they are dormant in winter, I will show you them in the future, once they are looking their best.