xeriscape - delaware master gardener

The Gardeners’ Gazette

The Quarterly Newsletter o f the New Castle County Master Gardeners

Xeriscape

Xeriscape in DE

1,2

3

Drought Garden

Mediterraneum Sea Holly

9 Plants that Thrive in

Heat and Drought

4

4

4

Book Review

Book Note

5

5

Let’s Go Shopping! 6

In Defense of Books 7,8

Beth Chatto’s Gravel

Garden

9

Heat & Drought Tolerant

Plants

10

Inside this issue:

THE XERISCAPE ISSUE

Volume 3, issue 3 Summer, 2011

Xeriscape/The Dry Garden/Drought Tolerance

Is it just coincidence that the “summer issues” of Horticulture magazine,

The American Gardener and this Gazette are all concerned with the same

topic(s)? Probably not, since we seem to be moving out of our meadow and

prairie and “new perennial” modes into issues of sustainable landscaping and

water conservation.

Brief summaries of several articles from these magazines might tempt

Master Gardeners to find and read the complete articles. But first a little in-

troduction to “xeric.”

In general, xeriscaping—a term apparently developed in the Arizona de-

sert—describes landscaping with xeric or drought-tolerant principles and

plants: choosing the right plant for the right place with the right water

needs. Obviously, xeriscaped landscapes do not resemble English perennial

borders. “Dry gardens,” Jennifer Bennett writes, “are distinctly brighter,

more open, with the wavy foliage of succulents and much more gray foliage.

These gardens depend more on groundcovers and mulches than on stately,

flowering perennials. There are, also, apt to be more taller grasses and few-

er vines” (p.12).

Different in space, dry gardens are also different in time—with two grow-

ing seasons (spring and fall) and two difficult seasons (summer and winter).

The dry garden is also more environmentally friendly because of the empha-

sis upon water conservation and because rain water is soft and at the same

temperature as the air. Characteristically, the dry garden is marked by dry

and rainless summers usually followed by a wet fall. But during the summer

months, when plants are growing and want to draw water through their

roots, how and when you water will determine what plants you can grow.

Watering, then, depends upon rainfall, plant choices, soil quality, sun and

shade.

That, in brief is the scoop on xeriscaping, but see the piece by Anna Mil-

ler “Xeriscape in DE” (page three) for further information and detail. So, now

on to the summaries (which, of course, you can skip if you’ve already read

the magazines!).

Anthony Tesselaar is president and co-founder of Tesselaar Plants. His

company established five trial blocks (100 meters square) to test five sam-

ples of each of 37 cultivars; tests were replicated five times across five dif-

ferent irrigation regimes. That is, irrigation was monitored to replace (cont.

page 2)

THE GARDENERS’ GAZETTE VOLUME 3, I SSUE 3

100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, and 0% of the evapotranspiration (ET) from each site. “ET is the moisture lost

from soil by action of the weather by plants’ usage.” The tests lasted through two Australian summers

(temperatures between 90 and 110 Fahrenheit); tests were monitored monthly for physical growth and

general aesthetic appeal. Several of Tesselaar’s “star” cultivars are mentioned in the Drought Tolerant

Plant list. An interesting side note: many plants don’t need as much water as once thought. Tesselaar

also references heat and drought tolerance studies at the Dallas Arboretum and the Department of Horti-

culture and Landscape Architecture at Colorado University (CO).

Dr. Ed Brotak’s article, ”Science Matters: Proving Drought,” in the same issue of Horticulture discuss-

es the botany or “how it works” of plant ET and water take up from the soil. As plant leaves release wa-

ter through ET, this release cause negative pressure that travels to the roots which act as suction that

frees water molecules from soil particles. “When a plant is releasing more water than it is able to replace

from the soil, it shuts its pores, creating a loss of [turgon] pressure that results in a limp, wilted appear-

ance” (p. 44). Brotak discusses weather factors in plants’ hydration process—sunlight, temperative, rela-

tive humidity, wind; he also discusses soil types and how rainfall (or lack thereof) affects ET.

Mary-Kate Mackey’s article “Planting a Dryland Garden” describes the Eugene, Oregon (drought condi-

tions? Yes!) xeric gardens of Marietta and Ernie O’Byrne and includes many drought tolerant plants (MKM

plants in the Drought Tolerant Plant List). They have created a “spectacular unthirsty landscape” at their

Northwest Garden Nursery (a source of xeric or drought-tolerant plants by the way). Ernie builds up one

foot tall mounds with 9” of sharp sand plus 3” of gravel on top of one foot of “quarter-ten” gravel. He

plants directly into the rocks in spring and fall and lets the roots get established. See the discussion (p.

9) of Beth Chatto’s gravel bed for something very similar to O’Byrne’s.

Seth Hogan’s Cistus Nursery (another source of drought-tolerant plants) in Sauvie Islands, fifteen

miles form Portland, Oregon is described in Kym Pokorny’s article “Oregon’s Plant Geek Extraordinaire.”

American Gardener (March/April 2011): 28-33). Hogan specializes in plants from South Africa, the Amer-

ican Southwest, Mexico, and South America. He coined the phrase “zonal denial,” which means “the abil-

ity to create any texture, look, or feel, however exotic, with plants that thrive in one’s own climate” (p.

28). The article includes descriptions of several plants suitable for growing in DE: Ceanothus, Cupresus

auzonica, Delosperma, Ficus caries, Opuntia, Tetrapanaxthe, Trachelo spermum. Hogan is also one of the

authors of Flora: A Gardener’s Encyclopedia. 2 vols. Timber Press, 2003.

The final article to be summarized here, Carol Bornstein’s “Water-Thrifty Buckwheats,” in The American

Gardener [vol. 90, no. 4(July/August 2011):14-19], is a lengthy discussion of Eriogonum spp American

native and two dozen perennial species. Buckwheats are useful for erosion control, edging, ground co-

vers, informal hedges, focal points, billowy shapes, rock gardens, mixed borders, and meadow and prai-

rie gardens. They grow in California and the Southwest in dry, sun drenched, rocky sites and flower in

summer and fall. They need to be chosen according to climate zone, and some are quite suitable for

colder climates: Eriogonum umbellatum (Sulfur Buckwheat) which forms prostrate mats to 18” by 3’;

E.u. var.aureum ‘Kannah Creek,” which is a groundcover with bright green leaves and huge yellow um-

brels; E.u.var.humistratum ‘Shasta Sulphur’ which forms a dense mound with yellow flowers; E. allenii

which is a shale barrens Buckwheat native to the Eastern U.S. The other, western varieties, might be dif-

ficult to find commercially.

Mentioned in this article are the following: Anthony Tesselaar. “Science Matters: Proving Drought Tolerance.” Horticulture vol. 108,

no. 5 (July/August 2011):28-29 [AT]; Dr. Ed Brotak.” A Drop to Drink: Keeping Track of How Plants use—and Lose—Water,” Horti-

culture , pp. 42-45; Mary-Kate Mackey. “Planting a Dryland Garden,” Horticulture, pp. 46-51 [MKM]; Carol Bornstein.”Water-

Thrifty Buckwheats.” The American Gardener vol. 90, no. 4 (July/August 2011): 14-19; Kym Pokorny. “Oregon’s Plant Geek Ex-

traordinaire.” The American Gardener (March/April 2011):28-33. Other sources of information can be found in Robert Nold. High

and Dry: Gardening with Cold-Hardy Dryland Plants. Timber Press, 2008; Beth Chatto references below; Jennifer Bennett. Dry-Land

Gardening: A Xeriscaping Guide for Dry-Summer, Cold-Winter Climates. Firefly Books, 1998.≠


`Xeriscape in Delaware?

[by Anna Miller]

Many people think of xeriscape as involving some very specialized planting practice restricted to areas with an arid

climate. The Greek word “xeris” meaning “dry”, conjures up images of cacti and gravel in the desert. But, according to

the Denver Water Company who coined the term in 1981, it refers mainly to the methods employed for efficient use of

water for landscaping, anywhere. The seven interconnected principles which define a xeriscape garden are:

1. Planning and design: Plants are not thrown together haphazardly but are planted only after careful and thought-

ful consideration for their needs and usages.

2. Limit turf usage: Lawns have a place in the home landscape. Nothing is more inviting than a nicely mown patch

of lawn to play on or to have a picnic; lawns also serve as a restive back drop for flower beds; we just don’t need acres

and acres of them.

3. Select and zone plants appropriately: Plants are healthiest if they fit in with the existing temperature and soil

moisture condition. In this instance, native plants are best since they have adapted and evolved to resist diseases and

to coexist with other species in the local environment.

4. Improve the soil: Use soil tests to determine existing nutrient levels and to provide proper nutrients based on the

tests’ recommendations. Use compost to amend and maintain the soil.

5. Use mulch: Mulch helps water retention and reduces weeds. It also plays a role in preventing soil erosion.

6. Irrigate, water efficiently: Water infrequently and deeply and only when required. It is better to use water on an

as needed basis rather than a fixed schedule.

7. Maintain the landscape: Plants’ health care is very like that of human’s: it’s not a one time deal. It needs ongoing

tender loving care. Consider how many different species well being depends on that of the plants; it’s a very small price

to pay for so much benefits.

From these guidelines, many of us are already practitioners. The Native Teaching Garden here at the Extension quali-

fies as an exemplary xeriscape garden. It is well designed, full of lush and colorful native plants; its water use is kept

to a minimum level; and a well organized group of Master Gardener keeps up with its routine maintenance. One extra

point that goes beyond the principles of xeriscaping: the garden also supports a diverse range of wild life. Any and all

who want to can enter this inviting oasis and share their presence with that of nature.

For further reading - Useful Xericape Links:

http://www.unitedwater.com/delaware/delaware-xeriscape.aspx

http://ag.udel.edu/extension/horticulture/pdf/hyg/hyg-81.pdf



http://ag.udel.edu/extension/horticulture/pdf/hyg/hyg-81.pdf



A Drought Garden

Given the erratic pattern of our summers—climate change seems to provide drenched then dry sum-

mers—are we going to continue dragging hoses and buckets, or running the sprinkler or soaker hose, or

turn on the automatic sprinkler system, to keep plants alive! Only a rhetorical question, you say? Or, do

we have to start thinking (and practicing) xeric gardening. Let’s look, for example. At what we might do

with a “driveway bed,” not very wide but certainly very long.

Start with ornamental grasses, coneflowers, rudbeckia, Echinacea, and Black-Eyed Susans. Add per-

haps some boltonia and perennial sunflowers (for late summer bloom), lots of small spring bulbs. Use

that favorite of Christopher Lloyd, Verbena bonariensis and some Forget-Me-Nots (and shake them both

out over the entire bed when they go to seed). Plant everything in broads sweeps or “drifts,” and then

mulch, and mulch, and mulch. ≠ [Editor]

[from an article by Mary Ruth Smith in the Upstate Gardeners’ Journal, vol.16, no.4 (July-August 2010): 18-19]

Mediterranean Sea Holly

By Alan Jewett

A plant I put in last year and that “thrives on neglect,” including drought, is Mediterranean Sea Holly,

such as Eryngium zabelli ‘Big Blue.’ Although not a native, Sea Holly does attract pollinators and pro-

vides a unique element because of its iridescent blue pinchushion blooms blue stems. There is a native

Eryngium (E.yuccifolium) ‘Rattlesnake Master’ that is also recommended for hardiness and landscape in-

terest but lacks the unique blue found in Mediterranean Sea Holly.≠

9 Plants that Thrive in Heat & Drought

Kristy Fergusson’s article “Vivales Anglais!” [BBC Gardens Illustrated issue 174 (June 2011):76-81)

describes nine plants that thrive in heat and drought: Oenothera stricta ’Sulphurea’ (obviously yellow

flowers; but self-seeds); Eremurus x isabellinus ‘Cleopatra’ (blooms in May-June, pink to red flowers on

tall spikes); Eryngium x tripartitum (which grows to 60cm); Centaurea ruthenica (which grows very tall

with yellow flowers); Allium carinatus subsp. Pulchellum (which is summer flowering); Salvia memorosa

‘Caradonna’ (which is upright, with dark blue-purple sterile flowers); Sedum ‘Abbeydore’; x Alcathaca

suffrutescens ‘Parkrondell’ (which is a tall, shrubby hollyhock); and Asphodeline liburnica (which has grey

foliage, star-shaped dark yellow flowers that bloom from midsummer). ≠


Book Review

[By Anne Boyd]

From Art to Landscape by W. Gary Smith,Timber Press, Portland, 2010

Many of you may remember Gary Smith from his time as a UD professor in CANR and will rejoice to see

his new book linking artistic inspiration to landscape design and vice versa. This is not a landscaping

how-to book; rather, it is a way to integrate artistic vision and landscape. Are you finding this confusing?

Smith uses drawing exercises such as walking through an area and pausing every 20 paces to sketch the

landscape, to help you see the changes of perspective in a new way.

Gardeners in our area may turn first to the chapters that deal with local projects, such as Peirce’s

Woods at Longwood Gardens and Winterthur’s Enchanted Woods.

So has Smith inspired me to keep a sketchpad in my hand instead of weeding tools? Not yet. But his

book keeps drawing me in; this is a book to dip into periodically for inspiration and an appreciation of

Gary Smith’s creativity.

W. Gary Smith’s painting of the Oak Hill section of Winterthur Garden

Book Note-- Last year we reviewed Brother Gardeners by Andrea Wulf, detailing the interactions be-

tween American botanists like John Bartram and the garden establishment in England and Europe. Now

Wulf has published Founding Gardeners, rooted firmly on this side of the Atlantic. In it she tells the

stories of the founding fathers as gardeners and proponents of the plants of north America. So, accord-

ing to Wulf, Washington created an all-American garden at Mount Vernon using only native species, thus

scooping our own JW by a couple of centuries!


LET’S GO SHOPPING

My friends and I love to go shopping. You could say we are experts in this field. We are also

Master Gardeners, from the class of 2011. We are going to visit nurseries and garden related re-

tail outlets in a fifty mile radius and publish our findings in the Master Gardeners’ Gazette. We

want to advise you of the great local places to shop and the trail we blazed to get there.

I met my shopper-mate at 12:30 p.m. sharp at the Half Moon Restaurant in Kennett Square,

PA. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon. We were ready for some good food and a pleasant

afternoon of shopping. You should also know that the store we were going to visit was having a

wine tasting with music provided by a local band. All the more reason to get going.

It was about a ten minute drive from the Half Moon to:

Home & Garden Culture, 907 E. Baltimore Pike, Kennett Square, PA 19348

Phone: 610-388-6300 Fax: 610-765-1057 Online Store: www.gardenculture.com

It had been over a year since I last visited Culture. The additions to their inventory were evi-

dent as soon as we entered the driveway consisting of: Fountains; Artwork; Sculptures; Outdoor

Furniture; Garden Accents; Seasonal Gifts; Bird Baths; Antiques; Containers; Very Limited Nurse-

ry Stock; Wrought Iron (They will order wrought iron products for you).

And, they have an inventory of previously owned items. I can’t explain all of them to you, but

I do remember the following: a pair of eight foot pink storks, a pair of silver painted horses a lit-

tle bit larger than you would find on a carousel, and many pieces of wrought iron fencing. It is a

unique inventory good for about two hours of browsing. We think you will enjoy it and probably

end up buying something.

One of the things that I find helpful at Culture is that you will be waited on by the Jerger’s who

are the owner/operators of Culture, and very helpful and pleasant people. If you are looking for

something that they don’t have, they will help you find it. They have many books to look through

and they will also search the market for the item you are looking for.

We recommend a visit. When planning your visit, call to see when they will be having a wine

tasting. The Kreutz Creek Winery supplied the wine for the day. My shopper-mate and I can rec-

ommend their Cab Franc and Rose. Both wines were very nice, and that is the way it should be

for an enjoyable Saturday afternoon.

Our rating for this store is:

Inventory: Eclectic: A must visit (very limited nursery stock)

Service: Excellent

Location: Easy to get to

Prices: All prices seem to reflect fair market value

Discounts can be negotiated based on $ volume

Wine: Free

On a side note: the Kreutz Creek Winery has music events throughout the Summer and Fall

under the big top and a $10.00 admission fee. It is a BYOF (Bring Your Own Food), lawn chairs or

blanket. You can buy your wine there. No other alcohol is permitted on their property. All music

is rain or shine!

As Roy and Dale used to say: HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU!! The Shoppers≠


In Defense of Books

[By Debbe Krape]

When creating a garden or renovating a landscape, few gardeners would think of spending a

chunk of the budget on books instead of plants. Money spent on books won’t show and may re-

strict how much can be done. Why buy books when there is copious free advice on the Internet?

One reason for not relying on the Internet is that it can be labyrinthine, somewhat akin to an

immense building with myriad hallways connecting an infinite number of rooms, all of which often

makes finding a coherent overview of a topic impossible. Additionally, available advice on the In-

ternet may be outdated or inaccurate, particularly if authorship is unknown. Selected books writ-

ten by respected horticulturalists can, on the other hand, provide thorough, well-researched, com-

prehensive information, and, despite occasionally palpitation-causing prices, can be valuable re-

sources for professional as well as home gardeners.

Permanent elements in gardens and landscapes are usually layered from canopy trees, down

through understory trees, to woody shrubs and perennials. Having books on hand that address

the selection, placement, and care of these plants not only aids the process, but helps avoid costly

mistakes. Prices of the following books are easily justified by savings in time, money, effort, and

plants.

Since trees and woody shrubs provide the overall framework for a garden or landscape, Michael

Dirr’s Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Cul-

ture, Propagation, and Uses is considered the horticultural bible. Now in its sixth edition, this

manual gives thorough, detailed information about hundreds of plants. To aid plant identification,

Dirr begins with a brief discussion of plant morphology and an explanation of plant classification

and nomenclature. More than a thousand pages follow with detailed entries accompanied by line

drawings about plants from Abelia x grandiflora to Zanthoxylum americanum. Thorough enough

for horticultural professionals, the information is accessible to home gardeners as well. The price

of the Manual of Woody Landscape Plants is equal to, and sometimes less than, the cost of a well-

grown tree or specimen shrub. Money saved on the proper selection, care, and placement of one

plant—and what gardener buys only one?—justifies the cost of this book.

Perennials, the lowest layer, not only populate areas in and around trees and shrubs, but also

make up sunny beds and borders. A gardener can choose from several excellent books about per-

ennials depending on what he or she needs. When Perennials Bloom, by Tomasz Aniśko, Curator

of Plants at Longwood Gardens, begins with useful information about perennials in general: types,

both morphological and developmental; the factors affecting bloom time; perennials’ responses to

the environment; and basic principles of care. Detailed discussion and abundant photographs

(continued next page)


of specific plants comprise the bulk of the book. Accompanying these entries are small graphs

depicting a plant’s bloom period. At the end of the book, Aniśko simplifies the creation of a plan

for continuous bloom throughout the growing season with bar graphs that depict the often over-

lapping bloom times of all of the plants.

For the gardener less in need of detailed information about plants and their bloom times, but

uncertain of how to combine plants, a small book by Tom Fischer, 100 Dazzling Plant Combina-

tions for Every Season, proves quite useful. Shorter and happily less expensive, Fischer’s book is

filled with stunning photographs of these combinations by the appropriately named Richard

Bloom and Adrian Bloom.

The Well-Designed Mixed Garden, by Tracy DiSabato-Aust, is the ideal resource for the gar-

dener needing both horticultural information and design guidance. Subtitled Building Beds and

Borders with Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Annuals, and Bulbs, DiSabato-Aust’s book is in two

parts: the first devoted to design principles and possible plant combinations, and the second

comprised of two very useful appendices. Appendix A is a list of the scientific and common

names of perennials, while the longer Appendix B is a comprehensive, alphabetically-arranged

chart of the design characteristics of plants, followed by lists of plants with specific qualities in-

cluding color, texture, fruit, foliage, and form. These lists are in turn sub-divided by categories

like tree, shrub, and vine, as well as by season, height, fragrance, appeal to wildlife, and other

useful characteristics.

Finally, as all gardeners know, things can go wrong even in the most thoughtfully planned

and conscientiously tended garden—insects show up and disease symptoms appear. Aggrega-

tions of digital photographs at various sites on the Internet facilitate identification of insects.

Diseases are trickier: different pathogens can present similar signs and symptoms and a single

pathogen can produce various effects. Dirr does a good job of describing pathogens that attack

woody plants and shrubs, but for threats to perennials, Diseases of Herbaceous Perennials from

the American Phytopathological Society is invaluable. Beginning with a brief, but thorough, over-

view of the diagnosis and management of diseases, the authors then identify twelve categories

of pathogens, their signs and symptoms, and their ecology and management. Following this

overview, the authors discuss these diseases in detail by host plant genus. The wealth of photo-

graphs of affected plants is a useful tool for both home gardeners and professionals when diag-

nosing problems. Treatment and management options are spelled out in the accompanying text.

Although the combined list price of these books is about $250, having these books available

for easy, frequent reference is an insurance policy, lessening the risk of poor choices, improper

placement, and inadequate care while providing greater assurance that the time money, and ef-

fort invested in a garden are well spent.≠


Review Essay: Beth Chatto’s The Gravel Garden

Like her Drought Resistant Planting (2000) and her later book The Dry Garden (1998), Beth

Chatto’s The Gravel Garden (Frances Lincoln, 2000) discusses drought-resistant planting on her

own three/quarter acre compacted and gravelly soil site in Essex, England. A former car park,

where the soil was first broken up (the gravelly soil is 20’ deep, overlaying clay), the site was

thickly spread with compost. From these conditions she produced a garden where plants survive

virtually without watering. Through trial and error, over time, she sorted the most reliable plants.

As we face a future of water conservation and shortages, along with poor soil, Chatto’s lessons

should be learned early.

The first 161pp are devoted to the gravel garden. The last 20pp are devoted to the Scree Gar-

den planted in fall 1999. This is five raised beds, tilted westward to catch the sun, which are filled

with small plants that would be “out of scale” in the main Gravel Garden and require sun and well-

drained soil (by which she means what we would call “run-of-bank gravel”). These five beds were

supplemented with compost, bonfire waste, and clean topsoil. The plants put in the Scree Garden

are listed (pp. 184-5) and include verticals, accent plants, flat creepers and sprawlers, and bulb-

ous plants—all gathered in terms of providing structure, accents, dominance, shape, strong verti-

cals and lots of sedums and other Alpine plants.

The bulk of the book is organized around the seasons (with three separate chapters devoted to

summer). Within each chapter sub-sections are organized around either plants (e.g., “Fascinating

Fritillaries,” “Wild Tulips and April Showers,” and “Electrifying Euphorbias”) or specific topics (e.g.,

“Pruning and Grooming”). The short sections on species tulips and euphorbias are especially in-

formative. “Summer Abundance,” for example, is divided into three sections emphasizing Grass

species and wild plants, but also mentioning favored Oriental Poppies. Those familiar with mead-

ow and prairie plantings will find many recognizable plants: Achillea, Cat mint, Verbascum bomby-

ciferum, wild gladiolus, Linaria, Alcea rugosa (wild hollyhock); early summer plants like Allium

moly, lavender, Kniphofia, Oriental Poppy, Centaurea, Verbena bonariensis, Helianthemum, Sta-

chys, Perovskia; and high summer plants like Mexican Feather Grass, Daisy flowers (Anthemis

tinctoria),Eryngium giganteum ‘Miss Wilmot’s Ghost,’ Stachys, Perovskia, etc.

Her list of “basic plants in the gravel garden (pp. 182-3) includes many we already know and

use in Zone 7: Tall Verticals—Alcea rugosa, Echinops spaerocephasus, Eremurus stenophyllus, Er-

emurus cultivars, Kniphofia, Lilium canadidum, Nepeta nuda subsp., Verbascum bombyciferum,

Verbena bonariensis, Yucca gloriosa; Medium-sized plants—Agapanthus, Allium spp., Alstromeria

cultivars, Eryngium, Gaura, Kniphofia, Linaria, Lychnis, Salvia spp.; Vertical grasses—

Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster,’ Helictotrichon sempervirens, Miscanthus sinesis, Stipa

calamagrostis, Stipa gigantean, Stipa tenuissima; Short Upright Plants—Kniphofia, Nepeta¸Salvia

nemorosa; Annuals—Papaver commutatum, Papaver rhoeas, Papaver somniferum; Large

Shrubs—Ceanothus, Cotoneaster, Lespedeza, Lonicera, Rhus typhina, Ribes speciosum; Smaller

Shrubs—Caryopteris, Lavandula; Bulbs—Allium, Anemone blanda, Chionodoxa, Colchicum, Crocus

spp., Fritillaria, Galanthus, Gladiolus communis, Scilla. [Editor] ≠

For information, contact

University of Delaware Cooperative Extension

New Castle County Office

461 Wyoming Road, Room 131

Newark, DE 19716-1303

(302) 831-2667

http://ag.udel.edu/nccmg

Carrie J. Murphy, Extension Educator, Horticulture

Editorial Board: Susan Amadio, Bob Deming (Editor), Bill

Huxtable (Photo Editor), Cornelia Weil (Copy Editor), Pat Jack-

son, Meg MacDonald, Carmela Simons, Anne Boyd (Book Re-

view Editor)

Deadlines for articles in our quarterly issues are the se-

cond of each of these months: February, May, August,

November

It is the policy of the Delaware Cooperative Extension System that

no person shall be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of

race, color, sex, disability, age or national origin.

(Heat and) Drought-Tolerant Plants

The symbols AT, CO and MKM refer to the three articles mentioned in the lead article where these individual plants are described in detail. Please see the full articles for complete information.

Flower Carpet roses (AT)

Soleil Petunia (AT)

Storm Agapanthus (AT)

Tuxedo ceanothus (California lilac) (AT)

Bonfire Begonias (AT)

Festival Burgundy cordline (AT)

Tropicana Cannas (AT)

‘Peppermint Cooler’ vinca (CO)

‘Indian Summer’ Black-Eyed Susan (CO)

‘Silver Dust’ dusty miller (CO)

‘Inca Yellow’ marigold (CO)

‘Bonanza Gold’ Zinna (CO) [all of the following plants are mentioned in MKM (Mary-Kate Mackey)] A cactus—Opuntia acanthocarpa

Penstemon

Sedums

Oregon Sunshine (Eriophyllum lanatum)

California poppies (Eschschoizia californica)

Blue Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella damascena)

Hens & Chicks (Sempervirum spp.)

Mat Forming Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbel-

latum)—yellow, low (Zones 4-8)

Netleaf Oak (Quercus rugosa)-western na-

tive; 30’; Sun

Mexican Feather Grass (Nasella tenuissima)

Sun; panicles in summer; Zones 5-10

Yucca schottii—3’ white flowers; Summer

bloom, Sun, Zones 6-9

Hummingbird Mint (Agastache ‘Ava’) Sun to

partial shade, Zone 5-10

Agave parryi—patterned blue foliage; Sun;

Zones 4-10

Gladiolus tristis—spring bloom, pale cream

flowers

Desert Candles (Eremurus hybrids)—to 6’,

‘Cleopatra,’ Zones 5-8

Wild Buckwheat (Eriogonum jamesii)—a one

foot shrub

Helleborus x sternii –grey-green foliage;

pink-white flowers; early Spring (Zones 5-8)

Fern Leaf Peony (Paeonia tenuifolia)—ruby

red flowers; Spring; Zones 5-8

Giant Sea Holly (Eryngium giganteum)—

biennial; self sows ‘Miss Wilmott’s Ghost’

Brodiaea

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