Plants ideas for Landscaping

Water-wise gardens of the Southwest don't have to look barren. Gardeners can grow plants like strawberry pitaya cactus (Echinocereus enneacanthus), which bears showy magenta flowers.

Xeriscaping

Xeriscaping means landscaping to conserve water. It includes growing plants that need little water, irrigating efficiently, limiting areas of turf and mulching.

Glory of Texas

Glory of Texas (Thelocactus bicolor) flowers throughout the year. It's called "bicolored" for the red centers in its rosy-pink blooms.

Night-Blooming Cereus

Night-blooming cereus opens its fragrant, white flowers for just one night each summer. Rats and rabbits feast on the sprawling stems of this cactus, while many birds, coyotes and tortoises eat its red fruits.

Cacti Collection

The cacti in this garden at Quinta Mazatlan, a Texas nature center, can survive with less than 10 inches of annual rainfall. Some take many years to bloom; others won't bloom at all if the growing conditions aren't right.

Cactus Spines

Spines don't just protect cacti from hungry animals. They also help shade them so they can tolerate more heat and drought.

Horse Crippler Cactus

The cruel name of this cactus comes from its long, fierce spines. Pink, white or lavender flowers open from April to May, followed by red fruits.

Silver Spined Cactus

Rebutia krainziana, also called the crown cactus, has dark green stems studded with tiny silver spines. Scarlet flowers appear in the summer.

Using Cacti as a Living Wall

Cacti thrive in hot, sunny climates, where they can give structure to outdoor rooms. Some are hardier than others; check your plant's hardiness rating if you live where the winters are cold.

Use Native Plants

Landscaping with native plants and trees, such as wild olives, desert yaupons and Jerusalem thorns helps conserve water.

Star Cactus

Commonly called the star cactus or monk's hood, Astrophytum ornatum 'Mirabelli' looks star-shaped from above. It features large, lemon-yellow flowers.

Fishhook Pincushion Cactus

Also known as Graham’s nipple cactus, this desert native opens 1-inch pink blooms in spring and summer. Flowers fade to red fruits prized by desert wildlife. It grows 3 to 6 inches tall and 3 to 4 inches across.

Source: www.hgtv.com

Landscaping Tips

Though your home is your castle, there is no necessity to surround it with a moat. Here are 5 tips that will help you to make your landscaping feel more warm, welcoming and cozy.

1. Put some flowers nearby your entrance. Flowers make any area look more welcoming and attractive, so greeting your guests with Petunia, Snapdragon, Lily-of-the-Nile or some other garden flowers is always a great thing to do. What is more, to add some space between your house and the entrance, you can consider adding a little white fence. It will create an illusion that your front yard is bigger than it actually is. What is more, adding fence will create a great space for planting flowers to add some color and coziness.

2. Add rambling vines to make your yard look absolutely lovely. You can not deny that rambling vines always create romantic and even magical atmosphere. So why not to use this tip while decorating your yard?

3. To hide the unattractive driveway, consider adding some color, texture, and height. You can easily do it by adding various sorts of flowers. To start, create an island of green lawn right in the hub of a drive. Then add a couple of low boxwood hedges with flowers toward the back of your island.

4. If you want your yard to blossom and flourish bust still do not have enough time to maintain it, consider planting low-fuss lilies. Such flowers look absolutely gorgeous and come in the variety of rainbow hues, so you can pick the one you love most. What is more, low-fuss lilies do not care about the sort of soil, they love the sun and welcome hot, they do not afraid of drought. In other words, Crinums is an ideal flower for all those who are looking for low-maintenance solutions.

5. The last tip also touches the low-maintenance aspect. To make your life easier, group plantings into beds and islands. This will help you to avoid mowing and trimming around each individual plant, save a lot of time and even money.