Common name: Sweet Acacia
Botanical name: Acacia farnesiana

Large thorny shrub or small tree has a soft texture as a result of its finely divided leaves. Bright yellow flowers have a light, sweet fragrance. Bloom is heaviest in the spring and may continue intermittently throughout summer and fall. Evergreen in mild winters. Branches are armed with paired spines to 2". Flowering can be impaired by cold.

Common name: Baja Fairy Duster
Botanical name: Calliandra californica

Baja fairy duster grows to about 5' x 5'. Plants are evergreen in climates without frost. Red powderpuff blooms are most abundant in spring, but continue into fall. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Good as an informal hedge. May be sold as Calliandra peninsularis.

Common name: Parry's Agave
Botanical name: Agave parryii

Agave has compact rosette form and grows slowly to about 2' x 2'. Leaves are grey-green, wedge-shaped and leave distictive impressions on the upper leaves as they grow. Particularly decorative. After several years will send up a flower stalk with bright yellow flowers in the summer. Like all agaves it will die after flowering. Very cold hardy. Accepts full sun. Native to Arizona and Chihuahuan Desert.

Common name: Blackfoot Daisy
Botanical name: Melampodium leucanthum

Small mounding perennial grows quickly to 1' x 2'. White daisylike flowers with yellow centers cover the plant nearly year-round The leaves are narrow and gray-green. Accepts full sun or partial shade but blooms better in the sun. Bright and colorful groundcover. Plant in well-drained soil. Native to the southwest U.S. and Mexico.

Common name: Desert Bluebells
Botanical name: Phacelia companularia

Desert annual grows to 1' x 1'. Brillian blue bell-shaped flowers appear in spring. Sow seeds in fall or plant from containers to get specatular spring color. Leaves can irritate skin.