(Shamel Ash)

The evergreen American ash, also called the Shamel ash, is a large evergreen timber tree from Mexico and Central America. This tall, upright tree has a dense, broad, rounded canopy that casts welcome shade throughout the year in warm, mild climates.

Its lush and glossy compound leaves are dark green and have five to nine (often seven) long, tapered leaflets with toothed edges. Evergreen American ash is dioecious, which means trees have either all male or all female flowers. The inconspicuous...

(Arizona Ash, Velvet Ash)

Steadfast and reliable in extreme heat, the Arizona ash is a tall, deciduous shade tree that has a pyramidal shape when young and develops a spreading, rounded canopy when mature. Native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, it naturally inhabits stream sides or low pockets in canyons.

The compound leaves emerge light green and velvety and turn leathery and gray-green as they age. They have three to five leaflets with fuzzy gray-green undersides. In fall the foliage turns shades...

(Fan-Tex Arizona Ash, Velvet Ash)

This seedless Arizona ash was selected by Selected by Eddie Fanick of San Antonio, Texas and was first made available in 1962. It is valued for its attractive glossy foliage, rapid growth rate and uniformly symmetrical crown.

Steadfast and reliable in extreme heat, the Arizona ash is a tall, deciduous shade tree that has a pyramidal shape when young and develops a spreading, rounded canopy when mature. Native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, it naturally inhabits stream...

(Modesto Arizona Ash, Velvet Ash)

This old cultivar was developed at Stribling's Nursery in Merced, California, and was first made available in 1948. It is valued for its attractive glossy foliage, rapid growth rate and broad spreading crown. It is a male clone, so it is not fruit producing.

Steadfast and reliable in extreme heat, the Arizona ash is a tall, deciduous shade tree that has a pyramidal shape when young and develops a spreading, rounded canopy when mature. Native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico,...

(California Flannelbush)

Golden yellow flowers and felted evergreen leaves make this California native shrub a winner for water-conservation landscapes. Fast-growing and resilient in arid landscapes, it naturally grows in desert scrub, chaparral and open pine forests. Mature plants develop an irregular, open crown and short trunk.

The thick, lobed leaves of flannelbush are rich green to gray-green and fully evergreen. When growing conditions are wetter the leaves grow larger, while arid conditions cause smaller foliage....

(Michailovski Fritillary)

Offering some of the most striking flowers of the Fritillaria tribe, this native of subalpine meadows in northeastern Turkey bears cup-shaped, chocolate-purple, yellow-rimmed flowers in early to mid-spring. The solitary blooms nod atop calf-high stems furnished with lance-shaped, blue-green leaves. Plants go dormant soon after blooming. They grow from small rounded bulbs with fleshy scales.

Like many other fritillarias, this one does best in fertile, well-drained soil and full sun. Plant...

(Persian Fritillary)

One of the largest of its tribe, Persian fritillary produces generous clusters of showy flowers in spring. An herbaceous perennial that grows from a large fleshy skunk-scented bulb, it's native from Iran to the Near East. Sturdy erect stems with numerous horizontal, lance-shaped, gray-green leaves break ground in late winter or early spring. The waxy leaves twist like propeller blades. The stems terminate in a long conical cluster of drooping bell-shaped flowers. Flower color ranges from coppery...

(Blanketflower)

Blanket flowers sport the warm colors of hand woven Native American blankets. There are approximately 17 species that make up this genus. They are naturally distributed across much of the United States, Central America and northern South America and favor open sunny meadows, prairies and uplands.

Gaillardia may be annual or perennial. All are clump-forming and some spread slowly by rhizomes (rooted underground lateral stems). They are most commonly herbaceous, usually well-branched...

(Bijou Blanketflower, Blanketflower)

The carefree perennial blanketflower ‘Bijou’ is grown for its orange-red and yellow daisies that bloom all season. Its vibrant flowers first appear from compact clumps of gray-green, hairy, lance-shaped leaves in the late spring. Blooms draw butterflies in droves and will continue to appear into the fall if plants are regularly deadheaded.

Though blanketflowers tolerate average dry soil, they thrive in fertile soil with good drainage and even moisture. They also love the heat, so plant them in...

(Blanketflower, Dakota Reveille Blanketflower)

Grown for their spring-to-fall succession of large bright daisy-like blooms, blanket flowers are clump-forming, rangy, herbaceous perennials. The cultivar 'Dakota Reveille' bears "daisies" whose rays are double rather than single-petalled, giving a pompon effect. The yellow, burgundy-throated, trumpet-shaped rays are lime-green with red tips before opening. The solitary "daisies" perch on compact burgundy stems above hairy ovate grayish-green leaves.

Grow blanketflower in well-drained average...