Common name: Sweet Acacia
Botanical name: Acacia farnesiana

Sweet Acacia is a 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. The bloom is heaviest in the spring and may continue intermittently throughout summer and fall. It is evergreen in mild winters. Soil tolerant even poorly drained. Branches are armed with paired spines to 2".

Common name: Desert Encelia
Botanical name: Encelia farinosa

This deciduous mounding shrub typically has gray leaves that can reach 5' tall and wide. However, the leaves will turn white in drought conditions. Bright yellow 1" wide daisies appear in spring and summer. There is rapid growth following rain but this shrub is short-lived. Individual plants will reseed to repopulate. It does well in hot areas but cannot tolerate clay soils due to root rot. It will become overgrown and fragile if over watered.

Common name: Golden Barrel Cactus
Botanical name: Echinocactus grusonii

Golden Barrel Cactus has a globe shaped trunk and vertical ribs lined with thick rows of golden spines. It grows slowly to 3' tall. It looks handsome in containers. It can thrive in full sun but prefers some shade in low desert. This cactus prefers well drained soil and rots with poor drainage.

Common name: Hedge Cactus
Botanical name: Cereus hildmannianus

Cereus hildmannianus is an imposing plant with many dull green to bluish-green branches, reaching a height of 30 feet (9 m) or more. The stems usually have 5 or 6 ribs and a diameter of about 6 inches (15 cm), with slight constrictions which mark the end of one year's growth and the start of the next. Older plants usually have a short woody trunk below the lowest branches, but sometimes this is lacking. The spines are variable, with most plants in cultivation having very short spines, while some forms have longer ones.

Common name: Red Rose Penstemon
Botanical name: Penstemon superbus

Red Rose Penstemon has vivid coral flowers along 4' tall stalks in spring. Leaves are gray green, glaucous, 4"long, and 1.5" wide. Hummingbirds love this plant. It does well in desert areas but needs regular water in summer.

Common name: Red Bird of Paradise
Botanical name: Caesalpinia pulcherrima

With showy orange-red flowers and bright red stamens during summer, this is an excellent plant for tropical designs. It is also useful in desert settings, complete with infrequent, deep supplemental water. Following bloom period, brown pods appear on the shrub and sometimes "explode" creating percussion sounds in your landscape. Foliage is evergreen, fern-like, green colored turning red in winter. It can grow to 6'-15' tall and wide. It is best if cut to the ground in early spring to regenerate new stems. Ripe seeds are poisonous. Growth is rapid in summer. It prefers good drainage and full sun. Additional Common Name: Dwarf Poincia