Blue Grama Grass, Bouteloua gracilis

Blue Grama Grass, Bouteloua gracilis

Full Sun
Low Water

Mature Size: 4-12”

Blue Grama is another warm season grass that thrives in New Mexico. Its thin pale green blades give a Blue Grama lawn a pleasing, fine texture. Its distinctive seed heads, which appear in mid to late summer, resemble tiny purplish eyelashes. Blue Grama thrives in hot microclimates, and it’s tough enough to survive subzero winter weather. It establishes most quickly in well drained soil. A dense lawn of Blue Grama will need watering only about once a week during the hottest summer months. Blue Grama establishes itself faster than Buffalo Grass, so the two species are often combined to quickly form a thick, drought-tolerant lawn.

Prairie Zinnia, Zinnia grandiflora

Prairie Zinnia, Zinnia grandiflora

Full Sun
Rainwater Only

Mature Size: 4”X 6”
Blooming Season: Summer
Flower Color: Yellow

This diminutive wildflower thrives in some of the most inhospitable terrain imaginable. This plant can be a challenge to get  established,  but it will delight you with its bright yellow flowers in late summer. Prairie Zinnia is long lived and spreads slowly by rhizomes. This plant has interesting needle like foliage on trailing stems. It won’t green up until early summer arrives, so be patient. Once it starts to bloom it’s colorful through summer and early autumn.

Wooly Speedwell, Veronica pectinata

Wooly Speedwell, Veronica pectinata

Full Sun, Part Shade
Medium Water

Mature Size: 3”X 18”
Blooming Season: Early Spring
Flower Color: Blue

Speedwell is unique because of its dense growing wooly gray green foliage. The 4-inch-tall spikes of deep blue flowers with a white eye appear in early spring usually a few weeks before Veronica liwanensis. A good rebloomer in late summer when given encouragement with a bit of extra water. A very vigorous, long bloomer when planted into good garden soils enriched with compost.

Verbena, Verbena peruviana

Verbena, Verbena peruviana

Full Sun
Medium Water

Mature Size: 9”X 18”
Blooming Season: Summer
Flower Color: Lavender to Red

Verbena is a vigorous spreading ground cover. Extensive trials across the U. S. have proven its value as a heat-loving, profuse- blooming favorite. The large bright lavender-purple flower clusters keep coming all summer. Let it go dry as fall comes to a close to harden off for winter. Makes a colorful foundation for taller growing perennials like Achillea “Moonshine” and Coreopsis “Sunray.”

Prostrate Sumac, Rhus trilobata ‘autumn amber’

Prostrate Sumac, Rhus trilobata ‘autumn amber’

Full Sun
Low Water

Mature Size: 2’X 6’+
Blooming Season: Early spring
Flower Color: Yellow

‘Autumn Amber’ is a low-spreading form of Threeleaf Sumac with a similarly clean appearance and equally tough disposition. Covered with tiny honey-scented flowers in spring, crisp green leaves turning rusty gold in autumn and smooth purplish stems in winter, a few plants can replace a front lawn using a fraction of the water and none of the mowing time.