Type: Deciduous Shrub
Exposure: Full Sun
Water Use: Low
Mature Size: 1’-2’ x 2’-3’ Mexican blue sage is a semi-evergreen, silvery-blue flowering perennial that holds its mounding shape well. It’s a heavy bloomer in the spring and early fall, with leaves that emit a spicy fragrance. Mexican blue sage does well in all soils, even clay.
Type: Deciduous shrub
Exposure: Full Sun
Water Use: Medium
Mature Size: 4’ x 4’
The flowering quince is a winter showstopper, producing spectacular blooms well before anything else starts to green up for spring. This shrub’s apple-like blossoms, ranging in color from pink to coral to red, grace elegant arching branches that make beautiful cut flower arrangements. Long oblong leaves fill in after bloom time is over. Be sure to give it some space in your garden, as the stems are thorny.
Flowering quince is surprisingly easy to grow and will thrive on a modest water budget once established.
(Photo Courtesy of Texas Smart Scape.)
Exposure: Full shade in the Albuquerque area
Water: Medium
Height and Spread: 2’ x 6’
Blooming Season: Spring
Region: All Areas
A great shade loving plant for the Fall and Winter months, Coralberry is best planted where water collects in the yard. It can be found along stream beds, making it a great plant for beneath the runoff of down spouts. Lined with pink flowers in the summer and pink berries in the winter, Coralberry is a great used underneath trees. Their foliage keeps the soil cooler for tree roots. The stems of this plant arch when loaded with berries and will root where they touch the ground, making more plants. Deep water established plants twice a month for vigorous growth in drier gardens.
Exposure: Sun / Shade
Water: Medium
Mature Size (H x W): 5’ x 5’
Blooming Season: June - September
Flower Color: Purple
Region: All areas of Greater Albuquerque
Noted for its ability to handle alkaline soils, the Dwarf Butterfly Bush is a magnet for its namesake garden visitors, including the majestic Monarch. Some gardeners consider these the absolute best plants for attracting butterflies (though Asclepias is a strong contender for that award), as they are known to attract as many as 25 North American butterfly species. Panicles nearly 6” long emit a light fragrance vaguely reminiscent of honey, and produce a nectar that attracts not only butterflies, but hummingbirds!
Like most plants, the Dwarf Butterfly Bush is most susceptible to pests and disease if stressed by drought. Irrigate these plants according to our Watering Guidelines (look to the middle of the range recommended for shrub irrigation frequency). Tolerant of urban pollution, this plant prefers well-drained soils. To best take advantage of the fragrant flowers, locate these in groups along a path or near a window or porch, or in the front of a bed where their petite size can be appreciated. And take heart, these will not require pruning like the standard Butterfly Bush.
In recent years, breeders have produced plants with a variety of flower colors and mature sizes. Look for cultivars including “Nanho Blue,” which has mauve-blue flowers, and “Nanho Purple,” which has a more traditional, distinctively purple flower. Enjoy a cascade of flowers from June to September.
Photo Courtesy of Hunter Ten Broeck with WaterWise Landscapes Inc.
Exposure: Full Sun
Water: Rainwater
Mature Size: (H x W): 10’ x 10’
Blooming Season: Spring
Flower Color: Yellow
Region: All parts of the Greater Albuquerque area except the East Mountains
A member of the pea family, the Whitethorn Acacia is long-lived and able to survive only on rainwater in the Albuquerque area. It becomes either a large shrub or small tree. Naturally occurring on rocky slopes and drainage washes from Arizona to Texas at elevations from 1,500 to 6,000 feet, Whitethorn Acacia produces fragrant, yellow puffball flowers from April through June that develop into 2”-5” long capsules with clear constrictions between the beans (thus the Latin name). Branches range from dark grey to reddish-brown, with a distinctive zigzag shape and deciduous, fern-like foliage. Whitethorn Acacia is hardy to -10 degrees.
Site this plant with an understanding of mature size, and a realization that pruning will require interaction with numerous slender, white spines. With diligence, it can be pruned into a small tree that casts filtered shade. Well-adapted to life in an arid location, the Whitethorn Acacia will not produce leaves or flowers during drought. It’s a great plant for wildlife, as the flowers attract butterflies and bees and the seed pods are favored by quail.
This versatile plant, whether trained as a small tree or allowed to grow naturally as part of a low-maintenance buffer, asks for little and gives much. Select it for any of its numerous positive qualities, including its showy flowers, whimsical form, and excellent drought tolerance.
Exposure:
Full Sun, Part Shade
Water: Medium+
Mature Size (H x W): 6’ x 6’
Blooming Season: Spring
Flower Color: Yellow
Region: All areas of the greater Albuquerque area
As the seasons begin to change and the signs of Spring appear in the landscape, be on the lookout for a remarkable shrub with small, fragrant yellow flowers: the Golden Currant. A native to New Mexico moisture catchments at elevations from 2,500 to 8,000 feet, this plant is suitable for many Albuquerque landscape situations if sited and cared for properly.
A standout in terms of multi-season interest, fragrance and wildlife garden value, Ribes aureum has few botanical peers. In late Spring, five-petaled flowers - with a scent said to resemble the aroma of cloves or vanilla - attracts hummingbirds and monarch butterflies. The flowers develop into edible currants, a favorite of birds, which by June will mature from a red color to deep blue. Small green leaves turn a bright red in autumn before falling.
Tips for success: Golden Current may succeed in sunny or shaded locations, but will require less irrigation (link to new Efficient Irrigation Consultation tab) in lower elevations if sited in at least partial shade. However, it is likely to fruit most heavily in sunnier locations. Golden Current is adaptable to a wide range of soil types, but is not tolerant of salt. It also benefits from a substantial layer of organic mulch for moisture retention. Water every few weeks in summer. It may try to spread via suckers so be careful when choosing a location.
A useful specimen in any edible or wildlife garden, Ribes aureum is also suitable for the edge of a rain garden or beneath a shade tree. Grow it for its ornamental properties or simply for the fruit, which can be eaten raw or used in juices, jams or pies.