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Euphoribia Resenferia
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Lady Slipper
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Dear Craig,

I’m hoping that you can help me. It seems that everywhere I go, the plants all look the same. I’m tired of the monotony of sage, ruellia, bougainvillea and lantana. My question is, are there plants that can spark up an old look? I crave plantings that are unusual or different and can make my yard seem distinctive from all the others.

Barbara in Peoria

Dear Barbara,

It is funny that you should bring up this subject. Just today I was talking about the plant materials used in the current landscape styles. Yes, overall they are very similar and there is not a lot of variety, with the exception of a few new cultivars of the same old plants. For example, Leucophyllum or sage started with the grey Texas Ranger and now have several cultivars. But that’s really not much of a change. Although the foliage and flower may be slightly different, the look of the landscape is still similar.

The reason plantings look so much the same is because they are. Horticulturists have quit growing many of the ornamentals, and some other near native plants we installed 20 years ago. This has occurred mainly because homeowner association restrictions have caused a greater demand for low‑water native and near‑native plants. And they have restricted or denied the use of many other great plants, some which are very beneficial to home gardens. This trend follows the basic economic rule of supply and demand. I can’t for the life of me figure out why back yards with six‑foot walls that hide your private space should have any restrictions, other than maybe tall‑growing palms and large trees in areas that are near mountain views, but that’s an entirely different subject.

I’m not sure if you have homeowner association restrictions or not, but here are some plants that can add drama and accent or spice up an ordinary look. These plants are generally accepted with many associations’ guidelines.

Lady slipper - Chinese finger aloe - Agave horrida spp. - Madagascar - Euphorbia resinferia - Agave americana medio picta alba

Boojum tree - Tree bear grass - Totem pole - Gopher plant

Other ways to make common plants stand out and show a little drama is the use of mass plantings, or clusters. For example, instead of planting a single barrel cactus, especially when using golden barrels, place several in a group. As the plants mature, they grow together and create a super specimen. I personally have a mass planting of 30 to 40 golden barrels in my back yard. These cacti look like a golden sea against the dark green foliage of my background shrubs. Try mass plantings of euphorbia resenferia, mamalaria, gopher spurge, rain lily, twin flower agave, and aloes.

Mixtures also work well. I’ve seen a mixture of white mamalarias and golden barrels combined in mass. When the plants matured, they had a brilliant, colorful look like golden balls floating in a bed of cotton. This was an eye opener for me. I thought it was very creative and an unusual way to use plants in design.

For areas that do not have homeowner association restrictions, the choices are almost endless. Here are a few.

Mediterranean fan palm - Jelly palm - Brhea palm - Kumquat tree - Angel trumpet (for shade areas only) -

Japanese maple (in those shaded, wind‑protected areas) - Crepe myrtle - Cardboard Sago - Pineapple guava

Blue point junipers - Bamboo - Bamboo rush - Iris

If I had my way with garden design, I would allow so much more when it comes to plantings. I believe that your own private space should reflect your lifestyle with ambiance and pleasure to your senses.

Craig Allison is a registered landscape architect with more than 30 years of landscaping and nursery experience. He previously held positions as a Faculty Associate at Arizona State University’s School of Landscape Architecture and taught design at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix. Listen to Craig and call in Sunday mornings from 8 to 9 a.m. on KFNX 1100 AM talk radio.

If you have landscape or garden questions you would like answered, e‑mail your questions to AskCraig@carefreegardens.net or fax your questions to Carefree Gardens “Ask Craig” at (623) 742‑7216. Past articles can be found at www.thecarefreegardener.tv.

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