May 2020: Plants, glorious plants

Part of making our house a home involves planting flowers and shrubs around our property. I enjoyed selecting specific plants for our courtyard, our front xeriscaped yard, and our backyard along the patio. Most of them survived but some didn't quite make it, so I dug them out and trashed them. Many of the plants featured below already existed when we moved into our home. I think we discovered a Garden of Eden this spring and summer!

A gorgeous Ocotillo cactus like this is what I really want in our yard, 

but they are too expensive, and the blooms and unpredictable. 

This one belongs to our corner neighbors.

Autumn Sage and pink and white desert plants below
are tucked between rocks in our backyard garden

Newly planted Purple Fountain Grass

Purple and yellow pastel colored Calibrachoa we planted

Bright red miniature roses adorn the backyard garden

Three English  Lavender shrubs we planted

Bird of Paradise tree

Pretty pink wildflowers grace the rocks

Desert shrubs in our backyard, including
Birds of Paradise and a yellow flowering shrub below

Yellow flowering Prickly Pear Cactus

A flaming Bird of Paradise

Fuchsia flowering Cholla Cactus

Yucca Cactus

Goldfinger Cinquefoil shrub that we planted

Guara Wandflowers that we planted in the courtyard
and in the front yard are my favorites after they bloom

                       Autumn Sage we planted in the courtyard

Our front yard in early spring

Memorial Day

These Silver Lace Vines hang abundantly over the back fence

Bright red Geranium plant I bought for our courtyard

Dainty yellow Columbine flowers sprung up in late spring

Our healthy Austrian Black Pine

Bird of Paradise

The Cholla Cactus in fuller bloom

Japanese Maple tree in the courtyard

Plumbago sprouting up (but not in bloom yet)
shaded under the Japanese Maple

Dark purple and yellow Calibrachoa that we planted in the courtyard

Purple Bell Heather and CD Eason Heather 
we planted struggled to thrive and grow

These white Daisy May Daises also did not do well in the full sun

This Variegated Aptenia Ground Cover took off like crazy in our courtyard

Golden Spirea in our front yard

Dark Knight Bluebeard we planted

Little John Dwarf Bottlebrush we planted

Colorful Lantina we planted are annuals that will die in winter

Closer look at the Japanese Maple

This pretty plant was growing wild on the east side of our driveway
before we had the east wall built and the area rocked

Emerald Gaiety Euonymus shrub we planted

Royal Red Butterfly Bush is another favorite that we planted

This Little Volcano Bush Clover we planted grew big and wide

This Crepe Myrtle came back to life this summer after a major pruning

We have two of these beautiful Moses Bushes
that turn bright red in the fall

Crimson Pygmy Barberry bush that we planted

Red Flowering Yucca we planted

Unusual Kangaroo Paw we planted