Plant of the Month

MAY : Salvia pachyphylla : Mojave Sage

Scientific name: Salvia pachyphylla Plant Family: Lamiaceae (Mint) Common names: Blue sage, mountain desert sage, Mojave sage, rose sage By Susan Bruneni The Santa Fe Botanical Garden’s May plant sale (May 11-12) is the perfect opportunity to find out what grows best in our locale. Plants in the sale have been selected by local Read more »

May 1, 2012, Plant of the Month

APRIL : English Lavender : Lavandula angustifolia

Plant Family: Mint (Lamiaceae) Plant Name: English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) By Janice Tucker “Spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices”. This verse from The Song of Solomon, 4:14 in the Old Testament is likely the first mention of lavender in its Greek form Read more »

April 1, 2012, Plant of the Month

MARCH : Borage officianalis : Borage

Scientific name: Borage officianalis Plant Family: Boraginaceae Common names: Borage, starflower By Susan Bruneni One of the early bloomers in a springtime Santa Fe garden is borage, presenting a showy display of vivid blue star-shaped flowers. Borage is a member of the Boraginaceae family, which includes about 2,000 species and 146 genera of shrubs, trees and herbs. Read more »

March 1, 2012, Plant of the Month

FEBRUARY : Tulipa species : Tulip

Scientific name: Tulipa species Family: Liliaceae (Lily) Common name: Tulip species Photos and text by Janice Tucker The Tulip – a much-anticipated harbinger of spring – is one of the most fascinating flowers in the world. There is nothing ordinary about this plant and the following paragraphs do not even begin to scratch the surface Read more »

February 1, 2012, Plant of the Month

JANUARY : Poppy : Papaveraceae

Scientific Names include: Papaver somniferum, Papaver rhoeas, Eschscholzia californica, Argemone hispida Family: Papaveraceae By Susan Bruneini Photos: Janice Tucker Earlier (in the early 1800s) a Russian expedition docking in San Francisco Bay marveled at massive fields of golden California poppies and the myth arose that the poppies were the source of California gold, mysteriously creating Read more »

January 1, 2012, Plant of the Month

DECEMBER : Oregon grape-holly and Red barberry : Mahonia aquifolium and Mahonia haematocarpa

Scientific names: Mahonia aquifolium and Mahonia haematocarpa Plant Family: Berberidaceae – Barberry Common name: Oregon grape-holly and Red barberry By Janice Tucker Deck the halls with boughs of Mahonia! Um, shouldn’t it be “holly”, not “Mahonia”? Well, since we’re pretty hard-pressed to find a holly in Santa Fe, the Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon grape-holly) and Read more »

December 1, 2011, Plant of the Month

NOVEMBER : One-seed juniper : Juniperus monosperma

Scientific name: Juniperus monosperma Family: Cupressaceae – Cypress Common name: One-seed juniper, New Mexico cedar, Cherrystone juniper, Sabina By Susan Bruneni Photos Courtesy of Janice Tucker

One-seed junipers are dioecious — male and female plants are separate. The male produces masses of tiny cones (see photo). Male plants will appear more yellowish-brown than the females. Read more »

November 1, 2011, Plant of the Month

OCTOBER : Alkali sacaton : Sporobolus airoides

Scientific Name:  Sporobolus airoides Plant Family:  Poaceae (Grass) Common Name:  Alkali sacaton By Janice Tucker The seed heads are literally the crowning glory of Alkali sacaton. In the summer tiny, yellow inconspicuous flowers appear, eventually developing into triangular-shaped, delicate, feather-like seed heads that rise on sturdy stems from 4 to 16 inches above the dense Read more »

October 1, 2011, Plant of the Month

SEPTEMBER : Black-eyed Susan : Rudbeckia hirta

Scientific Name: Rudbeckia hirta Plant Family: Asteraceae (Aster) Common Name: Black-eyed Susan, Coneflower By Janice Tucker Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) are equally as stunning when mixed with other plants in a domesticated flowerbed as they are growing wild in a field awash with their flowers of bright, yellow-gold petals contrasted with dramatic, dark chocolate, conical Read more »

September 1, 2011, Plant of the Month

AUGUST : Santa Fe phlox : Phlox nana

Scientific Name:  Phlox nana Plant Family:  Polemoniaceae – Phlox Common Name:  Santa Fe phlox Photos and Text by Janice Tucker It is always gratifying to find a native plant that grows well in a natural setting and is equally desirable in the home garden.  Santa Fe phlox (Phlox nana) is just such a plant, and is Read more »

August 1, 2011, Plant of the Month