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Raised Vegetable Garden Area
Artichoke
Rosemary
Mexican Bush Sage, Velvet Sage
Pomegranate
Artichoke

Common name:Artichoke
Botanical name:Cynara scolymus

This perennial will grow 4' tall and 6'-8' wide. It has silvery green leaves with bluish purple flowers that bloom in spring. Artichoke is a favorite fruit/vegetable of California kitchens but it is a great ornamental plant often overlooked for color contrast. It is very tolerant of little water when planted for ornamental purposes.

Rosemary

Common name:Rosemary
Botanical name:Rosmarinus officinalis

Rosemary is hardy in full sun areas where winter temperatures do not drop below 10 degrees F. They can be grown in a clay pot with well-drained, porous soil in bright indoor light, and will also flourish on the backporch in spring, summer and fall. Its beautiful, slowly trailing stems and shiny slender leaves are perfect for showing off the small, light blue flowers that blossom in the summer. -Holland WIldflower Farm

Mexican Bush Sage, Velvet Sage

Common name:Mexican Bush Sage, Velvet Sage
Botanical name:Salvia leucantha

The Mexican Sage is a bushy shrub that grows 3'-4' tall and wide. It has hairy white stems, gray green leaves and velvet-like purple flower spikes that bloom summer through fall. This shrub tolerates sun, light shade, little water, and is hardy to 15 degrees F. The Mexican Sage is drought tolerant and attracts hummingbirds. -Cornflower Farms

Pomegranate

Common name:Pomegranate
Botanical name:Punica granatum

This small tree or large shrub is very attractive (edible) and ornamental. It is naturally rounding; it can reach 15'-20' tall and wide. It is often pruned into a single trunk tree and kept as a shrub, being used as a hedge row. The baseball sized fruits are usually red. The nutritious edible aggregate-berries (arils) are variably sweet, succulent and tangy. 'Wonderful' is a common cultivar. 'Sweet' has yellow flowers and 'White' has very light pink flowers.

Designer: Homeowner

Raised Vegetable Garden Area

Photographer: GardenSoft

Soils and Compost:

Practice grass-cycling by leaving short grass clippings on lawns after mowing, so that nutrients and organic matter are returned to the soil.

Water Saving Tip:

Check the soil's moisture level before watering.

You can reduce your water use 20-50% by regularly checking the soil before watering.

Integrated Pest Management:

Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.