Tucson East
Various non-succulent flowers
HomeSpring-Summer 2012 IISpring-Summer 2012Spring 2010 IVspring 2010Spring 2010 IISpring 2010 IIIAn ongoing meditation on Agaves and related xerophytesObservations on the winter of 2008-2009My Cold Hardiness PublicationsHighlights of spring 2007 III2007 Highlights IVSpring 2008 ISpring 2008 IIHighlights of Spring 2007 IIHighlights of spring 2007 IMore Agave ShotsMore highlights of 2006Garden TroublesMore cactus highlights from 2006Some other interesting perennialsSome shots from our old house, about a mile southCold Weather ShotsHardy Succulents May 2005Several nice shotsSpring 2005Various non-succulent flowersOne of the hardy EchinocereusDesert Montage May 2004Echinocactus texensis hardy horse crippler from El PasoTrichocereus and zinniaSome shots of my camelliasCamellia shots IICamellias IIIMahonia Xmedia in late winterAssorted PhotosAssorted garden plantsEast Bed & MeInteresting BloomsSome Highlights 2005First Time Blooms in this GardenDesert HyssopMore Hardy CactiContact Me at allenhir@earthlink.net

I try to add rock garden perennials to the beds in close association with the succulents. For instance, I experiment repeatedly with penstemons, only a few of which have succeeded long term.

Townsendia, evergreen Rocky Mt. wildflowers
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Planted in pumice-sand-gravel mix

Full sun, good drainage, undemanding.

Bletilla striata is everyman's orchid
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sun or shade easy to grow and tough

Ordinary garden soil and mulch in zone 6. 

Helianthemum with Jasminum stephanense
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The Jasmine is a good zone 6. The sunrose is a cute rock garden evergreen

This Jasmine is a hybrid of  J. beesianum and J. officinale. It has little fragrance but is an aggresive grower. Plants at my old growing grounds in Dayton Md have survived  -16°F and 24 hours below zero.

Daleas,leguminous herbs & shrubs from the SW
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The plant is spare and the flowers small, but really interesting close up

Small Daleas require sharp drainage and hot sun. They leaf out late and are often short lived. The cactus in the upper right corner is Opuntia imbricata, cholla.

Al Hirsh's Garden