Description:

The Apache plume has a wild look about it, especially when left unattended.  You’ll see this Colorado native in the San Luis and Arkansas Valley and for sale at the local garden centers.  The flowers are bright white and then turn into pinkish puffy seed heads.  The leaves are very small and cover the stems from bottom to top .  Several specimens were planted on the grounds before this area was designated the Courage Garden in 1995.  We enjoy this shrub so much we planted another specimen in the summer of 2012.  Today you can see the young and the old Apache plume.

Landscape Use:

Accent plant, Xeriscape garden, Border background

Culture:

Plant in a dry spot, with a south or west exposure in soil that drains well. This shrub needs little water once it is established. Not suited for planting in or next to an irrigated lawn.

Description:

Alida Netted iris  is a low growing bulbous iris that has light purplish blue translucent blooms in late March to early April.  Narrow grass-like leaves poke out of the ground first, followed by flowers that last about a week up here at the Courage Garden.  The leaves remain after the flower is gone and then disappear completely, waiting to reappear next spring.

Landscape Use:

Mass groupings, rock garden, xeriscape garden

Culture:

Plant this bulb in the fall. It looks best planted in groups. This bulb will naturalize (spread) over time. Confirm there is two inches of soil above the top of the bulb to encourage naturalizing. Netted iris prefer dry conditions when dormant so it is ideally suited for a xeriscape garden. For optimal care, the grower recommends bulb fertilizer three times a year: in the fall for the roots, when the sprouts first poke through the soil for the foliage and flower and when the flower dies for the bulb itself.