Closed until March 2023

Desert Jewels Nursery
Low Shrubs & Ground Cover

Northern Buckwheat
Eriogonum compositum
Wild buckwheats are very important to pollinators. This one is one of our locals, a lover of very rocky sites. Good plant for the harshest, dryest, rockiest conditions.
Region
L
Evergreen
no
Flower Color
Cream to yellow to pink
Xeric
extremely
Flower Time
Early summer
Size
low shrub/ ground cover

Wyeth buckwheat, Parsnip flower buckwheat
Eriogonum heracleoides
Native to the western US. Fully hardy in this area. Grows in sagebrush steppe, dry open Ponderosa pine forest, and on dry, rocky soils.
Region
L
Evergreen
semi-evergreen
Flower Color
cream to yellow
Xeric
extremely
Flower Time
Early summer
Size
8- 14” tall, 1-3’ wide.

Snow buckwheat
Eriogonum niveum
Snow buckwheat is native to the Pacific Northwest. A great plant for restoration and for xeriscapes. Like all buckwheats, important for native pollinators: utilized by the rare Mormon metalmark butterfly.
Region
R
Evergreen
semi-evergreen
Flower Color
White
Xeric
extremely
Flower Time
Summer
Size
1 ft.

Thyme-leaf buckwheat
Eriogonum thymoides
Small, slow growing, very showy flowering shrublet of basalt substrates. Once known as Ming tree - a bonsai subject. Collector's item - somewhat difficult to keep.
Region
L, R
Evergreen
yes
Flower Color
white, cream, sometimes pink, yellow, red
Xeric
extremely
Flower Time
spring
Size
4 - 6 inches

Horizontal Juniper
Juniperus horizontalis
Juniperus horizontalis, the creeping juniper or creeping cedar, is a low-growing shrubby juniper native to northern North America, throughout most of Canada from Yukon east to Newfoundland, and in the United States in Alaska, and locally from Montana east to Maine, reaching its furthest south in Wyoming and northern Illinois.
Region
M
Evergreen
yes
Flower Color
inconspicuous
Xeric
yes
Flower Time
Size
Up to 1.5 ft. tall and 10 ft. wide.

Cliff Penstemon, Rock Penstemon
Penstemon rupicola
Small ground cover or rock garden plant. Frequently pink flowered, with bluish foliage Very beautiful year-round. Not common in commerce. Long lived in the landscape.
Region
R
Evergreen
yes
Flower Color
pink to purple
Xeric
yes
Flower Time
spring
Size
low shrub/ ground cover

Mojave Sage, Giant Flowered Purple Sage
Salvia pachyphylla
VERY long blooming purple sage is beloved by hummingbirds and bees. This California native loves hot, dry, full sun sites. Reportedly browse resistant. Zone 5 hardy, but not hardy in colder zones (2-4).
Region
W
Evergreen
yes
Flower Color
Purple
Xeric
yes
Flower Time
Mid to late summer
Size
2 -2 1/2 ft.

Douglas' Spiraea, Rose spiraea
Spiraea douglasii
Usually found in wetlands, the Rose spiraea has conical clusters of fragrant pink flowers. In the wild, it spreads
by suckers (under-ground shoots) to form dense thickets.
Region
L, R
Evergreen
no
Flower Color
pink
Xeric
no
Flower Time
Summer
Size
4 ft.+ tall with wide spread by suckers