This relatively fuss-free Southwestern native adds beauty to the landscape over a long bloom season. With its gently mounded growth habit, it adds contrasting texture to spiky agave and cactuses, while its yellow flowers help the oranges, reds and purples of other flowering plants appear more vibrant.

Hartweg’s sundrops (Calylophus hartwegii) handles frigid winters and hot summers, making this drought-tolerant ground cover a great addition to the sunny garden. Landscape Design West, LLC Botanical name: Calylophus hartwegii
Common names: Hartweg’s sundrops, sundrops
Origin: Native to Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Mexico
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 29 degrees Celsius (USDA Zone 5; find your zone)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 12 to 18 inches tall and 2 feet wide
Benefits and tolerances: Drought-tolerant; attracts pollinators, such as hawk moths
Seasonal interest: Yellow cup-shaped flowers appear from late spring to early fall
When to plant: Spring or fall Quercus Landscape Design Distinguishing traits. Narrow sage-green leaves cover this deciduous shrub from spring through fall. It has a natural, mounded, compact shape, which makes it a great ground cover in smaller areas.

Keep woody growth to a minimum by pruning it back to 8 inches tall in fall. This will keep it attractive while promoting flowering, No other pruning is required. Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting Bright yellow flowers open at dusk and remain open all night, attracting nighttime pollinators such as hawk moths. Each flower lasts only one day and closes by afternoon the following day, fading to an attractive shade of pale orange with a hint of pink.

Sundrops flowers over a long period. In areas that experience relatively mild winters, including Zone 8 and above, flowering begins in late spring and lasts into early fall. In colder zones, blooms appear primarily throughout the summer. Botaniscapes by Tracey How to use it. Sundrops’ relatively compact shape is used to best effect alongside boulders, planted in niches along a retaining wall, next to a dry arroyo or in the forefront of a perennial bed.

Plant it alongside Santa Rita prickly pear (Opuntia santa-rita), whose flat, purple-tinged pads will provide the ultimate contrast of both color and texture. Other succulents that contrast sundrops nicely include Parry’s agave (Agave parryi), whale’s tongue agave (Agave ovatifolia) and ‘Blue Elf’ aloe (Aloe ‘Blue Elf’).

Flowering perennials such as blackfoot daisy (Melampodium leucanthum), Parry’s penstemon (Penstemon parryi) and sandpaper verbena (Glandularia rigida) pair nicely with sundrops, whether grouped together in a perennial bed or interspersed among boulders throughout the landscape. Nick Martin Landscape Architect Inc. Planting notes. Plant in well-drained soil. No amendments or fertilizer needed.