Behind A Garden Wall in El Paso

What grows behind that garden wall? Follow us and we'll show you.

The landscape around El Paso, TX is stark and dry, seemingly inhospitable to all but the hardiest of plants. To think that one could grow a lush garden there seems impossible. But this lovely oasis welcomes you with its tropical appearance. See what this resourceful gardener has done as you take this photographic tour.

"It is a challenge to figure out what to plant but so much fun" she told me.

The bold entrance beckons us with colorful enticements and a hint of what grows beyond the garden door. Creeping fig (Ficus pumila) adorns the wall. Tropical palms lend the romance of desert oases while colorful Margarita Sweet Potato vines (Ipomea batatas) spill out of terra cotta and blue glazed planters.

Lovely shades of pink and white work well with the colors of the house and surrounding hills. But you'll also find other colors in flower and foliage.  A partial list of plants in this wonderful sanctuary includes:

Persian Buttercup (Ranunculus asiaticus), Mont Blanc Asiatic Lily (Lilium x 'Mont Blanc'), Red Carpet Border Lily (Lilium x 'Red Carpet'), Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens), Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata), Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), Upright Elephant Ear (Alocasia macrorrhizos), Black Stem Elephant Ear (Colocasia esculenta 'Fontanesii'), Wild Taro (Colocasia esculenta), Bat-Wing Passion Flower (Passiflora coriacea), Blue Passion Flower (Passiflora caerulea), Creeping Red Verbena (Verbena peruviana), Echinacea 'Magnus', Echinacea 'Sunset', Little Business Daylily, Chicago Apache Daylily, Aster x 'Monch', Pink Ice Plant (Delosperma cooperi), Blood Lily (Haemanthus coccineus), Dahlia x 'Fleurel', Dahlia x 'Apache', Dahlia x 'Golden Emblem', Dahlia x 'Rosella', Dahlia x 'Red Majorette', Dahlia x 'Kennemerland', Dahlia x 'Ace Summer Sunset', Caladium 'Aaron', Caladium 'Postman Joyner', Golden Groundsel (Ligularia dentata 'Desdemona'), Adam's Needle (Yucca filamentosa) and Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia uvaria).