For this month's plant, I've chosen Hesperaloe parviflora. This beautiful hummingbird-attracting plant is not seen in the home landscape as much as it should be. It makes a dense, yucca-like clump of very narrow, sword-like leaves that are 3 to 4 feet long and about 1 inch wide. It is an excellent replacement for the standard aloe which can often freeze on the tips of the leaves and look unattractive. The hesperaloe makes a good border or even a nice container plant.

The best attribute of the hesperaloe is not its year-round green foliage, but its 4 foot long rose red clusters of nodding flowers. They are loved by the Southwest's favorite bird ... the hummer. On older plants, these flower spikes often reach over 8 feet in length.

The nurserymen will not be thrilled with me for telling you this, but hesperaloes are very easy to grow from seed. Simply collect fresh seed, (you can usually find hesperaloes growing around commercial landscapes), and place them in a one gallon pot covered with one inch of soil. Keep the soil moist until the seeds sprout, then water weekly. Keep the pots with the seedlings where they can get at least a half a day of direct sunlight. They will be ready to set out in 6 months to a year. They may also be propagated by division just as you would with other aloes or agaves.

The hesperaloe is a low water, versatile landscape plant that is very easy to propagate, has beautiful flowers, and attracts hummingbirds. It should have a place in every Southwestern garden!!