Remarks

If you find yourself in Palo Duro Canyon at the end of April or beginning of May, the purple haze dotting the cliffsides is feather dalea. Sporadic blooms will open after showers throughout summer, though never as profuse as in springtime. With monthly irrigation in a xeric garden, feather dalea adds color and texture with it's twiggy, but sturdy, appearance. Small purple flowers combined with white plumes carries the haze impression from a distance.

Use in Garden

Can be used for creating hedges or borders due to its short, compact size or planted in groupings of 3's, 5's or 7's in large beds or courtyards. It's sturdy nature and deep taproots help anchor soil, it prefers growing along slopes and ravines. It will work naturally into a dry riverbed scheme along with cliffrose, any yucca species, a cactus or two and native grasses.

Maintenance

No maintenance should be required. Plant in lean soil with good drainage to avoid rapid growth. Feather dalea is heavily browsed by deer, prune it if becomes over large in too rich a soil to retain its short compact form.