Vines can be tough to grow on walls that radiate heat. The front of our house faces west, two of the walls face southwest and one wall faces northwest. The two that face southwest are particularly hard on plants, especially during the hot summer months.
I started with five vines called Lady Bank’s Rose. They lasted about seven years. They produced beautiful, white flowers similar to small, wild roses every March. They do well in full sun and reflected heat with moderate watering. Unfortunately, they became very woody, lost most of their leaves, and stopped producing the white flowers.
I replaced Lady Bank’s Rose with Lilac vines. These are fast growing, low water, evergreen vines with purple flowers that last from winter to spring. I planted five, fifteen gallon plants. The four that were planted on the southwest facing walls did not do well. The leaves that came in direct contact with the wall, turned brown and fell off. The one vine that I planted on the northwest wall did very well. It has lots of new growth, it is growing rapidly up the wall, and the leaves have a nice, deep green color.
I pulled out four of the Lilac vines and will replant them in the backyard in shadier locations. Since the vine on the northwest wall is doing very well, I left it there. After another trip to the nursery and consulting with the staff, I now have four, fifteen gallon Tecoma Orange Jubilee vines. They have beautiful, orange tubular flower clusters and deep, green leaves. They look good in their fifteen gallon pots, hopefully they will look good on the walls!
Hiking along a desert trail away from houses and neighborhoods, you will encounter homes of a different kind. Unique to the Sonoran Desert are large colonies of Carnegiea Gigantea, also known as Saguaro Cactus. Unlike homes which can take 2 to 3 years to build, it takes Saguaro cactus about 150 years to reach maturity, with arms developing when the plants are 10 to 15 feet tall. The Gila Woodpeckers and Gilded Flickers don’t mind, they drill their holes into the flesh of the cactus and build their nests inside, long before their homes are completed. They share their living space with others, it is nature’s version of condo living!
The Saguaro cactus is a protected species in Arizona, you will need a permit and a moving company to have it removed and relocated to your property. It can be very heavy, our Saguaro weighed in at 1500 pounds and arrived on a large, flat bed truck. The movers dug the hole with a jackhammer. Because the roots are shallow, the hole does not need to be that deep, but desert soil tends to be rocky. The cactus was lowered from the truck into the freshly, dug hole. The expense of purchasing a large Saguaro and hiring a moving company can put a dent in your landscape budget.
It is possible to purchase small Saguaro at nurseries or gardens, but considering how slow they grow, it might be worth the expense to invest in larger ones. These beautiful, unique cactus will be yours to enjoy for years to come!
Area nurseries are not only great resources, they are a fun way to spend an afternoon. The staff is knowledgeable, willing to answer questions and help plan your gardens. They have wonderful selections of desert plants and winter annuals. I love looking at the pots of every size and color, the ironwork that make wonderful trellises, yard art such as copper agave, metal flowers, tile lizards and frogs, iron geckos, and the eclectic assortment of outdoor furniture. If you are searching for ideas, nurseries are a good place to start. Remember to bring your cameras or mini camcorders to record your favorite nurseries and ideas.
When planning a nursery outing, it is a good idea to have a general plan and a budget in mind. Have an overall picture in your head of how you would like your garden space to look, and how much money you are willing to spend to get it. Make a general list of plants you need, such as a vine to cover a wall, groundcover to fill an open space, or a privacy shrub to cover up an unsightly area. A sketch of your garden space can come in handy. It is easy to load your cart with all kinds of great things, end up at the check out counter with a great bill, and not have the items you really need. I know, I have done just that numerous times.
If you enjoy puzzles, playing with legos, or any games or tasks that require connecting pieces together, you will love adding lines to your irrigation system. There are little parts called connectors and sprinkler heads. Put those together with tubing and you have a water supply for your new, garden plants.
I think the drip irrigation system is way cool. Programmed correctly, it will deliver the right amount of water on the days you specify, which is important in the desert because water is precious.
A small tip that might be helpful if the tubing you are working with is very stiff and difficult to attach. Take a small dish of water and heat it to the boiling point in the microwave. Dip the tubing end into the hot water for a few seconds. It should slide easily onto the connectors or sprinker heads.
The video below shows in detail how to add that line!
The wind is amazing in the desert. Sudden gusts of wind can pick up umbrellas and deposit them in the pool. Lawn chairs have ended up in the pool. The wind can rearrange patio furniture and leave a fair amount of litter in its wake. Unfortunately, strong winds can dry out plants and occasionally knock them over.
I planted a Giant Prickly Pear cactus our first year in the desert. It is shrub like and fast growing. It produces yellow flowers and tasty red fruits that the birds enjoy. The pads can grow to one foot in diameter. It loves the sun and reflected heat. Once established, it requires very little water. It is amazing how quickly it grows and how large the pads get. I love it because it makes a great privacy hedge or an attractive wall cover.
Mine is planted next to a wall. Over the years, I have cut off branches and planted them in other parts of the garden. The transplants do very well. It is low maintenance, an occasional hand watering is about it.
Unfortunately, they have a shallow root system. The branches are heavy and loaded with pads. The strong winds we had last week uprooted the cactus and it fell over. I removed most of the branches with the pads and replanted all of them. I now have a grouping of Giant Prickly Pear cactus!
I would definitely recommend this plant for your yard even with the desert wind. Choose a nice, sunny location, maybe a wall, a spot that needs screening, or in front of a fence. Water ocassionally, trimming off pads or branches as the plant fills out. Transplant these to other parts of the yard, or, plant them in containers. Container cuttings make nice gifts!
If you enjoy being out in the yard, but have never managed a desert garden on your own, it is much less daunting than you might expect. To begin with, take stock of your yard. Walk around and look at the plantings. Observe which areas of the yard get full sun, partial sun, and shade. Note the variety of plants and trees that are there. Take note of the irrigation system and how much water your plants are getting. Make a list of the local resources and contact them for information.
Weekly maintenance will keep your garden looking good and the tasks manageable. More than once a week is icing on the cake and less than that requires a larger block of time. Other things to consider when it comes to yard maintenance are time of year, weather conditions such as rainfall, monsoon storms, and wind. We do get some pretty strong winds at all times of the year. Plants tend to dry out and trees will drop considerable amounts of litter.
Obviously, the size of your yard is important. Taking on the backyard yourself and hiring a landscape company for the front yard tasks might prove workable and not overwhelming. In many communities, the HOA will contract with a landscape company to maintain the neighborhood’s front yards. This service is paid for through HOA monthly dues.
Whether you manage the yard on your own, or hire a landscape company, there are some things that people do to their yards, and more often than not it is the landscape companies that do them, that are particularly annoying. Shrubs, large and small, were never meant to resemble gumdrops. Trimmers, gas powered or electric, are the culprits. For some people, once that trimmer is in hand, they get carried away. Before you know it, their bushes are all in nice, round shapes, or worse, flat on the top, round underneath. Bottom line, desert shrubs grow beautifully on their own, leave them alone. The woody varieties will need to be trimmed back occasionally to encourage new, healthier growth, no trimmers are needed for that task.
Blowers are another over used device. Using the blower once every few months is really all that is needed. Besides being very noisy, they add to air pollution and aggravate allergies. The adjustable rake I mentioned in my first blog, is very effective in managing yard debris. Park the blower in the garage, use it sparingly.
When it comes to trimming your trees, it might be wise to leave that job to the professionals. By professionals, I do not mean landscape companies. Remember that resource list? Call your local nurseries or the Botanical Gardens, or use that list and get referrals. It is easy to get carried away with tree trimming, before you know it, you have wiped out the tree. At the very least, enroll in a tree pruning class. Many classes are free of charge.
The irrigation system needs monitoring despite the season. Heads have been known to fall off and leaks can occur in the tubing. Annoying, but nothing you cannot fix yourself. I have had leaks in major lines, which requires digging into the soil, isolating the leaks, and plugging them with goof plugs. Again, nothing you can’t do yourself. Cacti do very well not connected to the system, once established, they do fine with an occasional hand watering.
Checking the water system to make sure the heads are working properly, adjusting for the season and rain frequency, making sure the soil is not saturated in any one area, is a good idea. Rabbits and other small critters like to chew sprinkler heads. The irrigarion system is amazingly easy to maintain. The materials you need are readily available online and at places such as Home Depot. The system timers are more complex, but nothing that would require an expert to manage.
It is a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the Valley, quiet and very peaceful. As I look out over the yard and beyond, I am always amazed at how much color there is in the desert. At this moment, a hummingbird is hovered over a bright, Red Justicia flower and stunning, pink Oleander flowers peek out over the fence. In the distance, I can see the deep, green color of grass and trees. The Yellow Bells are in full bloom as are the Yellow Dot, the purple, orange, red, white and yellow Lantana. The contrast of the white flowers of the Blackfoot Daisy and the beautiful, deep, purple flowers of Langman’s Sage is a desert delight.
I am not always certain what colors will pop up in my yard at any time during the year. I am not picky about color. If a plant survives past its first summer, let alone blooms, I feel incredibly lucky!
When we moved to the Valley, I had no idea what plants to plant in the yard. I was totally unfamiliar with desert plants, we arrived here from the midwest, the landscape is the reverse of what it is in Minnesota. We enjoyed spending time on the patio, container plants seemed to be the best way to become familiar with plant varieties. The containers added color and made the patio look nice.
I headed to Home Depot to search for pots and take a look at their selection of desert plants. I found many nice pots at reasonable prices. The plants are hit and miss. I learned to take a good look at the bottom of the containers to make sure roots are not growing out of the holes. It is a good idea to actually lift the plants out of the containers and make sure the plants are not root bound. Take a look at the leaves and note the general appearance of the plants. Asking where the plants are from is another good idea. You will have more success with plants grown here in Arizona.
Taking a stroll through the local nursery is a great way to become familiar with desert plants and ones that make good container plants. The staff are usually knowlegeable and helpful. Everything seems to be a bit more expensive but in the long run you might be more successful making your purchases there, at least in the beginning.
Containers are not just for the patio. Mixing planters among cacti or nestled in vigorous ground cover, pots of varying sizes grouped together by a fence next to a colorful bench, smaller containers under patio tables, containers under trees or between trees, next to the pool or hottub, all add interest to the yard. Containers help create little nooks, secret gardens where you can go and enjoy the beautiful Arizona weather.
Golden Barrel Cactus or Echinocactus grusonii are unique and beautiful. They can be planted separately or in clusters. I have planted golden barrels both in the ground and in containers. They require gritty, well drained soil, they can rot with poor drainage. They are slow growing, once established they require water every month or two, more frequently during the warmer months. I like them because they are maintenance free, colorful, and interesting to look at.
If you are new to the desert and just starting to plant your yard, I would make room for the Golden Barrel. I would recommend starting with ones in smaller containers, they are easier to plant, especially if you are not used to handling cacti. I have an area in my yard, a rather smallish space, that is just for cactus. It is amazing how many different varieties of cacti you can collect. You can share cuttings with other gardeners, a pad off of a prickly pear will not kill the plant. A drip system is not required if you enjoy watering on your own. That will definitely save on your water bill!
I included a video link below on planting a Golden Barrel Cactus.
I finished planting all my new desert plants that I bought at the Desert Botanical Garden sale. The weather is cool and wonderful for planting. My watering schedule for the rest of this month will be three times a week for all new plants. My system is programmed for twice a week, Mondays and Fridays for the established plants. I hand water all the new plantings one extra day during the week, Wednesdays work well. I included a video link below that demonstrates the planting process using a flowering, vine, ground cover. This is a beautiful plant with dark green leaves, vines that spread across the yard, and it produces small yellow flowers. It is called Yellow Dot, Wedelia trilobata is the scientific name. It is one of the plants listed under ground covers in the Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert pamphlet.
