Category: hot dry gardens

Don’t let rainfall escape. Capture it.

Saving rainfall for your garden

(This post was originally written about winter rains, but is now even more applicable for desert gardens in the summer of 2023.)

Rain has finally arrived in the American Southwest.  After an almost rainless summer which made our serious drought even worse, storms are now arriving one after another from both north and south Pacific. So now is the time to capture that rain water.

Use one or more of the following methods to keep water in your garden by encouraging it to stay on your property for future use or percolate down into the soil now rather than run off into the street.

Build basins

The simplest way to capture rainfall for the plants in your garden is to dig shallow circular trenches or basins around your trees and shrubs. The basin edge should be 3 feet or more from the tree trunk and not very deep. Creating a basin all the way out to the tree canopy’s edge is ideal. An inch or two depth will create a basin to hold a good amount of water while it sinks into the earth. 

Be careful not to damage the root crown at the base of the trunk. In fact, the basin shouldn’t start right at the trunk of the tree. You want to water to go to the smaller roots further out.

While most flower beds are mounded — hopefully because you add a thick layer of organic mulch twice a year — you may want to consider digging small basins in the center of the beds to capture as much rain as possible. Again, be careful not to damage the roots of your plants.

If you plant in raised boxes, I hope you have good drainage on the bottom or during a heavy downpour your planter may flood and drown the plants.

Infiltration–high priced or on the cheap

Infiltration, in its expensive form, involves digging a sizeable pit on your property which will receive water from rain runoff from your roof. This means rain gutters and downspouts must be installed. The pit must be lined with a strong but permeable material and have an overflow to channel excess water safely away from your home. Water will seep from the pit into the surrounding soil, thus “irrigating from underground”. Consult a landscape architect or soils engineer if you plan to do this.

In the less expensive version of infiltration, dig or drill narrow, deep holes spaced apart in a circle around trees and shrubs. These holes will fill with rain which will then seep into the soil. To do this effectively, you may have to line the holes with strong but permeable material to help prevent the sides from collapsing into the holes while allowing water to escape into the root zone. Some people recommend using French drains, the drain pipes with holes, set vertically into the soil so they are mini-wells.

In the super-cheap version, really coarse gravel or small rocks may also keep the holes from collapsing. Deep watering like this will encourage trees and shrubs to grow deeper, stronger roots. And deeper roots mean more stability when winds howl across the landscape in Spring and Fall.

Add a cistern or rain barrel… or seven

Our last suggestion is to add a cistern or rain barrel to capture rainfall which you can use later by pumping the water out for irrigation. Unlike infiltration which is designed to allow water to spread out underground during a rain storm, a cistern is supposed to hold water in the container, not diffuse it.

If you want to add an underground cistern–which is essentially a well filled with rainwater–you should consult with a landscape architect or soils engineer because there are certain critical engineering issues involved. The sides and bottom must be sealed to prevent water from escaping and the system must have an overflow drain. If water overflows in the wrong direction you may have serious and potentially expensive erosion problems.

On the other hand buying a big plastic barrel or one of the large above ground cisterns–prices start at about $100 and go up depending upon the size–can be a quick and easy method to store the rainfall from the downspouts on your roof until you use it later.

Are cisterns illegal?

In Colorado and Utah having a cistern on one’s own property to collect water used to be illegal. But no longer. Now Coloradans can have 2 rain barrels with a total capacity of 110 gallons of water for use on their own property. In Utah homeowners can save up to 2500 gallons in above or below ground cisterns to store water for use on the same property. In both these states, please check for specific local regulations.

Many other states, including Nevada and California, have regulations or are planning to enact them, about water harvesting and usage. California, for example, is encouraging water harvesting. To see if your state has regulations, go here.

Read our 8 most popular newsletters

  1. Hot Days, White Nights, How Design a Moon Garden
  2. Australian Plants for a Desert Garden
  3. Cover up that naked wall
  4. Best and beautiful native shrubs for extreme heat
  5. Five fragrant plants for your garden
  6. Where to get free or cheap trees for your garden
  7. Four desert trees good for soil, 4 toxic ones
  8. Plants that bloom even in mid-summer scorching heat

Frugal DIY gardening tips for Fall planting

For thousands of years frugal gardening was the only way to garden. Instead of buying starter plants at a local nursery or garden center, people planted seeds they had collected and saved during the previous harvest. Or swapped seeds and cuttings with friends and family. Or divided their own existing plants.

They didn’t buy mulch or composting equipment from those Big Box garden stores either. For century after century they created soil amendments themselves or did without. All gardening was do-it-yourself gardening.

This thrifty approach still works in the 21st century and may be more important than ever, especially for those of us whose gardens scorched right down to the bare earth during the relentless heat this summer. Replacing the plants that died as well as introducing new ones may be what you are facing this Fall. And the expense can be shocking. You may even have moments when you think: Buy groceries? Or buy for the garden?

So here is what to do to create a money-wise, water-wise garden this year.

Your Library is Your Frugal Gardening Friend

Hundreds of public libraries from coast to coast have turned their old card catalogs into bins containing packets of free herb and vegetable seeds. The seeds are most commonly collected locally and packaged in carefully labeled plastic bags by volunteer gardeners. Because the seeds come from their own gardens you know that they should thrive in your climate.

seeds in library card catalog

If your local library does not offer this service, ask them to start one of these “seed banks”. Master Gardeners or members of gardening clubs may be willing to help launch this free seed service.

There are also free seed swap services online. I haven’t used any of them, so I won’t make a specific website recommendation. If you use one, keep in mind that seeds that thrive in one location may not in another, for example, in a hot dry garden. It’s best to find local seed sources.

And DO NOT plant any seeds that come from China or other foreign countries. Don’t even put them in the garbage. Destroy them or turn them in to the US Dept. of Agriculture.

Multiply by Division

Plants that grow from bulbs, corms or rhizomes, which are basically fat roots, can be easily doubled or tripled by dividing them after they have finished their growth season. Note: In most U.S. Southwest climates, it is not necessary to dig up and store these over the winter. Leave them in ground year ’round unless your garden experiences hard freezes.

Among the easiest to multiply by dividing is the drought-tolerant Bearded Iris (Iridaceae). Every 3 or 4 years simply dig up the rhizomes, trim the leaves back to about 5 or 6 inches, then cut the rhizomes apart with a sharp, clean knife. Allow the rhizomes to dry for a couple of weeks, then shallowly replant in late September or October. Don’t wait until Spring.

lily of nile canna lilies
Canna Lilies and blue Lily-0f-the-Nile Agapanthus.

When you divide Canna Lilies (Canna indica) there’s no need to dry out the rhizomes for weeks before replanting, but do wait until it has stopped blooming and the leaves have died down before you dig it up. After you’ve cut the rhizomes into pieces each with a short length of stem attached, let them sit for one or two days. Once the raw cut side has scabbed over you can replant.

Daylilies (Homercallis) and  Agapanthus also lend themselves to being divided. Again, dig them up, divide the large root ball clumps and replant. No long drying out period is required. You should do this every 3 to 5 years to encourage these plants to keep blooming beautifully. After replanting be sure to water them frequently until they are established.

Cutting it up

Take cuttings of your favorite lavender and replant. Bees will thank you!

You can multiply many shrubby perennial herbs, like salvias, rosemary, thyme, lavender, marjoram and oregano simply by taking a 4 to 8 inch long cutting of a stem with two to four leaves attached, then putting that stem in a pot of natural soil from your garden or use commercial potting soil mix. I prefer to mix native soil with potting mix. Take the cutting from fresh new growth for best results and keep the soil damp until ready to transplant into your garden.

You can also take cuttings from your favorite Geranium (Pelargonium) and simply stick them into a pot of soil or potting mix. Keep the soil damp and — voila — you will have vigorous new geraniums in bloom next summer.

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Garden Shows mean big savings on uncommon plants

Because people who belong to specialty flower clubs and garden clubs usually cultivate rare and uncommon varieties of plants, at their plant sales you are likely to find unusual hybrids and colors to add variety to your garden.

Check out nearby botanical gardens, too. They often have ongoing plant sales to help support their operations.

Because of Covid-19, however, this is not a good year to hold a neighborhood plant swap in your front yard or driveway. Garden club sales and Botanical Garden events may also be cancelled because of the pandemic.

Not So Perennial

santolina and petunias
The short-lived Santolina (Santolina incana)
with petunias in a flower border suitable for a
hot, dry climate.  The annual petunia will not
last long in hot summer weather.

Now many of these plants are ones we think of as “perennials”, but perennials are not really perennial. They don’t last forever. Over a period of 4 to 10 years you may have to replace every perennial in your garden so DIY frugal gardening can be a real budget saver.

Some perennials don’t even last that long. One of our favorite plants for a perennial flower border in a hot dry garden is the Santolina. I love its brilliant yellow ball-like flowers but it rarely lasts more than 2 or 3 years and then must be replaced to remain beautiful.

And Finally: A Wake Up Call

And remember, it’s best to plant in Fall when the average daily temperature falls below 90F (32C). After all, that’s when Mother Nature plants her seeds. And plants that survived this summer’s blistering heat and have been in summer dormancy are now waking up and they are hungry. Feed them well in the next few weeks so they will be strong and not need replacing next year.

Read our 8 most popular newsletters

  1. Hot Days, White Nights, How Design a Moon Garden
  2. Australian Plants for a Desert Garden
  3. Cover up that naked wall
  4. Best and beautiful native shrubs for extreme heat
  5. Five fragrant plants for your garden
  6. Where to get free or cheap trees for your garden
  7. Four desert trees good for soil, 4 toxic ones
  8. Plants that bloom even in mid-summer scorching heat

Saving a garden in relentless heat

As of today Tucson has suffered under daily high temperatures over 105F (44.5C) for 39 straight days. And the TV weather lady tells us these conditions will keep on going. No monsoon rain relief in sight in this part of the Sonoran desert. A friend in Las Vegas tells me it is as bad up there in the Mojave desert.

While this persistent heat is awful for humans, we can take shelter in air conditioning. Plants in the garden, however, cannot. So, what to do to help your plants survive this–or any other–extended period of heat?

The first thing that may come to mind is to increase watering the garden. Sadly, deep watering plants may or may not help. With day-after-day of temperatures of 90-100F+, some plants, particularly non-desert plants, cannot absorb water faster than it is evaporating through the plant’s leaves. Death by dehydration results.

Here, however, are 3 ways to help your plants survive until Fall.

Shade Cloth is a quick remedy

tucson tree under shade cloth
Photo Copyright by Tiffany Weerts 2020. An improvised shade cover in Tucson during a long hot spell.

Shade cloth is a fast solution for plants that appear to be suffering from heat exhaustion. You can buy it today, hang it up over vulnerable plants or borders in your garden and the protection starts immediately even if you have to just tack it up in a temporary make-shift way. Shade cloth comes in variety of weights and with UV protection.

Double pot to cool roots

For the plants that are in pots the heat and afternoon sunlight can be especially brutal. Placing pots where they will be in shade for most of the day is a recommended, but that may not be enough. Again, the problem is death by dehydration–water evaporating too rapidly through the leaves and from the potting soil. Compounding that problem is that terra cotta and metal pots heat up and can “cook” the roots.

Keeping potted plants in shade can help them survive, but double-potting increases the likelihood of the plants surviving summer heat.

However, one way to help your potted plants survive on the patio in summer is to set each pot in a second, larger container. Then put an insulating layer of dried moss or coarse organic mulch between the two pots. This will keep the inner pot cooler and protect plant roots from sizzling heat. You may want to try to keep the insulating layer damp–but beware of soaking it because the water could pool inside the outer pot and soak up into the inner one. You could end up drowning the plants from the bottom.

Consider using one of the newer plastic pots as your outer pot. They are far more attractive than they used to be and conduct far less heat than terra cotta pots. The insulation may also be helpful in winter, if you live in an area where it freezes in winter.

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Controversial polymers

Polymers, those water-retaining gel crystals, are frequently used in flower pots to help cut down on watering and retain water in the soil for the plants’ use. This isn’t an instant solution, but polymers can help over a longer term–like all those hot days ahead of us here in the Sonoran and Mojave deserts.

Recently, however, we heard a gardener advocate using water-retaining polymers in flower beds and in the soil around trees.  It sounded like a good idea — particularly in a climate where water evaporates out of the soil so rapidly.

But a little online research revealed a preliminary study which indicates that polymers may break down in our native soils into chemical components which may not be all that good for plants and people. So while polymers may be a great solution for flowering ornamental plants in pots, stick with adding organic amendments, such as crushed pecan hulls or finely ground wood chips, to your garden’s natural soil to increase its water-retaining ability. Moreover, organic amendments add nutrients to the soil, which polymers don’t. If you would like to review the research yourself, to go Google and search for: “Polymers Gardening.”

And if the heat kills most of your plants–which is happening in many gardens here in Tucson now–you can replant in late September or early October.

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Read our 8 most popular newsletters

  1. Hot Days, White Nights, How Design a Moon Garden
  2. Australian Plants for a Desert Garden
  3. Cover up that naked wall
  4. Best and beautiful native shrubs for extreme heat
  5. Five fragrant plants for your garden
  6. Where to get free or cheap trees for your garden
  7. Four desert trees good for soil, 4 toxic ones
  8. Plants that bloom even in mid-summer scorching heat

What NOT to plant for fire season

I have always loved what I call the “Tucson Gardening Style“. No broad swathes of grassy lawn browning in the sunshine. No water-guzzling attempts at English flower garden borders limp and dying in the heat. Just native plants left where they were growing before any house was built: prickly pear cacti squeezed side-by-side with creosote bushes and saguaros and agaves and chollas and mesquites. And most of the time these Sonoran desert natives grow right up to the side of the house.

But on June 5th, after the Bighorn wildfire burst into life north of Tucson, this native plant gardening style suddenly seemed less charming and more threatening.

At first the Bighorn fire was just billowing smoke high up in the Santa Catalina Mountains. By June 9 when I drove around northern Tucson to to take photos for another blog, I began to realize an inferno would result if this fire reached down into the upscale Catalina Foothills neighborhood which had only hours before been designated as a threatened evacuation zone.

As I took a few pictures I also realized that in California, where I used to live, the “Tucson Gardening Style” would bring the fire service knocking at the door armed with chain saws and big fines. The law in California is that there must be a 100 foot cleared open space around a home and it is aggressively enforced.

There is, however, such a live-and-let-live “Nobody’s going to tell me what to do” outlook by many Arizonans that it is unlikely that type of regulation would ever be passed here.

Okay, while I live in Arizona now I’m going to ignore local attitudes regarding plants because wildfires happen here and throughout the Western United States. Here are some recommendations about garden plantings to help prevent your home turning into an pile of burnt rubble from an urban or wild fire.

First, clear plants away from the sides of your home and other buildings. Don’t let any shrubs or trees touch or almost touch a building. If the plants catch fire — even if ignited by sparks from a neighbor’s BBQ instead of a wildfire–your home could burst into flames before you even notice it.

While many trees suitable for hot dry climates have oily leaves, the Australian-native Eucalyptus trees are among the worst. Sure, they smell so good, but they are 50 foot high torches just waiting for a little spark to light them. As much as they seem to be great trees for hot dry climates (fast growth, low water usage, lovely dappled shade), they are not. As witness: the massive fires racing through the Eucalyptus forests of Australia in recent years.

I have also seen palm trees burning as 50 foot high torches in Los Angeles during an urban fire, but while embers fell from the palms, they did not seems as potentially dangerous as a flaming eucalyptus with its branches whipping in the wind casting sparks all over the area.

For very a different reason don’t plant a Cottonwood, a major water-sucking plant. Again, it is a fast grower, but will guzzle every drop of water in the ground around it and deprive other plants of water, leaving them tinder-dry. Cottonwood roots will also invade your plumbing and septic systems.

One grass is on the Do Not Plant list:

Buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris L., or Pennisetum ciliare L.) is often called white fountain grass. An African native, it grows and blooms quickly, then dies back to leave dry, quick-burning fields waiting for a lightning strike to start burning. This grass, a threat to native plants including Arizona’s famous Saguaro cactus, has been mentioned as a key factor in the origin of the Bighorn fire. You can view a new webinar on the topic of buffelgrass damage to the Saguaro National Park .

Red Fountain grass does not spread wildly like White Fountain Grass. And it looks lovely when the wind blows.

Instead of Buffelgrass, consider Red fountain grass (Cordyline) which is less invasive and stays where it is planted. The much larger South American-native Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) will also stay where it is planted in a desert climate, but not if there is a pond or stream nearby. In that case it becomes invasive forcing out native plants.

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Now onto something more positive. While the evidence is anecdotal, a few homeowners have sworn that their huge water-logged agaves saved their homes during a wildfire. I’ve seen the photos and the agaves encircling the homes look as if they have melted, but the houses were spared. It’s important to note that there was a cleared space between the house and the agaves and beyond the agaves, too.

As for planting any trees or agaves, wait until fall. It is too hot now and there is a great risk that anything you plant will die of heat at this time of year no matter how much you water it. Don’t let the landscape guy tell you otherwise!

The Bighorn fire is still burning on June 19th, but because of a wind shift, it is moving northeast, away from Tucson proper. A photo of it taken yesterday is at the top of this post. According to reports over 3,000 Saguaros have already been destroyed, but–happy news–most of the wild animals in the fire path, including baby mountain goats, have escaped. And there has been no loss of homes or human life so far.

Here is what happens to an SUV when the Forest Service makes a Phos-Chek drop. It’s that red stuff fixed wing airplanes drop on the edges of fires.

Read our 8 most popular newsletters

  1. Hot Days, White Nights, How Design a Moon Garden
  2. Australian Plants for a Desert Garden
  3. Cover up that naked wall
  4. Best and beautiful native shrubs for extreme heat
  5. Five fragrant plants for your garden
  6. Where to get free or cheap trees for your garden
  7. Four desert trees good for soil, 4 toxic ones
  8. Plants that bloom even in mid-summer scorching heat

Is it an attractive weed, a native plant or tasty edible?

Rather than giving you gardening advice for March today I’m going to tell you about one plant, which turned out to be more interesting than expected.

Moving from one desert, the Mojave, to another, the Sonoran, has meant that I am learning to identify many new native plants, among them, the Common Mallow (Malva neglecta). The name “neglecta” is so apt because my neglect has resulted in massive growth of this plant in a narrow yard beside my house.

Surprise! Not a native

Yesterday afternoon, after I wrote the headline for this post and the paragraph above, I discovered that while this variety of Mallow is as common as dirt here in Southern Arizona it is not a native at all. Not even a native plant of the Western Hemisphere. It’s origins are in Egypt, probably in Nile marshes. That makes sense because the leaves are so large and dark green which is very untypical of desert plants, for example, the Desert Mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua).

mallow plants growing wild

Since like most of you I am home all the time because of COVID-19, I tentatively planned to start removing at least some of this mallow mini-field.

But after learning more I’m not sure what to do about it. If anything.

How to eliminate weeds 3 ways–or not

Should I listen to the Round-up folks who claim to make it easy to exterminate with a quick spray? (We all know about Round-up so I won’t write more about this option.)

Or how about going extreme like some here in Arizona and blowtorch the weeds–uh…the mallow? You read that right: some gardeners here use flaming blowtorches on weeds because that will kill the seeds, too, even ones that are under a layer of gravel. No blowtorch among my garden tools, so that eliminates this one.

Then came the suggestion of a third way for weed elimination. A couple of gardeners recommended mixing 55% vinegar with water and a dash of liquid soap, then spraying it on the weeds. I am tempted to test this idea–someday when I feel I can risk using the vinegar in my emergency pantry for something other than salad dressing.

The next option is re-wilding

Inspired by a British gardening movement to let wild native plants thrive along roadsides and in city squares, should I simply let my Mallow continue to grow? In the U.K. a Back-to-Natives trend is growing (pun intended!) in an effort to support other native species, including bees, badgers and other wildlife. I wonder if here in Arizona, rattlesnakes and scorpions may find the mallow mini-field a friendly habitat.

Or should follow the advice of two forager friends who pick leaves of dandelions and mallows for their salads?

Behold the multi-use vegetable

mallow blossoms and seeds

They have assured me Mallow is edible, that its seeds tastes like its cousin, Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus).

“Use it in a salad or cook it to thicken soups like gumbo,” they tell me.

Then they go on to add: “It’s really high in Vitamins A, B, and C as well as calcium, magnesium and potassium. Like kale.”

Like kale?

No thanks. (And please don’t reply with a list of all the health benefits of kale. Broccoli, which I love, also is vitamin-packed.)

This morning I was informed by yet another Arizona gardener of one more use for Common Mallow’s big, soft leaves: as toilet paper! Eureka! That’s the solution to the hoarding problem. Plant Mallow now and have a lifetime supply of t.p.

And if the coronavirus situation and the hoarding get worse, maybe I’ll start picking the Mallow leaves and selling them on a street corner as a multi-purpose vegetable for kitchen and bathroom.
Respect the weeds. Stay safe. Happy Gardening.

Visit my author’s site to see books I’ve written
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Read our 8 most popular newsletters

  1. Hot Days, White Nights, How Design a Moon Garden
  2. Australian Plants for a Desert Garden
  3. Cover up that naked wall
  4. Best and beautiful native shrubs for extreme heat
  5. Five fragrant plants for your garden
  6. Where to get free or cheap trees for your garden
  7. Four desert trees good for soil, 4 toxic ones
  8. Plants that bloom even in mid-summer scorching heat

Composting is an unnatural act…

Well, composting is unnatural in a hot dry climate where plants produce small leaves with waxy or oily exteriors, where grassy lawns are few and far between and where the air is, more often than not, dry as a bone.

Those are things that are antithetical to the natural composting that occurs in cooler, more forested zones where big leaves and/or lots of pine needles, weekly grass clippings from the lawn, and damp air make composting a normal part of the environment and is fairly easy for a gardener to do.

So because it is not a natural function in a hot dry climate, I’ve never written about it.

During this last month, however, I received an question about it so if you want to start composting, even though you are living in a hot dry climate, here is some advice.

First: the good news about compost. Compost is food for the soil. It loosens the soil hardened by heat and dry air and makes it easier for plant roots to grow deep. It enriches the earth with long-lasting nutrients. Used as a mulch on flower beds it can be protective.

But compost should not be used in place of fertilizer. Its carbon to nitrogen ratio is too unstable, too unpredictable to count on as a fertilizer. In fact, if the compost process isn’t fully complete, the compost may suck nitrogen right out of your soil. Compost that is “complete” is crumbly, not smelly, dark brown or almost black and will, very gradually over years, release some nutrients to your plants and help balance the pH in your garden.

composting food waste

Now to get started the first thing you are going to need is a place or a container to hold the garden and kitchen waste you want to turn into compost.

From left: beginning, middle and done with composting!

When I had a compost heap in my Santa Barbara garden, it was just that, a heap of grass clippings and leaves in the far corner of my backyard that had been started by the previous owner. If I was doing it again, I would have either set up attractive wooden bins or put everything into metal canisters that could be turned. (Live and learn!)

Then begin by adding biodegradable stuff, such as grass clippings, leaves, coffee grounds, sawdust, faded flowers, dead annuals, and even newspapers torn up into little bits. You need a mix of one part green stuff to 3 parts brown stuff for the best composting process. For green stuff you add things like grass clippings; brown stuff are things like chopped straw or old dead dry leaves.

Next, toss in a shovel or two of your native soil to jump-start the process. NO need to buy compost bacteria or fungi starter. Your native soil has what you need.

And dampen the whole thing. Don’t soak it. Just keep it damp like a sponge that has been wrung out. This is especially important in our dry climates. You may have to dampen it daily…or more often. If possible, keep your compost in the shade so it won’t dry out as quickly.

Be sure to turn it regularly so the decomposing process continues on all materials, not just those on outside. When you turn it you may discover it is warm or hot in the center. The center of the compost bin may heat up to 130F, which should kill all the wild seeds that ended in it. If it becomes too hot, that is a sign of excess carbon and you should add more green stuff, like grass clippings or weeds you pulled from your garden.

raccoon by wall

Now about food waste. If you are composting in a container, especially a revolving one up off the ground, toss in all the food waste you have. BUT, if your compost “bin” is actually a compost heap you may find wild raccoons and other hungry animals visiting it. They love those old apple cores, orange peels, rotting pumpkins, bananas and other food leftovers.

Do NOT put meat or dairy in your compost pile. It will not decompose quickly, will smell hideous and may attract vermin or dangerous bacteria to your garden. Also avoid leaves of oleander, they are poisonous. And avoid adding eucalyptus and salt cedar leaves.

I strongly recommend acquiring some type of plastic or metal compost bin. Some cities offer residents free compost bins, so call your local government to see if you can get one or two for free. There are also several on Amazon that look good, including a pink compost bin. One even claims to be able to make compost in two weeks! That’s fast! Composting usually takes months. Happy composting!

Where to get a free or cheap tree for your home.

Read our 8 most popular newsletters

  1. Hot Days, White Nights, How Design a Moon Garden
  2. Australian Plants for a Desert Garden
  3. Cover up that naked wall
  4. Best and beautiful native shrubs for extreme heat
  5. Five fragrant plants for your garden
  6. Where to get free or cheap trees for your garden
  7. Four desert trees good for soil, 4 toxic ones
  8. Plants that bloom even in mid-summer scorching heat

Look to South Africa for unusual off-season flowers

Our mild Autumn weather is almost a second Springtime, especially for gardeners who live at lower elevations in the desert with warm winters.  Plant pretty annuals like carpets in empty flower beds to replace any perennials that have died back. Take care not to disturb the roots of the perennials because they will be back next year.

Or fill pots on your patio to overflowing. At higher, cold-winter elevations it may be too late as the first winter storms have blanketed mountains with snow.

Should you dig up the flower bulbs?

While some people, particularly in the U.K. and New England, dig up their bulbs in Fall, in most of the U.S. southwest it is not necessary. But if you want to add flowers from bulbs, rhizomes and corms to your garden, now is the time to plant to assure yourself of Springtime flowers.

purple and white iris

Freesia and Iris are two of our favorites. Both require little water and no attention. The exception, however, are those re-blooming iris that flower in spring and fall which need heavy watering.

The incredibly fragrant Freesia dies back to the ground after blooming; the Iris keeps its leaves and provides an upright structural element in a garden border.

If you already have Iris, split and replant the rhizomes now for double the flowers next year. Do not plant them deep. Simply place them in a shallow trench and cover lightly–deep enough to protect from a freeze if you live in an area with occasional light freezes in winter.

About tulips: yes, you can plant the bulbs, but they really love a damper, milder climate — like the Netherlands or Seattle.

Flowers from South Africa

Gladiolus dalenii

You may be much better off planting bulbs native to South Africa, such as the freesia-like Tritonia or the Watsonia borbonica, which looks like a miniature gladiolus. The low-growing Babiana is a Sub-Sahara native also worth considering as an edging plant. It looks somewhat like a crocus and does well in a desert garden.

The Gladiolus (Gladiolus dalenii), above, a South African native, is a delicate variation on the large, sturdy upright “glads” of late summer. These bloom in Spring.

Salvia leucantha sage

One plant that is a joy for so many gardeners in California and the Southwest is the Mexican Bush Sage, Salvia leucantha ‘Midnight’ that blooms twice a year. Unlike re-blooming Iris, the Mexican Bush Sage is not a water guzzler. It naturally blooms in Spring and late Fall.  It is a super-tough plant with tall spires of purple or purple and white flowers that stay in bloom through December! One year I even clipped the flower stems and used them to decorate my Christmas tree. Tip: Cut it back to about 8 inches high in January and it will re-grow and bloom again in March.

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

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  7. Four desert trees good for soil, 4 toxic ones
  8. Plants that bloom even in mid-summer scorching heat

Quinces and Figs thrive in the desert. Make great jam, too!

In 2014 Quinces (Cydonia oblonga) were named the Fruit Tree of the Year by the California Rare Fruit Growers Association. Well, maybe rare in California, but here in Tucson quince trees have been growing since the late 1600s. Brought to this locale by Jesuit Father Kino, one of the first Europeans to the area, later travelers complained that the only fruit tree in Tucson was the quince, which is basically inedible fresh off the tree. It has to be cooked and then it is delicious as a jam. I’m sure the travelers were hankering for juicy Spanish oranges or crisp German apples–but no luck. In Tucson hard quinces were the only choice.

Two quinces fro Tucson Presidio
These two quinces were given to me by a docent at the Tucson Presidio. The are unripe, hard, fuzzy outside and have no scent. More modern hybrids have a smooth peel and are fragrant when ripe.

While I have seen plenty of pomegranates growing in yards around Tucson I hadn’t seen a quince tree until I visited the replica of the original Tucson Presidio where a quince tree is planted side-by-side with a sweet Spanish orange tree and a lemon. As you can see, it is loaded with quinces, which are drought tolerant, sun and heat-lovers that need good drainage. Online it stated that 2 trees were needed for pollination, but this solo plant seems to be doing okay by itself. One other thing to note about quince trees: they are covered with lovely white flowers in Spring. So if you are thinking about adding a small tree to your hot, dry garden, maybe a quince is the tree for you. (Or maybe a fig–see below.)

Quince tree at Tucson Presidio Hot Gardens
The quince tree at the Tucson Presidio.

While quince trees are naturally small, fig trees can become enormous, as this fig, below, growing in one courtyard of the Tucson Presidio demonstrates. And it does not take decades to grow to this size. This Presidio was built from scratch on a former parking lot and opened in 2007, so this fig (and the quince above) are no older than 12 years!

fig tree in downtown Tucson Hot Gardens
A huge fig tree in the courtyard of the Presidio in downtown Tucson

In addition to producing delicious figs to eat raw or cook into jam, fig trees (Ficus carica) have large leaves that cast a dense shade to create a cool oasis in a desert garden. The ‘Black Mission’ and ‘Brown Turkey’ are good varieties for the desert. Most produce two crops of figs per year and need regular watering, especially when the fruit is growing. If you intend to plant a fig in your garden, be sure to ask the nursery staff how large the tree is expected to grow. Smaller size fig trees can be espaliered along a wall. (I know. I did this in my garden in Las Vegas!)

Pomegranates on the ground at the Tucson Presidio.

Now a word about pomegranates, which I have written about before because they are among the easiest and most forgiving of neglect of any fruit tree in a desert garden. There are ignored pomegranates on the ground all over my neighborhood, as well as at the Tucson Presidio. But it looks like they are providing food for birds and animals. A good thing!

working after retirement ebook and paperback

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  3. Cover up that naked wall
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  7. Four desert trees good for soil, 4 toxic ones
  8. Plants that bloom even in mid-summer scorching heat

Crepe myrtle, the blooming belle of the South, needs help in a dry climate

On my continuing travels through Louisiana, I have noticed that few homes have anything that resembles a garden with shrubs and flowering plants artfully arranged.  The more common gardening feature is the lawn, a large mowed green area around the home.  Upon taking a closer look, I realized that many “lawns” are simply native grasses and other low growing plants sheared to slightly above ground level.  It is an act of self-defense. Extremely fast-growing native shrubs and trees take over every space that is not regularly cut back in this hot, damp climate.

Crepe myrtle trees Opelousas Louisiana
A garden has been planted around the Oplousas Louisiana courthouse including purple and pink Crepe myrtles.

The exception to this emphasis on lawns, are the Crepe myrtle trees (Lagerstroemia indica) planted by homeowners. They are ubiquitous.

These natives of southern China were introduced into Charleston, South Carolina by plant explorer and botanist to King Louis XVI, André Michaux, in the mid 1700s.  The name is sometimes spelled Crape myrtle, but Crepe myrtle now seems preferred.  Whatever the spelling, they took the South like wildfire.  People loved them.

hot pink crepe myrtle flowers
This hot pink color seems to be the most popular Crepe myrtle. It is a bright contrast to the green of the South and the brown of the southwest.

And Crepe myrtles loved the heat, lots of sunlight and the slightly acidic soil.

Some newer hybrids have been developed to tolerate chillier winter conditions, including frost.  And–surprisingly–they are somewhat drought tolerant.

Correcting alkaline soil conditions

It’s that “acidic soil” part that is an issue in a hot, dry climate. Most of the soils in the desert Southwest are alkaline, but alkaline soils can be corrected to a soil condition that Crepe myrtles love in two ways:

  • Add 4 to 6 inches of organic mulch and dig it in to a depth of one foot. Within a year or two the soil will become more neutral.  Mulch should be added every year.
  • Add sulphur to the soil and dig it in which will also balance the pH.  While this maybe a faster way to rebalance soil, be very careful with this because too much sulphur can be harmful.

And be sure to deep water your Crepe myrtle tree at least once a month in summer. Drought tolerant doesn’t mean “no-water-required.”

Here are some Crepe myrtles I’ve admired in Louisiana:
plant explorer and botanist to King Louis XVI André Michaux ink and hot pink crepe myrtles
Two colors of Crepe myrtles planted together. The neighbor, behind, planted a white one which is now at least 25 feet tall.
row of crape myrtle trees
These Crepe myrtles have been carefully pruned to allow an open area beneath them on the University of Louisiana campus. Their broad growth is a characteristic of the hybrid. Some hybrids grow tall and narrow, some broad, and there are dwarf hybrids that are perfect for hedges.
White crepe myrtle tree Lafayette Louisiana
White Crepe myrtle trees are less common than the various shades of pink and purple. This one was ladened with white flowers. This home actually has a small garden planted around it!

Read our 8 most popular newsletters

  1. Hot Days, White Nights, How Design a Moon Garden
  2. Australian Plants for a Desert Garden
  3. Cover up that naked wall
  4. Best and beautiful native shrubs for extreme heat
  5. Five fragrant plants for your garden
  6. Where to get free or cheap trees for your garden
  7. Four desert trees good for soil, 4 toxic ones
  8. Plants that bloom even in mid-summer scorching heat

Summer Do’s and Don’ts and Spying on your Garden

I have to apologize for not posting on the Hot Gardens blog for a while.  As some of you already know I have been traveling for several months and blogging on the road can be a challenge.

In the U.K. many gardeners are now calling for a return to roadside and backyard natural meadows. “Stop mowing”, they say.  Not only can a meadow be beautiful it will support insects and animals that are under threat by climate change.  This is a practice that Prince Charles has advocated for decades. His castles are surrounded by native meadows not tidy mowed lawns.

superbloom flowers
Flowers in the Sonora desert outside Calexico

This wet Spring those of us who live in the Southwest had a rare glimpse of how desert meadows can look during the amazing Super Bloom that swept across the West. Yellow, orange and golden flowers everywhere!  People, birds, insects and animals loved it. The rainstorms have finally slowed down and the Super Bloom meadows have now vanished.

Even without a meadow in your backyard you can help support native insects and animals, by adding a water source somewhere on your property.  It doesn’t have to be a fountain.  Simply put a few pebbles and small rocks in the bottom of an old pie pan then add water to it daily to help sustain the life of native creatures you may never even see. The pebbles give birds and insects someplace to perch while drinking the water. Putting out a larger container of water might also attract native night visitors like deer or rabbits.

If you are eager to see which creatures are visiting your “water hole” or “desert oasis”–whatever you want to call it–install a motion activated video camera aimed at that pie tin or water bucket. Some of these cameras  are now priced below $80.

Lantana camera in fountain
Lantana overflowing a fountain that has been repurposed as a flower container.

And, finally, just a reminder that when the temperature reaches 90°F on a daily basis, you should slow down fertilizing your garden. In the extreme heat that will continue into Fall, plants hunker down to survive.  With the exception of a very few summer bloomers, in hot, dry climates plants don’t waste energy on growing or blooming during summer. Feeding them lightly perhaps monthly will help them survive.  Water your garden regularly, however.

If you would like to follow my travels around the U.S. go to Wandering Lady and become a “Fellow Traveler”. I have been on the road since March and am now in New Orleans. Happy gardening!

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Read our 8 most popular newsletters

  1. Hot Days, White Nights, How Design a Moon Garden
  2. Australian Plants for a Desert Garden
  3. Cover up that naked wall
  4. Best and beautiful native shrubs for extreme heat
  5. Five fragrant plants for your garden
  6. Where to get free or cheap trees for your garden
  7. Four desert trees good for soil, 4 toxic ones
  8. Plants that bloom even in mid-summer scorching heat