ILLEGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM

You can probably work out the title even if you have never done any Latin. The phrase has no meaning in Latin but I understand my uncle was heard to mutter it a few times, in English, particularly during the war and then when the company he worked for lost all his pension just as he was about to retire.  He may have also used it in the garden too, as he was a keen gardener. Keep on keeping on might be the more genteel way to express this sentiment! I myself muttered it under my breath on several occasions recently. The most recent this morning.

A neighbor put their trash can outside last night and guess who came visiting. Javelina. They pulled it over and rummaged through everything leaving it strewn all over the driveway and road. Then, they headed across the road and tore off the pads on this Santa Rita prickly pear. A particularly nice specimen. It is a prickly pear they usually leave alone and there are many in the neighborhood.  They didn't even eat them. It was almost as though they were annoyed than no-one else had left their cans out. We all know better than to do that! And we know better than to plant things they eat. I'm the exception who, unwittingly, has given them a few tasty meals. Sometimes in desperation they eat things that they are not normally attracted to. Witness the morning I walked out the side door, heading for a walk, and there lying in front of me a half eaten mammillaria. If they had eaten the whole thing I might not have noticed because they had plucked it from between the rocks leaving it there for me to find. This particular cactus has rows of curved fish-hooks which stick to anything so maybe it was caught up in their fur and in the act of shaking it off it landed on the pathway. But the damage was already done with a huge bite out of the bottom. They have never touched these before so I thought these cactus were safe. I looked across to see if they had done any more damage and sure enough the tender new pads on my 3 pad Santa Rita had been pulled or knocked off and left. Fortunately I can replant them. 

At the front they pulled out a small native plant I had just bought depositing it on the driveway and then they headed over and destroyed all the flowers on the top of the cactus clump I had just planted. It was covered with netting. I need to get more serious with my protection. This is what they looked like the day before.

This the day after. The flowers may only last a couple of days but at least I would like all those days. 

Fortunately it was only the flowers and not the cactus. I bought the plant in bud and thought they would all be the same color. I guess people like the bouquet effect. Not me. So I dug the plant up and divided them and potted them up singly. They are now in the back garden until they recover and I find a new home for them. Maybe this time the javelina did me a favor.

I proceeded with my walk in the company of a Gardeners' Question Time podcast. Was it just coincidence that the audience, like I, were calling in with all kinds of pest problems hoping that someone had the perfect solution. Of course, every gardener suffers from some kind of gardening problem so I was feeling in good company and I wasn't going to let it spoil this beautiful day. 

When we first moved in the house one side of the back and side garden was open to the outside and it was evident from the many missing plants shown on the original garden plans that javelina had just wandered through there and eaten many of them. The fence was a costly venture but we immediately arranged to have the extension across from the house to the side fence. We had to match the existing fence as the HOA is very particular and we added a gate for access. So now the back garden is javelina free. But it is not critter free by any means.

The smaller animals do just as much damage, Being on the edge of the desert we are open to pack rats, mice, Harris antelope squirrels, skunks, raccoons and rabbits. Much damage can be done by skunks rooting under plants for grubs. And the earth workings of the desert mice and squirrels is particularly damaging to roots. They just munch right through the roots causing the plant to wilt. 

The base of the more tender agaves is a salad snack for rats and I have yet to get any pups on the A. desmettiana and A. desmettiana Joe Hoak. The tops of juicy cactus are a feast. I have bought my share of these wire baskets from the Dollar to cover over plants. 

It isn't attractive but wire fencing around some plants is the only answer. I thought the elephant food was starting to look a little bare and then one day I watched the Harris squirrel just jump up on the top and start snacking. Planting on pedestals sometimes stop the smaller rodents but even those are not foolproof. 

Quail, aptly called 'chickens of the desert' scratch around and pluck the tops of newly emerging seedlings. All the newly emerged seedlings of larkspur and love-in-a-mist disappeared overnight. The only spring flower to emerge victorious was the Orlaya grandiflora, or lace flower. These were from a package of seeds received at the Wisconsin Fling! I had them last year and then again this year. 

 

The only creatures I don't worry about are the snakes because a good snake population will take care of the rodents. There are also great-horned owls and screech owls doing their job to control some of the rodent population. But not enough for the gardener. 

When the quail recently began laying eggs in the front bed we decide that we needed to be more proactive in keeping the javelina out. We have erected a temporary fence across from one side of the driveway to the other blocking their passage. It can easily be moved aside for access and although inconvenient at times will remain until the HOA send notice to remove. I can almost guarantee they will. 

I am slowly discovering which plants have the best success in this desert climate and fast draining soils while finding I must give up on many of the plants I was able to grow in my Austin garden. There I relied on many plants to self seed. Here that is just about impossible. 

YELLOW IS THE COLOR OF THE MOMENT

Two weeks ago we had friends visiting from Denver. We were so excited to show them our wonderful desert home but disappointed that the lack of rain this year was making the desert look very drab and dowdy.  Usually the desert behind our house is a sea of yellow, at this time of year, with flowering brittle bush, Encelia farinosa. This year their leaves are brown and dried up living up to their name. I wish our friends had come a couple of weeks later, as following a brief shower and a cold front passing through, all the trees burst into bloom. Maybe the shower and drop in pressure had nothing to do with it and the flowering had more to do with daylight hours and the natural cycle of blooming. The Palo verde, mesquite and acacia are now putting on a magnificent show. Just driving down the road with the trees in flower and the backdrop of the mountains is the most magnificent sight. 

This is the  Palo Verde, Parkinsonia x Desert Museum, in our front garden. Regrettably this tree was overwatered by the previous occupants and has grown very large. We have had to do some canopy pruning as well as root pruning as the roots were bringing up our driveway in several places. We were also fearful of them making their way into our sewers system. But for all these negatives we love the tree for the filtered shade it provides for the plantings beneath its canopy. It is the sterile hybrid of three palo verde species, P. aculeata, P. microphyllum and P. florida. Its attributes are that it is thornless, fast growing, drought tolerant and attracts many pollinators.

When the flowers drop the ground is a carpet of yellow  

Below is another common spring bloomer, the mesquite, Prosopsis sp.  producing long pods later in the season. These are a favorite of the javelina and can also be ground to make a flour as the Hohokam  lived did many years ago. For all their messy nature the trees both stabilize and being a legume, improve the soil.

Above the sweet acacia, Vachellia farnesiana, The desert trees and shrubs are competing for who is the most fragrant. 

Other shrubs like the hop bush, Dodonaea viscose, are also blooming. These reseed quite readily and I have a couple which seeded in a perfect place among the rocks and which I intend to keep. Yesterday, I collected the papery winged fruits, with the intention of sowing some behind the house in what we now call the hinterland. 

This tree loves dry rocky slopes so will be quite at home. 

In my limited space areas damianita,  Chrysactinia mexicana, is very much at home in fast draining desert soils. It is extremely tolerant of heat and drought. If I had one complaint is that the yellow color is just a shade too bright. It germinates quickly from seed but bringing it to even childhood even under controlled conditions is very challenging. The wiry roots are thin and easily damaged. I have had success with only one plant. It makes thousands of seeds but never produces seedlings naturally. 

In truth I think I prefer the gently sprawling nature of the yellow evening primrose, Oenothera primiveris. It is planted along the edge of the walkway between two rosemary bushes. 

evening primrose

The first of the prickly pear blooms are opening. 

The barrel cactus make up for having the smallest of blooms by making a bold statement with their structure. 

Flowers on the Blue barrel cactus, Ferocactus glaucescens

The blooms are barely noticeable on the golden barrels, Echinocactus grusonii, but they leave behind dry prickly pods with small black seeds. I don't know what the conditions are for seedlings to grow but I never find any. The quail are very good foragers.

Next time I'll introduce you to the saguaro. There is much of interest to share.

SPRING IS HERE AGAIN!

 It seems the arrival of spring flowers has jogged me into writing a post. This, after an absence of 11 months. I don't know what happened. Maybe it was being away from my garden for 3 months last summer, or the daily walks and hikes which take up most of the morning. Maybe it was the long breakfasts after the morning exercise... they certainly eat into your day, or maybe it is my shortening attention span for everything I do. Could it have been our purchase of a new trailer and the planning it takes to book campsites. Or was it quite simply the ease of posting a few pictures on Instagram and the scrolling that goes along with it. Sheer laziness?

So here we are, our third spring in the desert. It has been a magnificent winter with lots of warm sunny days but no rain all winter long. My newly acquired rain barrels filled up during a rain in November. I emptied the contents into 50 gallon milk jugs and used the rest. Since then not a drop. And no rain in the desert really means no rain and no spring wildflowers. Of course we have a drip irrigation system but it has been very difficult judge how often to run them. I fear not often enough. Even with all that warmth the budding of leaves and the opening of cactus flowers did not happen earlier. It has been right on schedule. 

For any gardener seeing that first green leaf begin to unfurl brings enormous relief. Relief that the lack of rain did not kill it. The first to break were the two Wonderful pomegranates, purchased for $5 each from our power company. The one from the first planting produced one tiny pomegranate last year, too late in the season for it to mature. This year I have counted 14 flowers on that tree and one is starting to swell. Undoubtedly I will have to protect it from birds and wandering javelina. This morning I noticed 1 flower bud on the second pomegranate, planted a year later than the first. 

The next, of the deciduous trees to begin leafing out were the desert willows. Similarly purchased from TEP. I have 4 of those all of which are coming along nicely. We removed a Texas olive from this spot in favor of desert willow. 

And another deciduous Sonoran tree is the Arizona wild cotton, Gossypium thurberi. Growing to about 10' 

this tree was nearly eradicated because of a fear of the boll weevil which had attacked the cultivated cotton fields. It turned out it was not the same weevil and the cotton tree is now returning. I first saw it growing at Tohono Chul garden and was able to buy one from their garden shop. I look forward to its pretty white blooms later in the spring. 

   

                                                                Arizona cotton tree

                                                               Cotton tree bloom from last year.

And then the cactus begin their spring routine. They sit quietly all year until the first buds start to appear. At this point they need to be checked every day as if you blink you can miss them. 

Yesterday the first bloom on the ladyfinger cactus, Echinocereus pentalophus, followed today by two blooms on another plant. 

And then a cluster open on another plant.

When we moved here I brought a number of plants with me. One was the Myrtillocactus geometrizans, or

bilberry cactus. I had planted it alongside the garage, far too close to the wall. Unfazed it began to send out arms and last year produced a pup and yesterday I noticed flower buds. This morning when I took David over to show him one of the buds had opened. It is not showy as many cactus flowers are but certainly welcome. 

A purchase last year at Tohono Chul plant sale. 

                                                           Echinocereus engelmannii

It is a great time of year for the aloes to bloom and for the first time in its life the Aloe vera, I brought with me in a pot and planted in the ground, is blooming. I found the perfect place for it alongside the fence where there was another Aloe vera clump. Both have produced many pups. 

The large stand of giant aloes in the back garden have bloomed with one side taller than the other. I can only assume that the uneven growth is due to the lack over overall watering provided by rain and one side receiving some irrigation water. I would love to divide this aloe but it looks like a daunting task which would likely damage the symmetry of the plant. 

It is visited by the hummingbirds and Gila woodpecker. 

New blooms on the mammillaria open in tiers every day for several weeks. 

There is sure to be something new every day and it looks as though tomorrow it will be the first flowers on the Gymnocalcium baldianum.

MY DESERT GARDEN COMES TO LIFE

Spring is a wonderful time for all gardeners but particularly so for desert gardeners. It is the season of spectacular bloom brought on by winter rains. I have taken advantage of that by adding many blooming plants to my garden to complement the cactus and succulents. Some are perennial and some are annuals like this scarlet flax Linum grandiflorum rubrum. Annuals like to seed themselves along the edge of the paths where they driven by rain. Not always the best place.

Flax are dotted all over the front garden among rocks and cactus. I have always favored growing from seed and finally had success with damianita, Chrysactinia mexicana. This one I grew from seed planted 2 years ago. If I'm not careful it will be crowded out by these penstemon seedlings and a desert marigold. Despite the enormous numbers of seed they produce I have only ever found one growing naturally in my garden. No doubt the fault of the hungry quail who frequent the garden.

Damianita, blackfoot daisy and skullcaps are perfect low-growing perennials for the desert rock garden although not easy to come by. I did manage to find 2 purple skullcaps but unless they are in bloom they are sometimes miss-labeled and turn out to be the more common pink variety. Despite the many flowers and seeds produced it is very difficult to get these three to self-seed.

I'm trying to maintain a good balance of flowers and succulents for the quieter time of year when the cactus are center stage.

The damianita will  need to be sheared back soon so they can bloom again when and if the monsoon rains come. 

 

Just coming into bloom is the chocolate daisy, Berlandiera lyrata. I bought one plant 2 years ago and have been able to grow several more plants from seed over the winter. It has always performed well throughout the year opening new flowers every day. It is a morning bloomer, closing its petals by noon. It's chocolaty fragrance cannot be missed when walking around the garden. 

 This is one of three hedgehog cactus, Echinocereus triglochidiatus, I inherited,  which has bloomed successfully each year.  Their location is not ideal as they receive sun only in the later parts of the day. A place in a more open spot would probably result in a more spectacular bloom. I have allowed this native cudweed to remain. I love its silvery soft leaves which are the closest we would get to growing lambs ears in the desert. Some call it pearly everlasting as the flowers do well when cut and dried. 

My desert marigold,  Baileya multiradiata, has become so successful that it threatens to overgrow the driveway. I think it must be getting too much water. It reseeds quite readily where the layers of rock are not too deep or too large.

Spring is a very yellow time of year in the desert and I think I may just have a little too much of it. Between the brittle bush, damianita and the desert marigold I need to find a happier balance. Brittle bush is a wonderful desert plant which also reseeds heavily. I think it is underused as a native plant filling the roadsides with its yellow and dusky sage colored leaves. 

 

Seeds of blanket flowers grown from seed last year have been immensely successful. They are acting as though they are perennial. Last year they bloomed all summer long. You couldn't ask more of a plant in this desert climate.

 And there are frequent pop-ups in the spring of native wildflowers like the verbenas.

                                                         Verbena gooddingii

                                                              Moss verbena, Verbena tenuisecta

 The mix of colorful annual, perennials, cactus and succulents is a joy to behold on my early morning stroll around the garden. And it is always early.  Spring and summer in the Sonoran desert is a time to get up early to enjoy the cool mornings. The sun rises early and we must make the most of the best part of the day. Now we are in our dry summer with no rains expected until the monsoons arrive in July. Fingers crossed we will get good rains this summer.