A Wildflower for Wednesday

 Although I have had some wonderful gardeners in my family, the gene did skip a generation coming to me.  My mother has never been overly interested in gardening (though certainly supportive of my efforts).  However, she has always been fascinated by the wild plants and animals to be found in the various place we lived.

This has had its influence on me too.  I have been known to indulge in the dubious (from a gardening perspective) practice of leaving a wildling to grow "to find out what it is".  Generally, it was not something to be recommended for a civilized garden!

This, though, is a different case.  I know that the plant in question is Pectis papposa, familiarly named Chinchweed.  It is an annual which grows on disturbed sites here in the Sonoran desert.  It blooms in late summer/early autumn, and the garden site had plenty of it when I began clearing.  And frankly, I am playing with litte Pectis papposa.

I may regret it later, but I have not found it a difficult plant to remove, unlike some of the other pests which grow around here!  I am using it as a temporary groundcover in areas where it is arriving as the season progresses.  In a few months it will dry out and blow away - or at least that was the pattern last year.  It's taking a bit of a chance, I know, letting it settle in under a rose bush, in this case "The Alnwick Rose".

It has a nice scent to the leaves: a fresh herbal scent that still somehow warns "Don't eat me."  If I were a horse or cow - or a rabbit, perhaps - I would certainly leave it alone.  Our neighborhood, which consists largely of open desert, was full of this fragrance during a few weeks last autumn.

Well, we shall see whether this is a Bad Mistake or an Underused Native Annual.   Its friendly colours and airy habit are rather cheering in the oppressive moods of August.  So I hope it will be the latter!

Weather Diary: Hazy; High yesterday: 95 F (35 C)/Low: 82 F (28 C)

Monday Vase: Birthday Bouquet

Last Monday there was no vase from the small, sunny garden.  All last week was, in the memorable words of the Marchioness to Dick Swiveller, a Oner - from start to finish.  Hopefully this week goes a bit better!

At any rate it begins well, celebrating my sister's birthday today.  I took charge of the dessert (Lime Mousse Cheesecake) and the flowers.

I had more material for the vase than I expected.  Happily, Crown Princess Margareta is once more in full bloom and I picked five blossoms to use.

There were also some small, blooming branches from the new Lagerstroemia indica "Dynamite".  These are white buds that open to deep red flowers.

And a couple of stems of Jasminum sambac.

The Jasmine leaves made for some nice foliage, as did the rose leaves.  I was able to cut the rose stems a little long because these blooms all came on single stems.  This left plenty of foliage besides working better in the elegant cut glass vase which was given me some years back as a Christmas present.

Though I didn't have enough time to properly condition the flowers before they had to be arranged, I was able to stand the crape myrtle stems in boiled water, which seems to have much improved their vase life.  Thanks for the advice, Cathy!

What with the roses and the jasmine, this is a very fragrant bouquet.

Looking at my clock, I see it's Tuesday now - even here; but in any case here is my Monday Vase for the wonderful meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

Happy Tuesday!

Weather Diary: Partly cloudy; High: 102 F (39 C)/Low: 84 F (29 C)

The Wild Tree: August

Today's walk to see the wild tree proved to be a voyage of discovery.  The few rains we have had during July have altered the landscape in many ways.

The first surprise was finding a couple of blooms of Desert Poppy open... at last!  These marvelous wildflowers (Kallstroemia grandiflora, see my post from last year) are not true poppies despite the name; they are not even related to the California or Mexican Poppies (Eschscholzia spp.).  Rather they are distantly akin to the common Arizona shrub Larrea tridentata (Creosote).  But their brilliant golden blooms are rather poppy-like and serve a similar purpose, bursting into colour over the desert landscape during the monsoon season.

The humble Chinch Weed (Pectis papposa) is also beginning to carpet the ground.

As I went on, I came to a large shrub which stands near the Palo Verdes.  I haven't shown any pictures of it before, which is too bad as the difference between last month and this is astounding.  At the beginning of July it was entirely leafless, nothing but an intimidating, tangled, grey mass of thorns.  Now?  It is fully leafed out.  I have yet to identify this plant.  It bears little red fruits later in the year if I remember rightly.

Its thorns remain impressive!

On up to the much gentler cluster of Palo Verde trees (Parkinsonia florida) which I am watching for Tree Following, the wonderful meme with Lucy at Loose and Leafy .  These trees, too, have changed rapidly with the rains.  Branches which were nearly bare one month ago are clad in an abundance of tiny leaves.

The whole little group once more has a full canopy of foliage...

...reaching to the sky.

Branch tips are delicate with tiny clusters of new leaves.

And the green bark is brilliant in the sunshine.

Only a very few seedpods are left.

Next to the trees are some patches of wild grass, which make a miniscule meadow.  I love their plumes.

Also nearby are many bushes of the aforementioned Creosote (Larrea tridentata).  Bright yellow flowers are out in response to the rain.

And lastly, the walk inevitably directed itself toward the magnificent blooms on the wild Ferocactus emoryi(?).  Today they were a haven for bees, but that was another adventure!

Weather Diary: Partly cloudy; High: 104 F (40 C)/Low: 90 F (32 C)

Planting the Exotic: Caesalpinia pulcherrima

As I promised yesterday, here is a post on the latest addition to the East Border.  Remember what the new Caesalpinia pulcherrima looked like in mid-June?  A very small plant in a nursery pot...

In the intervening month and a half, it grew quite a bit...

It has been growing so happily in high heat that I decided to go ahead and plant it.  I thought it might be best if some of that energy were put into root growth in the flower bed.  So yesterday morning I took advantage of the (somewhat) rain-softened soil and dug a big hole for it.  In it went.  As of this morning it looks happier still...

Caesalpinia pulcherrima is actually a fairly common plant here, used in commercial and municipal planting; but it is so lovely that even seeing it in roadside swathes cannot make it banal.  It is a delicate-looking shrub with an iron constitution.

Leaves are finely divided.

New growth is slightly coppery.

Blossoms are brilliantly coloured, mounted on wiry stems that nod with the ever-present wind.  (This picture is the best I can do; it is from a plant in a parking lot.  My own little bush is not large enough to bloom yet.)

From various sources I learn that it is native to the tropics and subtropics of the Americas, possibly originating in the West Indies.  It can reach as much as twenty feet (6 m) tall according the Missouri Botanical Gardens, though it usually stays much smaller (and had better, in this garden!) with sizes from 6 - 10 ft (2 - 3 m) high.  It can be damaged at 32 F (0 C) and is killed back to the ground below 20 F (-7 C) .  It is drought-tolerant but can also accept some water.  Most importantly, it blooms happily in summer even under conditions of intense light and heat.

I have planted it in the nearly empty East Border, where it may fill most of the space, though winter cold and low water may keep it a little smaller than the dimensions listed above.  It will need some additional planting as it is said to be slow to wake up in areas with winter cold. (Note: I also see advice to avoid planting it near concrete as the roots are quite powerful.)  It is such an open plant that I am wondering about the possibility of growing other plants up through it.  In the meantime, I am enjoying its evident pleasure in being in the ground!

Weather Diary: Light clouds; High: 102 F (39 C)/Low: 79 F (26 C)

July in the Garden

Last month there was not an End of Month View post because I had given a complete overview of the garden in mid-June.  With the close of July, I want to take another look...

The worst of the hot, dry weather seems to be over.  We are now getting the occasional rain - generally very strong downpours when they do happen!  Although a number of plant losses occurred - mainly in June - the structure of the garden is actually beginning to be felt now - perhaps not by the casual observer, but by me at any rate.  And having watched through almost a full year in the garden, I begin to see more clearly how I want to proceed.

The most structured area at this point is the Central Bed.  The top end meets the patio, where rose "Wollerton Old Hall" continues to prove an excellent choice.

 Despite the occasional cream accent (as with the rose), the overall colour scheme in this bed is turning to a distinct medley of strong pink/crimson/scarlet, hopefully balanced to keep it all pleasing to the eye!  A few plants need to be moved out and others in to strengthen the scheme, but there are already glimpses of it in such combinations as Russelia equisetiformis with Salvia greggii "Flame".  The Dietes irioides next to the Russelia needs to be moved into the South Border as its white and lavender blooms will be much more appropriate there.  In the meantime two significant additions to the Central Bed have been made: the structurally important Lagerstroemia indica "Dynamite" and the thriving Gaura lindheimeri "Siskiyou Pink", which has bulked up magnificently and begun to bloom.

I love the combination of the two plants though it's difficult to show it at the moment since Dynamite is barely in bloom; here it is with Gaura flowers blurred into the background.

Despite the above photo, the Lagerstroemia flowers are mostly red with flashes of white.

I am counting on this plant to add some much-needed shade to the lower part of this bed.

In the same way, I am using Lagerstroemia indica "Rhapsody in Pink" to give additional shelter to the South Border.  This border is primarily developing in purple/blue/yellow shades, with the occasional touch of pale pink from the Lagerstroemia, Muhlenbergia capillaris "Regal Mist", and probably others as next planting season begins.

The most spectacular plant in this area currently is a "background" shrub - ha!  Leucophyllum frutescens "Compacta", which anchors the upper corner of the border, burst into full bloom (see my last post) about a week ago.  Flowers have since fallen, but this plant is expected to repeat in response to ongoing rain.

I have a second one, still in its container, awaiting its position at the bottom of the border.  The rosemary hedge now stretches almost the full distance between these two.  In front is a medley of shrubs and a few perennials, as well as one grass, the most-cooperative Muhlenbergia capillaris "Regal Mist".  Its soft pink seedheads will continue the pink accent from the Lagerstroemia beside it, which, as you can see, is still smaller than said grass!

This border is beginning to look fairly bare - even more so in anticipation, since I am planning to move an important component.  Eremophila "Valentine" is too strong a pink for this area, and I have been wanting a shrub of its stature in the Central Bed, so I intend to shift it over in a few months.  It will fill a largish bare space in the middle of the bed behind the Gaura.

A big factor in the South Border is the nature of the plants.  Many of these are uncompromisingly dry-climate varieties, such as the Leucophyllum, Eremophila "Outback Sunrise" and Damianita (Chrysactinia mexicana), shown below next to a little clump of Lemon Thyme.  Damianita is primarily spring-blooming, but it is throwing out some blossoms now.

This intense drought-tolerance is a characteristic I plan to continue with the addition of such plants as Eremophila hygrophana (waiting patiently on the patio), though no doubt the effect will be a bit modified when I move rose "Sterling Silver" over to this area.  But how can I resist adding a lavender rose to the colour scheme?  Osteospermum "Blue-eyed Beauty" is also slated for relocation here, where its yellow with purple accents will be just the thing.

On to the barely begun East Border.  At one end of it was the Dry Corner, which, alas, is no longer with us.  I lost more plants from this area than from any other.  In part this was because of more intense sun and worse soil; in part because I did not realize that some of the plants I had placed here were no more (and possibly less) resilient than varieties I had used in better locations.

What remains is the Acacia tree (A. salicina), Euphorbia trinculli "Firesticks", Tetraneuris acaulis (tough despite its diminutive size), Berlandiera lyrata (which openly demands - and gets - a little extra attention), and Senna nemophila.  That's not much for the space involved, which looks sadly bare. 

However, I think it is a grand time to rethink the concept of this area in any case.  With the Acacia tree growing rapidly, I hope that this spot will soon cease to be quite so harsh and will come to be more in character with the rest of the garden.  In particular, I intend to plant so that it will blend with the rest of the East Border, which today received its Big Addition in the form of a small shrub.

As you can see, this mostly empty area is now home to a tiny Caesalpinia pulcherrima.  I will try to get a separate post up on this planting tomorrow.  In the meantime, I will say that this very open, light-textured shrub can reach 6 - 10 ft (2 - 3 m) high and wide.  That means it will eventually fill most of the space up to Euphorbia "Firesticks".  

It will also help set the colours for this bed at the bottom of the garden.  The blended orange/yellow/red flowers of the Caesalpinia will combine well with the surviving Euphorbia and Berlandiera, and certainly with little Tetraneuris acaulis, now returning to bloom.

And what about the non-existent North Border?  I hope to begin planting that side of the garden sometime in autumn.  I've begun listing plants for it...

So in a couple of months I intend to move a good many plants around as well as put some new ones in the established beds (established for all of one year!).  One big project involves rooting rosemary cuttings to continue the hedge around the east and north sides of the garden.  

There are also other plants I would love to propagate: Chrysactinia mexicana, and Tetraneuris acaulis, as well as lavenders.  The native plants are not so common that propagation methods are common knowledge.  I will hunt a little futher for information and then trust my instincts, I suppose.  Some natives, such as Penstemon parryi and Aquilegia desertorum, should settle in and reseed themselves eventually.

As of the beginning of August, I am decidedly thinking in terms of the new planting season, which here starts with cooler autumn temperatures.  This is a rather long End of the Month View; and of course I am linking it with Helen's excellent meme at The Patient Gardener, which happily gives me a good reason to take a long view of the garden once a month!

Weather Diary: Fair; High: 102 F (39 C)/Low: 79 F (26 C)