Sunday, December 2, 2012

Rabbit-proof Winter Garden

Just the day before leaving on a Thanksgiving trip, I finished assembling a tiered winter garden in my hothouse, and planted some seeds: greens, radishes, peas, anything I thought might work in only 5" of soil.  The hanging troughs are 5' lengths of vinyl guttering.  Taller plants like broccoli are in the ground under the hanging troughs.  Also plants like beets that have large bulbs.

I had no idea if this would work, if the watering was right, enough drainage holes had been drilled, etc.  The watering system is 1/4" spaghetti tubing with an emitter every 12".  It was set to water once a day for 15 min.

So you can imagine how pleased I was to return two weeks later and find the garden looking great!




Friday, October 12, 2012

Irrigation 101 - Revisited

This is a correction to some mathematical errors in the Irrigation post of a year ago.  In some of the calculations I used gallons rather than inches.  And I did not adjust the figures for sandy soil.  So here are the corrected tables:


Duration of irrigation (in minutes) for plants in sandy soil

                       grass          perennial           shrub          tree    
sprinkler             18                 37                   73             116
rotor                   36                 72                 144            228
bubbler               0.3                0.6                  1.2            1.9
soaker hose         18                 36                   72            114
1/2" dripline       30                 60                  120           190
1/4" dripline       36                 72                  144           228

This table assumes there are enough sprinklers, bubblers, emitters, etc. to cover the area that needs to be watered.  If not, multiply the figure by the number of square feet each bubbler, emitter, etc. needs to cover.
For soil that is loam, multiple each figure by 1.5.
For soil that is clay, multiply each figure by 3.


Frequency of irrigation (times per month) for plants in sandy soil.

                        grass         perennial        shrub         tree

cold                  10.5               5.3                 3              1.5        
mild                  26.4             13.5                6.6           4.2
hot                    36                 18                  9              5.7

For soil that is loam, divide each figure by 1.5.
For soil that is clay, divide each figure by 3.

Note -- These tables are for plants that need normal amounts amounts of water (called "regular" in the Sunset Western Garden Book).  The frequency of watering will need to be adjusted for plants needing "little", "moderate", or "abundant" amounts of water.


Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Whatz that? - Barstow vines

This list of vines is taken from the Sunset Western Garden Book.  Included are the vines recommended for Sunset zone 11.  Not included are vegetables such as squash, cucumber and peas or annuals such as sweet peas.  The plants are listed in order by their scientific names as they are in the book.  The first list is those vines I have located in Barstow.  The second list is vines that should grow here but I have not seen.

Asparagus Fern/Asparagus densiflorus 'Sprengeri', regular water, shade
Often used as a house plant in hanging baskets.  Has small red berries.









Asparagus Fern/Asparagus setaceus, evergreen, regular water, spines at base of leaves
This plant is often used in florist's bouquets for its airy leaves.








Trumpet Vine/Campsis radicans, deciduous, moderate water
This vine has been disappointing in that it does not bloom reliably and does not cover a chainlink fence well.  The long flexible branches root if left on the ground, so they have to be woven through the fence.
Coyote Gourd/Curcubita palmata, xeric, native to Mojave Desert, dies back in winter, thin-shelled for a gourd, not edible
It has the large yellow flowers and sprawling habit of squash and melons.




Winter Creeper/Euonymous fortunei, regular water, partial to full shade evergreen in Barstow, leaves turn red in Fall in colder climates
This plant can be used to cover a wall or as a ground cover.  It roots where the branches touch the ground.  Climbing, it does not attach itself to the wall, but has long stiff branches.

Algerian Ivy/Hedera algeriensis evergreen, moderate water
This ivy has larger and softer leaves than English Ivy.







English Ivy/Hedera helix evergeen, moderate water
This ivy has stiff leaves.  It adheres to rough surfaces with many small roots which are almost impossible to dislodge.







Morning Glory/Ipomea purpurea, moderate water
This plant came up a couple of months ago from seed that was given to me and I simply threw in various places.  It has not yet begun to climb, or had flowers.
It is said to be invasive once it is established.  I got it, looking for a fast climber for a trellis that will eventually have climbing roses.

Winter Jasmine/Jasminum nudiflorum, xeric, deciduous, yellow flowers in February
This plant could be considered a small shrub or a groundcover if it does not have any climbing support.




Trumpet Honeysuckle/Lonicera sempervirens, moderate water, evergreen, red flowers
I have had a few flowers, but at the moment it is not pretty enough to photograph.  It is one of the numerous vines I have tried as covers for a chain link fence.


Maypop/Passiflora incarnata, xeric to regular water, dies back in Winter, edible  fruit, native to Eastern USA.
This is my newest attempt to find a plant to cover a chain link fence.  So far it has not grown enough to have fruit, but I am hopeful.






Rosa banksia/Lady Bank's Rose, evergreen, many small white or yellow blossoms in the Spring, needs support
Evidently my picture of this isn't on my computer, so I will have to wait until next Spring to provide a picture.

Grape/Vitus vinifera, moderate to regular water, deciduous, common table grape, can be trained on a trellis or as a cover for an arbor, needs support









Wisteria/Wisteria ssp., moderate to regular water,  purple flowers in Spring
I do not know whether this particular Wisteria is a Chinese or a Japanese one, or something else.  I started it from a root cutting from a Wisteria at my parents' house, only to learn that most Wisterias are grafted.  However, it blooms true to the mother plant -- sprays of purple pompoms rather than the usual pea-shaped flowers.  I have not seen another Wisteria with the same flowers.





Monday, July 23, 2012

Whatz that? - Barstow groundcovers

What exactly are groundcovers?  In this posting, I am taking them to be plants that are small enough to walk on or to step across, plants that in general are wider than they are tall, or that expand and form low mounds that are less than 18" high.  I am excluding from this category those grasses that are commonly used for lawns.  I am also excluding low growing annuals and perennials that do not have time to expand and cover much ground, and such plants as low growing cacti.  This list includes those groundcovers that the New Sunset Western Garden Book identifies as appropriate for Sunset zone 11.  The pictures are of those growing in my yard.

Common Yarrow/Achillea millefolium, xeric, white flowers, green all year, bears light foot traffic









Aloe/Aloe sp., xeric, needs shelter in Barstow
I do not know which particular aloe this is, however I like it as it spreads rapidly into a groundcover.

Alyssum/Lobularia maritima formerly Alyssum maritima, xeric, white flowers most of the year
This is an annual, but it reseeds freely enough to cover the ground.
The purple variety quickly reverts to white.





Roman Camomile/Chamaemilium nobilis formerly Anthemis nobilis, moderate water, used for herbal tea
This plant is too scraggly and too short lived to make a good groundcover.  However it has the advantage of reseeding freely.








Ice Plant/Carpobrotus chilensis, xeric, marginal for Barstow







Dwarf Plumbago/Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, moderate water, small blue flowers in summer, partial shade









Rock Spray Cotoneaster/Cotoneaster horizontalis, xeric, not deciduous. small white flowers, red berries in winter
Can be trimmed to be nearly flat.
Unlike its cousin Pyracantha, Cotoneaster does not have thorns.
Ice Plant/Delospermum cooperi, purple flowers, xeric
Spreads to form a mat.







Dichondra/Dichondra micrantha, regular water, marginal in Barstow, looks better in partial shade, can take foot traffic







Winter Creeper/Euonyous fortunei, regular water, partial to full shade, white heart-shaped flowers with red berries
This plant is a vine which can be grown as a groundcover by trimming it back when it starts to climb a wall.
The branches take root and spread.  In a colder climate, the leaves turn red in the Fall, but not in my yard where it is in a sheltered location.

Rosemary/Rosmarinus officionalis is very xeric and reseeds.  Trailing varieties form mounding plants that can be trimmed to be nearly flat.






Yellow Creeping Jasmine/Jasminum nudiflorum, xeric, deciduous, flowers appear before leaves,
more a low sprawling shrub than a groundcover







Carpet Juniper/Juniperus horizontalis, evergreen, xeric
This particular plant has not been in the ground very long.  It would be larger than it is if I gave it more fertilizer.





Lantana/Lantana montevidensis, moderate water, bright colored clusters of flowers all summer, dies back in winter, berries are poisonous
Be sure to get the groundcover variety.

Blackfoot Daisy/Melampodium leucanthum, moderate water
I have this plant on a xeric drip system.  Maybe that is why it is more a straggly flowering plant than it is a groundcover.







Mexican Evening Primrose/Oenothera speciosa formerly Oenothera berlanderii, xeric, sun or partial shade, blooms all summer










Shamrock/Oxalis acetosella, regular water, partial to full shade, pink flowers,
Dies back after blooming, therefore I do not have a picture right now.  Shamrocks are related to the invasive week, Oxalis, but they are not invasive.

Purple Shamrock/Oxalis regnelli, regular water, partial to full shade, white flowers
Dies back after blooming.






Purslane/Portulaca oleracea, regular water, very small yellow flowers
I bought a large-leafed variety for my herb garden, but it didn't like it there.  It reseeded freely in the lawn and I have allowed it to grow because the stems and leaves are edible.  They add a lemony flavor to salads and cooked dishes.  It is considered invasive.

Rose/Rosa, groundcover varieties
These are more nearly sprawling shrubs than they are groundcovers.








 
Biting Sedum/Sedum sediforme, xeric

Reseeds freely, also spreads through rooting of stems.  The flowers are not attractive and when the flowers die, the dried flower stems have sharp edges.








Angelita Daisy/Tetraneuris acaulis formerly Hmenoxys acaulis, xeric, yellow flowers
Forms a slow growing grass-like mat
Verbena/Verbena, xeric, small purple flowers most of the year, reseeds freely









 

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Wandering Afield

I spent part of last week in Southern Nevada -- staying in Las Vegas, but touring the local parks.  They must have had a bit more rain than we did this Spring, as there are wildflowers in bloom.

Opuntia
Brittle Bush and Apricot Mallow










Indigo Bush
Pima Rhatany












And of course we saw a bit of the wild life!

Bighorn Sheep
Wild(?) Burro

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

May Flowers

The following plants have come into bloom this month.  Some will continue to bloom throughout the summer, but others have flowers only a short time.  The missing pictures will be added as the plants come into full bloom and I have time to photograph them.

Trees

Desert Willow/Chilopsis linearis
This is an overgrown deciduous bush that can hardly be called a tree except that it is 10'x 10' when mature.  It is native to the area and can grow in washes with no supplementary water.  The flowers are either a bright magenta, or pale pink.










Chitalpa/Chitalpa x tashkensis
This is an overgrown deciduous bush that can be trimmed into an excellent shade tree with multiple trunks.  In May it is covered with bunches of pale pink flowers.  It is xeric however the roots will extend a long way seeking water.



Pineapple Guava/Feijoa
This is an evergreen, naturally dwarf, late harvest fruit tree.  The flower petals are delicious.






Mexican Palo Verde/Parkinsonia aculeata
This is a small nearly leafless xeric tree known for its green bark.  The sweet-pea like yellow flowers appear in the Spring for a short time.  The tree can be tall, as this one is, or it can be spreading.



Pomegranate
This is an overgrown deciduous bush that can be pruned to be a small tree.  It requires little water and grows well in Barstow.  The juice of course is fashionably healthy.






Purple Smoke Tree/Cotinus coggyaris
This is a small tree that will grow with very little water.  However it does better in other parts of the country where it receives more water.  The leaves are purple in the Fall.  And in May it has purple blossoms that from a distance look like smoke.



Shrubs

Brittle Bush/Encelia farinosa
Mine died this winter, so I do not have a picture of it.  It is native to the area, but needs a small amount of shelter.  And it reacts badly to watering.






Desert Bird of Paradise/Caesalpinia gillesii 
This is a scraggly xeric desert bush that has distinctive red and yellow flowers in the Spring.  They reseed freely.  In fact, this one is a seedling.






California Fairy Duster/Calliandria eriophylla
This is a native, xeric plant that is not very attractive.  The Barbados Fairy Duster/Baja Fairy Duster with their bright red flowers are lovely and do survive in some parts of Barstow, but they are marginal and will not grow for me.  I am not including a picture because my plant is very scraggly with rather unattractive pale pink fluffy flowers.

Flannel Bush/Fremontadendron californicum
This shrub is native to the Lucerne Valley/Deep Creek area.  As that area has only slightly more rain than Barstow, once it is established, it does not need any water.  The entire plant is furry and some people are sensitive to that.  The bright yellow flowers turn a copper color as they age.  My plant is relatively young.  The mature plant can grow to 10'x 10'.







Lavender Cotton/Santolina chamaecyparissus
This is a low, xeric shrub that can almost be considered a groundcover.  When it blooms it is covered with flowers like yellow buttons.  The drawback is that the flowers must be sheared off after they bloom, or the plant will die.






Oleander/Nerium oleander
Oleanders are large evergreen shrubs that can be trimmed as hedges or small trees.  Their flowers vary from white as shown here, to a bright pink.  All parts of the plant are poisonous.










Creosote Bush/Larrea Tridentata
I almost left out the Creosote Bush!  It is so much a part of our local landscape that we may not notice the small bright yellow flowers in May, and the tiny puff balls that follow them.  However the bees and the hummingbirds find them.  This is the species plant that defines our part of the Mojave Desert.  Obviously this plant is very xeric, and once started, does not need any water at all.  It reseeds freely.


Cotoneaster/Cotoneaster sp.
This plant is available as everything from a rather woody groundcover to a large shrub.  A thornless relative of Pyracantha, it is better known for its red berries in the winter than for its flowers.  However, at this time of year it is covered with small white flowers.  The plant is xeric.






Curry Plant/Helichrysum italicum
This small shrub smells like curry.   The leaves are not edible, but can be used to flavor foods and then removed.  It is very xeric as can be guessed from its scientific name and the color and shape of its leaves
.

Groundcovers

Common yarrow/Achillea millefolia
This yarrow is evergreen.  it will take light foot traffic and spreads well.


















Gazania/Gazania sp.
Gazanias come in all colors of flowers and bloom all summer long.  The individual plants spread sideways rather than growing tall.  They reseed.  None the less I do not consider them a satisfactory groundcover in Barstow as they require regular water; the individual plants do not live long; and they do not reseed freely enough to be self-perpetuating.



Mexican Evening Primrose/Oenethera berlandiera
A xeric groundcover, these are seen all over town, and along the freeway by the Lenwood exit.  They are a little unpredictable as some years they actually do cover the ground while other years they don't come up at all.







White Rose/Rosa
Considered a groundcover, this rose spreads rather than forming a shrub.









Perennials

Bear Breech/Acanthus sp.
This plant grows in full shade with regular water.  The leaves inspired one of the forms of capitals for pillars in ancient Greece.  The plant is lovely, the flowers interesting.




Fibrous Begonia/Begonia semperflorum
This small plant is marginal to the area.  Mine come up every year in a flower garden that is in full shade and receives regular water.  The flowers vary from white to red.


Coyote Gourd/Curcubita palmita
I suppose this could be considered a ground cover.  It is a native to the Mojave Desert and can be started by throwing a few seeds around the yard.  Of course it is very xeric.  It grows as a vine, like all gourds.  The fruit is dry and inedible, but can be used for decoration like all gourds.




Red Yucca/Hesperaloe parviflora
Hesteraloes can have either red or yellow flowers.  This one, a little redder than most, is called "Brake Lights."  The plant is very xeric. While related to the yuccas and nolinas, this plant belongs to a different genus.  When it is not blooming, it is a somewhat unattractive grasslike clump.






Love-in-a-Mist/Nigella damascena
I threw out a variety of seeds given to me by my daughter who lives in Pennsylvania.  This is the only species that grew.  The flowers come in blue and white.  This particular version is called "Persian Jewels."  The seed pots are very interesting and work well in dried arrangements.  The plant reseeds freely, but needs regular water.





Nolina funifera
Like the yuccas, nolinas are desert plants, well adapted to Barstow.  Unlike yuccas, the leaves do not have sharp points.  However the flowering stalks are not as pretty as yuccas.

Yuccas
Several different species of Yucca bloom in May.  Yuccas are mainly distinguished by the stiffness of their leaves, how high they hold their stalks of blossoms, when they bloom, and the overall shape of the plant.

Soaptree Yucca
Weeping Yucca
Our Lord's Candle
Yucca blossoms



Water Lily/Nympha ssp
Pink and white hardy water lilies are the only plants I have been able to grow in my outdoor koi pond.  The fish eat everything else.  The water lilies die back every year, but are certain to return and start blooming in the Spring.  Obviously they require a lot of water.




Peony/Paeonia ssp
Peonies are rarely seen in California, but they do grow here.  They die back in the winter, but come out in the Spring to form a bush 3'x 3'.  Some years the heat and wind dry out the flowers before they fully open, but this year they are beautiful.  Perhaps I finally have the water adjusted properly.  Like other flowers commonly grown in the eastern part of the country, they require regular water.


Margarita Bop Penstemon/Penstemon heterophyllus
Several years ago, this was the last of its kind in the nursery.  I have been looking for more ever since, and finally found a few.  This is one of the xeric penstemons that grows well here.  The blue color adds a nice touch to the garden.




Superb Penstemon/Penstemon superba
This Penstemon comes in shades of pink and rose.  Usually the flowers are larger than other penstemons, hence the name.  It is one of the few that grow well in Barstow.  And of course it is xeric.

Rudbeckia/Rudbeckia sp.
I have thrown out seeds of this plant several times, and once in a while one of them comes up and flowers.  For my daughter in Pennsylvania, they are almost invasive, but do not do well here, at least for me.  They require regular water.







Indian Blanket/Gaillardia puchella
This is a similar flower that does very well in Barstow.  In fact it reseeds freely and comes up with all sorts of interesting varieties of blooms.  It blooms all summer long and into the Fall as do the Verbena and Allysum that are shown with it in this picture.




Cactus
In addition, there are a number of different Cacti that bloom this time of year.
Beavertail Cactus



Red Torch Cactus





Cholla/Cylindropuntia imbricata





Santa Rita Cactus










Bunny Ears
Ocotillo