Many Mini Micro-climates

The extremes of temperature, high winds, occasional cloudbursts, and need to water most plants mean that most yards have many different micro climates.  Here are the main factors I use to divide my yard into zones:
        full sun -- partial shade -- full shade
        exposed -- sheltered -- indoors
        moist -- regular water -- xeric

The following pictures show areas of my yard having various microclimates, and describe what is growing there.

Exposed, xeric, full sun

This area is a fairly typical desert garden.  Shown are a Chilean Mesquite tree, Golden Barrel Cacti, various Opuntia, a Blue Agave, a Turpentine Bush, a Red yucca, and in the background a Palo Verde, Mexican Fan Palm, Mediterranean Fan Palm, Dwarf Date Palm, Scotch Broom, a Texas Mountain Laurel, various other Yuccas.  There are also Coyote Gourds and Jimson Weed that come up every year from seeds I throw around.  All of these need some water, even after they have become established.  The palms are on bubblers, the other plants on 1gph or 2gph emitters.

Exposed, xeric, full sun

This area is designed to represent a desert oasis.  Shown are Mexican Fan Palms, a Canary Island Palm, Olive trees, Pampas Grass, Lavender Cotton, Crape Myrtle, Desert Marigolds, Chocolate Flower, and in the background California Fan Palms and Eldarica Pines.  There are also Pomegranate trees, Strawberry trees, and a Chaste tree in this area.  All the plants are watered by bubblers, one system for the large plants, a second one for the shrubs.

Exposed, xeric, full sun

This area is a screen which hides a gazebo from the house.  Shown are a Palo Verde, Apache Plume, Rabbit Bush, Texas Ranger, Cotoneaster, Snowberry, newly planted Italian Cypress, Fountain Grass, Mexican Velvet Sage, and Gopher Plant.  In the background are Fig trees and a Pistachio tree.  The sprinkler system for the lawn in the foreground provides some water to the Snowberry, which is not really a xeric plant.  Otherwise, everything is on the same system of bubblers.  The steps lead to the gazebo.

Sheltered, xeric, partial shade

This area under two pine trees is one of the few beds I water by hand.  The trees have been there a long time and probably get their water from my septic tank.  At least I don't water them.  In this shady area close to the house I can grow aloes, bulbina, and some agaves that need a little protection from both sun and cold weather.  Those blooming are Coral Aloes.  The plants in the pots on the other side of the low wall also need shelter.

Sheltered, regular water, full sun

This flower bed in on the east side of a wall which protects it from the wind.  It is in the sun most of the day.  Pictured are Indian Blanket, Verbena, and Allysum.  Also in the bed are Iris, Gladiolas, Peonies, Hollyhocks, Osteospermum, Love-in-a-Mist, Bulbini Tulips, Poppies, and Daffodils.  Flowers and vegetables needing regular water do best on the east side of walls where there is a little afternoon shade.

Sheltered, regular water, partial shade

This flower bed is on the north side of the house, sheltered on the west by another part of the house.  It is filled with Roses, Cannas, Hollyhocks, Shamrocks, Calendulas, Snapdragons, California Poppies, and of course weeds.  The annuals migrated there on their own and reseed every year.  Every Spring Daffodils and Bulbini Tulips provide the first color.

Sheltered, regular water, full shade

This flower bed by the front door is in a north-east nook that does not receive any sun.  Three types of Asparagus Fern grow there, also Coral Bells and Cyclamen.  The volunteer Iris needs to be removed as it will not bloom if left in this location.  There is also a Crinum Lily which needs the shelter, but does not bloom in the shade, and I am always trying other plants.  Fibrous Begonia is marginal, but blooms, and also Purple Tradescantia.

Exposed, moist, full sun

The only thing I have found that will survive in my fishpond is Hardy Water Lilies.  Other plants either die or are eaten by the fish.  The shrubs are Rosemary and Lavender Cotton.  They are on the other side of the pond and have xeric watering.  In the background, also xeric, are a Desert Willow and Mexican Fan Palms.  My soil is sand which does not hold water well.  So for me, any moisture-loving plants have to be such as actually grow in water.

Indoors, moist, partial sun

My large hothouse contains a fish pond planted with Papyrus and Horsetails.  Other pond plants I have tried have either died or been eaten by the fish.  In the moist soil around the pond I have Anthurium, Peace Lilies, Ferns, and Bromeliads.  This hothouse, with its misting system, turns out to be a great place to start seeds.  Although I intended it as a place to garden in the winter and a place to grow tropical fruit, so far I am producing tomatoes all year long.  It also is a place of quiet beauty, away from the railroad and freeway noise that I can't hide in the rest of the yard, despite fountains and a waterfall.

Indoors, xeric, partial sun

My entry way is a great place for potted plants.  There geraniums bloom all year long.  Other than the geraniums, a Benjamin Ficus, and several Philodendrons, I have mostly Cacti and Succulents.  The area has windows on three sides and the window ledge is fairly warm and sunny all year.  This is also a plant nursery for plants that are too small to set out.  And until I built the large hothouse, this was the place I started seeds in covered trays.

Bits of Beauty in Barstow - Trees in Bloom

Blossoming trees are one of the glorious sights of Spring.  Here are a few around town.

Flowering Pear/Pyrus ssp.  blooms in March.  Fruiting pears do also.

Cherry/Prunus avium 'Stella' is one of the few fruiting cherries that grows in Barstow.

Plum/Prunus  is one of many fruiting plums that grow in Barstow.

Japanese Purple plum/Prunus atropurpurea has light purple flowers the beginning of March and dark purple leaves through the Fall.








Fruit trees are also in bloom this time of year.  I am posting pictures of my fruit trees on a blog posting dedicated to them.

Siberian Peashrub/Caragana arborescens is a small weeping deciduous tree that blooms in March.

Texas Mountain Laurel/Sophora secundiflora is a small tree that blooms in March.  This one has only been in my yard a year or two.  This spring it has bloomed for the first time.  The blossoms have a lovely fragrance, like lemonade.  But everything about the tree is poisonous.

Whatz that? - Barstow evergreen shrubs

What is a shrub?  We could say that it is a plant that is low enough to see over and too high to step over easily.  Or we could say that it differs from a groundcover by not spreading, and differs from a tree by having multiple trunks and low branches.  Many shrubs can be pruned to be small trees.  Dwarf forms of trees may look like shrubs, but are not classified as shrubs.  According to the Sunset Western Garden Book, there are a number of evergreen shrubs that should grow in Barstow.  What a shame that not more of them are actually found here.  Below is a list, with pictures, of those I have seen, followed by a list of the others that grow here.  The shrubs are ordered by scientific name, as that is the name by which they are found in the Sunset book.  Various Dasylirions, Yuccas, Palms, Agaves, etc. that are shrubby, are not included here as I have them in other postings.  The following list contains the Sunset recommendations for Sunset zone 11 and other evergreen shrubs that are growing in Barstow.

Artemesia 'Powis Castle' could be considered either a groundcover or a low shrub.  It is xeric.

Strawberry Tree/Arbutus unedo, slow growing to small tree.  The small edible fruit looks something like strawberries, but is not tasty. This shrub is xeric.

Howard McMinn Manzanita/Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn' like all manzanitas has beautiful dark red bark.  it should grow here, but I have not tried growing it.  The one pictured is in Hesperia.  It is very xeric.








Baja Fairy Duster/Calliandra californica is identified as evergreen in the Sunset book, but in my yard it is deciduous.  Unfortunately the beautiful red-flowered species does not survive Barstow winters.

Bush Morning Glory/Convolvulus cneorum needs regular water.  The flowers are white and similar to Morning Glory flowers in size and shape

Cotoneaster ssp.  I do not know which Cotoneaster this is.  Cotoneaster and Pyracantha look much the same except that Cotoneaster does not have thorns and Pyracantha does.  This shrub is xeric.

Mormon Tea/Ephedra nevadensis has the appearance of being evergreen because its twigs are green.  There are rarely any leaves.  This plant is native to the Barstow area and therefore is very xeric, requiring water only until it is established.

Turpentine Bush/Ericameria latricifolia is a desert plant.  It works well to soften the appearance of plantings of cacti and yuccas.

Golden Euonymous/Euonymous ssp. has varieties with green leaves, with green and golden, or with green and silver.  It may be trimmed as a hedge or topiary.  The plant in the background with the red is a Red Tip Photinia, shown again below.

Apache Plume/Fallgia paradoxa is an unruly shrub that needs to be cut back to the ground occasionally.  The flowers and fluffy seedpods are its most interesting feature.  This is a xeric plant.

Pineapple Guava/Feijoa sellowiana has edible flowers, and fruit that ripens in the late Fall.  It can be pruned as a bush or small tree.

Coffeeberry/Frangula californica formerly Rhamnus californica is a xeric plant, native to California.  It is evergreen in Barstow, but the leaves are damaged by the Winter cold.

Flannel Bush/Fremontodendron californica is a very xeric plant, native to the northern foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains.  Once it is established it only needs occasional water in summer.  It has lovely yellow flowers that age to a copper color.  The fuzzy leaves can cause skin irritation.

Curry Plant/Helichrysum italicum is a very xeric bush with silvery fuzzy leaves that smell and taste like curry.  Despite what the Sunset book says, it grows well in Barstow.  The leaves are not really edible, but can be used as flavoring.  It has yellow flowers.

Toyon, California Holly/Heteromeles arbutifolia has not survived in my yard, but the nursery that planted it, thought that it should.  The plant pictured is in Hesperia.















Chinese Holly/Ilex cornuta is most commonly found in the 'Burford' variety.  It has the traditional holly-shaped leaves and red berries.  It needs regular water if it is to do well in Barstow.

Chinese Juniper/Juniperus chinensis has many varieties, some of which are shrubs.  Others are trees and still others are groundcovers.  All are xeric.  This particular one is more commonly called a Hollywood Juniper.  Junipers and Cypresses look a lot alike, but Junipers have berries that look like small blueberries while Cypresses have what look like marble-size round cones.

Chinese Juiper/Juiperus chinensis 'Spartan', this one is more commonly called a Spartan Juniper

Japanese Juniper/Juniperus japanicus has many varieties, some of which are shrubs.  Frankly, I can't tell one juniper from another.  But this one looks like it might be possible to trim it in a Japanese style.

Creosote Bush/Larrea tridentata is the largest native plant in the Barstow area.  It is scraggly looking, but does not mind being trimmed.  After Spring rains, it is covered with small yellow flowers, followed by white puffball seedpods.  It is of course very xeric, and only needs water until it is established.

Violet Silverleaf/Leucophyllum candidum or
Texas Ranger/Leucophyllum frutescens comes with either bright green leaves, or gray-toned leaves.  It can be pruned into a compact form, or left natural.  The flowers are produced in the summer and depend on the watering.  I have both the green and gray varieties and am not sure which species my gray ones are.  This is a xeric plant.

Heavenly Bamboo/Nandina domestica is not a bamboo, although the joined stems and thin leaves slightly resemble banboo.  This is once of the few plants that grow in Barstow that have red berries in the winter.  In an exposed location, the foliage also turns bright red in the winter.  This is a xeric shrub but it does better with regular water.

Oleander/Nerium oleander can be trimed as a shrub, hedge, or tree.  In the Spring it has flowers ranging from white to red to purple depending on the variety.  All parts of the plant are poisonous.  It is very xeric and can reseed.  The one in the picture is next to the street, but other than that does not get any water other than the occasional Barstow rain.

Red-tipped Photinia/Photinia x fraserii has red shoots in the Spring which turn into red leaves.  It can be clipped to form a hedge or topiary.

Oriental Arborvitae/Platycladus orientalis formerly Thuja orientalis has a distinct teardrop shape when it is small.  It works well in a formal garden.

Yew Pine/Podocarpus macrophyllus has a more compact shape when it is smaller.

Fire Thorn/Pyracantha ssp. is a thorny shrub that is covered with red berries in the winter.  Birds love the berries.  It is susceptible to fireblight, but I have not had any problems with it.  It requires moderate water.  It can be left natural or pruned to any shape.  I cannot tell one Pyracantha from another.  And as far as i know, unlike Cotoneasters, which they resemble, they all have thorns.

Rosemary/Rosmarinus officinalis is the Rosemary used in cooking.  Leaves are used in flavoring and the twigs may be used as sticks for grilling.  The plant comes in various sizes, including trailing groundcovers.
It flowers practically year around and attracts bees.  A very xeric plant, it does reseed itself to some extent.

Lavender Cotton/Santolina chamaecyparissus has juniper-like fuzzy gray foliage.  In the Spring it is covered with flowers that are like fuzzy yellow buttons.  When the flowers die, they must be sheared off or the entire plant will die.  It is a xeric shrub.

Desert Cassia/Senna nemophila formerly Cassia eremophila blooms  for a short time in March.It is very xeric, being used by Caltrans in desert freeway plantings.

Texas Mountain Laurel/Sophora secundiflora can be classified as a small tree that is very slow growing.  In March it has wisteria-like cascades of purple flowers that have a lemonade scent.  The seeds are poisonous.  The plant is xeric.

Salt Cedar/Tamarix parviflora is the invasive Tamarisk species that flourishes in the river bottom.  None-the-less it is a large attractive shrub that is covered with sprays of small pink flowers in the Spring.