Month: April 2021

Utah landscape designer Rod Rasmussen packed in an array of flowers, texture, and form. In the foreground, a blooming spire shoots up from a red yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) amid shorter blooms produced by red autumn sage (Salvia greggii), a low-growing evergreen shrub that tolerates a bit of shade. Red yucca repeats throughout the border to carry the eye down the path. Purple-flowering Texas ranger (Leucophyllum ‘Heavenly Cloud’), an evergreen shrub with gray-green foliage, is a repeat bloomer that produces flowers for several weeks up to four times a year. A banana yucca (Yucca baccata) expands interest on the right side of the path. “When designing desert gardens, you always need a couple of yuccas,” says Rasmussen. “They bring character, structure, and stand as a sculpture when planted alone or amid plants with softer foliage.”

A honey mesquite tree (Prosopis glandulosa) offers a respite from the heat and brings structure to colorful beds framing a pathway fashioned from chat, tiny stones leftover from screened gravel. Chat stays compacted, simulates the look of sandy soil, keeps down weeds and dust, and works well with desert plants’ forms.

Provide a Stage

Place big-money plants where they’ll be most often seen. Rasmussen always uses large plants and striking plant combinations to mark a home’s entryway. Whenever possible, he incorporates plants that offer multiseason interest, like the patch of prickly pear cactus (Opuntia) that flowers with yellow blooms through spring; the flowers give way to reddish fruits, and come winter, the paddles shade to purple. A pink-flowering Mexican oregano shrub (Lavender Spice Poliomintha) provides fragrance, flowers, and waxy evergreen foliage. A palm-treelike beaked yucca (Yucca rostrata) supplies a dramatic crowning touch.

Get Inspired by Your Home

Take your cue from your home’s architecture and the surrounding landscape. This home was built atop a lava-rock field, so Rasmussen incorporated black lava rocks in borders stepping up the slopes framing the wide steps. He placed plants so their forms would draw the eye toward the front door; he also positioned plants away from the stairs so they wouldn’t intrude on the upward view or poke guests.

On the left side of the stairs, a rocky point ice plant (Malephora lutea) and silvermound artemesia soften the base of the garden, while a gray desert spoon and purple-flowering verbena add interest to the midground. Yellow bird of paradise trees (Caesalpinia gilliesii), which grow 10 feet tall, frame the top of the steps. In late spring they bear yellow blooms that attract hummingbirds. At the very top on the right, Rasmussen placed a giant sword flower (Hesperaloe funifera), a yucca-like plant that produces stalks of white flowers.

Go with Appropriate Plants

Tired of hauling out the hose? Combine drought-tolerant plant varieties that can go long stretches without watering. Here, self-sustaining plants mirror the arched shape of a nearby stucco wall. Honey mesquite branches soften the foreground, while gray desert spoon (Dasylirion wheeleri) provides a contrasting vertical form and color behind shrubbier turpentine bush (Ericameria laricifolia) and creosote bush (Larrea tridentata). Like many desert plants, the two shrubs bear tiny leaves, which help plants retain moisture. If these plants won’t grow where you live, get a desert look by incorporating small-leaf shrubs, such as potentilla or caryopteris, with plants with sword-like leaves, such as Adam’s needle (Yucca filamentosa).

Add Architectural Interest

Stucco-walled raised beds show how desert plants can be combined to create more traditional gardens. “The idea here was to use plants to visually shorten the tall walls,” Rasmussen says. “So we planted trailing rosemary to spill over the upper walls and then planted vertical yuccas in the beds below to fill out the lower walls.” Red-flowering yucca, a pink-blooming Mexican oregano shrub, and smoky-blue spires of Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) work in concert to brighten the upper tier. Pops of red emanate from dwarf oleanders (Nerium oleander), a mounding shrub with large clusters of blooms from spring into fall. Upright myrtle spurge (Euphorbia rigida), yellow-blooming paper flower (Psilostrophe tagetina), and pots of agave and yucca anchor the terraces.

If you live in areas where there’s plentiful rainfall and high humidity, you can still create desertlike vignettes using plants suited to your region. Jeff Clark, a horticulturist at High Country Gardens in Santa Fe, recommends a sun-heated site with quick-draining soil; you’ll find microclimates suited to xeriscape plants bordering west- and south-facing foundations, stone paths, rock walls, and in the “inferno strip” between sidewalk and street. Lighten soils with compost and coarse sand or crushed gravel. A good growing mix for xeric plants is 2 parts coarse sand to 1-part organic matter or soil topped with a gravel mulch.

Skip the Lawn

Instead of a water-hogging lawn, plant a desert garden suited to natural conditions. Rasmussen did just that across a client’s front yard. He used a bed of chat and some strategically scattered lava rocks to tie the plantings with the adjoining landscape. Quick-growing clumps of Russian sage ably fill out the background, providing needed height and long-lasting color. Parry’s century plant (Agave parryi) and yellow barrel cactus mix in varying forms and textures. Yellow-blooming desert marigolds (Baileya multiradiata) add splashes of sunshine amid the cacti and sage. They’ll readily reseed themselves and naturalize among their companion plants.

By Ann Wilson for BH&G©

Article by Tom Oder

How to read a weed

Lawn weeds fall into two broad categories: broadleaf weeds and grassy weeds. Broadleaf weeds are generally the easiest to recognize because, as their name implies, they have a stem that often produces wide leaves frequently in pairs or groups. Exceptions are weeds such as dandelions, which have just a single leaf. In short, a broadleaf weed doesn’t resemble a grass, which is what can sometimes make grassy weeds a little difficult to recognize — at first glance, these weeds do look like grass.

Here are some of the most common broadleaf and grassy weeds that Waltz says are most likely to occur in home landscapes, as well as how to identify them and the problems they may indicate.

Prostrate spurge (Chamaesyce maculata and Euphorbia supina)

Prostrate spurge in your yard could be a sign that your soil needs to be aerated.  MaryAnne Campbell/Shutterstock

This is a vigorous, low-growing, broadleaf summer annual that forms a mat up to three feet in diameter. It’s often found in newly established or thin lawns. It gets its name from freely branching prostrate stems that usually have a reddish spot. It can indicate several possible problems with your soil. One is that the soil may be compacted and needs aeration. This plant, for example, will grow on cracks in sidewalks and parking lots. It may also indicate the presence of nematodes.

“If you have a high spurge population in your lawn, it’s worth at least taking a soil sample and sending in that soil sample to see if nematodes are really the problem with your lawn, not so much the weeds,” says Waltz. “It’s not foolproof, of course, but it is an indicator plant of nematodes.”

Annual bluegrass (Poa annua) and goosegrass (Eleusine indica)

Annual bluegrass is a cool season, grassy weed that is light green in color and grows in small tufts or clumps. Goosegrass, also called crowfoot and silver crabgrass, is a tough, clumped summer annual grass, generally with a “whitish to silverfish” coloration at the center of the plant. They are indicators of compacted soil. “Both of these do very well on shallow soils where the (desirable grass) roots can’t get down deep into the soil,” says Waltz.

Yellow woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta)

This is a broadleaf weed with three heart-shaped leaves that produces yellow flowers. Other forms of this plant that gardeners may encounter include creeping woodsorrel, (Oxalis corniculata), which has a more prostrate growth habit than yellow woodsorrel but may be green to reddish purple, and Florida yellow woodsorrel, which is similar in appearance to yellow woodsorrel. These weeds are sometimes an indication of low soil fertility, says Waltz.

Broom sedge (Andropogon virginicus)

This is a perennial grassy weed that sends up several tall stems from a basal crown. Its flowers are green to reddish-purple and will turn the color of straw when the seed heads mature. “If you see this, odds are good your soil is going to be a little low in pH,” says Waltz. To determine if this is the case, send a soil sample to your extension office. In pastures or hayfields with a lot of broom sedge, farmers are sometimes urged to put lime on their pastures because lime will raise the pH of the soil. “Many times, that will take care of the broom sedge because it doesn’t like the pH that pastures and forage grasses will grow in,” says Waltz.

Some weeds are hard to read

Some common weeds grow in so many environmental niches they don’t provide a clear indication of a soil condition.

One of those is the frequently seen dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). Dandelions are a broadleaf weed with a deep tap root, which Waltz found to his great surprise that some people view in a different light than he does. He encountered such a person at an extension talk on weed control he was giving as a graduate student at Clemson University.

“I thought I had not knocked it out of the park, and this guy raises his hand and says, ‘You know what weeds are in my lawn?’ I said, ‘No sir. What?’ He said. ‘They are a salad.'” While there are certainly weeds like dandelions that are edible, Waltz suggests caution if you see weeds as a chance to eat your yard. “If you pick the wrong thing, it can cause a little intestinal distress,” he points out.

Wild garlic (Allium vineale) and dog fennel (Eupatorium capillifolium) are two other common weeds that don’t indicate a particular soil type or condition. “I have seen them in clay and sandy soils,” says Waltz.

Sometimes the problem is you

Sometimes weeds set up shop in your yard because of poor lawn management practices.

“If I’m seeing certain weeds like dog fennel, American burnweed (Erechtites hieraciifolia) or marestail (Conyza Canadensis), that gives me an indication of poor maintenance,” says Waltz. “Some of those weeds like to grow up head high, five to seven feet tall. If you are seeing a lot of those, it gives me an indication the homeowner is not doing what they need to do to maintain the lawn at proper mowing heights.”

Because these weeds want to grow tall, even though they germinate and begin growing, they can’t survive in a lawn that is mowed frequently at the proper height. Regular maintenance just puts too much pressure on them, Waltz adds.

Are some grasses more susceptible to weeds than others?

Because of differences in their growth habits, some grasses are more likely to provide an environment that’s more conducive to weeds than other grasses. Lawns of tall fescue, which has a clumping and open growth habit, are more likely to have weed issues than lawns with thick-growing grasses such as zoysia grass, Bermuda grass, St. Augustine grass and centipede grass.

“Tall fescue is a cool-season species that can have a more open canopy following summer heat stress that promotes an environment for weeds,” says Waltz. “Likewise, it is more susceptible to disease. So, when it gets a pathogen or disease, it opens up the canopy so light and water get down to the soil and allow the weed seed to germinate and come up. Zoysia grass has a much denser canopy and excludes more light and, as a result, the grass will many times out-compete the weeds. Therefore, we tend to have fewer weed issues in zoysia grass than we do in other grass species.”

How to take a soil sample

Your local extension service is a good first contact to confirm what type of weed, disease or insect problem you might have in your lawn. They may suggest you email them a photograph of the weed or grass stems or suggest you send a soil sample to the extension’s lab at your state’s land grant university.

If they suggest a soil sample, here’s how Waltz suggests taking that sample based on an average-size lawn of 5,000-8,000 square feet: Pull 15-20 samples, 1/2 to 3/4 inches in diameter in the upper 3 to 4 inches of your soil, which is the root zone for most turf species. Take the turf canopy off the samples, mix the soil together, securely seal it in a plastic bag and take it to your local county office. They will then send it to your state’s extension lab.

Rules are made to be broken

Waltz acknowledges that there are no hard-and-fast rules about weeds as indicator plants; they’re more like guidelines. “When you see (weeds), it triggers another thing to consider about why the lawn may be less healthy than it should be and where you might want to tweak or address an issue.”

If you come across an oxalis in your lawn, for instance, he said you might want to take a soil sample, send it to the extension office and see if you need to make a nitrogen application. “Unfortunately,” he says, “on that one just increasing the fertility doesn’t always get rid of the weeds. That’s not a herbicidal strategy. It’s just an indicator that the weed is more competitive in that soil than the turf itself. This gets back to the definition of a weed — it’s competing for light, water, space and nutrients.”

Source: How to Use Weeds to Read Soil (treehugger.com)

Spring is an extremely important time for monarch butterflies. The overwintering populations will soon head north to lay the first monarch eggs of the season. These butterflies need new milkweed to feed monarch caterpillars, and nectar flowers to inspire weary females to lay the groundwork (eggs) for future generations.

Many butterfly gardeners prefer summer plants that are in their prime during the height of monarch season. But to ensure there is a “height” to the season, it’s important to provide the returning ‘migration generation’ the breakfast it needs for a productive season.

Here are 5 spring butterfly plants to consider for your garden if you want to help returning monarch butterflies get off to a flying start:

1. Spider Milkweed (Asclepias viridis)- This early milkweed variety is a shorter species that would make a great garden border for either taller milkweeds plants or nectar flowers.

• Perennial most common in USDA plant hardiness zones 5-9
• Essential milkweed for monarch butterflies returning north from Mexico
• Height 1 to 2.5 feet
• Bloom time May- July
• Purple and green blooms also attract other pollinators like the Hairstreak above
• Plant in full sun – drought tolerant

2. Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)- A low maintenance plant with fragrant purple flowers that can also be used to impart a more ‘subtle’ onion flavor into your culinary creations.

• Perennial recommended in USDA plant hardiness zones 4-9
• Colder zones can grow annually
• Height 1 to 2 feet
• Container garden option
• allium plants have been shown to repel aphids
• Bloom time April-June
• Showy purple blooms on green stalks
• Plant in full sun

3. Siberian Wallflower (Erysimum x marshallii)- A winning combination of brilliant orange flowers with an intoxicating aroma that attracts monarchs, other butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. Click the play button to watch a feeding monarch butterfly:https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/lTZ94MCeH_U?rel=0

• Biennial most common in USDA plant hardiness zones 3-9
• Colder zones might try starting seeds indoors or plant annually
• Height 1.5 to 2 feet
• Good option for container gardening
• Bloom time March-May
• Vibrant orange flowers
• Full sun to partial shade

4. May Night Salvia (Salvia x superba ‘Mainacht’)- Striking blue and purple spikes make this hybrid of S.nemorosa and S. sylvestris a winner with butterflies and gardeners alike. The parent varieties are also excellent butterfly attractors!

• Perennial most common in USDA plant hardiness zones 3-9
• Perennial plant of the year in 1997
• Height 1.5 to 3 foot spikes
• Excellent container garden idea
• Bloom time March-May (reblooms w/deadheading)
• Deep blue and purple blooms
• Plant in full sun

5. Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)- One of the earliest sprouting milkweed varieties, this is a preferred spring milkweed because of its large, thick leaves that can sustain many monarch caterpillars.

• Perennial most common in USDA plant hardiness zones 4-9
• Many other butterflies and bees use this as a nectar source
• Height 4-6 feet – we have some that eclipse 7!
• Bloom time June-August
• Fragrant pink and white flowers
• Plant in full sun – drought resistant
• Can be invasive with underground rhizomes – tips to control common
• Find Reliable Asclepias Syriaca for spring monarchs

These, of course, aren’t the only  options that can sustain early monarch generations, but they are some of the most reliable plants in my experience. They are also commonly reported to be ‘spring monarch magnets’ by other butterfly gardeners.

Source: 5 Spring Plants That Could Save Monarch Butterflies (monarchbutterflygarden.net)