One of the things that I enjoy about living in the Southwest are the beautiful outdoor spaces. In particular, I am struck by the color and beauty in the winter landscape.
Now, for those of you who follow, know that I often take photos of ‘problem’ landscapes I drive by.
Well, not this time! I was so distracted by the beauty around me that I didn’t notice any landscape mistakes.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do and are inspired to create your own!
Valentine bush(Eremophila maculata ‘Valentine’) is hands down, my favorite shrub. I love its bright red color, which decorates the landscape from January through April. Even when not in bloom, the foliage looks lovely.
Golden barrel cacti (Echinocactus grusonii) with their sunny yellow color are a great choice. I use them often in my landscape designs due to their drought tolerance, low maintenance (they need none) and the yellow color they add throughout the year.
Large desert spoon(Dasylirion wheeleri) add great contrast with their spiky texture and gray-blue coloring.
This is a great pairing of plants that I plan on using in future designs.
The yellow, fragrant flowers of feathery cassia(Senna artemisioides) are famous for their winter color. Nothing else brightens a dreary winter’s day as much as the color yellow. The silvery foliage of this cassia adds great color contrast and give off a silvery glow on a breezy day.
In the background, you see the pink blooms of pink fairy duster(Calliandra eriophylla). Their uniquely shaped blooms look like a feather duster and hummingbirds find them irresistible.
Bursage(Ambrosia deltoidea) is a native groundcover that needs little water and provides nice color contrast.
This combination was well done but planted too closely together.
Against the backdrop of yellow-flowering feathery cassia, a pair of boulders are decorated with blue bells (Eremophila hygrophana). These shrubs have lovely gray foliage and produce purple/blue flowers all year long. This is a newer plant introduction getting a lot of attention.
A golden barrel cactus offers great contrast along with a pair of agave.
Here is one of my favorite landscapes in this particular community. I like the combination of cacti, flowering shrubs, and perennials that create a pleasing landscape.
A trio of flowering firecracker penstemon(Penstemon eatoni) easily catches your eye. They are one of my favorite perennials in my own garden and flower January through April in the low desert.
In another landscape, firecracker penstemon is used as part of a wildflower planting, backed by desert spoon and purple trailing lantana.
Ornamental grasses add great interest to the winter landscape and pink muhly(Muhlenbergia capillaris) is one of my favorites. Their burgundy plumes, which appear in fall fade to an attractive wheat color in winter. Soon, they will be pruned back to 3 inches in preparation for a new growth cycle.
Some landscapes look attractive using a minimum amount of plants. The key is to use a variety of different plants – not just shrubs or cacti. In this one, a blue palo verde(Parkinsonia florida) overlooks a planting of purple trailing lantana(Lantana montevidensis) and desert spoon. While the lantana is frost tender, the canopy of the tree provides it some protection from frost.
It’s important to anchor the corners in your landscape – particularly those next to the driveway. Here is an example of how to combine plants that look great throughout the year. When warmer temps arrive ‘New Gold’ lantana(Lantana ‘New Gold’), bursts forth with colorful blooms that last until the first frost. In winter, golden barrel cacti attract the attention and keep you from noticing the frost damaged lantana.
This street planting also attracted my attention with the row of little leaf (foothill) palo verde(Parkinsonia microphylla) trees, Valentine shrubs and purple trailing lantana. I should note that lantana doesn’t usually flower much in winter, but in mild winters, they do.
An almost leafless mesquite tree stands sentinel over a planting of red-flowering chuparosa (Justicia californica). This shrub has lovely green foliage and tubular flowers that drive hummingbirds crazy with delight.
As you can see, the Southwestern landscape is filled with beauty and color, even in winter. Unfortunately, many homeowners only use plants that bloom spring through summer. This leaves them with a boring landscape through the winter months for several months. So, celebrate the winter season by adding a few of these cool-season beauties to your garden!
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/EremophilaValentineshrubswithgoldenbarrelcactus-1.jpg7301200arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2019-02-07 07:13:002019-02-08 21:57:56Drive By Landscapes: Winter Beauty in the Southwest Garden
Got brown and crispy plants? Put down your pruners if winter has not ended yet!
Are you having a hard time ignoring them the ugliness of the frost-damaged leaves? Or perhaps you have no problem with some brown spots in your garden.
There has been some discussion on my social media pages from people asking if they can safely prune back their plants now and I know that some of you are just itching to get outside with either your hedge-trimmers, loppers or hand pruners.
Well, before you pick up your pruning tool of choice – I have some important advice for you.
DON’T!!!
Okay, was that obvious enough? You may be asking why you can’t go outside and prune away that brown ugly stuff in your garden.
Well, the answer is that you can eventually prune it away, just not now.
There are three very good reasons not to prune back your frost-damaged plants during the winter.
1. Oftentimes, the brown, dead looking branches are not dead on the inside. The warm temperatures of spring will stimulate new growth in much of the dead-looking branches. If you prune your plants too early, you may be removing live branches.
New growth in March.
2. In general, pruning stimulates plants to produce new growth. Many gardeners make the mistake of pruning too early before the threat of cold temperatures has passed and then a period of freezing temperatures occurs, which not only kills the new growth but can even result in the death of your plant.
3. The brown and crispy stuff actually protects the interior and sometimes the lower foliage of your plant from further cold damage.
So, I hope these reasons help to convince you to turn a blind eye to your brown and crispy plants for a little while.
Once the threat of frost is over, you can go ahead and prune away to your heart’s content 🙂
But, beware of giving in to the temptation to start pruning a little early. You never know when a late frost will hit. Sometimes just when you think that there is nothing but warm weather ahead, a late frost can sneak up on you. If you aren’t sure you can keep yourself from pruning your plants too early, ask someone you trust to lock up your pruners until the threat of frost is over 😉
Salmon-colored geraniums
I learned this lesson the hard way. Years ago, I was in charge of decorating with plants for a large event. I purchased 100 potted geraniums and arranged them expertly with my crew in late February. The night before the event, we had a late frost that damaged every single geranium and we have to rapidly replace them. I should have used a plant that was more cold hardy.
So, maybe you can’t stand having frost-damaged plants in your garden anymore. If that is the case, I have an assignment for you…..
Take a drive through your neighborhood and those close by as well. Look at your neighbor’s front landscapes and see what plants are still green and did not suffer any frost-damage.
The yucca, desert spoon, and pygmy date palm all did well while the trailing lantana did not.
The ficus tree fared poorly while the tipu tree did well.
When looking around, you will find exceptions. Some plants that normally would suffer frost damage look healthy and green.
As you can see, there is a large blue palo verde tree with a ‘Torch Glow’ bougainvillea underneath to the right. You may note that this bougainvillea did not suffer frost damage.
Why?
The overhanging branches of the palo verde tree provided some protection from the cold temperatures.
This knowledge can be quite helpful to you if you like having frost-tender plants in your garden but don’t like the brown and crispy winter look. By placing plants such as lantana and bougainvillea underneath a tree with filtered shade, you can oftentimes skip the ugly, winter stage.
Before you know it, winter will have passed and you can grab your pruners and get busy in the garden!
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/DSC_0035.jpg513640arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2019-01-31 06:00:002019-01-30 20:35:46Got Brown, Crispy Plants? Put Down Your Pruners!
Drive By Landscapes: Winter Beauty in the Southwest Garden
One of the things that I enjoy about living in the Southwest are the beautiful outdoor spaces. In particular, I am struck by the color and beauty in the winter landscape.
Now, for those of you who follow, know that I often take photos of ‘problem’ landscapes I drive by.
Well, not this time! I was so distracted by the beauty around me that I didn’t notice any landscape mistakes.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do and are inspired to create your own!
In the background, you see the pink blooms of pink fairy duster (Calliandra eriophylla). Their uniquely shaped blooms look like a feather duster and hummingbirds find them irresistible.
Bursage (Ambrosia deltoidea) is a native groundcover that needs little water and provides nice color contrast.
An almost leafless mesquite tree stands sentinel over a planting of red-flowering chuparosa (Justicia californica). This shrub has lovely green foliage and tubular flowers that drive hummingbirds crazy with delight.
As you can see, the Southwestern landscape is filled with beauty and color, even in winter. Unfortunately, many homeowners only use plants that bloom spring through summer. This leaves them with a boring landscape through the winter months for several months. So, celebrate the winter season by adding a few of these cool-season beauties to your garden!
Got Brown, Crispy Plants? Put Down Your Pruners!
Are you having a hard time ignoring them the ugliness of the frost-damaged leaves? Or perhaps you have no problem with some brown spots in your garden.
Well, before you pick up your pruning tool of choice – I have some important advice for you.
There are three very good reasons not to prune back your frost-damaged plants during the winter.
So, I hope these reasons help to convince you to turn a blind eye to your brown and crispy plants for a little while.
Salmon-colored geraniums
I learned this lesson the hard way. Years ago, I was in charge of decorating with plants for a large event. I purchased 100 potted geraniums and arranged them expertly with my crew in late February. The night before the event, we had a late frost that damaged every single geranium and we have to rapidly replace them. I should have used a plant that was more cold hardy.
Take a drive through your neighborhood and those close by as well. Look at your neighbor’s front landscapes and see what plants are still green and did not suffer any frost-damage.
The yucca, desert spoon, and pygmy date palm all did well while the trailing lantana did not.
When looking around, you will find exceptions. Some plants that normally would suffer frost damage look healthy and green.
As you can see, there is a large blue palo verde tree with a ‘Torch Glow’ bougainvillea underneath to the right. You may note that this bougainvillea did not suffer frost damage.