Most of my job as a horticulturist and garden writer is fun.
But sometimes, I have to be the bearer of bad news.
Last week, I was called to a home where the homeowners were worried about one of their citrus trees. Although I am a horticulturist, I am also a Certified Arborist, which can also be very helpful – especially when I am dealing with trees.
There was a large lemon tree in their front garden. They were concerned because they had some branches dying back and wanted to know what the cause was.
So, I stopped by and took a look at the lemon tree. At first glance, it looked fine – the homeowner had had the dead branches removed.
But, I had to look more closely, which meant getting close to the interior branches and the trunk.
What I saw in one of the remaining branches wasn’t good…
Can you see that the branch on the left is missing bark and is colored black?
What is this you may wonder?
Sooty Canker.
Sooty Canker is a fungal disease that infects many different species of trees including citrus. It spreads through fungal spores. The spores enter the tree through damaged areas on the branches or trunk, forming lesions and eventually causing the bark to peel off.
It is called ‘sooty canker’ because of the black color of the fungal spores. The branches almost looked as if they have been scorched by fire.
In this case, the lemon tree had experienced severe frost damage 1 1/2 years ago. Frost can cause splitting and other damage in the bark. Sunburn damage can cause similar problems as well. The fungal spores enter through these damaged areas and begin to grow.
If only branches are affected, they can be pruned 6 inches to 1 ft. below where you see evidence of the sooty canker. Pruning tools must be disinfected with a 20% bleach solution to keep the disease from spreading between each pruning cut.
I was hopeful that I could tell the homeowners that all they had to do was to prune the affected branches.
But that was before I looked down at the trunk…
The entire trunk was infected with sooty canker. Unfortunately, this almost certainly means that the tree will die.
In this case, the tree should be removed to avoid spreading it to other trees.
I hated to tell the homeowners that they would have to have their tree taken out. Especially after they told me how much fruit they had enjoyed over the years from this tree.
After I told them the fatal diagnosis of their lemon tree – I offered to look at their other four citrus trees. I wanted to make sure that they weren’t infected as well.
Well, the good news was that their Meyer lemon tree was healthy.
The bad news was that their two orange trees and pommelo tree were all badly infected with sooty canker.
Did I mention that I hate being the bearer of bad news?
I must say that the clients accepted the bad news very well.
In fact, they said that they had gotten tired of picking up dropped fruit AND that one of them couldn’t even eat citrus any more due to dietary constraints.
They will be removing their five infected citrus trees while keeping a close eye on their disease-free Meyer lemon tree. At the first sign of a lesion, they will prune it away to help keep it safe from infection.
Guess what?
They asked me to return in spring to design a new landscape area in place of their citrus trees. I like being with people who see things as “a glass half-full”.
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If you suspect that your tree has sooty canker – have a professional confirm the diagnosis and discuss with you the treatment options. If the trunk is not affected, you may be able to save your tree.
For more information, check out this link.
The Bearer of Bad News…
CitrusMost of my job as a horticulturist and garden writer is fun.
But sometimes, I have to be the bearer of bad news.
Last week, I was called to a home where the homeowners were worried about one of their citrus trees. Although I am a horticulturist, I am also a Certified Arborist, which can also be very helpful – especially when I am dealing with trees.
There was a large lemon tree in their front garden. They were concerned because they had some branches dying back and wanted to know what the cause was.
So, I stopped by and took a look at the lemon tree. At first glance, it looked fine – the homeowner had had the dead branches removed.
But, I had to look more closely, which meant getting close to the interior branches and the trunk.
What I saw in one of the remaining branches wasn’t good…
Can you see that the branch on the left is missing bark and is colored black?
What is this you may wonder?
Sooty Canker.
Sooty Canker is a fungal disease that infects many different species of trees including citrus. It spreads through fungal spores. The spores enter the tree through damaged areas on the branches or trunk, forming lesions and eventually causing the bark to peel off.
It is called ‘sooty canker’ because of the black color of the fungal spores. The branches almost looked as if they have been scorched by fire.
In this case, the lemon tree had experienced severe frost damage 1 1/2 years ago. Frost can cause splitting and other damage in the bark. Sunburn damage can cause similar problems as well. The fungal spores enter through these damaged areas and begin to grow.
If only branches are affected, they can be pruned 6 inches to 1 ft. below where you see evidence of the sooty canker. Pruning tools must be disinfected with a 20% bleach solution to keep the disease from spreading between each pruning cut.
I was hopeful that I could tell the homeowners that all they had to do was to prune the affected branches.
But that was before I looked down at the trunk…
The entire trunk was infected with sooty canker. Unfortunately, this almost certainly means that the tree will die.
In this case, the tree should be removed to avoid spreading it to other trees.
I hated to tell the homeowners that they would have to have their tree taken out. Especially after they told me how much fruit they had enjoyed over the years from this tree.
After I told them the fatal diagnosis of their lemon tree – I offered to look at their other four citrus trees. I wanted to make sure that they weren’t infected as well.
Well, the good news was that their Meyer lemon tree was healthy.
The bad news was that their two orange trees and pommelo tree were all badly infected with sooty canker.
Did I mention that I hate being the bearer of bad news?
I must say that the clients accepted the bad news very well.
In fact, they said that they had gotten tired of picking up dropped fruit AND that one of them couldn’t even eat citrus any more due to dietary constraints.
They will be removing their five infected citrus trees while keeping a close eye on their disease-free Meyer lemon tree. At the first sign of a lesion, they will prune it away to help keep it safe from infection.
Guess what?
They asked me to return in spring to design a new landscape area in place of their citrus trees. I like being with people who see things as “a glass half-full”.
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If you suspect that your tree has sooty canker – have a professional confirm the diagnosis and discuss with you the treatment options. If the trunk is not affected, you may be able to save your tree.
For more information, check out this link.
An Old, Antique Watering Can Re-Purposed
AZ Plant LadyOne of my favorite memories as a child was visiting antique stores with my mother. We usually did this whenever we went on vacation. My dad would stop the car whenever she saw a store that looked promising.
Now that I am an adult, my mother and I have fun visiting antique stores when we travel together. I don’t have a lot of antiques myself, but I do have some special pieces.
Last summer, our family traveled to Prescott, which I blogged about back then in “Antique Junk for the Garden”.
One of the pieces that I got was an old, antique watering can.
I had a vision of seeing it full of flowering annuals.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t plant in the summer because it was too hot for plants to survive in the container. (It can be very hard to grow plants in smaller containers in summer because the outer 6 inches of soil is often too hot for roots to grow.
However, once fall arrived, I was ready to plant my new (old) container.
First, I had to make some holes on the bottom for drainage. Then I filled it with planting mix and then my annuals…
I planted alyssum, violas and lobelia. The watering can is now sitting in the middle of my vegetable garden. I added a drip emitter, so my new container is watered whenever my vegetables are.
I must admit that I am quite pleased with how it turned out.
Have any of you used old, antique containers in the garden?
Lesser Known Plants To Try In Your Garden – Snapdragon Penstemon
AZ Plant LadyIf you find yourself driving through the neighborhood, chances are that you will see an abundance of particular types of plants.
However, what you often do not see are a wide variety of plants. Instead, you usually see the same kind of plants repeated from landscape to landscape.
For example, in the larger Phoenix metro area, many homes have at least one of the following plants, if not more:
Dwarf Oleander
Lantana
Bougainvillea
Texas Sage
Now I have nothing against these particular plants (except for the fact that Oleanders are poisonous). All are easy to grow, look beautiful when in flower and thrive in our dry desert climate.
What happens though is that there tends to be an overabundance of these plants. Because of this, landscapes can tend to look a little boring because they look like their neighbor.
Have you ever thought about trying some different plants to spice things up in your garden? Now I am not suggesting that you pull out all of your Oleanders, Lantana, Bougainvillea or Texas Sage. I actually have the last three in my garden. What I am suggesting is adding or replacing just a few plants with some lesser known plants.
Over the next few weeks I will profile a lesser known plant that I think that you should try out in your garden. (Okay, this is where I refer you to my disclaimer at the bottom of this page – my recommendations are meant for those who live in a climate similar to my desert garden’s zone 9a).
Are you ready?
Let me introduce you to Snapdragon Penstemon (Penstemon palmeri) also known as Palmer’s Penstemon . I saw the Penstemon, pictured above, while driving to an appointment in Cave Creek, AZ. It was so beautiful that it stopped me in my tracks and I rushed out to take a picture.
The first time that I had seen a Snapdragon Penstemon was while working for a golf course back in the 90’s. It had been planted around the golf course which had a desert plant palette.
Even though this Penstemon has been planted in a desert-themed garden, it will do just as well and look just as great in a more traditional front yard landscape.
When in bloom, it can reach heights of 6 ft. and sometimes higher. In my experience growing Snapdragon Penstemon, they tend to bloom a little later in spring then the better known Firecracker and Parry’s Penstemons. Flowering can extend into early summer depending on the location.
Maintenance is super easy…..cut of the flowering spikes when the flowers fade. It is drought tolerant, but does best with a little supplemental water in dry, desert climates AND it thrives in our desert soil without amendments. It is native to Arizona and New Mexico, which probably explains why it thrives in our conditions.
The flowers have a lovely, light fragrance and attract hummingbirds. Published literature states that it will grow in zones 4 – 9, but does not do well in humid locations or wet soils.
I do hope you decide to try out this lesser known plant. Just plant it in full sun, give it a little water from time to time and watch it take off. It can be a little difficult to find in your local nursery unless you visit a specialty nursery or a plant sale at your botanic garden. But you can find them at High Country Gardens where they will ship them to you.
Who knows? Maybe someone will stop in their tracks when they see this beautiful plant growing in your garden 🙂
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It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is less then a week away.
We will be enjoying two Thanksgiving celebrations this year. The first one, I will be hosting for my husband’s family.
The second celebration will be at my sister’s house with my family.
How about you?
What will you be doing for Thanksgiving?
One-Year Old Tomato Plants
Vegetable GardeningMy tomato plants are turning one-year old this week.
I didn’t plant them. They sprouted up from fallen tomato seeds from a stray tomato that was unpicked the previous year.
When I saw the little seedlings coming up, I decided to protect them from the winter frosts in hopes that I would have a jump start on the growing season in spring.
I covered them with sheets when temperatures dipped below 32 degrees and even put a light bulb underneath the sheets to provide additional warmth.
In the spring, I did get a jump-start on the tomato growing season. They performed very well.
In May, as summer temperatures arrived – I put up shade cloth to shield them from the sun and keep them from burning up.
My hope was to be able to enjoy a fall harvest of tomatoes once the temperatures cooled.
Now that November has arrived, my tomato plants are covered with flowers, just waiting to form into new tomatoes.
I checked over my tomatoes today and this is what I found…
A single ripening tomato.
I’m not too sure I will see any more tomatoes form because soon we will be getting too cold.
I must admit that I have mixed feelings about working hard to help my tomatoes survive another winter.
I’m not sure why I feel this way. It was worth it because I did get a jump-start on the growing season and as a result, got more tomatoes.
Even when working to protect tomatoes from the occasional freeze – there is no guarantee that they will survive. A colder then normal winter will kill them no matter what protective measures I try.
Oh well. At least I don’t have to make a decision for a few weeks.
**How about you? Have you raised tomato plants for over a year? Was it worth it? Or was it easier to start off fresh with new tomato plants in the spring?
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Grand Canyon University is getting ready for their third Run to Fight Children’s Cancer, which is a 5k/10k run that will raise money to support children and families dealing with childhood cancer.
The run will benefit the Children’s Cancer Network & Phoenix Children’s Hospital (a wonderful hospital – our son, Kai, had surgery there on his hip).
Please take a minute to check out the video link
which shows childhood cancer survivors in an honest, heartfelt way that will leave you inspired.
‘Designer’ Plants Without the Designer Price
AZ Plant LadyFriends and family know that I cannot pass up a bargain. I come from a long line of bargain hunters as my mother will attest to 🙂
I do love designer quality, but rarely (if ever) pay full price.
This extends to buying plants. One of my favorite plants is called ‘Lavender Lace’.
This plant is a beautiful, flowering trailing lantana that has two different colored flowers.
I remember when I first saw this plant growing in a landscape. I had to stop my car and take a closer look.
Since then, I have only rarely seen it in landscapes. But, I knew I wanted it when we re-landscaped our front garden.
We did see it at our favorite nursery and I was so excited.
Until I saw the $25 price tag….
Even though we had enough money to buy this ‘designer’ plant – I just couldn’t make myself purchase them.
*The reason I wouldn’t buy them was because I knew that I could replicate the look of the ‘Lavender Lace’ Lantana for a fraction of the cost.
Here is my version of this ‘designer’ plant…
My ‘knock-off’ looks pretty good, doesn’t it?
It was absurdly easy to do.
Here’s how:
Simply take a 1-gallon Purple Trailing Lantana AND a 1-gallon White Trailing Lantana and plant them next to each other in the same hole.
That’s it. As they grow, the purple and white flowers will intermingle with each other.
I love the effect of these two colors together.
AND, what I love even better is that I was able to achieve the same effect as ‘Lavender Lace’ Lantana for $4 instead of the $25 dollar ‘designer’ price tag.
Curing the Garden Blahs with Color
What Am I Growing In A Grocery Bag?
Vegetable GardeningYou’ll probably never guess what I am growing in a recyclable bag…
Lettuce!
So what made me think of growing lettuce in a grocery bag?
Well, it wasn’t my idea. I actually saw an article about it and thought it would be fun to try in my own garden and share with you.
Here is how I did it:
recyclable grocery bag
I took my recyclable grocery bag and made a few little holes on the bottom, using scissors, for drainage.
Then I placed the bag where I wanted in the garden. It is hard to move after you fill it with soil.
I filled the bag with planting mix and then planted my lettuce transplants. Of course, you can simply plant lettuce seeds instead.
Add slow-release fertilizer because all vegetables need fertile soil.
Then water. I simply put a drip emitter on my new lettuce planter.
I love how it looks and just a few weeks after planting, I can already pick lettuce.
So how about you? Is this something you would like to try?
Family, Fun and Sweets for Halloween
az plant lady familyDid you have a nice Halloween? Did you sneak a piece of candy from the bowl of candy you were handing out to trick-or-treaters? Or maybe you take a piece or two or three from your kids?
I was so excited to be hosting our family’s annual Halloween party this year.
It was my granddaughter Lily’s first Halloween. She missed Halloween by 3 days last year 😉
I had fun getting food ready before everyone came over…
‘Graveyard’ Guacamole.
Made with chopped olives and tortilla chips.
Pumpkin veggies.
Carrots with cucumbers.
‘Melted Witch’ cupcakes.
I used green and chocolate candy melts to make the ‘melted witch’ base. Halloween Oreos and a Hershey’s Kiss made the hat. A pretzel stick with molded lemon Starburst candies finished it off.
Dessert Table.
Homemade Marshmallows Pops dipped in chocolate.
I used orange and chocolate candy melts to dip the marshmallows in. Regular marshmallows from the store would work great for this too.
Our family get-togethers are often pot-luck and today was no exception. My mom brought her delicious homemade chili.
Soon, it was time for the kids to get ready to go trick-or-treating…
My mother got her ‘witches’ costume ready. Her twin grandsons weren’t quite sure who the witch was. In fact, Danny (dressed as ‘Woody’) ran away and cried.
Even after she took off her mask and showed Danny that it was ‘grandma’ – he wouldn’t go near her until the end of the evening 😉
Aren’t they cute?
annual Halloween party
While the kids went trick-or-treating, some of us stayed behind to give out candy.
Gracie went for a little while and then decided to help give out candy while the other kids continued on.
Lily’s first Halloween was fun. She gave her candy away to her young aunts and uncle.
Danny kept us on the edge of our seats because he kept pointing to the firepit and saying “Hot”. Thankfully, he didn’t touch it.
The twins loved my daughter, Rachele’s, classic VW Bug.
Dean with his dad (my brother, Scott) decided to check out my husband’s new motorcycle.
My sister, Grace, and my mom were so much fun to hang out with.
We had a wonderful time even though our kids were crashing after their sugar-highs.
I can’t wait until next Halloween!
How about you?
What did you do for Halloween?
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I must admit that my thoughts have strayed to thinking of those who have been affected by the terrible storm ‘Sandy’. For those who are suffering from the devastating effects from the storm ‘Sandy’ – you can help by sending a donation to the Red Cross, which will go directly to those affected by ‘Sandy’.
Strange and Unusual Plants All Ready for Halloween
AZ Plant LadyIt’s that time of year, the weather is cooler, the trees are dressed up in their colors and people are almost ready for Halloween.
My youngest daughter, Gracie, is going to be a ‘butterfly princess’ this year and my son Kai will be the ‘Brawny’ paper towel guy. I bought him work boots (he loves those), a flannel shirt and of course, a package of ‘Brawny’ paper towels.
This year, we will be hosting the family Halloween night with my sister, brother and their families. I can hardly wait.
This post has been a huge favorite every year. I hope you enjoy it!
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My kids, aren’t the only ones ready for Halloween. Use your imagination and see how these plants are prepared as well…..
Octopus Agave (Agave vilmoriniana) beginning growing it’s snake-like flower stalk.
Growing up to one foot a day, like a snake coming out of the snake charmer’s basket.
Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila) climbing up the pillar and underneath….hanging down like spiderwebs.c
A Yucca reclining like a lovely lady.
But beware….she stabs you with her leaves if you get too close….
(This Yucca was trained to grow this way)
Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) dressed as a giant.
The ‘claws’ of an Agave
Ocotillo (Fouquierea splendens) with a Medusa hairstyle.
Sticks of Fire (Euphorbia tirucalli), will not burn you….but it is poisonous.
The spooky silhouette of a Shoestring Acacia (Acacia stenophylla).
You can almost hear the hooting owls…
Crested Saguaro (Saguaro carnegiea)
A saguaro all dressed up with a new hairstyle.
Twin-Flowered Agave (Agave geminiflora), sprouting horns.
And finally….
A beautiful White Oleander (Nerium oleander) flower lures you in with her subtle fragrance.
But Beware! She is deadly if ingested…
I hope you enjoyed the plants in their “costumes”.
Are you or your children dressing up for Halloween this year?
What as?
A Landscape Out of a Dr. Seuss Book…
Landscape DesignHave you ever read a Dr. Seuss book?
It may be hard to find someone who hasn’t. I had quite a few of his books as a child and “Green Eggs & Ham” was my favorite.
As a mom, I made sure that Dr. Seuss books had a place on my kid’s bookshelves.
One of the things I love about Dr. Seuss, is his illustrations. His imaginative drawings of plants, especially.
Earlier this month, my mother and I spent some time at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. As I walked along the garden paths, there were times that I felt that I had walked straight into a Dr. Seuss book….
Crawling succulents
Spiky Yuccas
Sundial made out of cacti.
Doesn’t this look like a brain?
A towering forest of Cardon cacti.
One word…”ouch!”
The drooping leaves of a Ponytail Palm.
The strange shapes of Prickly Pear cactus and Agave.
This Boojum tree would fit nicely in a Dr. Seuss book, don’t you think?
An ‘old’ cactus growing a beard.
Arching Yuccas lean over the pathway as you leave.
I love spending time at the Desert Botanical Garden. Of course, in addition to weird and strange plants – they also have beautiful flowering trees, shrubs and perennials.
So, take some time for a visit and see what Dr. Seuss book they remind you of.
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There is still time to enter the giveaway for one of my favorite new gardening books,
“The Unexpected Houseplant”
Click here for details.
A Photo Shoot With Kids, a Dog, a Chicken and Me…
azplantladyYesterday afternoon, I spent some time having my picture taken.
I must admit, that I don’t like having my picture taken much. I end up feeling self-conscious and start thinking about how ‘weird’ my expression must look (which is why I didn’t mind posing for the photo, above 😉
Unfortunately, I did need some photos for articles and my other blog that I write for. I had put it off for a long time. But I needed to get my kids annual photos taken AND I had obtained the services of a very talented, up and coming photographer for their photos. So, it made sense for me to get my pictures done at the same time.
You may be wondering what photographer I was able to engage. Well, I am blessed that my youngest sister, Grace, is a fabulous photographer.
She takes photos for other families and for some businesses as well. She also posts great pictures on her blog “FinleyandOliver.com“
At this point, I should mention that we haven’t gotten our kids pictures taken at school for a long time. I got tired of their ‘fake’ smiles, messy hair and the fact that they looked nothing like their normal selves. So, I have taken ‘school’ pictures of them every year.
This year was going to be the best because my sister was going to take their pictures instead of me…
I love this photo of my three youngest. This will be the photo we give to the grandmas for Christmas.
They each had their picture taken separately and it was so fun to see my sister in action – she is so good posing the kids and making them feel relaxed.
Then, it was my turn…
My sister knows me so well – especially all my ‘quirks’ and hang-ups and the fact that I don’t feel all that comfortable as the sole subject in a picture. So, she kept talking to me while I was posing – making me feel much more comfortable.
My sister’s dog, Soda Pop, came over to visit while we were taking pictures. (Soda is the daughter of my dog, Missy.)
I had brought some props over from my garden. An old watering can that I planted annuals in, an antique blue bottle with cosmos from my garden and some gardening tools.
At this point, I was getting more comfortable and we were almost finished; when my sister said, “We need to get a picture of you holding a chicken.”
So, she rushed off to find her friendliest chicken, “Francie”, who is a ‘naked-neck’ chicken.
my sister’s great photography skills
I think Francie did better then I did posing for this picture 😉
I am so thankful for my sister’s great photography skills and her ability to work with a ‘difficult’ subject (me). I might just schedule another photo shoot next year 🙂