sign in sign up
<<
Home , Leucophyllum, Leucophyllum frutescens

VOL. 11, NO. 10 The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension OCTOBER 2000 8XVW^]cWT4TbTac

Cochise County Master Gardener

>Tfb[TccTa

The University of Arizona and U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating.

The Delightful Daleas L. frutescens x laevigatum - Big Shades of Dalea bicolor var. bicolor Green Hybrid Ranger 'Verde Dalea bicolor var. orcuttiana - Grande' Blues & Purple Baja Dalea laevigatum - Dalea bicolor var. bicolor Chihuahuan Sage 'Monterrey Blue' Leucophyllum langmaniae - 'Rio for the Garden Dalea frutescens 'Sierra Nigra' - Bravo' Black Dalea Leucophyllum pruinosum - 'Sierra This month we wrap up the color- Dalea greggii - Trailing Indigo Bouquet' wheel series “Plants for the Gar- Bush Leucophyllum revolutum - 'Sierra den” with the mellow blues and pur- Dalea pulchra - Bush Dalea Magic Mix' ples. These are the cool colors of Dalea versicolor var. sessilis Leucophyllum zygophllum - Blue the color-wheel spectrum which 'Mountain Delight' - Weeping Sage blend and fade into the garden. If Dalea Leucophyllum zygophllum - you want a restful garden, 'Cimmaron' with whites, greens, greys, blues, The Rangers and purples. Luckily purple is one Leucophyllum candidum - 'Silver The Spectacular of my favorite colors—here’s a list Cloud' chamaedryoides - Blue Sage of plants that do well in my garden. Leucophyllum candidum - 'Thunder Salvia clevelandii - Chaparral Sage Happy fall gardening! Cloud' Salvia dorrii var. dorrii - Desert - Texas Sage Wildflowers & Perennial Ranger Salvia farinacea - Native Mealy Evolvulus arizonicus - Arizona Leucophyllum frutescens - 'Green Cup Sage Blue Eyes Cloud' Salvia greggii - Autumn Sage Lavandula species - Lavender Leucophyllum frutescens - Salvia leucantha - Mexican Bush Mirabilis multiflora - Desert Four 'Compacta' Sage O'Clock Leucophyllum frutescens - 'Rain Salvia parryi Penstemon amphorellae Cloud' Sphaeralcea species - Globemallow Leucophyllum frutescens - Trees Trichostema arizonicum - Arizona 'Mountain Cloud' Chilopsis linearis - Desert Willow Blue Curls Leucophyllum frutescens - Ungnadia speciosa - Mexican Verbena goodingii - Gooding’s 'Heavenly Cloud' Buckeye

Verbena Cheri Melton Master Gardener

Cochise County Cooperative Extension www.ag.arizona.edu/cochise/mg/

1140 N. Colombo, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635 450 Haskell, Willcox, AZ 85643 (520) 458-8278, Ext. 2141 (520) 384-3594 “It’s not nice to If you are new to the area, it depression, on an exposed plain, might be wise to call on the etc., etc.? How is your home fool Mother services of someone who has been oriented? That is to say where is in the area for some time to help south, north, west, east in Nature” you identify the various micro- relationship to your landscape? climates and suggest plants that Simplistically, folks, from Sierra or will compliment them well. Keep Vista, Mexico is south, Bisbee is Understanding an open mind! You simply will not east, I-10 is north, and the fort is be able to make your piece of turf west. If you still don’t have a clue, Microclimates look like Duluth or Nashville, or ask someone; hopefully one of your Kansas City etc., etc. But then who new neighbors will know. (If all Growing plants successfully in would want to; we live in the else fails, buy a compass.) This is the high desert is not always an Southwest and should celebrate our critical as many plants are quite easy process. It requires careful unique environment. This advice particular as to where they are planning and forethought. If your could come from a reputable sited in the landscape. Don’t be idea of gardening is just to grab the landscaper (preferably one who has fooled; even the tough as nails first pretty little that strikes been in Arizona more than a few your fancy, slap it in the ground, weeks and do more than just spell walk away and let nature take its the word—ask for references!!!) or course—well, I have got news for you can avail yourself of a free you; you can’t! That is unless you service to city and county residents want to invest in plastic or silk by calling the Cooperative flowers. And not to burst your Extension and ask for a WaterWise bubble, but even they have to be audit. WaterWises’ Cado Daily dusted and you must be sure they will arrange to come to your home are UV resistant. and walk through your landscape with you and identify the various I personally believe that you can microclimates, provide plant lists grow practically anything here in of recommended plants, and make cactus will fail if not properly the high desert; the key is to work suggestions to help you design a sited. with the desert environment. If you water wise landscape that will not fight with Mother Nature, you will suck the aquifer and your Next, determine the air flow lose! Key to success in plant- pocketbook dry. The Cooperative pattern in your yard. Some plants ing/growing anything here is to Extension also has extensive simply will not tolerate being match the appropriate plant to the brochures that can provide subjected to hot dry winds that can appropriate microclimate. Unless invaluable information to assure suck the moisture right out of their you just arrived on the “Good Ship gardening success. tender foliage. A good example is Lollipop” you should be keenly the Tanyosho Pine. Another thing aware that there are distinct To begin identifying micro- to consider is breakage. Some temperature and sunlight exposure climates, you must know where trees/ are more susceptible differences throughout your yard. your home is located and its to breakage than others. Windmill It is these differences that we call orientation. Is your home on the Palm fronds will look tattered and microclimates. Plant a tender side of a mountain, in a natural ugly after a particularly nasty gardenia near a west facing wall spring wind storm if they are sited and you will be given a sample of in savage wind prone areas. how microclimates can affect Magnolia branches will snap or the planting success as Mother Nature entire plant break apart if exposed in her wrath at your folly will turn to prevailing harsh winds (speaking your “foo-foo” gardenia to toast Robert E. Call from experience here). Also, be and an addition to your compost Extension Agent, Horticulture aware that wind flow across your pile! Carolyn Gruenhagen Editor landscape can affect temperatures. Cold air tends to pool in recessed

Page 2 areas or where air flow is blocked. Cuttings This is why one USED to see 2FWREH5 (continued on next page) ‘N’ orange groves in Southern 5(0,1'(56 California on the hillsides and Clippings never in the valleys (now all you see is asphalt and condos). Cochise County Master Be ready for the first frost Gardeners Association will meet Sun exposure is the next variable October 4 at 4:45 pm at Ramsey to consider. Watch how the sun Canyon Preserve. Thin the seedlings moves across the landscape. Some plants will tolerate a few hours of A big “thank you” to all of the Overseed lawns our harsh summer sun but will fry vendors, volunteers, and the public if exposed to unrelenting blasts all for making the High Desert Garden Plant spring bulbs day long. Take into consideration Fair successful! Hats off to Jan reflected heat! Many plants will Groth, De Lewis, and Gwin Garcia Divide perennials take continual exposure to direct for all their hard work! sun but cannot handle the double Don’t let weeds go to seed whammy of full sun and reflected Also, a “thank you” to the heat off a wall or house. Roses love homeowners who opened their the sun but the delicate buds will gardens to the public for the Fall fry with reflected heat off a west or Xeriscape Garden Tour! south wall. Watch for shade patterns in your landscape. How Check this out! John Begeman, much shade will be provided by the Pima County Extension Agent has house, other structures, or nearby a new television show Desert plants and shrubs will often dictate Gardening which airs on Channel what can be safely planted there. 9, KGUN Tucson Sunday after- Many plants appreciate a little noons at 4:30 pm. Cool Season shade in the harsh summer months. Others want full sun and some need Crops continual shade. Ask anyone who has planted sun-loving Bermuda House Plant Many of the cool-season crops, grass under the dense foliage of a those that can withstand freezing, fruitless mulberry and you will Symptoms do very well in Cochise County become keenly aware of how during the fall. In fact, the fall in Cochise County is better generally expensive and frustrating this lapse ? Spindly “leggy” plants (plants than the spring to raise cool-season in judgement/knowledge can be. may be leaning toward a window crops. These vegetables include the or light source): cabbage family, i.e. broccoli, This has been a very very Cause: insufficient light cauliflower, kale, and cabbage simplistic overview of micro- Remedy: provide better light or among others. Also, spinach, small climates. The library will be a good select low-light tolerant plants source for further research. Hope beets, peas-both snap and edible pod, turnips, radishes, lettuce, this information helps your garden- ? New foliage is yellow: mustard greens, and other greens. ing success. Cause: alkaline soil The onion family does best when inadequate light John Phillips planted in the fall and then poor root activity Master Gardener overwintered and harvested in early Remedy: apply chelated iron summer. Members include garlic, move plant to brighter onions, and chives. light location repot plant into larger Robert E. Call container Extension Agent, Horticulture

Page 3 Call’s Classic decreasing their viability. Young Plant Now to Be small hoppers are easier to control Comments than adults. “Picking and Water Wise and squashing” is a time consuming but We have several species of effective control measure. Several Energy Smart grasshoppers in Cochise County. Some are very colorful and grow Did you know that autumn is an quite large. Grasshoppers emerge ideal time to plant here in the high in the spring from eggs laid last desert? Most folks get the planting year. Grasshoppers hatch as or gardening “bug” in the spring miniature adults and molt 5 or 6 and put in all their shrubs, trees, times during a period of 40 to 60 and flowering plants right before days. The young feed in the the weather here gets extremely hot immediate vicinity and then move and dry. Spring is actually the on to “greener pastures” as food worst time of year to establish sources become depleted. Adults plants in Arizona! They will begin laying eggs shortly after they require a lot of water and spend all mature. Eggs are laid in the ground their energy trying to survive the in pods that contain 15 to 75 eggs. chemical insecticides will control heat and dryness instead of putting A female can lay a total of 200 to grasshoppers as well as the energy into expanding their root 400 eggs during several weeks. abrasive nature of diatomaceous system. Try planting now, when Hatching rate depends on soil earth. Nosema locustae is a the weather is cooler. This will temperature and moisture and may naturally occurring disease organ- allow your plants the time and continue for three months. Some ism of grasshoppers. Bran and energy they need to establish good species have more than one sweeteners are added to Nosema to roots before next spring and generation per year. Grasshoppers attract the hoppers. Grasshoppers summer. A good root system will feed on grasses and other plants. are cannibalistic and infection help them get through the hot, dry When populations increase they spreads as healthy hoppers eat sick months of May and June, and will feed on nearly any kind of ones. Also, the females pass this during monsoon season you will vegetation including bark and disease on to generations through see them really take off! of deciduous trees. Adults laid eggs. Nosema will take longer continue to feed until cold weather to destroy grasshopper populations Another reason to plant in the kills them. Natural weather cycles than conventional pesticides. This fall, for deciduous trees especially, cause fluctuations in populations. is a living organism and must be is that many plants go dormant in Mild winters and warm, dry stored in the refrigerator and has a the fall and remain that way springs increase hopper popu- limited shelf life. Contact your throughout the winter. While in a lations. Cold, wet weather cause local nursery or garden catalog for dormant state, they are not slow development and favor current recommendations. Always expending energy to try and put on grasshopper diseases. Cool read the label of pesticides and leaves or flowers. Planting a plant summers and early falls delay use them accordingly. that is trying to put on leaves or maturity and decrease the egg Source: Insect Pests of Farm, flowers can “stress it out.” laying period. Garden, and Orchard. 1979. R.H. Control: If desert surrounds your Davidson and W.F. Lyon. pp. Planting at this time of year can property it can become very 117-119 help save water because the difficult to control grasshoppers Robert E. Call evapo-transpiration rates are not as because of large populations that Agriculture Agent, Horticulture high as they are during the spring can become migratory. Disturbing (October 1993 Cochise County Master and summer. HOWEVER, PLANTS egg pods in the soil by tilling or Gardener Newsletter) (continued on next page) plowing will expose egg pods,

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture, James A. Christenson, Director, Cooperative Extension, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Arizona and Arizona Counties cooperating. The University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is an equal opportunity employer authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to sex, race, religion, color, national origin, age, Vietnam Era Veteran’s status, or disability. The information given herein is supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Cooperative Extension is implied. Any products, services, or organizations that are mentioned, shown, or indirectly implied in this publication do not imply endorsement by the University of Arizona. Page 4 WILL STILL REQUIRE SOME owner if the plants are growing of Agriculture to obtain permission WATER TO HELP THEM on privately owned land. In the to remove the plants and then ESTABLISH ROOTS. Use a soil case of federal land, you need purchase a transportation permit, probe, which can be purchased at to check with the agency that and seals and tags for each plant to the Cochise County Cooperative administers it. be moved. Transportation permits Extension Office, to help you fine cost $5.00 each, seals are $0.08 tune your watering schedule. • Third, you need to have a valid each and tags range from $0.50 to permit and tags and seals $6.00 each, depending on the plant Remember!!! We will experience issued by the Arizona to be moved. Each protected plant freezing and below freezing Department of Agriculture for being moved requires a seal and tag temperatures here during the each plant. Permits, tags, and while in transport, but you may winter. Do your research and make seals may be issued for remove the tag and seal once the sure that the wonderful drought approved plant salvage plant has arrived on your property. tolerant plants you choose are also operations or upon joint frost tolerant. application by a collector and a In Cochise county, permits, seals, private land owner. and tags can be obtained from the Ginger Maxey district office of the Arizona Master Gardener/Ft. Huachuca Water Conservation Educator Note that some municipalities Department of Agriculture, 241 S. may have supplemented Arizona Haskell, Willcox, AZ 85644. Tel statutes with their own ordinances. (520) 384-2665. 7KH 9LUWXDO *DUGHQHU³ Sierra Vista is such a community. Before destroying or transporting As you can see, it is extremely $= 1DWLYH 3ODQW /DZV &RQW G any protected plants within a difficult to legally collect living municipality, check with the local specimens of protected native city government to determine if plants in Arizona. If you would like Last month we discussed the additional rules apply. In Sierra to grow protected species of native various categories of plants Vista, check with the Plant plants in your yard, your best bet is protected by law in Arizona Sciences Center at 1140 N. to buy them from a licensed dealer. (A.R.S. Title 3.) As you recall, Colombo or call 458-8278. If you have the patience, an there were five different groups of alternative is to collect the seeds of plants, each having its own specific By law, both private land owners these plants in restrictions. This month I want to and state agencies are required to the wild and continue the discussion of native notify the Arizona Department of attempt to plant laws by discussing how you Agriculture if they intend to clear grow them out can legally harvest and transport land that contains protected species at home. Just some native plants for non- of plants. Land owners, public or remember that commercial purposes in Arizona. private, may or may not decide to you cannot There are only three basic rules to allow the public salvage from the even legally remember. land to be cleared. Contact an collect the office of the Arizona Department seeds of highly • First, the plant must not be on of Agriculture to determine if there protected the highly safeguarded list. are any public plant salvages (Group 1) Unless you are involved in scheduled for your area (see natives. specially approved scientific address below.) research, you cannot even take The definitive source for fruits, seeds, or cuttings of Land owners may also sell or give information about Arizona native these plants. See last month’s away protected native plants from plant laws can be found at: http://agriculture.az.us/ article for a list of highly their property. In this case the PSD/nativeplants.htm safegarded plants. person seeking the permit to remove and transport the plants Until next time, happy surfing. • Second, you must have the must apply jointly with the land owner to the Arizona Department Gary A. Gruenhagen, Master Gardener written permission of the land [email protected] Page 5 ARIZONA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PRSRT STD Cochise County POSTAGE & FEES PAID 450 S. Haskell Avenue USDA Willcox, AZ 85643-2790 OFFICIAL BUSINESS PERMIT NO. G268 PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE $300

Address Correction Requested

Fall Plant Sales

Desert Survivors Diamond JK Nursery 1020 W. Starr Pass, Tucson S. Hwy 83, Sonoita (520) 884-8806 (next to Eagle Milling Feed Store) September 29 – October 1 Tel: (520) 455-9262 8:00 am – 5:00 pm October 10 – 21 10% off 1st week Tohono Chul Park 20% off 2nd week 7366 N. Paseo del Norte, Tucson (520 )742-6455 Boyce Thompson Arboretum October 7, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm 37615 U.S. 60, Superior October 8, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm (520) 689-2723 October 13 – 29 Tucson Botanical Gardens 2150 N. Alvernon, Tucson Desert Botanical Gardens (520) 326-9686 1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix October 7 – 8 (480) 941-1225 9:00 am – 4:00 pm October 21 – 22