I always have a list of topics I want to talk about, but I can’t cover them all in the same episode. So, I started looking at the many seed and plant catalogs sitting on my coffee table. I had a friend who called seed catalogs “horticultural pornography”. I wouldn’t go that far, but I can spend lots of time admiring all the plants that I covet.
In my Las Vegas estate, one tenth of an acre, I don’t have much extra space, since it includes my house, garage, driveway and two raised beds. My biggest gardening problem is that my plants tend to succeed ridiculously well.
I’m sure that everyone has heard the advice, “think about how big your plant, tree, or shrub will ultimately grow.” That is really good advice! I should learn to take it.
It’s tempting to look at a plant in a nursery or a catalog, but just because you can buy something doesn’t mean it’s going to succeed in our climate. If you look at descriptions, you’ll often see something listed for a range of USDA growing zones. When I first arrived in the great American Southwest, this area was zone eight. Then it became 8-b. Now, according to the 2023 updated zone map, we’re in zone 9-b. Zone 11 is the highest, and that’s tropical areas.
We all know it’s getting generally warmer across the globe, and that’s definitely true for the Southwest, but those USDA zones are describing cold temperatures, not hot ones. When your biggest concerns are about frost, or chilling damage, that makes sense. They don’t talk about maximum temperatures. Instead, they’re a good guide for the lowest nighttime temperatures you’re likely to see.
Tempting as that attractive shrub or a tree might be, will it survive your challenging conditions?
Before you spend an enormous amount of money, energy and time on plant eye candy, take a look at your space. If you’re living in an apartment or a condo, check out your patio or balcony. You can do wonderful things in a relatively small place, by planting them in pots.
Planters can be made of any number of materials – clay, plastic, porcelain, bales of hay, some people even use metal, but I hesitate to recommend that. We live in the sunny, frequently very hot, Mojave Desert, and metal conducts heat.
Whatever you select is up to you. If you’re negotiating the small space on the patio, consider using shelves – smaller containers on top, larger ones on lower shelves. Just make sure everyone gets sufficient light. And water.
Because they have a smaller root ball, potted plants generally get hotter and dry faster than something placed in the ground. On the other hand, they might produce faster than their earth-bound cousins. Often citrus fruit can be a delightful surprise.
On the other hand, you may be able to put a plant in the soil. Even though we complain about our challenging conditions, with a little help, our soil can provide essential nutrients. It tends to be low in nitrogen, but amending it with compost is a big help.
When you’re installing a plant you expect to survive in your landscape for years, make sure to plant it properly. My late friend Lin Mills used to advise digging a $10 hole for a $1 plant. I doubt you’ll want to use $1 plants, but the hole determines if that plant survives.
Make sure that the hole is three to five times as wide as the root ball, but no deeper. Too deep, and the root system will suffer. Of course, if the root ball is placed too high, then the plant won’t be secure in the ground, and it’ll dry out very quickly. Put a plant in a hole where the soil’s amended, at the right depth, and of course, with enough irrigation, it can be a treat to see.
Gardening in the Mojave isn’t particularly easy, but it can be beautiful.
For KNPR’s Desert Bloom, this is Dr. Angela O’Callaghan, Nevada’s Social Horticulture specialist.