Arid-Climate Plants
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Grasses, an introduction
We are going to be focussing on grasses for a little while. Here is a general introduction to get us started.
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Opuntias; The Prickly-Pears and Chollas
Our spiney friends are easy to grow and better than roses!
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Agaves: Great for the landscape and for making great hootch
Agave information for the beginner.
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Brahea species for the landscape
Braheas are tough palms that love it dry, and there are many to choose from though it takes some looking to find them.
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Always in a drought
With the crazy weather you think you're having (ha ha we got all the ra..ain, we got all the ra..ain...) take some hints from those of us who get our brains baked daily!
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Palma blanca de Sonora y Chihuahua, Mexico
Sabal uresana is good at least down to zone 9-One of the best new introductions.
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Palms for Hot Places: Introduction
Not native to casinos or cheap hotels, palms are actually pretty cool. I am about to expose you to palm-mania!
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The White-thorn Acacia: Tough and underused
The white-thorn acacia of southwestern USA and northern Mexico is a great foundation in arid land gardens, and a foundation in the ecology where it occurs.
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The "air plants" of the New World
Dry-land Tillandsias are fascinating plants, which derive curiosity from even the least lucid of humans.
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Junipers, not just the same old boring evergreens
Junipers are often thought of as boring plants. Well...often they are when they are hedged and made to mimick the neighbor's yard. Be wild! Grow them like they belong there!
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Spiny Arid Land Bromeliads; Plants with Attitude!
In the greenhouse or in the garden, these plants will have your visitors full of fear and respect for the garden. The spiny Bromeliads are New World plants with almost no enemy.
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Epazote, a cure for flatulence!
Epazote is a new world herb that may find its way into your Mexican cuisine.
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The Brasil Wood Tree of New World Dry Tropics
Thought as a tropical tree this plant can grow in arid areas in zone 8-9.
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Desert Plants Need Water Too.
A look at some of the elements that confuse the arid land gardner.
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The Genus Bursera, cool caudiciforms for the collector
Burseras are some of the most unusual plants around often having shiny, glossy trunks with peeling papery bark.
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Desert Smoke Tree, the Tree with a Wild Form
Not utilized much in desert landscapes because of its wild form, recently it has recieved some attention as gardners in the arid lands of the SW are getting a little crazy from the desert sun!
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Desert Lavender; the lavender of the Sonoran Desert
Easy to grow and useful.
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Velvet-leafed Senna and Western Senna
Two desert species of Senna that attract butterflies.
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The Alamos Pea Tree, a tree with almost black flowers
From the arid Tropical Deciduous Forests of the foothills of the Sierra Madre (Northwestern Mexico), this one is for those of us who like them black flowers (or almost!).
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Fern-leaf Acacia, the tree with the perfect dimentions
So many people live in homes with smaller yards. This is certainly the trend here in Arizona. Small trees are few but this one can prove to be an excellant choice.
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Daylillies on drunk trees; Chorisia insignis
The trunk's green, the thorns are like Hershey's Kisses, the flowers are flamboyant, and the fruits make stuffing!
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Palo Blanco, The White-Barked Acacia from Sonora Mexico
Palo blanco from Sonora is a drought tolerant and unusual acacia from Sonora, Mexico. Rarely cultivated it deserves more attention.
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Jatrophas of Arizona for the Landscape
Jatrophas are an unusual group of plants in the euphorbia family with an unusual form. The Jatrophas of Arizona are among the hardiest to both heat and cold.
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Frost tolerance of Sonoran Native Plants
Here are some cold tolerance notes on plants from Sonora Mexico for the arid gardner who thought Mexican plants were too frost tender.
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Why Do We Care About Rare Plants
Why should we care about the plants that aren't even horticulturally significant.
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San Marcos Hibiscus, A toughy for the arid landscape
This is a tougher plant than the true hibiscus. It is a cotton that can find itself in much tougher spots in the arid climate landscape.
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