Robert Dailey's Blog
Posted by Robert Dailey
The western portions of North America, including northwestern Mexico, have always had their share of water problems.
As drought grips those areas and population continues to grow, the levels of once mighty reservoirs like Lake Mead are falling dangerously low.
Nevada policy makers and Las Vegas officials are in a panic. In 2003, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano each set up drought task forces in states already plagued by water shortages.
Farming areas are now endangered as well. In Imperial Valley, a large agricultural area east of San Diego, California, farmers are now paying $17 per acre-foot of water. Households in San Diego using the same amount of water would pay $1,311. That's not even a contest!
(Source: The Economist, December 8, 2007).
And yet, California, with its great growing environment, produces massive amounts of produce for the U.S.
The conclusion is obvious. Demand commands price. As the people continue to flock to the southwest, drawn by temperate climate and beautiful skies, the price of water will continue to rise.
Farmers will not be able to compete in the water-price wars. The same is happening in west Texas and southern New Mexico, as farms are abandoned, and urban populations grow.
Posted by Robert Dailey
Trees are necessary to any garden. They add structure, clean the atmosphere, cool the environment in summer, shelter other plants from desiccating winds and provide a number of other services.
Not any tree will do in desert gardens. You can plant trees that are not drought-tolerant (although most native species will probably have some degree of drought tolerance). In fact, in an effort to duplicate gardens in wetter areas, many gardeners in desert regions plant those same types of plants.
Trees adapted to alkaline (and somewhat barren) soils, hardy enough to withstand drought, wide temperature variations and strong, sustained winds, are the ones desert gardeners have more luck with.
How do you choose the right tree for your needs? Do you want a fast-growing tree? What size will it be when mature? Will the size interfere with any other structures already there? And, if it meets your needs, will it be hardy and drought-tolerant enough to grow successfully? Will it provide food or cover for wildlife? Do you want that?
These are some of the questions you need to ask yourself when choosing a tree for your garden. To find out how to pick the right tree for the right area, read Trees in a Desert Landscape.
Posted by Robert Dailey
The desert willow (Chilopsis linearis) is not a willow at all. But it looks a lot like a willow, with its drooping limbs and trailing strands of leaves. Even the Spanish name for the plant, mimbre, means willow-like.
Desert willows are extraordinary plants. A beautiful addition to any garden, they also provide food and cover for a wide variety of birds and mammals.
They make a wonderful wind or privacy screen when leafed, and look striking in the winter with their reddish-brown branches and dark brown trunk.
The plant is extremely fast growing. With proper care and watering it can reach 25 feet high and 15 to 20 feet wide in just a few years
Growing this deciduous tree is easy, if you follow a few simple procedures. It tends to be a little unruly, but a little pruning can help.
It will grow in alkaline, clay or sandy soils. Spring to late summer blooming, it sports flowers with white rims and pink to purple throats. It also bears six-inch pod-like fruits. When dried, seeds can be removed for planting.
For more information about the planting, growth, uses and care of this tree, take a look at Growing Desert Willows.
Posted by Robert Dailey
Indian mallow is a plant native to the southwest. With its large, heart-shaped grayish-green leaves and showy gold-colored flowers, it’s a great addition for your desert garden.
Cold-hardy (although it is deciduous in colder desert climates), it makes a great shrub border of even a backdrop to smaller plants.
Although the plant has no “intrinsic” calming properties, it is often planted next to patios and outdoor sitting areas because of the color, size, "feel" and shape of the plant.
Indian mallow is drought-tolerant and will grow in many soil types but it also responds well to deep watering. With enough watering, it will grow to six feet or more.
The seeds are a source of food and cover for several bird species, especially quail and dove; deer eat the foliage. Indian mallow is also the host for the larva of several species of butterflies.
It can grow in direct sunlight, partial shade and even reflected sunlight.
There are many species and sub-species of Indian mallow, and most are native to the southwest. Some however, are native to the Midwest, and several are native to eastern North America.
For more information on this plant, including growing instructions, see Indian mallow.
Posted by Robert Dailey
Cool, clear high desert nights can actually help sweeten some cool-season crops.
Those that benefit from frosts include:
- Carrots
- Spinach
- Cabbage
- Leeks.
Great shapes, sizes and color variations can be seen in winter squash, pumpkins and other squash-like plants.
Remember that these plants are native to the Americas and were grown in the high desert as well as in warmer climates.
You can actually keep pumpkins and squashes for long periods of time by keeping them between 50 and 65 degrees F, and at low humidity. If you don’t have a root cellar, then find another sheltered place for them. Many people use an unheated garage that is attached to the house to store squash and pumpkins in. If they have been cured (put them for about a week in room with plenty of ventilation) before you store them. Plant wounds will heal in such an environment, and help them keep longer.
Before you store all of them, however, make some pumpkin-seed soup, and scrape out a pumpkin or two for those Thanksgiving pumpkin pies. Also, take a couple of dried pumpkins and squashes for a great fall table centerpiece, or even outdoor decoration.
Cook some squash in a mixture of water and honey (to your taste), constantly reducing the mixture, until done.
