southwest zone denial

17 years ago

It happens every year...... I should be happy to garden in Z 8 NM, where it gets cold enough for good fruit production, yet reliably warm enough to support a handful of palm species for a tropical look and feel. I like pushing the envelope where plants are concerned.

Yet each year, by December, I get distracted by zone denial, wishing that it were warmer and more conducive to year round planting, etc. Maybe I need to just get over myself -- or move to southern AZ. What do some of you in Alb./ Las Cruces/ El Paso do to get through until March?

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Comments (11)

Jillofall
17 years ago
Hey DesertLvr,

I feel your pain. I'm in Colorado and I'm wondering what to do with myself. Yes, there is pruning in the next few months, but I can't get excited about that. I have been considering buying a few conifers since I saw a show about planting a live Christmas tree, but that's about it.
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cactus_dude
17 years ago
desertlvr-

This is a tough time of year for me too. I love the holidays, and Santa Fe is always beautiful around Xmas, but I still find myself dreaming of having a nice siesta in some warm, sun-drenched palm tree and cactus paradise. Maybe southern Baja or even Tucson, although I think they're getting hit by this cold snap too (albeit not has frigid).

It's even worse for me after the holidays because there's nothing to look forward to for a long time until spring starts to arrive. So I just put on a great Calexico cd and pretend I'm driving through the Sonoran Desert somewhere.

Good luck to you!

cd
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Hi, I live in Mojave. You can grow a lot of beautiful things out here, but there's a whole lot that just won't make it outside. The Sunset book is good. You might also want to check out high country gardens.com. They stock a lot of stuff that can handle our climate better than what you'll find in Home Depot. Since I live out in the country on 10 acres, I gave up on a lot of things that worked just fine when I lived in a tract house in town. My biggest successes are sotol, texas ranger, yuccas, chiltalpa, desert willow and golden barrel cactus. I have a palos verde that is thriving, but the rodents are chewing up my honey mesquite. One thing I'm real proud of is some native coyote melon vine that I got to grow from seed. I also have a California pepper tree that's doing great in the wind -- it's not supposed to. I always start out with something small, so if it dies, I'm not out a bunch of $$$. Sometimes I have to put them in hardware netting tubes for a year or two to keep the ground squirrels off of them until they're big enough to take the abuse. It is surprising what will work out here -- my mother had daffodils that she ignored for years that would come up every February. When I lived in town, I found a maidenhair fern growing in amongst my daffodils (north side of the house -- in shade most of the day). I get my best results planting in the fall -- late September through November. So, now's the time to plan! Good luck!
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Two citrus trees: Clementine x Yuzu hybrid (so-called "Ten Degree Tangerine") Satsuma x Changsha hybrid mandarin planted it out in March, when it was full of foliage and beginning to fruit, but the temperatures were too prolonged cool/cold that early in the year and it died back and all the leaves fell off, except for one lone leaf coming out of the bottom. It has now begun to push out a little bit of growth from the bottom, although most of the branches are dead. probably wasn't a good idea to move it outside right as it was fruiting, or should have waited another month or two. Olympia, WA consider that that's actually just a tiny bit further north in latitude than Duluth, Minnesota, or even Quebec City, Canada. As you can see in the pictures, these are both in the ground (havn't actually gone through the Winter yet, but I have a Satsuma in a plastic sheet enclosure and a very small Yuzu that did make it through the Winter, altgough it was a very mild Winter in the PNW this year. The PNW climate is pretty different from Northern Florida. There are extreme long stretches of cold/cool temperatures throughout half the year, but the tiny amount of freeze we do get rarely gets very cold. The cool marine influence leads to a very stable climate, no storms to bring in freezing cold air. I've read some reports around here that people have managed to keep Meyer Lemons alive outside in the ground in a warm spot, typically south side against the wall of a house with lots of sun and wind protection, although they suffer a lot of damage in the winter. The two (rare) varieties shown in those pictures have more cold hardiness than Meyer Lemon. Mandarinquat may be another one to try in Northern Florida (if you're in zone 8 ). It's a fairly common variety, with more hardiness than most, nearly as much as kumquat. Now of course trying to grow citrus in the PNW (and that pretty much means special rare cold hardy varieties) is far from a cakewalk. It's a good example of zone denial. There's good reason few people have tried growing citrus out in the ground here.
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xericgardening
17 years ago
Lots and lots of seed catalogues.
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desertlvr
Original Author
17 years ago
cd---- you're on to something. While I also love Santa Fe at Christmas time, the most memorable Xmas trip I've taken was a camping trip to Baja with my partner in the mid 90s. Cactus, palm trees, and ocean. What could be better?
In the meantime, I'll have to check out a Calexico cd. Thanks for the tip. Best of the season to you. dl.
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cactus_dude
17 years ago
Hey desertlvr-

Wow, camping in Baja! I've wanted to do that for a long time. Baja is an amazing place for plant diversity, both succulents and xerophytes in general. Lot's of sunshine too!

Calexico is a band from Tucson that plays music that's a little bit Ennio Morricone, mariachi, americana and jazz. It's perfect road music, especially for desert driving. I recommend their albums "The Black Light" and "Hot Rail" Their latest release ("Garden Ruin") is very good too, but a little more mainstream sounding.

cd
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desertlvr
Original Author
17 years ago
Hey, cd, just ordered Calexico CDs that you suggested. I feel a road trip to Tucson comin' on!!! In the meantime, 'Landscape Plants for Dry Regions' by Jones and Sacamano is getting a bit dog eared.
dl
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cactus_dude
17 years ago
desertlvr-

Cool, let me know how those cd's work out for you. Happy New Year.

cd
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desertlvr
Original Author
17 years ago
I like Calexico a lot. With the unusual winter we are having in NM, I am needing to get out to Tucson soon, to visit friends, escape the cold, and wonder why I ever left Tucson in the first place.....dl
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mamamia
17 years ago
If it makes you feel any better, my mom knows a guy from Hawaii who moved to Pennsylvania because the weather in Hawaii is "boring" to him. He's probably sick of seeing tropical hibiscus and bougainvillea. I also know one woman who lives in a zone 11 who would love to grow crape myrtles but can't because it is too humid there. They grow like weeds here and no one wants them. It makes me laugh because sometimes I want plants I can't have, but after this cold spell, I won't spend the money trying to baby them.
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cactus_dude
17 years ago
Hi dl-

Yes, this is one of those winters isn't it? Soon I'll be living in Tucson, so I'm happy about that.

I'm glad you like Calexico. My favorite songs are "Minas de Cobre", "Over Your Shoulder", "El Picador" and "Ballad of Cable Hogue".

cd
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dufflebag2002
17 years ago
Try growing indoor plants, like Sans. African violets, cactus and succulents. There are many varieties, and people will exchange plants with you. There are several very active forums.
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southwest zone denial

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