Best fastigiate shrubs or vines for Palm Springs desert pool area?
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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Comments (7)I do agree with your view of some fastigiate trees - just too unnatural-looking. I've got a couple of young trees that I hope won't get too wide - Styrax obassia and a purple birch, and some upright Japanese maple cultivars - that I'm hoping will provide narrower canopies without having that cramped look. Ron also makes a good point regarding built structures. With a neighbour's large tree gone this year (Thank you, neighbours!!) I will be slightly shade-deprived until the cover plants I can now put there grow in, and I have put in a big trellis - 9 feet tall, ten feet wide -with some third-year clematis that I hope will smother it. Choosing to build was kind of empowering - no waiting to see if the plant will consent to grow where and how you hope, no root competition, and no limits imposed by what other people deign to put on the market (just what IS the point of a 3 or even 5 foot trellis for most vines, I ask you?). And a post-hole digger (clamshell kind) is the most empowering tool! I have a problem with conifers - I love them, but on my property I can not find a place where large or tall ones would not also block views that I want or shed needles where they would be a problem. There are naturally narrow types - I have hopes for Chamaecyparis wisselii and 'Wissel's Saguaro," and for really significant height I have a Sequoiadendron giganteum 'Pendulum.' I also dream of a Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Van den Akker.' I think Picea mariana also has slender lines. But I think those shapes have to be combined artfully with deciduous trees so the landscape doesn't look like a series of exclamation points. The other thing is that trees may look like what you want early in their lives but exceed your airspace later. I think in an urban setting, we should give ourselves permission to grow something tall for a while and take it out when it exceeds the space we have. I'm doing this with a larch, which I've planted to fill the gap left by a willow we had removed this year (it's been forestry season around here). It's not the tree I want there in the very long run, but it will serve fast and for a while, and I'm planting something near it at the same time that I hope will be the longer-serving resident. It's an ongoing process. KarinL...See MoreAnyone try growing chyote or 'Budha's palm' squash?
Comments (20)One is a good foot or more high, the other is about four inches. Can I still carefully dig and transplant the shorter plant? And if that can be done, how far should I plant them from each other? Of course. Space about 2 feet apart. How to Transplant Tips to use for optimum transplanting assuming your destination soil is prepared and ready to go: 1) Prepare your destination location. Dig the destination holes. Make sure it is ready to go. 2) Make sure the plant is hydrated. If in a container, submerge the continer in a bucket or tub of water and hold it down until all air bubbles are out. Then leave it there for 20 minutes so it can take a good, long drink. Do not soak overnight. You'll smother your plant if you do that. Please do not keep roots underwater overnight. More plants die from too much water than from dehydration. Plants recover better from dehydration than from the roots being deprived of oxygen. Keep in mind that roots need equal parts water, oxygen, and nutrients. If in the ground, water well a good 2-4 hours before moving. Want to make it even better? Fill the bucket of water early in the day in a sunny area so it can warm up resulting in sun warmed water. 3) Move plants in the evening when the sun is less direct. Don't disturb plants until you are ready to transplant in the new location. Get them transplanted before dark and they will have one whole night to relax and adjust to their new home before dealing with light. Never let roots sit in sun or wind. 4) Move plants when it is not windy. Sun and wind are hard on roots, if even for a few minutes so avoid it if at all possible. 5) Transplant before a rain. This is the most recommended and has the highest success rate. Especially if it's going to rain the next day and you can plant the evening before. Try it... you'll see. 6) Dig around the plant at least as wide as the edges of the outer leaves and depending on the size of the plant, 6-8 inches down - less if the plant is smaller, more if the plant is larger. If the plant is a small shrub like rosemary, dig around the plant a few inches further then the outer edges of the leaves. You can quickly determine where the majority of the root system is and what is best to dig out. 7) Be Gentle. Never handle young plants only by the stem (you wouldn't want someone picking you up only by your neck), always support the base. Keep as much of the soil around the root in tact as possible. In addition to the root system you can see with your eye, there is an entire system you can not see called mycorrhizas which are anatomically intimate associations between fine (feeder) roots of plants and some special soil borne fungi. If you disturb the soil around the roots, you disturb this delicate system. If it is rootbound, then you'll have to gently loosen the roots so they don't continue to strangle themselves. 8) Once you get your plant where you want it, fill in with soil, and water it in (again, best with sun warmed water) so the surrounding area is moistened. That's it! You're done and you can feel confident you gave your transplant the best chance of a stress free change you could possibly do. Your plants will reward you because they've received the best TLC they could get from their caretaker. Extra Details: Do not soak overnight. You'll smother your plant if you do that. Please do not keep roots underwater overnight. More plants die from too much water than from dehydration. Plants recover better from dehydration than from the roots being deprived of oxygen. Keep in mind that roots need equal parts water, oxygen, and nutrients. The above tips were given assuming your soil is "ready" meaning you've had your soil test and made any necessary amendments. I do not recommend fertilizing at the time of transplant (WHAT?!). "Many gardeners make the mistake of overfertilizing. This practice can lead to nutrient deficiencies because of nutrients binding to the excess elements. Restoring nutrient balance after applying too much fertilizer is nearly impossible in the short run." 1) Get your soil tested by a lab. This is the only way to be 100% sure. Don't guess. You actually save time, money, and work by only adding what you need. Check with your state's Extension Service. They'll tell you what you need to do to get it tested. It's usually only $6.00 -$12.00 (mine was $9.00) which is what home kits cost but don't tell you nearly as much as a lab can tell you. Then you won't be guessing as to what state your soil is in or wasting money on amendments you don't need. They'll tell you exactly how much of what elements you need to add to your soil per square foot (if any). Stick with compost and natural sources of organic matter instead of fertilizers which can render your soil sterile in the long run. If you have more soil questions, browse the Soil Compost Mulch Forum Is there another way? Yes, raised beds or container gardening where you add the growing medium used in #5 below. 2) Incorporate real organic matter and shredded newspaper (not just compost) into your soil. Worms love it. If you don't have worms in your soil, the worms don't like your soil and the plants won't like it either. 3) Read about Building Fertile Soil. 4) Read about Fertilizing a vegetable garden, not so you can apply more, but so you're informed on the topic. A little goes a long way. Most experienced gardeners will dilute any fertilizer to half of the recommended strength if they use it at all. 5) Eliminate the use of anything but compost made from a variety of organic materials. Lay off the fertilizer - you don't need it if you have enough compost. If you don't believe me, look here. Then look here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 So when I say "I do not recommend fertilizing at the time of transplant." This means get informed. Read the info provided at the links above and prep your soil well before you ever plant anything, then you won't need to fertilize. If you do - be *sure* you are not guessing or adding because it makes you feel better. If you had your soil tested, made the proper adjustments, and added plenty of compost made from multiple sources, then research the specific needs of the plant you are putting in to see if it prefers anything specific. And never add chemical fertilizers, stick to things like diluted solutions of fish emulsion, liquid kelp, compost tea, etc....See MoreDesert Dessert
Comments (40)We've been going down for about 25 years, mainly for the Arabian horse show and have probably driven by the DBG a hundred times never even noticing. I actually thought about you as we were going through. Thanks for the tip ! Yes, the quail were running everywhere and the wrens were flitting about and the hummers were thick. My wife has always loved the prickly pears, especially the ones with the purple tint and they were gorgeous. We spent half the tour saying purple prickly pear three time fast :-) My sister bought a new home in Gilbert and if she can be patient, I promised her I'd do her courtyard. She has a wedding coming up quickly and was going to just throw some stuff in there so she could entertain. It's a Tuscan style two story with only a 10' x 40' +/- side yard on one side but I love a challenge. I drew it up on the plane coming home. Like many people down there, she's a recent transplant and when I was trying to explain to her about using more desert native type plant material, she just looked at me funny. Since it may be awhile till we buy our own down there, this would give me a chance to practice. Here is a link that might be useful:...See MorePrivacy Hedges by Pool area
Comments (35)The sail shade is tricky - but they are effective! You may want to look around and see if you can find a size that would fit - or if you can extend the connection line on a side or two to make it longer. They look great overlapping or layered too. I considered hopseed bushes as well - they look really nice, grow quickly and don't litter much at all. The only thing is they can get wide, so you'd need to stay on top of them in terms of trimming for your narrow space. I ended up deciding on the bamboo because I didn't want a bush look and we have a fairly long space. And the price for the bamboo you were quoted is a good one! We paid $150 each and I think they were 15 gallons and were about 5' tall. Also find out about delivery and planting. You may be better off with large planters or troughs and put whatever you like that will grow tall and reasonably dense in there - you'd get more height immediately and it would look good too....See MoreRelated Professionals
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