Best fastigiate shrubs or vines for Palm Springs desert pool area?
abc1971
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (22)
Related Discussions
Anyone 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 MoreHelp planting my first vines
Comments (12)Lazy, I need to say, your idea of deliberately planting the vine on the "other side" of a wall is excellent! I've seen it a million times (especially with cat's claw as I mentioned above): a vine looks leggy on the side it was planted and lush on the side it trailed over, but I never really thought about doing that on PURPOSE. Great idea--I'm glad you mentioned it. On a related note, a friend of mine in N. Phoenix bought a house where the neighbor's cat claw vine had grown up and over onto my friend's side and it was a beautiful, lush, green "hedge" effect--that is, until the neighbors sold and the new folks cut each vine off at the base and left my friend to deal with the suddenly-dead tops. Ugh. Anyway, when we own both sides of the wall, it's a great idea. I'm going to give it a try myself. Take care and happy gardening everyone, Grant...See MoreLooking for NM Desert Gardeners
Comments (28)I am about three miles from the Mexican border so that is about as southern New Mexico as you can get. My acre and a half space is also an NWF refuge, so I welcome all rabbits, and ground squirrels and birds and the rest. The road runners are startling, the quail wonderful to watch (how could anyone shoot out a friend's face pursuing these fist sized birds with a high powered shotgun as their families and babies run by in single file? What's left after you shoot them? How's that for family values? Don't get me started!) so all living things are welcome here (I'd like to get a few chickens in to go on scorpion patrol someday!) I am planning along an eastern facing wall some rosemary plantings, with perhaps a few roses, and wondering what would make it. I hope mainly to get natives in, like mesquite and cacti and ocotillo and agave, etc. There's room enough here, and I've only been in a few months now. Still unpacking boxes. I immediately pulled down a decorative block wall and reset it at the front and center for a meditation garden, and pulled down an old improvised BBQ pit in the back to build a walkway there, to my main bird (and varmint) feeding area. Plenty of those white wing doves around here, whose scientific name ends with asiatica, the only non native species welcome here. I see hummers and woodpeckers buzzing around, but have not yet set up there stations. Have the butterfly puddle going with a slow drip system; the quail families like it too. I set up some small bird feeders (long feeders for small birds) that the dove never bothered in my last place, but these out here, normally ground feeders, have figured out how to hang on and pull out some feed, very strange. Like Flying squirrels in their tenacity! I appreciate deertlvr's advice on local sources, and will go check them out after payday. ALso their advice on transplanting barrel cactus and agave from the leach field as the state inspector advised. Someday I hope to set up the heat resistant strain of tomato as well as squash, bean, etc. Mostly a got a great crop of tumbleweed. I haven't seen any of those goathead making weeds, thank goodness. I hate tracking those seeds into the house and "discovering" them later in the carpet while barefoot. Well, let me know how it goes and what I can do here, too, coming from zone 6. I admire desertlvr's advice about the fruit trees as well....See MoreSuggestions for landscaping around pool
Comments (21)I have to agree with bedford, not a fan of perennials around the pool either, I would look into a windmill palm, a single sago against the fence as they get 3x3, and some tropicanna cannas. You might be able to pull off a couple of birds of paradise depending on micro climate in zone 8 with the fence/pool humidity/light level. +1 on the loroptealumn purple Diamond. Have you thought about sweet potato vine, even growing watermelon and cantaloupe by the pool, another one would be rosemary. That would make for some really cool conversation, like a tropical edible pool landscape :)...See Moreabc1971
3 years agoJoJo (Nevada 9A)
3 years agoHU-735357069
3 years agoHutchae84 Zone 8b/PNW
3 years agoabc1971
3 years agoabc1971
last yearlast modified: last yearmojavemaria
last yearP.D. Schlitz
last yearabc1971
last yearlast modified: last yearginatay124
last yearK Laurence
last yearabc1971
last yearlast modified: last yearmojavemaria
last yearabc1971
last yearmojavemaria
last year
Related Stories
BEFORE AND AFTERSBefore and After: 4 Renovated Midcentury Gems in Palm Springs
These gorgeous homes in the California desert combine modernist style with updates for contemporary living
Full StoryLATEST NEWS FOR PROFESSIONALSArchitect Ray Kappe’s Work Debuts in the California Desert
See the modern architect’s newly built design, showcased at Palm Springs Modernism Week, that honors its site and views
Full StoryARCHITECTUREArchitect Ray Kappe’s Work Debuts in the California Desert
See the modern architect’s newly built design, showcased at Palm Springs Modernism Week, that honors its site and views
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGreat Design Plant: Little-Leaf Cordia Handles Desert Extremes
Its delicate white flowers are rare in hot and dry sites, but Cordia parvifolia offers more than mere beauty
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGN12 Stylish Screens for Hot Tubs, Pools and Outdoor Showers
Check out these solutions for boosting privacy without compromising style
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES10 Drought-Tolerant Shrubs That Thrive in Full Sun and Reflected Heat
Got a hot spot in your garden where plants often die? Try these tough shrubs that add beauty while shrugging off the heat
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESWhat Are Your Spring Gardening Plans?
Tearing out the lawn? Planting edibles? Starting from scratch? Tell us what you plan to change in your garden this year
Full StorySPRING GARDENING10 Ideas From Outstanding Spring Gardens
Here’s what you can do to make your landscape more spectacular and inviting for the year’s prime bloom time
Full StorySOUTHWEST GARDENING10 Flowering Vines for Southwestern Gardens
These resilient, adaptable plants thrive in the region’s extreme climate and provide a variety of garden benefits
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGreat Design Plant: Lilac Vine for a Purple Profusion in Winter
Grow this pretty, hardy vine on a fence or as a ground cover for blooms throughout the colder months
Full Story
abc1971Original Author