Daizy's Desert Garden: June 2007

Casualties of the Summer Sun

Well, I think my strawberry plant isn't going to make it. I am only able to water it twice a week which was fine for a while but now it is 107 and it can't take it anymore. I was hoping it would last until the monsoon started, then it would get watered more often. I can see the rain clouds starting to build up but I don't think it will rain for another week or so. I only have 3 leaves left on my strawberry. Poor thing.

Surprisingly, my tomato which grew back from severe frost bite last winter, is thriving and looking better than ever. The zucchini are dead but the melons are still hanging on.

Next year I definitely need to plan for some shade.

Prickly Propagation

I got a free purple prickly pear cactus today.

Do you know you can cut off one of the pads and plant it? It will grow roots quite quickly. I have lots of green prickly pear but a friend of mine gave me a purple one.

Yea, free plants. I love it.

Plant ID Link

I really like this site for plant identification in Arizona.
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/

It has a lot of common landscape plants for the desert along with many wildflowers and cactus.

Not every plant has a picture but there is a lot of information like watering needs, propagation and planting zones. It's one of the site that was most useful to me when I was picking plants for my yard.

Cheap Trees

Did you know that your electric company sells cheap trees for homeowners? Tucson Electric Power sells Mesquite or Desert Willow trees for $6 each through the Trees For Tucson Program. I got a Desert Willow last month. It was about 4 feet tall and I did everything wrong when I planted it. It fell out of the pot and the dirt fell off the root ball. Plus my hole wasn't big enough. Despite my ineptness the little tree has recovered and is growing vigorously. The last tree I had in that spot cost me $35 from a local nursery. Lets hope I have better luck with my cheap tree. http://www.tucsonaz.gov/tcb/tft/

Free Plants From Friends

A great way to get plants is to let people know you are looking for them. I was offered 3 Photinia shrubs and 2 Honeysuckle today. They were planted when the house was build and out-grew their space.

The only problem is its about 105 degrees outside and I can't seem to get motivated to plant them. I hope they don't die before I get them in to the ground.

Also, be on the lookout for seeds. Plants like Gazania, Marigold, red and yellow bird of paradise, sages and many more send out a ton of seeds in public places like parking lots and parks.