Heralds of Spring

[Silas_Sancona]

While still *officially* 2 months away, some of the first signs of spring are already taking to the stage around the yard. 

Back in the Fall, i set in motion a plan to throw wildflower seed around /over some of the bare gravel bars / other bare spots i created out front.  Essentially, i was hoping to create a display at a time of year when a lot of the other stuff planted out there isn't flowering in spots i really can't plant bigger stuff in, especially close to the sidewalk.. These are some of the same spots i had Summer Poppy, Kallstroemia grandiflora growing last summer..  

While the resulting drifts look to be better in some areas, vs. others ( seed didn't come up at all in some spots),  i'm a bit surprised to see the Phacelia ( see below) starting it's flowering cycle this early.. ( roughly 2-3 weeks ahead of last year this year). The only real difference between this and last winter has been rainfall ( actual rain this year.. none last year / watered by hand ).

While the winter/spring bloomers aren't exactly "tropical" the natives thrown in among the more exotic stuff / cacti i planted draw interest ( let alone offer up possible ideas..) to anyone passing by and, if you're paying attention,  one can follow the change of seasons, based upon whats flowering..  They're care free and tough.. and spread on their own.. and i won't have to worry what happens when i no longer live here.. and they are great for attracting bees and other pollinators.  @Fusca  i even added a couple Brittlebush, as i'd mentioned i might in another thread..

Anyways.. enough ramblin', onto some pictures of the season openers.. 

Desert Bluebells, Phacelia campanularia:  Probably the most / second most well known annual spring wildflower in a desert-esque landscape.. Anyone who likes blue should have them in the garden, or at least give some a try.. Lush-looking, somewhat sticky Foliage  that somewhat resembles some Begonias, to me at least.. Flowers from roughly now- through March.. maybe April in some places if temps stay mild. Bees love it. Scatter seed in well drained, gravely spots and let the rain do the rest (hopefully) ..occasionally water till they're about to flower if not. Well watered plants can reach 12-15" tall. There are at least 3 other, large flowered Phacelia sp. worth researching also..


As you can see, there are also CA. Poppy mixed in this drift.. Thinking another couple weeks before they'll start poppin'


Desert Marigold, Baileya multiradiata: Another desert native that doesn't need much intro. Considered a Perennial, it's overall, *attractive* lifespan could be considered 2-3 years. On the other hand, it will also casually spread itself around, so there are always nice looking specimens around when some of the older ones start looking like their time is up.. Fuzzy, bluish-grey foliage is a nice complement to the bright yellow flowers / anything else with bluish colored foliage. While the best "show" is from now until say mid-April, these can flower on and off all year if happy. Likes gravely /sandy soil.. hates wet feet.  Also highly attractive to bees.


Chocolate Flower, Berlandiera lyrata: The name says it all.. Walk past a patch of these on a warm summer morning, and you'll wonder who is baking Brownies.. A tough, tap-rooted Perennial that, at least here in the yard, if planted in sun, looks its worst as it deals with the heat through the summer.. Planted in more afternoon shade and provided a little more water.. it is happier / flowers on and off almost all year ( heaviest during the summer). Almost everything about the flowers offers up something interesting.. Old, dried seed heads can be used in arrangements, flowers themselves are supposedly edible also.. and are said to retain the Chocolate flavor.. Several local forms of the species over it's range can dictate height / peek flowering season / foliage color ( more bluish than greenish, or vice versa). 


..More to come as they start flowering..

[Fusca]

On 1/20/2019 at 6:42 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

i even added a couple Brittlebush, as i'd mentioned i might in another thread..

Very nice!  I like the Phacelia campanularia also!  So far my seedlings are doing well.  I've kept them in full sun (when we get it - it's been unusually cloudy here recently) and I've decided to plant them in front of my Serenoa repens 'super silver', but I think I'll let them get a little bigger first.

[Silas_Sancona]

15 hours ago, Fusca said:

Very nice!  I like the Phacelia campanularia also!  So far my seedlings are doing well.  I've kept them in full sun (when we get it - it's been unusually cloudy here recently) and I've decided to plant them in front of my Serenoa repens 'super silver', but I think I'll let them get a little bigger first.

Sounds good.. I'd also raise 'em up to a more suitable planting size before putting them in.. Used to do the same thing with CA. natives i'd rescued from sites slated for development back in San Jose. Worked well for the most part but, of course, there were some that were quite touchy and were a challenge to re-establish or grow on in pots after removal from where they were growing.. Look forward to seeing how the combination of the Brittlebush and Silver Saw looks over time.. 

As for the Phacelia,   easy spring annual that i'd suspect would do fine there, as long as it's planted in bare, gravely / sandy spots that drain well.. Much like what i have heard is recommended for Bluebonnets. If you can find seeds of it,  the flowers of  Phacelia viscida, ( another spring CA. wildflower species,) are quite exotic looking for a *temperate* climate plant. The larger-flowered species of Phacelia, alongside various local Lupinus sp. were among the first "Natives" i had to track down, and try and grow years ago, well before getting better acquainted with more exotic stuff.

Come April / May, if i'm still here, i'll likely start some Datura seed i was able to collect last summer to add out there for the "warm / monsoon season" display.  Might also add some Perennial Devil's Claw ( Yellow / Orange-flowered sp.) if i can find a source for plants or seed, which has been more challenging than i'd have thought.   Put out some Bush Morning Glory ( Ipomoea leptophylla) starts out last year but lost a couple over the summer.  Waiting to see if a remaining, dormant plant i checked on pushes new growth as temps start rising. Great no care plant if you get it past the first year or two.. just don't expect to move it once it settles in.. Supposedly grows a tap root that can exceed a foot in length, other roots grow up to several feet deep ( possibly beyond 10' down ), and can weigh 20+ pounds.. Start seed where you want it to grow. I'd used the flimsy 4 or 5" plastic pots veggies come in at the big box stores, then sliced the sides / some of the holes when i set the pots in the ground so the tap roots weren't hindered while digging down into the soil while establishing themselves.  Worked to some degree but roots were circling even before the seedlings were putting out their first true leaves.. I might just drop seed directly into prepared spots, minus the pots this year if i start more. 

[Silas_Sancona]

In the spirit of some rain ahead.. and the flowers it will bring,   Some updates. 

While its been cooler the last couple weeks ( been in the 50s- 60F / low 40s- flirting with 32F the last couple weeks here, except 70F today),  this year's wildflower show out front continues gaining momentum. Also starting to see signs that most of the cacti i'd put out there are starting to bud up. 

 Overall look from back around the 1st, compare to the first pictures, taken  back on Jan. 20th:


CA. Poppies finally starting to get in on the act, other areas ( not pictured) also finally throwing around some color.  Suspect once we get the .30-.70" of rain anticipated this week, and what looks like milder days toward the end of the month, the Poppies should explode. 



Other stuff adding to the show:

Caliche Globe mallow, Sphaeralcea laxa. Uncommon here, supposedly quite common down toward Tucson. This is a longer lived alternative to the more common Apricot / Desert Globe Mallow more commonly seen across the area. Also stays a lot shorter( 1-1.5' height vs 3-6' ). Plants flowering this year are volunteers that popped up from two i'd planted a couple years ago. Intense Orange color is stable also.  Flowers in the other Globe Mallow sp. can range from Orange to White, thru shades of Red, and Pink. 

Flowers:


Growth form / foliage close-up:


Parish Golden Eye, Bahiopsis parishii. Common, somewhat scrambling small bush. While the ones i planted here don't, these can flower both in the spring and later in the summer once Monsoon rains have arrived. Easy and takes a lot of drought ( but looks nicer if given more water during the summer, given a light sheering if it gets a little too wild looking) 


Baby Blue Eyes, Nemophila menzeisii, just starting to peek out from the Phacelia. CA. native i included this year, just to see if indeed seed would germinate under our conditions. 


Volunteer Penstemon parryi and  Moss Verbena. 


Cacti starting to bud:

Echinocereus triglochidiatus, or coccineus .. Not quite sure. Good form though. Took a pup to keep it in my collection.


Beaver Tail Prickly Pear,  Opuntia basilaris. Fairly commonly planted Opuntia species here but easy, and relatively spineless ( still not worth handling w/o gloves though). Neon- Magenta colored flowers are a show stopper on larger / older specimens. Scattered several around the yard.


One of two other, spiny- er Opuntia hybrids i put out there. This one might possibly  be "Grand Mesa Peach". I'll know for sure when it flowers. Also put "Pina Colada" another Prickly Pear hybrid in which the flowers change color as they mature, out there on one of the gravel bars i'd created. 


Lastly, and not pictured.. Put out a couple clumps of Echinocereus pentopholus, AKA Lady Finger Cactus/ Lady Finger Hedge Hog. Have seen these in full sun around Phoenix and they didn't seem to like it, esp during summer. One of the two specimens i installed get all the sun it could want, and looks fine. Same one, that's currently buried among the wildflowers, may be big enough to set some flowers this year, hopefully.. A picture of what the flowers look like. 


More later..

-Nathan

[Silas_Sancona]

A few new pictures from the front yard, and some new blooms taking to the stage as Spring draws closer.

After the Cold / Rain / Snow we'd had a couple weeks back, the return of some warmth ..but not too much, has made everything jump.  Poppies are just about at their peak, and other things are also approaching their own, just as others start, including a surprise addition to the show.  Looking over other stuff, inc. my Cacti collection, already seeing lots of buds forming on things.. Could be another big year.  Other stuff that normally goes dormant / semi-dormant through the winter is starting to leaf out.

Keeping a eye on all my Guaiacum coulteri ( Sonoran Lignum Vitae ) specimens ( inc. the one i planted out front ) for the first signs of flower bud development ..What i decided to call "eyes" since thats what the tiny blackish blue buds kind of look like when they first start developing along the branches..

Anyway,  some rain on the way, then back to more warm, but steady temps. Maybe another taste of the low /mid 80s after the 22nd.  with the warmth, anticipate all the Mesquite should be pushing spring growth ..shedding remaining leaves like crazy atm.. / Palo Verde flowering season starting to ramp up by around the 1st of next month. Texas Mtn. Laurel and Sweet Acacia  are already flowering.    Tis' the season....

Poppies 'galore, now that the Phacelia are winding down.



Nice cream and blush rose -colored Poppy cultivar i'd seeded out there. Seeds were going to be thrown away so i had to take a few packs.



Parry's Penstemon and Caliche Globemallow in full glory, finding more penstemon seedlings popping up also.



Coues' Senna ( Senna covesii) beginning it's flowering season a little ahead of schedule. One of the best and easiest Native Senna sp. to grow. Will flower on and off all year, in response to any Rain, especially during the Summer.  Australian Cassia / Senna sp. planted around town are in full bloom atm.



Angelita Daisy (Tetraneuris **Formally Hymenoxys** acaculis) lighting up. Probably the toughest "Daisy" you can plant here. While i lost some in the yard, others planted out in the street median handle pretty much everything Arizona can throw at them in stride. Found some seedling plants spreading themselves around in a few spots also.  Great, low maintnce. low -growing perennial for any drought tolerant garden. Just be sure it is planted in well drained soil.



( Hedgehog ) Ecinocereus and Beaver Tail Prickly Pear ( Opuntia basilaris ) just about to take stage.. Hedgehog beats Beaver tail this year, Pictures #3 & 4. Other Opuntia out there rapidly budding.. All should be flowering by about the 1st of April ( at the latest ) The Beaver Tail will likely be flowering in another week or so. Impressed how fast all of these, and other cactus out back / in the shade house have responded to warmer temps the last 2 weeks or so..


Winner Winner Chicken Dinner..



Whats this??.. Surprise! Debating if this is one of my seedlings, or a cutting taken off one of my other Plumeria but noticed this one starting to "nub" ..as it is referred to by expert Plumeria growers. Watching it develop the last couple weeks, it appears as though the flower buds should keep on developing. Normally when Seedling Plumeria first attempt flowering, the flower bud / stalk doesn't fully develop and is shed. The next season the plant forms them, it should flower normally.. Will be interesting to see what happens with this one.. Was not anticipating seeing flowers on it before leaving AZ.  Same plant i'd covered w/ pool noodles back in December / Early Jan. Didn't cover it during the last cold spell in Feb. Looks better than 95% of the Plumeria in the neighboring yards.  If it is one of my seedlings.. i may have to make a big decision before the move.. since it would the last remaining specimen of my seedling started plants..


Next up.. Well,  Tis' the season ..2019.     Until then, let the growing season begin!!

-Nathan