the XERIC ZONE
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Quercus : : : The Xeric Zone > Foundations :: Landscape Notes, Warm
Season 2001 |
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Landscape Notes,
Warm Season 2001 |
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Monsoon?
More like non-soon in 2001! Great for swamp coolers, but not for eastern
landscapes. Albuquerque
and Central New Mexico have avoided sweltering summers lately, so 2001 and
2000 seemed warmer than usual. They were not. Most parts of town have not
seen 100F since 1998! 100 years of weather records show that we average two
to five days each summer over 100F. Perhaps that explains the rash of folks
selling aspen, ponderosa pine, and spruce out of their trucks, and why so many
residents of the northeast heights can’t get enough of them! Just wait until
hotter summers return or the first species' surface roots destroy paving. Dryness
and lack of rain are already putting stress on our plants and gardens. Fall
kept that trend going. The ground is powder-dry in many parts of town, and
the desert grasses on the fringes of town crackle under every step. While
some locales received over 10” of rain in the summer, areas are consistently
running about 25% to 50% below the averages. Trees all over town, especially
those much happier 1000 miles east of here, are showing dead branches. Even
the native oak stands in nearby arroyos looked a bit crisp, though still
green. This isn’t Des Moines, even if your neighbors’ plantings say so. We
need to increasingly reduce our water use, especially since this part of the
country has not experienced a real drought since the 1950’s. Isn’t that why
it is a desert?
So, with
all the bad news, is there any good news? You bet! Numerous clients’ projects
performed. Many plants flowered from May through October, including red yucca,
verbena, and Mexican blue sage. The cacti and succulents stood strong. Our
honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) grew over 2 feet, with some deep,
biweekly soakings from a hose. And surprises of surprises, the thyme and
lavender plantings by our back patio filled in better than ever, with
every-third day hand watering. Before and after the worst of the heat and
dryness set in, plants such as damianita, lavender spice, and autumn sage
flowered nicely until our first frost…Thanksgiving week. That was the latest
first frost on record, making our growing season similar in length to
Tucson’s! When I see a city like Boston
convert every garden to desert plants, only then will I think it is logical
to convert our gardens to Boston, and complain when it refuses to rain. The lesson
here is evident: start celebrating our high desert …it is not going away. A
friend said…”bring the enchantment back into the land of enchantment”. Albuquerque,
New Mexico December 2001 |
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