Growing roses

Water-wise lawn replacements

It is still far too early and too hot for Fall planting, but consider greening up those walls once the weather cools.  A hedge or climbing vine can significantly reduce the heat captured and released by concrete block walls, thus reducing the temperature of the air surrounding your home both day and night.  For a list of shrubs that make excellent hedges click here.

A combination hedge using low Korean Boxwood with a globe of fine-leafed Myrtle and a tall hedge in the rear of Japanese privet. The three different shapes and three textures add interest to this part of the garden.

Topiary Trim.  You do not have to settle for a single, boring row of shrubs along your walls.  This photo shows a combination of three shrubs that have been trimmed into simple shapes to add dimension to an essentially flat space.  The low hedge  in front is Korean Boxwood (Buxus Koreana)  which is recommended for hot, dry climates.  The English Boxwood does not like our alkaline soils and hot summers.  Behind the Boxwood is a large Myrtle (Myrtus communis) shaped into a globe.   The tall hedge at the rear is Japanese Privet (Ligustrum japonicum).  Topiary, by the way, does not necessarily mean plants trimmed to look like teddy bears or dinosaurs.  Shrubs trimmed into simple geometric shapes are also topiary.

Myrtle Fan.  We especially like Myrtle for hedges.  It has small leaves and needs only an annual trimming after it has been initially shaped.  The privet, on the other hand, shoots branches out in all directions and requires frequent attention.  It also has an unpleasantly scented flower.  Privet shrubs, however, can make a narrower hedge than the wider Myrtle.

Green Links.  If your garden is surrounded by a chain link fence, you may also want to add green to it with some vines.  We especially like the look of the Australian-native Lilac vine (Hardenbergia violacea) which blooms in February -- an early sign that winter is ending.  It is a rugged, evergreen vine that will take full sun and requires only moderate water.  

The Delicious Side of Global Warming.  One of Britain's largest grocery store chains, Sainsburys, has just harvested and sold the first-ever crop of apricots grown commercially in the U.K.   Kiwi fruit is next on their list of new, locally-grown, non-native fruits.  Another grower has planted an almond orchard in Southern England with an eye to harvesting the nuts commercially.  This may impact growers elsewhere on our planet who may find that the demand for their exported apricots, kiwis and almonds will diminish.  You can find a list of fruit trees and nut trees for your desert garden on this site. We would like to thank Joan Padro for bringing this news about apricots in London to our attention.

Go to our Newsletter for August 2004   or August 2003