Growing roses in hot climates

Water-wise lawn replacement 

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These two-level pots overflowing with colorful flowers create a "tree-like" structure on a patio at the Descanso Gardens in La Canada California.

Patio Pots for Summer.  This year instead of colorful pots scattered around your patio, consider the vertical arrangement of pots with cascading flower as shown at Descanso Gardens, our favorite botanic garden in California.  The lower dominant pot is heavy enough to give stability.  

The upper pot is, in fact, a wire planter lined with moss, then filled with potting soil.  You might ordinarily see it as a hanging planter.  The open construction of the planter can lead to faster water evaporation, so use some polymer water-retaining crystals in the potting soil mix.

The upper pot has been planted with Lantana which cascades over the sides.  Many of the flowers shown in both pots, for instance the pansies, will not survive long in summer desert heat, but you can easily find colorful substitutes.  Lantana, however, does very well in the desert.

A Grass Fountain.  Another idea is to plant colorful grasses in the pots at all levels and they will droop and sway in the breeze, giving an impression of a "grass fountain."

We advise against using the flat, shallow terra cotta pots so often sold in garden centers.  In a hot, dry climate patio pots should be deep enough to give roots space to grow and help keep the roots cool.  Also avoid metal tins for planting.  They heat the soil, dry out the roots and increase summer evaporation.

Nesting Pots.  Nesting a smaller plastic pot inside a larger plastic pot, then filling the space between the two pots with soil or moss as insulation will also help keep plant roots in the inner pot cool and prevent evaporation.

And remember to fertilize your patio plants.  The frequent watering so necessary in summer will wash away nutrients in even the best potting soils.

Espaliered Apples. This fence is, in fact, a series of crabapple trees (Malus) that have been woven into a criss-cross  pattern--blooming pink in Spring.  Soon they will become a leafy green hedge.  Then in Fall the crabapple leaves turn brilliant red-orange.  In winter, the bare branches still create an interesting pattern.  Crabapples do well in a hot climate, although they need regular deep watering.

 Descanso Gardens is famous for its two plant collections: camellias which bloom from December through April.  And an international  rose garden which blooms from April through to October.  There is also a lilac collection of hybrids that bloom in warm climates.  If you are planning a trip to Southern California, be sure to include Descanso Gardens on your list of places to visit.

In the Descanso International Rose Garden roses are planted by country and in some cases by grower.  Nearby the rose garden is the iris collection which blooms in April and early May. This rose is in the Japanese section of the Rose Garden.  There is also a Japanese Tea House at Descanso.