Growing roses

Water-wise lawn replacements 

1. Plant a Tree -- Even If It Is A Small One.  Trees are wonderful air purifiers, so your new tree will help improve air quality for all of us.  Better yet, if you plant a nectarine or other small fruit tree, you will have delicious fruit to enjoy and add to your property value, too.

2. Change Just One Light Bulb.  Replace one 100 watt incandescent light bulb with a 27 watt compact fluorescent light bulb and over the 4.5 year lifespan of that one fluorescent bulb you will prevent 94 pounds of additional greenhouse gases from going into the air.  Yes, we know that fluorescent bulb are more expensive initially -- about the cost of a Starbucks cafe latte -- but over the life of the bulb you will save about $73 in energy and bulb replacement costs.  We have "walked the walk" on this topic -- replacing all our entry and hallway lights with compact fluorescent bulbs.

Winter Drought.  It is amazing to see wildfires sweeping across the states of Oklahoma and Texas in January -- a time of year when that landscape is usually covered with snow.  It is terrible proof that drought is a year long event. It is also a good reminder to continue irrigating your desert garden in winter -- at least in the lower desert altitudes.  Trees, especially, should be deep-watered every couple of weeks in winter.

This Nectarine (Prunus persica nucipersica) is part of a compact orchard at the Las Vegas Spring Preserve desert demonstration garden.  In Fall it is ladened with fruit.

The Small Orchard.  Think you do not have space for an orchard?  During a recent visit to the Las Vegas Spring Preserve gardens we saw a compact orchard producing significant amounts of fruit.  Nectarines, apples, peaches, and plums are planted quite densely in an area of about 20 feet by 50 feet. The trees have been trimmed to maintain only a small separation between them.  With over 300 days of sunshine annually in Las Vegas, the trees receive all the sunlight they need even though they are close together.  The dense planting shades the ground to keep the soil and roots cool.  And the gardeners, obviously, provide fertilizer and water.  You can find more information about fruit trees for hot, dry climates on this website.  (Note: the original demonstration garden in Las Vegas is now closed.)

A Note of Caution.  If you are buying bare root roses at this time of year, check to be sure that the stems have some flexibility.  If they are dry like a stick and shriveled,  they may simply be dead.  We prefer to purchase our rose bushes in Spring when we can be certain they are healthy. 

Go to our Newsletter for Winter 2005