Dwarf Cup Flower

Continuing on with this groundcover series, I am excited today to write about this particular plant!  Shocking.  Surprising.  Light.  Airy.  And purple!!  Okay I need to calm down:)  Why am I excited about this plant? Of all of the groundcovers I planted, this one snapped back the fastest after our winter freeze and began growing quickly producing its first flower in March!  Look at the pic below...

Taken in March.  These were the first signs of life in the garden.

In spring, this plant really began taking off and it was the only one in this particular tree well to survive our extreme freeze.  It adds lovely texture to surrounding plants and enhances the overall appearance of the fern garden.  In this particular garden, the focal plants are ferny with smaller leaves which is what this plant provides!  This plant is highly recommended for your Tucson or Zone 9 garden.  Here are the facts thanks to Linda Strader from the Tucson Examiner.

I took this at The Gardens...part of the UA Extension on River and Campbell.  This plant is really just an amazing groundcover or potted plant. 

 "Dwarf cup flower (Nierembergia hippomanica) is an underused, desert loving perennial, that deserves more attention. For Tucsonans, finding a flowering plant that loves the heat, blooms profusely, is drought tolerant, and reseeds itself readily, is a dream come true. The only requirement that mars perfection is it does need light shade, such as underneath a mesquite or palo verde tree. Dwarf cup flower grows from about 6 to 12 inches tall and wide. It has stiff, upright needle like leaves, bright green in color. Tiny purple flowers cover the plant throughout the summer. It is recommended to cut back to influence more blooms, but not necessary. Another variety is ‘Mont Blanc’ with white flowers, but it does not seem to reseed itself as easily as the purple species. Plant Dwarf cup flower in the spring for an accent in your desert garden. Since it has low water requirements, you can use your existing irrigation system. It also does well in pots." End of article.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/gardening-in-tucson/plant-of-the-day-dwarf-cup-flower

So there you have it....from two Tucsonans.  This plant is a must for your groundcover or potted areas. Until next time.....

New Additions to the Garden

My Favorite Hero-Storm

This morning I sit drinking my coffee preparing for another day outside.  I listen to Bear McCreary's music from BSG and think about the ways of the world.  I am surrounded by my furry friends with laundry and dishes getting cleaned.  The birds are emptying the bird feeder at a dizzying speed and life is good.

Last night we had another major storm which was incredible.  The rain came down so hard and the lightening and thunder were incredible.  I left the door open and listened to the storm. I turned off all appliances and TV and just sat in the dark watching the real show happening outside.  It was a half hour without commercials and incredible.  Someone once asked me, "If you could have any power in the world, what would it be?"  The power to control the weather....the wind, rain, snow, lightening....and glide on the wind's back.  As a child growing up, I always imagined that I could control the weather and fly when a wind gust came my way. Sometimes I think about leaving teaching to become a weatherman on TV.

Lantana...a weed here in Tucson

Okay...enough of pretend and back to reality:)  This past week, I've been investigating the possibility of becoming a docent at our local gardens here.  There is a class that begins in September and ends in November.  I really want to do it and it's at the Tucson Botanical Gardens.  I checked into the Master Gardener Program and was absolutely disgusted.....the only people that can really do a program like that are the retired ones.  The program runs during the day and week only.  I am absolutely bummed that I won't be able to do this until later on in life.  So I'll do what I can for now and learn as much as I can....but there is always so much to learn and I think I'll die still trying new plants and combinations.  When I start making my own "tea" for the plants, I know I'll have crossed over to that kind of gardener:)

False Heather...another great plant in Tucson

In the garden this week.  I have to string up and wire the bouganvillea that was pulled off the buildings by the storm.  I also have to look into silicon for my bamboo....it is growing at an incredible rate and I need to keep it off the walking path. I guess you use the silicon to attach to the building where then you can string and attach the bamboo to it lifting it up.   The Buddha's Belly is beautiful but people should be able to walk by it and not thru it:)  Yesterday I trimmed and restaked several jacaranda trees and cleaned off the patio.  The good news is that the castor plants may make it.  I put concrete blocks against them to keep them up and they seem to be doing alright.  So I didn't lose anyone over this past week, and that's a good thing.

Blue Daze Evolvulus...New for me but the leaves are grey/green which equals good here.

I have also planted several new trailing and bushier plants around the property in those wells that I created several weeks ago.  I'll take pics when I have my camera with me the next time.   The pics are listed in this blog.  I have given up on two plants forever....verbena and algerian ivy....I kill them every single time.  However, I don't kill most plants so that's good:) It all comes down to soil and location here in the desert...and sometimes the cold nights.  That's the update to the place....I'll have more as I slowly reclaim the neglected garden spaces of El Presidio one patch at a time:) Until next time, Happy Gardening!!

Dwarf Cup Flower...also new for me

Salvia or Autumn Sage...great plant for Tucson!