Protective Jurisdiction

What would you do to save a precious plant in the garden?  Would you wrap yourself around it during a freeze?  Would you put an extra dripline around the base of the tree during the hottest summers to help it survive?  It was ill advised to put the plant in your garden space, but you didn't care because this plant mattered to you more than tacos and guacamole. And you, the gardener, master of your natural realm, KNEW better than to plant something that doesn't belong in your garden zone.....yet you did it anyway.  And so my story begins.....

My love for Jacaranda goes back to Mexico during my travels.  On an evening walk, I saw a very large and ferny Jacaranda waving in the hot summer breeze.  Two blocks from my house, this Jacaranda flourished and stood out among all the other desert trees.  It was tropical.....green.....and oh so lavender.

Taken at Monte Alban, Oaxaca Mexico

In the beginning of my landscape project, I prepared a space JUST for this Jacaranda.  Tucson has harsh freezes at times and those temps will kill the Jacaranda.  But I live in Midtown where the microclimate is a tad warmer.  It was possible.   And so I placed my Jacaranda into the landscape outside my garden window where birds would hide in its full ferny foliage. The first year it grew large.  There were no blooms at all.

Year two, the tree would bloom for the first time and make all the residents envious of the color.  I placed it between other trees to protect it during our frost.  I loved this tree so much, I purchased two more.  At the beginning of the 3rd year(last year), a historic week long freeze would destroy the few Jacaranda trees in the Tucson area.  Most would die.  Several had been there for 30 years!!!  I freaked out and became anxious the night before the freeze would hit.  I ran to my shed and brought out house insulation and wrapped the trunk of the tree  tightly.  The freeze happened and it killed two of my 1st year Jacarandas.....but not the sacred Jacaranda outside my dining room window.  If you are a Tucson gardener reading this blog for the first time, just remember that new Jacarandas are the most susceptible their first 2 years.  I only had enough insulation for one tree.  After the first 2 or 3 years, your Jacaranda will have a stronger resistance to a freeze.

Days later, it would start oozing liquid bubbles from the bark. I was saddened and worried that I had lost my precious Jack. I went to my neighbor with the large Jacaranda tree(suffered MAJOR damage) and knocked on his door.  He answered in his underwear and I was a little uncomfortable, but I needed to know.....What should I DO???!! He said wait and be patient. And so I did.  During the late summer, the Jacaranda would rebound after I gave it a "haircut".  His Jacaranda also came back from near death. 

While hummers prefer red and orange blooms, they'll also check out the purple blooms of the Jacaranda.  Just another reason for me to plant a Jac in the yard:)

Today both trees are happy and producing beautiful lavender blooms again. The tree has doubled in size and looks great.  Do you have a plant like this in your garden?  And if so, what is it?  And why is it important to you?:)  I love my gardens but if a plant dies, I go out and try another one.  But if my Jacaranda died, I would be extremely heart broken.  Today I have heaters and other things in place.....just in case.  What do you use to protect your plants?  More tomorrow....

The Perfectionist In Me

Ever walk out in the garden and get frustrated?  That was me today as I was outside working on bits and pieces here and there.  I had to pull out two dead Jacarandas and then I replaced them with two Mandarin orange bushes.  Little by little the fruit garden is coming along.  However, as I was carefully taking one of the Mandarin bushes out of the container, the roots all fell out and I had to carefully try and place them into the ground.  I'm crossing my fingers that the plant will be okay.  If not, I have the plastic container and receipt. 

Look at this garden!!!  Can you believe that this is my headling pic for the blog?  It has filled in somewhat, but I had to trim the Cereus and Jacaranda down and all of it shows new growth.

As I move over to the fern garden, I see my basil is coming up nicely and I fertilize the bamboo.  The trees are all swaying in the wind and I'm enjoying the breeze until I see that the VERY top of my Euc has a bare branch.  Being OCD, I stare at it for several minutes.  I grab my binoculars, research info on the internet, and take a chair with a very long pole to examine where the tip of the tree goes bare.  I'm still just wondering if the leaves will come back as there are many branches with new growth.  Essentially I want all traces of winter gone from the garden NOW!

For the good news, I see fresh fruit on the apricot, peach, fig, tangelo and mulberry trees. The persimmons is about to flower.  In fact, I ate several of the mulberries and was very thankful that we have fruit trees all around us.  I looked at the whiskey barrels and saw beautiful flowers on the cacti.  My castor beans are coming back as are the older bougainvillea.  My only remaining sacred Jacaranda is very green and lush(only half the tree survived).  BUT for every several steps forward, we take one backwards!  An interesting thing in the bougainvillea world happened.  The freeze killed all the first year regular looking bougainvillea in the sun garden YET the Torchglow variety all survived. And what about all of those elephant ears I planted last year?  I believe May will reveal whether the bulbs survived or not.   I've got so much more work to do! I have one whole side of bamboo garden to put in while on another, I've still got to do the citrus garden. One thing at a time....I know.  It just is overwhelming sometimes.  So do you ever look at your garden and get frustrated? 

The beginnings of my succulent garden.

Jacaranda

I'm sorry.....I just had to!!  Why would you attempt a Jacaranda in the city of Tucson?  They are messy and unattractive for several months out of the year!!!  And a severe frost can kill them!!  Look at the pic above from the fern garden of El Presidio Garden.  If the purple flowers don't grab your attention, then check out the green ferny leaves next to the flowers.  People often call this a messy tree and if we have frost, it can be very messy, but the color and green it adds to the garden is wonderful.  I have to share with you that I have a bias with this particular tree.  I've planted 3....and not just for me.  Several homeowners saw my 3 year old Jac in the fern garden and wanted to have this tree placed in the tropical fruit garden......so I did.  Be aware Tucson Gardeners that this tree is like playing the lottery....you may lose or you may win. The odds side towards the winning....most of the time.  Does Tucson have old Jacaranda trees?  Yes.  Where are they?  Most are located downtown and in Midtown, like El Presidio Gardens.  My neighbor has a HUGE Jacaranda tree that is around 2-3 stories high. Look at the pic below taken in Oaxaca, Mexico.....

I love this tree, and it is frost sensitive here in the city.  Younger trees can be killed from extreme frost so protect them on those cold nights.  It's a fast grower and has a beautiful canopy structure.  It, like most plants, takes a bit of water to establish, but is a drought tolerate plant.  This tree craves and thrives from the strong Tucson sun.....so you must place it in a Southern or Western exposure.  If you place it in the Western exposure, be sure to have some shade cloth for the first year.  Here's some information to consider before purchasing this plant.

Pros

1. Beautiful green ferny plant
2. Has lovely lavender flowers in Spring
3. Drought tolerant once established
4. Fast grower...and I do mean fast.
5. Wonderful open canopy that should not be pruned

Cons

1. If there is a severe frost, the tree will dry up and turn yellow losing its' leaves and branches which can create a mess.  Some winters are warmer than others and it reflects on the number of branches that fall.  Last year, the tree was green for most of the year.  This year, the tree is bare from our extreme frost.
2. It can be messy in winter.
3. Large tree and not for a small space.
4. Roots can be aggressive

Finally, my larger tree suffered extreme frost damage this year.  Temps were below 25 degrees for more than several hours and this occurred over a several day period.  The question is, will the tree rebound from this devastating blow?  Here are two responses.  Yes.  But the answer,"yes" carries different meanings.  The first one is that the tree will resume as it has before.  I checked the branches and they bend and have green beneath the bark.  But my tree also leaked sap from the trunk....and I've never seen this before which means that maybe the entire tree is dead. However, I will remain optimistic.  The second "yes" will be the more disappointing answer.  The tree itself was killed, but the roots were still alive, and therefore it will probably create new shoots from the base of the tree....essentially starting over again.  Here's my thought about successfully growing this tree.....put it in a warm sunny location and if you have a courtyard, place this tree inside.  My neighbor also suffered the same affects with his much older Jac(which is in a courtyard) and he told me to leave it and see what happens.  Both of us are crossing our fingers that our trees will show signs of growth at the end of March/beginning of April.  This is a risky tree to plant in Tucson so if you are looking for native trees that are reliable, this is NOT the tree to plant.  If you are a gardener, who doesn't mind taking a risk, then try this incredible tree out.  I do not recommend anyone who lives near outlying washes to plant this tree.  It's too cold in these areas from the mountain's cold air that pushes down the canyons into our Tucson washes during the winter.  Your areas are much colder than the microclimate of the midtown and downtown area.  I'll let everyone know what happens with my tree this Spring.  I'll write more on some native trees that are low maintenance for your yards and better suited for the Tucson garden tomorrow. So for you native species experts, I'll do my part on reporting about natives in our area:) Until next time......