The Northern Planter Restoration

It's true what they say about getting blog attention.  Cats are popular on the google machine.  Well, I'll have to snap some more pics down the road....especially now that they all have their summer haircuts:)  I have some really fun stuff coming up starting tomorrow that goes on until the end of July.  So while you're catching up on our adventures, I'll be working out in the garden and giving you updates as projects are completed.  Here is the first one. Last year we emptied out the planters along the 922 building.  It was a lot of work and honestly, I think it killed any gardening feelings I may have had for the place.  I am slowly making movement forward but it will take time.  However, I did work on the Northern Planters.  Here is the view before.....

We chose Nandina or Heavenly Bamboo as the plant selection here because....
1.  It makes a nice hedge. 
2. There will be very little watering once the plants are established.
3.  We want to keep the front lush and attractive but not inviting for Meth addicts to enter onto our property.  I hate Meth and those who abuse it.  It's personal with me as they have stolen a lot of garden gear over the years from El Presidio.  Today it is all locked up. I have traps set up around the property to deter them. One evening, I was out in the garden at 11 PM during the summer working on plants.  A Meth addict stole a Mercedes Benz and parked the car in my spot.  I had the gate open and watched him try to find a way to flee the courtyard. Once he came into the gated area, I took my shovel with me and closed the gate behind him. I asked him how he was doing and used my phony teacher talk to keep him in place until the police arrived.  He didn't know I had called them while the car was getting parked in our lot.  I held him "captive" with conversation about our beautiful property and units for sale until the police came. The Mercedes was indeed stolen and then returned to the owner and the addict was arrested. Dangerous?  Yes.  But I really hate drugs, and I especially hate them when they cross into our beautiful sanctuary and endanger our residents.  It also sent a message to the nearby drug community.  We're watching. Nandina was chosen as an attractive xeric friendly plant, but not so attractive as to call others to our place.

This Nandina will grow slowly and eventually create a mass green screen.  Compare size to the larger and mature Nandina further down.  I want all of these to clump together.  I've done this with oleander.  You take 3 smaller plants and plant them together.  The oleander fused itself together giving me one plant with pink and white flowers.  The Nandina grows in clumps and I am suspecting that the same will happen here. These plants actually look closer than they really are.   I went for an angle to give the picture a little impact.

Planters are not ideal next to a house so we had to make sure that they were placed below the foundation so that water would not enter any of the units.  They're doing great and actually growing out a bit.  I'll be taking you on more tours coming up.  But I am happy to say that the property is healthy and growing.  As it does, we'll be adding more and more.  We are still working on the fountain issue as funding is tight right now.  However, I'll have more updates at El Presidio as it all happens. More tomorrow.....

Heavenly Bamboo/Nandina

So you may see a theme this week:)  That's right....I'm presenting shrubs from my garden journal.  From all the plants covered in my series, the shrubs are some of the hardiest and best lived plants in the desert that require almost absolutely zero maintenance once established.  Most of these require some sort of pruning, but other than that, they do well with or without that extra watering.  Nandina, or Heavenly Bamboo, is a lush and green bush that is a great plant to use in either repetition or sporadically throughout the garden as a reoccurring  plant.  At El Presidio, it's used in our northern borders as a hedge and in our courtyard as a green background to accent the focal plants.  Here are some tips on pruning because I think it's important.  It can grow slowly at first so be patient.  But once it gets going, there's no holding this beast back.  It loves a springtime haircut and will get bushier. If you want a lush and tropical green look, make sure you include this plant in your landscape.  It stays green all year round.  During winter, it will turn purplish under extreme cold temps.  It will develop red berries that birds eat.  Sticking with Cathy Bishop.....here is her write on this amazing plant.....

"What is green and bushy and red all over? The answer is one of my favorite plants – heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica). Not a bamboo at all (and I’m not so sure why it’s heavenly), this is one of the greatest no-prune, low-care shrubs of all time! There are numerous varieties, each with its own characteristics, and once you have chosen the correct one for the place you intend to plant, the hard part is pretty much over. The most important characteristic to start with is how big do you want it to become. If you want to screen out the view of your neighbor’s yard from your patio – go for the original Nandina domestica. This will easily become 5 feet tall or more and dense enough that you will never see into the next yard again. If the purpose is a foundation planting that will never edge above the window sills, then Nadina domestica compacta is the right plant for the job. There are a couple of splendid groundcover Nandinas – Harbor Dwarf and Harbor Belle – that will make a neat, carefree 18-inch planting. The next characteristic of importance has to do with their gorgeous winter coloration. This is where the entire genus really shines as they are one of very few plants that turn intense russet, scarlet or burgundy for the winter and then revert to green in the spring without losing a single leaf to do it. Some of the finest cultivars have turned this into an art. The cultivar Gulf Stream becomes sizzling scarlet, Moon Bay is a rich plum shade, Plum Passion is the darkest burgundy and Sienna Sunrise is perfect autumn henna. These are all varieties that are grown by tissue culture. Their color will be uniform throughout the series. If you like a tad more mystery and a bit more of the hands of nature in your plantings, the species domestica and compacta will give you a blend of all of these colors in a mix of the plants.  No matter which variety you choose, they are all easy-to-grow plants, with moderate water and nutrient demands. You will have virtually no pruning to do if you pick one that is the correct height for your desired use. " End of article.  Source: http://tucsoncitizen.com/morgue/2006/11/10/32001-low-care-no-prune-bamboo-heavenly-idea/

Repetition

In the next several weeks, I'll be starting a new project on the grounds that is going to utilize the idea of repetition.  Many successful gardeners use this idea to bring their spaces together. Through the use of same/ similiar plants, a unified bond is created in the garden that makes everything look planned out and organized. People's eyes are naturally drawn to these groupings of plants. Here are several ways to do this......

Lantana planted in a row makes a nice pathway into your home from the garden.

One is to put the same plant in various spots around the garden to "balance" out the landscape.  By doing this, the garden will feel even.  Second is to put a row of plants together either to create a natural fence or a barrier to hide a road or a neighbor's yard.  There are many other uses for barriers but these are just a couple that come to mind.  What are some plants that I use for repetition in the gardens?  Prickly Pear, San Pedro Cactus, Oleander, Nandina, Bouganvillea, Mexican Palms, Buddha's Belly Bamboo, and Lantana. This is what works in my area but you are by no means limited.  This can be used with ANY plant! So how do I organize the plants stated above at my place?

Roses, grouped together, create a color patch around trees, ramadas, etc.

Let's start with nerium first. The oleanders here are all red flowers(I like this color), check to make sure you have the same color before purchasing and make sure you purchase them all together.  The best time to do this is when the oleanders have flowers on them at your local gardening center.  Here they are placed along a rotting fence and will eventually create a natural fence.  The Nandina is planted sporadically around the property just to balance out the random/showcase plants in other places.  This plant is prominently used in the courtyard and in the North Planters.  Bamboo is placed in the Southern planters because they love the sun. Lantana is used to create a natural walkway to guide visitors onto the property.

Oleander makes a wonderful natural fence

Here are the best parts.  What is the minimal number of plants used to create this unifying look in the garden? The answer.... 3.  For some reason, a repetition of 3 seems to be the magic number. How do you use it in your own garden?  Well for example, I put all my Mexican Birds of Paradise together to create a ferny patch in front of our Canary Palm.  We also have a random HUGE palm growing on the property that had nothing to match it so I purchased 2 other palms and spread them out on the courtyard.  This will eventually create the holy triad and make that lonely palm fit in with everything else.

Bamboo can create a wonderful private screen.

Pairs.  They are also fine like our two large oak trees or bouganvilleas that "frame" the entrance ways or create a canopy over our courtyard. Note that I used the word "frame" with two plants.  Groupings also work well.....like in rose gardens.

Ferny leaves can create a similiar plantings effect....and another way to look at repetition....

You mentioned cactus.  How do you use these? Any place that a trespasser can cross is where a Prickly Pear or San Pedro cactus will be located which leads me into my project for this spring. I will be placing 10 whiskey barrels together that will create a unified cactus garden and make our front entrance pop.....and it will protect our front property from people who don't belong there.  In the upcoming month, I'll have more reporting and images using this idea of repetition.

Too many palms together....much better spread out over a larger area.

Repetition with similiar/same plants allows you to showcase your favorite trees, bushes, or smaller plants. It allows you to play around with new designs over the years within a natural design.  Try it out and see what happens:)  Until next time, happy gardening!

The project on the property for Spring.  The front will be redressed with a repetitive cactus garden in whiskey barrels.