Cactus Arrangements

A cacti/agave arrangement of the whiskey barrel project.

Back in October, I wrote about "Cactiscapes" and my blogger friend, Brenda's Arizona, suggested that cacti arrangements can look like something from underwater while you are scuba diving.  Her idea inspired me to try a combination of cacti and agave from around the property that needed transplanting.  I looked again at the pictures from the cacti garden at Tucson Botanical Gardens and saw the arrangements in a whole new light!  They really do look like coral and other objects from the bottom of the sea. Thank you Brenda for making me look at things differently. Lately,  I've been seeing several homes around town that have successfully made beautiful cactus gardens.  When we drive to the front entrance now, we'll see some amazing structure variations as everything starts to grow larger over the next several years.  These are all cuttings from my own mini cacti garden.  I've included purple and dark green with striped variation on the agave to add color contrast and structure against the bland stucco walls.  Inside the barrel, there are two varieties of opuntia(prickly pear). One is more upright and green while the other has a rounder habit and is purple.  As you are approaching the complex, you should get the feel that you are entering a seascape of cactus.  It will punch up the curb appeal and invite homeowners to their inside courtyard.  Repetition with some minor variation is important here. The taller San Pedro cactus is the repeated element while the prickly pear, agave, and purple aloe vera are mixed in differently in each pot for some contrast.  They will all interlock with one another as they get larger.  The best part about this project is that  you don't waste any cactus.  Stay tuned for more from the whiskey barrel project. 

Speaking of coral, I wanted to share with you a song that inspires me creatively and transports me into a realm of fantasy and mystery. An unknown world from a forgotten place and time......

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.

Ethnobotany

This is the post I have been putting off for a couple months and not because it's not interesting but because there is a lot of information to present. Ethnobotany is the study of people's use of plants for things like food, medicine, and shelter. This was a really wonderful presentation at the gardens, but I think I had heard most of it from my experiences elsewhere.  However, for many who do not know the desert, you may not know some of the info that I will share today.  I'll showcase some of the defining Sonoran plants and give their uses.  Some of this is also from my personal experiences while traveling around Mexico and the Southwestern desert.



One of the most important trees in our Sonoran desert is the mesquite tree.  It is a native to this desert and can be seen in and around Tucson.  Mesquite is an interesting tree in that it can provide shade in our hot desert. But did you know that the bean pods(below) can be used to make a flour? Here in Tucson, there are several places, for a minimal cost, that will ground your bean pods up to make your flour so that you can make pancakes, etc.  You may also see your dogs chewing these up.  Don't stress as they won't do anything to your puppy.  They have a sweet flavor and make an excellent food product.  Be aware that the Argentine or Chilean varieties are not as sweet and are not as good as our native Mesquite here.  The other use of mesquite?  You know the answer.  It's the wood.  When used in  grilling meats, etc, it can add that special flavor many people enjoy. For medicinal purposes, the mesquite was used by the native americans for eye drops.  They infused water with the leaves to create this eye product.  Finally mesquite is also used as a building material. If you are interested in any of this information beyond what I'm writing here today, a great place for detailed things like where to mill your mesquite pods or find certain items, is the Native Seeds/SEARCH organization. For more information contact the Native Seeds/SEARCH here in Tucson.

http://www.nativeseeds.org/



Mesquite pods that are ground up can be used as a sweet flour...

The prickly pear.  There are several fascinating uses from this plant.  It produces a fruit that is sweet.  You can make jellies and syrups from it. Also depending on the variety of prickly pear, the pad segments are delicious over the grill, pickled, or chopped up into small pieces.  We eat these in Mexico and they are called "nopalitos" and they are absolutely delicious.  You ask, "What about the cactus spines?"  They are removed from the plant before you eat them.  If you have never tried it, you should....amazing flavor! Finally, depending on which variety of prickly pear cactus(opuntia) you have,  the stem of the cactus can be used to treat type 2 diabetes or diarreah.  This is being advertised on TV as the miracle cure right now.  I don't believe anything is a miracle cure, but this plant does have some medicinal properties....if you are interested, check it out online.

The prickly pear...the red fruit on top is edible, but if you don't get to it, your javelina or birds will:)

One last item with the prickly pear.  You may notice a white fuzzy goo mass all over the pads.  Do not worry as this will not kill your plant.  You can wipe them off if it bothers  you, but believe it or not, this is also another product that is used as a dye for foods and fabric all over the world.  The white fuzz is from the cochineal bug.  This insect was used by the native americans,for trade, hundreds of years ago. The red dye that comes from this insect was/is used for food coloring, cosmetic dye, paint pigment, and clothing dye. In food products at home, this dye may be titled E120.  It's cleverly retitled to hide the bug reference....however as of January 5th, 2011, the bug title "cochineal" will replace the E120 coding:)

The Cochineal Bug on the Prickly Pear Cactus

The next plant featured is our agave!  Wonderful, beautiful and daggerlike agaves make fantastic plants in our landscape.  But did you know they make a wonderful drink known as tequila? You need to ferment the stuff first.  In the village of Tequila, Mexico, you will see blue agaves as far as the eye can see and it's quite the work.  I was there in '93 tasting all the fine varieties of tequila and I have to say that it was really fun.  The village of Tequila is an hour or two outside of Guadalajara and worth the visit. Did you know that you can make your own tequila but can't call it that?  "Tequila" is a copyright property....so while you will have made "tequila" from your agave, you can't call it that.....so come up with something creative:) Mezcal is the official term used for the drink.  The plant is also used for its' fibers which make a great rope.  It also can be eaten!!  There is this thing going on here in Tucson now called the "Agave Roasts".  They are themed parties and apparently you can grill agaves to be eaten.  Again this information can be found online.  I have heard mixed things from people about the flavor.  Some LOVE the taste while others could do without it:)  I've never tried, but I would be willing to do so. One last product that comes from this plant is the agave worm. I have tried this guy as it was served in a taco to me with guacamole.  Um, I imagined eating a french fry even though it wasn't.  The worm is also the one you will see in the bottle.  It absorbs the mezcal and makes it a potent finish to end the bottle.  One last thing about this amazing plant, for those of you who are sufferers of diabetes, the syrup from this plant is sweet and okay for you to use in your cooking.  It is a replacement for sugar here in Tucson.



The Agave worm or "gusano" that is used in Mexican cuisine as an appetizer.

 The next plant is the date palm.  Again this plant through fermentation makes a fanstastic food product that many people love.  You must process the dates like everything else, but added into your recipes or just straight out of the container, dates make a delicious addition to your table.

2 more plants to go.  As I'm writing these out, I am remembering how much I enjoyed the discussions of these plant groups.  The saguaro is a a native to the Sonoran desert and in fact, is the one plant that makes up the look of the Sonoran landscape.  It is also used/was used by native americans.  Today you can find native americans still picking these sweet and delicious fruits off the cactus.  They also have workshops to show people how to do it.  The saguaro WAS used in building material but now it is protected and cannot be used at all.

Note the long stick used to knock the fruit down



Once they are knocked down, the sticky fruit is cleaned out to make the jelly

Finally, I saved the best for last.  The creosote bush is the mother of all plants when it comes to helping out people in the desert. It is one of the indicator plants of the Sonoran desert.  The creosote is the oldest living plant in the world and has many medicinal uses.  It is used as an antioxidant, treatment for blood poisoning, skin disorders, nerve calming, anti-fungal agent, and can be used as a salve for cuts and lesions.  I know several people who have used this plant and it does indeed work.  Perhaps this will be the next "$19.99" gimick on TV.

Creosote

The Sonoran Desert taken by yours truly

While there are more plants out there that are used today by people, these are the top ones that have contributed to our history here in the desert southwest and currently are making headlines around the world.  I hope you found this posting interesting. This post serves as an educational look into our desert culture. Some of the pics for this particular blog are not my own except for the mesquite pods, creosote, date palm, the Sonoran desert, and the title pic.  Happy adventures!