The Day After

I understand it happens, but I don't like it.  This weather pattern hasn't happened for awhile and I suppose we were spoiled with warmer winters over these past several years.  Plants did very well.  While midtown Tucson has higher temps than other parts of the city, it still suffered a nasty freeze last night that got into the teens.  The cacti damage is phenomenal.  Colonies of nopal (or a variety of prickly pear) just collapsed onto the sidewalk.  A neighbor walked over to my door last night and asked, "Did you see the cactus all over the sidewalk?"  I sure did.  In addition to that situation, the tropicals in two large pots died.  Several birds of paradise bit the dust.  While I have covered all the citrus, I haven't lifted the sheets to see the extent of the damage....and I'm sure there's some there. The scariest part of the freeze for me is my love affair with the mighty Jacaranda. It is the one thing that I hope springs back to life in March. It's normal for the ferns to dry up and fall off this time of year, but this 3 year old beauty has never seen a freeze like this.  Of all things, I cross my fingers for this tree.  It is a similiar reaction I had with a Chinese Elm a couple years back that collapsed due to Texas Cotton Rot.

I suppose in a way, this freeze teaches us as gardeners to plant native species in our yards.  But even the native species had a hard time keeping up in the landscape.  Is this about failure? No.  It's about the constant redefinition of our garden spaces.  As people, we like to form routines and get into those routines.  I planned to work on Spring Projects.....not fear for already established plants that cost money and redo an area!  If it's one thing I try to remember, it's this.  While the top of the plant is fried, it doesn't mean the root system was.  When March comes....March 15th to be exact, it will be the start of Spring and most things can be trimmed at that time.  Trim trim trim and watch how everything grows grows grows.  So hope is not lost......it's just our guts reacting to this terrible winter event in the US.  And you people who love it.....enjoy it while it lasts:)

Except those who've had pipe damage in Tucson.  This freeze event has shut down schools today because plumbing is all jammed up with ice. In fact, a lot of places are closed down today.  It's weird because in Wisconsin, this freeze wouldn't even be an issue.....partly because my hobbit friends and family are built from a sturdier build.  Living in the desert after awhile makes you develop a "thinner skin":)  Going back home in winter can be a cultural shock at times:)  Anyhow, last night we opened all the pipe valves for water to leave.  However, a resident must have seen the water and shut one of them off!!!  So it is frozen solid.    All other pipes were in good shape this morning when I went outside to look them over.

As for failures.  A bunch of bloggers have been talking about keeping a journal of what desert and non native desert plants collapse at certain temperatures. With the temperature sustained at 18 degrees last night for several hours, it is surprising to see that the oleanders have held up.  The live oaks seem unaffected.  The palm tree looks fine.  The Heavenly Bamboo(Nandina) is holding up.  A Cereus and Silver Hair Cactus survived.  Roses....what?  There was a freeze?:)  Texas Ebony looks wonderful.  One colony of bamboo collapsed; the rest look healthy. 

That which suffers.  The prickly pear.  Bouganvillea.  Birds of Paradise.  Any tropical such as the Scheflerra or Spider Plant.....all collapsed. Castor plant gone.  But the seeds....collected:)

That which is unknown.  Citrus. Loquat. Guava. Ficus. Jacaranda. These are the "line plants" that can grow here because Tucson is listed as subtropical.  But the "line plants" can die from the frost.  I'm not sure what the official word is for this because my brain is frozen.....but there is a word. Citrus is hardier than the rest of these trees listed. Again it's about placement.

That which benefits.  All fruit trees....they certainly have gotten their chill hours this winter:) And.....you. A freeze allows us to re-examine a garden space and put something different in its' spot.  It also allows us to clean up the plants in Spring where before the plant looked super healthy and you didn't want to touch it.  Bushes need pruning.  While the bouganvillea, looks atrocious; don't touch it.  Wait until March 15th or until freeze warnings have been lifted before trimming your plants.  The "dead" branches and leaves protect the core part of the plant from total collapse. 

Finally, failure doesn't define the end but rather an opportunity to explore other venues. While it's heart breaking, it's also a learning opportunity for gardeners to reconstruct their gardens in Spring.  The reason why we hurt when this happens is because we've personally nurtured and worked with these plants...in some cases for years! And all it took was 1 night or several nights to undo all the love and devotion you gave your babies. (This last line sounds like a bad love affair.:)  I know that this sounds strange, but everyone feels this.  There is an attachment or bond that we form with not only our plants, but our children, pets, etc.     Well, if you are a Vulcan type person reading this blog that doesn't have emotions, it's then about the investment of time lost. But because you're logical, you'll be able to move on faster after a devastating event like this:) Your scientific knowledge will allow you to explore more logical native species in your landscape.  Until next time, live long and prosper.....in the garden:)
PS.  The word, thanks to Antigonum Cajan, was endemic.:)

Pruning Do's and Don'ts

Palo Verde in bloom; taken in June

Last weekend, I went to another session of working in the garden at the Tucson Botanical Gardens and again, it was another meaningful session that focused on garden maintenance and pruning.  This particular article will focus on the pruning part as I thought it was interesting.

One of the greatest mysteries for me about gardening is how to prune a tree....I know when you clip a branch, several sprouts will shoot out from around the end.  With trees, it's trickier and could be a very costly mistake.  I have always called on the professionals to do that particular job not only because of the height of the tree and the use of heavy equipment, but also because I want to make sure I don't damage these important plants in our landscape....like my 2 80+ year old oak trees.   In February or March, I begin the "hair cut", but I only do this when the trees need it and it's definitely not every year.  A healthy tree should have space between the branches for air to move.  There are 3 important cuts that I discovered. The illustration is above....
Cut 1.  It's the mini cut under the branch so that the bark won't peel away in case a limb falls and damage the tree.
Cut 2. Is the major cut....close to cut one that will remove the weight.
Cut 3.  This is the delicate cut in which you will cut closely to the branch or trunk.  This is THE most important cut of them all because you will want to make sure your tree heals properly. 
Remember that branch angles in formation of U or much better than a V.  A U formation creates a stronger tree.

Lion Tailing is bad and ruins a tree. It is the removal of all the inner laterals and foliage. It then causes weakend branch structure and breakage. This is what I like to call the weird "Umbrella" look. It also makes it prone to tip over during our monsoon storms...especially during a microburst. I have noticed that people use a similiar strategy with crepe myrtle....again this technique weakens the structure of the tree.  It is commonly done by professional landscapers so be careful.  If you are paying someone to trim your tree(s) and you care about your tree(s), you should stay home and watch the procedures done.  There is nothing worse than you getting home and seeing a favorite plant butchered by someone else's hand.  I stay home on those days with my arborist and go over any procedure before he does it.  He's a great guy and I trust him, but I want to know what he's going to cut before he does anything to my plants. Education is everything!! Usually he comes to me the day before and we go over the details. On the following day with his crew, he'll work his magic.:)

Adding tar on a tree cut is not recommended and it will, on occassion lock in bacteria, etc and begin killing the tree.  The only recommended action, of this type during our discussion, was painting the citrus trunk white to protect against the sun burn.  Citrus plants are not meant to be trees as they are really bushes.  However, people like the tree form better and cut all the branches and leaves that naturally protect the trunk from the sun. Personally I like the citrus for the bushier look.

When should someone prune a tree?
-when there is dead wood
-when there are crossing branches
-when there is diseased wood

NEVER TOP A TREE
NEVER REMOVE MORE THAN 20% OF THE PLANT(some say 25%)

What type of equipment do I use?
-Hand pruner for a branch less than 1/2 inch
-Loopers for a branch up to 1 inch
-Pruning saws for anything thicker

Pruning Young Trees
-Do not remove lower branches for 2-3 years as the goal is to establish a strong trunk
-Establish desired branch spacing
-Avoid pruning in hot weather to avoid sunburn on trunk

Reason for Pruning Mature Trees
-Crown cleaning
-Crown thinning
-Crown reduction
-Crown raising or elevating(so that people can walk under the tree)

When to prune
-in Spring as it encourages growth
-in Fall to reduce plant size but it is suggested that you avoid fall pruning as it is slower to heal and more likely to decay from cold and wet weather.....so wait until Spring:)

A tree should be
1/3 Trunk
2/3 Canopy

Wooden stakes?
"Yes" to keep the rootball from tipping over during a windstorm and "no" to keep a tree to bend a certain way. Two stakes if you use this method.
I stake at my place for newly planted trees only so that they don't fall out or tip over from their freshly made hole.  Trees need to have moving space so that when the wind blows the trunk around, it will send signals to its' root system strengthening it into the ground.

Watering new trees.
The irrigation drip should be kept close the first year and moved further away as the tree gets older so that it can extend it's roots into further ground.  A tree will tip over if the water line is not moved after the first year as this encourages the tree's roots to stay in one place.  I've had personal issues with this particular problem.  I lost two beautiful trees that way because I didn't move the drip system away and it killed me....two year of love and they die!! Trees should have their roots a depth of 18 to 36 inches.

It was a lot of information, but I felt like it was one of the best classes yet.  Hope this helps you in your own garden....until my next blog on garden maintenance:)