1. Watering

– Most parts of northern NM have been very dry. The monsoons were generally anemic this past summer, so the soil is dry down deep. Therefore, it's important to deep water trees, shrubs, vines, and perennials that have been planted this season or last year a couple of times in November. Make sure the soil is nicely moist as we head into December.

– Winter watering is essential for all new perennials, shrubs, and trees planted this past growing season. If there is scant snow or rain over the winter and early spring months, water when day temperatures are above 45⁰ F, which typically starts at the beginning of February. Continue once every 3 to 4 weeks through mid-April.

After you've given your landscape a last deep watering, turn off the water to your irrigation system. Then drain the solenoids in your valve box and the back-flow preventor so they don't freeze and crack over the winter. And set your irrigation timer to the "off position".

2. Fertilizing (Feeding the Soil)

For a healthy, resilient garden and landscape, healthy living soil is essential; so when we fertilizer, use organic and natural fertilizers like Yum Yum Mix and good quality composts to “feed the soil”. The web of life depends on the soil’s ability to break down fallen leaves and other organic materials and recycle the nutrients into the soil. This is accomplished by the incredible diversity of microbes, fungi, and earthworms that live in the soil. After the first hard frost is a good time to mix up a wheelbarrow of high-quality compost and Yum Yum Mix and top dress your flower beds, shrubs, and younger trees and lawn. Just scatter the compost/Yum Yum Mix over the top of the soil and scratch it in lightly. Then set a sprinkler and water it in.

If you haven't treated your plants with beneficial mycorrhizal fungi, it's easy to add the granules to the Yum Yum Mix and compost mixture. The spores will germinate over the winter months and make your garden and landscape plants healthier, more resilient, and more water-efficient. The Plant Success brand is available from highcountrygardens.com. Purchase the granular formulation.

3. Mulching Mulching is an essential tool for conserving precious soil moisture, building the soil's humus content, and keeping the soil cold in the spring so plants don't wake up and bloom too early. I like to mulch after I've fertilized to cover the soil and the organic fertilizers so to help facilitate the organisms in the soil to break down the fertilizer and make it available to the waking plants in spring.

Older fruit trees and other early blooming flowering trees and shrubs greatly benefited by having the ground well mulched out to the drip line of the tree to protect them from prematurely warm early spring temperatures.

– For Xeric and Native Plants use a 1" to 2” thick layer of pine needles, crushed pecan shells or small crushed gravel (3/8 to 1/2" diameter).

– For Plants that Like more moisture and richer soil like fruit trees, flowering shrubs, and evergreens apply a 2” thick layer of composted bark, shredded bark and wood, shredded leaves, and coarse textured composts like Soil Mender BTE cotton burr compost. Use clean wheat or barley straw for your fall and winter vegetable beds.

4. Protect Plants from Feeding Animals

–Treat for gophers: Gophers can be tremendously damaging to your garden plants, especially young trees and fruit trees as well as thick-rooted succulents (Yucca and Agave) and perennials, by eating the roots. They are active now and can be spotted by looking for freshly mounded soil around your plants and trees. Use a gopher repellent like Chase Mole and Gopher Med (a natural emulsified castor oil product). Spread the granules over the top of the soil and water in thoroughly. Re-apply in the spring.

–Protect young trees and shrubs from rabbits: Rabbits will often eat the bark at the base of young woody plants over the winter, so use corrugated paper tree wrap around the bottom 3 ft. of the tree now and remove in April. Vulnerable shrubs can be encircled with chicken wire.

–Bothered by deer? Deer feed on woody stems over the winter and spring months. So use a deer repellent spray like Bobbex, on trees, shrubs and evergreens now. And re-apply in early spring. Read more...

5. Garden Clean Up Enjoy the beauty of the fall and winter garden provided by dormant plants and grasses. In your flower beds and landscape plantings, let the perennials and ornamental grasses stand over the winter unless the plants were diseased with powdery mildew on the foliage, In which case, these can be cut back. ​​Letting plants stand over the winter improves cold hardiness of plants like Hummingbird Mint (Agastache), Hummingbird Trumpet (Zauschneria), and native Sages (Salvia).

Leaving plants untrimmed also helps protect beneficial insects and pollinator populations. The eggs and cocoons/pupae of beneficial insects, butterflies, and moths are often attached to the dormant stems of your garden plants so let them stay and hatch next spring. Clean up in mid-spring after a few weeks of warmer weather when you see the first butterflies or other winged insects. Wait to prune trees and shrubs until late winter/early spring.

6. Planting Spring Blooming Bulbs

November is the final month to plant your spring-blooming bulbs. Bulbs are a bargain and a great way to wake up your garden in spring, but plant them where they will get some supplemental irrigation. Common bulbs like tulips, daffodils, grape hyacinths, and others need supplemental irrigation in the spring (if the soil is dry) to bloom well, so plant them in irrigated beds. My favorite bulbs are perennial varieties that come back year after year and multiply in numbers (naturalize). These include - Crocus- Muscari (Grape hyacinths) - Narcissus (daffodils, which are gopher proof), - Tulipa (tulips); especially 'Lilac Wonder', Tulipa tarda and Gregiii and Kaufmaniana types, and Allium (ornamental onions) which are also highly resistant to gophers. Where gophers are active, mix granules of Chase Mole and Gopher Med into the backfill soil. Or soak the bulbs in Bobbex small animal repellent for a few hours, then let dry prior to planting.

Shop Flower Bulbs

7. Planting Shrubs, Trees and Evergreens

Most cold hardy plants benefit from fall planting. Fall-planted trees and shrubs have extra time to establish their roots before winter and will bloom more robustly and grow more quickly next summer than spring transplants. Finish planting woody plants by late November.

8. Raking Leaves Avoid mulching with whole leaves as they will mat down and keep moisture and oxygen from reaching down into the soil. If possible, rent or buy a shredder that will grind up your leaves into coarse pieces. Or you can run your lawn mower over low piles of leaves. Then take them out of the mower bag to use as mulch. Coarsely ground-up leaves are a superb mulch and a great soil builder. Keep your leaves and pine needles as they are a valuable resource for soil building and mulching.

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#gardencare #gardening #Fall

Digging the Hole—For plants in 2.5”, 5” and #1 gallon pots, dig the hole 1 ft. wide x 8-12” deep.

Amend the Soil from the hole—Improve soil texture

· For xeric (low-water need) plants a handful or two of Yum Yum Mix into the planting hole as described above.

· For plants with moderate water needs, a handful or two of Yum Yum Mix with two handfuls of Back to Earth compost.

The bigger the hole the more soil amendments should be added. But never replace more than ¼ of the soil in the planting hole with soil amendments.

Planting—Remove the plant from the pot and slice the sides of the root ball with the corner of a plant tag or knife blade to cut through tangled or circling roots. Place the plant slightly lower than the surrounding soil. Fill the hole with amended soil and firm it into place with your fingertips.

Build a Ridge of Soil Around the Edge of the Planting Hole – Use extra soil from the planting hole to create a ring of soil (called a “well” or “saucer”) to hold irrigation water. Fill the saucer with mulch to help hold its shape and protect the roots from drying out. (See “Mulch” paragraph below)

Mulch—Mulching is essential to getting your transplants off to a strong start. Cover both the soil between the plants and directly below each plant. Mulch helps to;

· Keep the soil shaded and cool for optimum root growth,

· Conserve the soil moisture by protecting it from the sun and drying winds,

· Add organic matter to the soil to improve its fertility and water penetration and keep down the weeds.

· Xeric perennials, cacti and succulents - Gravel is a superb mineral-type and works best when used at a sufficient depth of at least 1 to 2 inches. Use smaller 3/8” to ½” diameter crushed (angular) rock for best results.

· Trees, shrubs, perennials and ornamental grasses – Use plant-derived materials like shredded bark crushed pecan or Back to Earth Cottonburr to cover the soil 1 to 2” deep.

Get New Transplants Off to a Great Start—To help plants establish strong roots, use Medina Fish Blend 2-3-2 at a rate of 1 tablespoon/gal. of water. Use weekly for the first month or so after transplanting to stimulate root growth and promote healthy microbial activity in the soil.

Water—It’s essential to water deeply. Using a gentle stream from a watering can or hose breaker, water in your new plant. Fill the saucer. Let it soak in and repeat. Always water twice. Continue to water your new transplants 2-3x/week until established. For some xeric perennials, this could be about 8 weeks. For most other plants, water 1-3x/week for the first growing season through fall.

© Copyright WATERWISE Gardening, LLC 2023

The winter moisture that northern New Mexico has received this winter is a gift from the heavens. After many years of severe drought, significant amounts of snow and rain have recharged the soil’s moisture, making the spring of 2023 an exceptionally promising year for planting and repairing our drought-damaged landscapes. Read on to learn the best things to do to get your garden ready for a fabulous growing season.

Sow Wildflower Seeds Now

If you want to refurbish large sections of your landscape with colorful wildflowers, sowing wildflowers seeds and seed mixes is a very economical way to do it. And March is the ideal month to spread seeds. Many wildflower seeds require 4 to 8 weeks of cold, wet weather to overcome seed dormancy and germinate. I always recommend mixing seeds with arroyo sand to help spread the seed more evenly.

The ideal time to spread the seed/sand mixture is before a snowstorm. Melting snow helps to work the seeds into the soil as the soil surface freezes and thaws. Snow or no snow, it’s important to cover the seeds with a thin layer of clean barley or wheat straw (NOT hay) to help keep the seeds moister and protect them from the birds.

Mow Your Native Grass

If parts of your yard are covered in native grasses like Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis) and last summer’s seed heads are still standing, early spring is a good time to mow them off. Mowing will reduce fire danger later in the season when the winds kick up and the foliage gets crispy and dry. Set the mower deck on the highest setting and go to it.

Feed the Soil

If you forgot to feed your soil last fall with an ample application of Yum Yum Mix, you can catch up now. Yum Yum Mix is an all-natural fertilizer specifically formulated for our northern New Mexico soils. My long-term experience with this fertilizer has demonstrated that it supports healthy, living soils and provides the essential nutrients that make all types of plants robust and resilient.

I like to spread it over the top of the soil and scratch it in with a hand cultivator or small, stiff hand rake.

Water Deeply to Flush Yum Yum Mix into the Soil Surface

Once the Yum Yum Mix has been spread and scratched into the soil’s surface, I like to use a sprinkler (on a calm, windless day) to moisten the ground and Yum Yum Mix. Moisture helps the soil organisms start to digest the ingredients and break them down. This helps the plants to utilize the nutrients later in the spring as their roots become active when the soil thaws out.

Mulch

After watering, cover the area with a good 1- to 2-inch layer of whatever mulch you’re using. By thickening up the mulch layer, you will ensure that the sun and wind don't evaporate essential moisture, keeping it in the soil for the plants to use.

Mulching will also help to keep the soil cold, so your plants don’t wake up too early and suffer from late frosts that are a regular part of our erratic spring weather. Mulching under fruit trees is especially important for this very reason.

Get Your Pruning Done Very Soon

Deciduous Shrubs and Trees: The time for hard pruning of shade, fruit, and flowering trees and spring-blooming shrubs has passed once we reach the end of March. As a general rule of thumb, the primary pruning season is done once the leaf and flower buds begin to swell.

Summer blooming shrubs like Russian Sage (Perovskia), Blue Mist Spirea (Caryopteris), and Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii and hybrids) can be cut back in mid-spring.

* Russian Sage should be cut back hard in mid-spring, leaving stems 12 to 15 inches tall. This should be done every spring to keep them blooming heavily. This is also the time to dig up any "suckers" (new stems pushing up from the ground around the original plant) to keep your Russian Sage in bounds and prevent it from overtaking its neighbors.

* Blue Mist Spirea and Buddleia davidii should be cut back by 1/3 to 1/2 of their height every third year (not annually) to re-invigorate the shrubs and encourage blooming.

* Roses should NOT be pruned until later in spring. Early May is ideal. Pruning stimulates roses to grow, which is not what you want to do when the nights are still frosty in March and April. And don’t prune roses too hard—remove only the top 1/3 of the stems (or less), and thin out any crossed interior branches.

Cut Back Ornamental Grasses

Mid-spring marks the time to cut back your ornamental grasses. There are two categories of grasses: cool-season and warm-season growers. They are handled differently during spring clean-up.

Warm season grasses include Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium), Big Bluestem (Andropogon), 'Blonde Ambition' Blue Grama (Bouteloua), Muhly (Muhlenbergia), Prairie Switchgrass (Panicum), Chinese Maidenhair Grass (Miscanthus), Giant Sacaton (Sporobolus wrightii), and others. They should be cut back in mid-spring. Leave about 2 to 4 inches of stubble standing—tall growers should be left with about 4 inches and smaller growers should be left with about 2 inches.

Cool season grasses, like Blue Avena Grass (Helictotrichon), Fescues (Festuca), Silky Thread Grass (Nassella), and 'Karl Foerster' Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis) have evergreen foliage that should not be cut to the ground unless the winter cold has turned the foliage completely brown. Instead, vigorously "comb out" dead leaves with gloved hands and clip off the dead leaf tips. Also, clip or pull off old seedhead stalks to remove them from the foliage and make room for the flowering stems that push up in late spring.

Divide Old Grass Clumps

If the interior of your established grass clumps seems to have a significant amount of dead stems, it’s time to dig up the clump and divide it. Typically this is necessary once every 3 to 4 years. Cut the clump into quarters and re-plant a piece into the same hole. While you’re there, be sure to enrich the soil with some compost and Yum Yum Mix to help replenish the soil’s nutrient levels. Make new planting holes for the other pieces of the original clump or gift them to a friend.

Clean Up Your Perennials

Come late March and early April, it's time to cut back our perennials. Herbaceous perennials often greet the spring with dead, above-ground stems and leaves. In general, these perennials will show you where to cut. Look for a low mound of new foliage at the base of the old dead stems, and cut off last year’s brown stems just above the new green foliage.

Evergreen perennials like Rosemary, Lavender, Iberis (Candytuft), Beardtongue (Penstemon), Hesperaloe (Texas Red Yucca), and others only need to have any winter-killed stem tips and leaves removed. Don't cut back evergreens to ground level like their herbaceous neighbors. Doing so will injure or kill these evergreens.

* Lavender (Lavandula)—To get these important ornamental herbs ready for the new growing season, I recommend waiting to cut them back until you can see tiny green leaves beginning to push out from the old woody stems. This will show you how much of the old branches has been damaged by winter cold and desiccation. Shear the plants to remove the dead branches just above where the topmost new growth is emerging from the old stems. Leave a nice, rounded mound of stems and foliage. Remove any old, dead stems from the plant's interior.

*Beardtongue (Penstemon)—Cut back the old flowering stems and any lanky stems to leave a nice, rounded mound of evergreen leaves and stems. This will re-invigorate the plants and give the flowering stems a more even shape later in the season.

- Other evergreen perennials—Simply cut off any winter-killed stem tips and foliage to leave a nice, mounded plant.

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Sangre de Cristo Mountains reaching into the snow clouds

Wow, what a difference!

This year’s mountain snowpack is good and getting better with each passing week. So this coming spring will be the best planting season in decades because soil moisture levels in northern New Mexico are being dramatically replenished from years of drought.

As our soils absorb all this water, the plants in our landscapes and the wildlands around us will be revived. We can expect that the plants in our landscapes will grow more vigorously and flowering will be more robust, making it a banner year for bees, hummingbirds and other pollinators. It will also help gardeners to identify where new plants are needed to fill in for those lost in the drought with more xeric choices.

Here in northern NM we always need to conserve our valuable water resources by planting xeric landscapes. And this year will be the best time in years to do more extensive plantings and re-plant drought-damaged areas of your yard.

• Focus on planting more native plants and nectar-rich plants that support pollinators.

• Plant habitat-enriching species of ornamental grasses, native shrubs and native succulents to provide shelter and food (seeds and fruits) for songbirds.

• Plant flowering trees and shrubs that provide flowers for nectar and fruit for food.

This year will be a good one for getting the plants well-established before future droughts materialize. A healthy, well-established landscape makes it much more able to withstand dry conditions with minimal damage.

A Healthy Living Soil is Essential to Successful Transplanting.

The soil is at its healthiest when it’s moist. And that’s why even xeric plants prefer to be transplanted when precipitation levels are ample.

• In a drought, the soil goes “dormant” meaning that many of the microorganisms and other beneficials like earthworms have gone into drought-induced inactivity or died, leaving the soil’s underground ecology severely compromised and damaged.

• With good moisture, the soil comes back to life, and its incredible populations of beneficial soil-dwelling organisms are able to live and reproduce which is essential to the welfare of plants that grow in the soil.

Growing for Spring

Our growers and propagators have been busy since last summer collecting seeds from our test gardens and propagating all kinds of pollinator-friendly, xeric perennials, vines, shrubs and ornamental grasses in anticipation of a moist spring planting season. We’re going to have a fabulous selection of waterwise plants ready for spring. Bes sure to view our 2023 plant list and prepare your shopping list. Our plant sales begin in mid-April.

Winter and Early Spring Garden Activities

As we wait for our gardens to wake up and come into new growth and bloom, there are a host of garden-related activities that can give us inspiration for the new season. Here are some to consider.

1. Winter Watering - The Santa Fe Ski Basin is getting some snow this winter, but down here at 7,000 ft elevation here in town and the surrounding areas, we need to continue to water our gardens and recent transplants once a month. Don't turn on your drip systems and sprinklers as the freezing temperatures will damage them. Instead, use a sprinkler and hose to water when day temperatures are at least 45° F.

Set a timer and move the water every 30 to 45 minutes or longer so the ground gets good and damp. Any transplants in the ground 2 years or less must be watered every 2 to 4 weeks depending on how much sun hits the planting sites; the more sun the more frequent the watering. Be sure to disconnect the hose from the faucet and drain the hose after each day's use.

more winter watering tips

2. Pruning - For many shrubs and trees, shaping them while they are dormant is recommended. Generally speaking, waiting until the worst of winter has passed and near to when they break dormancy is safest. This typically means pruning any time from late February to late March. One exception to this approach is the group of spring-blooming shrubs that wake up the garden early. These include lilacs, Forsythias, currants, mock oranges, and other spring flowering shrubs.

Pruning correctly is both an art and a science, and requires special knowledge. Santa Fe Botanical Garden is offering a pruning workshop on February 25 where you can learn how to prune properly. If you have trees that are too large or too daunting for you to prune, contact a Certified Arborist to do this for you.

- Trees: shape the canopy and remove double leaders (split central branches at the top of the tree). Remove whole branches from fruit and ornamental flowering trees as needed but DON'T just cut the tips of a lot of branches as this will remove the year-old flowering wood necessary for flowering and fruit set.

- Shrubs: Remove whole branches off mature plants when needed but DON'T just cut the tips of a lot of branches as this will remove the year-old flowering wood. This applies to forsythia, lilacs, flowering quince, white-flowered spirea, flowering almond, and most other spring-flowering varieties.

- Summer blooming shrubs like Potentilla, Russian Sage, Butterfly bush, and Blue Mist Spirea should be left to stand over the winter and pruned back in April.

Leave roses alone and wait until early May (after the danger of hard frost) to prune them. Pruning roses stimulates new growth which will be damaged by frost if pruning is done too early.

Pruning in winter

3. Feeding and watering our allies - Finding food and water can be a real challenge for local birds in the winter. Help them out with feeders and an open source of water through the winter and they will provide beauty and pest control in your garden through the summer.

4. Learn - Winter is a great time to learn more about how to have a beautiful and bountiful garden as we move into a future of continuing climate change. Classes at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden and Santa Fe Community College offer lots of useful information. Many newer books about landscaping, gardening, and water harvesting can greatly broaden your knowledge. Garden catalogs and websites offer a great variety of plants that you can consider adding to your garden.

5. Study your own garden! - Take some time during warm sunny afternoons to walk through your garden or simply sit and notice the details of the soil, the structure, the colors and forms of the dormant plants, and the way sunlight moves through the garden in the winter. Consider possible changes you might want to make, while you enjoy what’s working in the garden.

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#winter #watering #gophers #gardencare

• Winter watering is very different from summer watering. It occurs less frequently and at a different time of day.

• When there is no snow cover and during extended dry periods, water one to two times per month.

• Only water when the temperature is above 45° F.

• Water mid-day so it can soak easily into the ground.

• Plants with western or southern exposure or that are regularly exposed to wind will dry out more quickly and may need to be watered more frequently (every two-three weeks instead of once a month).

• When watering older established trees, start watering 2-3 feet out from the trunk and water out to the drip line (where the water falls to the ground from the furthest tips of the branches). You can use a soaker hose placed every 2 feet out to the drip line, turned on for 45-60 minutes per watering to thoroughly moisten the soil. Water deciduous trees once a month through the winter.

• For new/younger trees and all shrubs, water the whole area under the canopy, out to the drip line or a bit beyond the drip line.

• It’s particularly important to water evergreen trees and shrubs that keep their foliage throughout the winter.

• Groundcovers and perennials can be watered with a sprinkler when watering an entire bed or patch of plants. Or perennials can be individually watered with a water breaker (see photo) or watering can. It’s helpful to create a “well” around plants that will be watered individually to keep the water in the plant’s root zone.

• DON’T WATER cacti and native succulents (Agaves, Beargrass, Yuccas) in the winter.

• Be sure to disconnect and drain the hose after each winter watering.

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Republishing an entire WATERWISE Gardening blog post or article is prohibited without written permission. Please feel free to share a short excerpt with a link back to the article on social media websites, such as Facebook.

Fall is a magical time in the garden when plants naturally put their energy to grow many new roots as the season moves into winter. Now is the time to feed the soil and thicken up the mulch layer around your plants. And the mild weather is perfect for finishing all our gardening "to-do" list and tucking in our gardens for winter.

Early Fall

September to mid-October

1. Watering

September and October can be deceptively dry, especially because the August monsoon rains were meager. Continue to water regularly any transplants from this growing season through October. Perennials, ornamental grasses, shrubs, trees, and evergreens planted in the last two years need deep soakings at least twice weekly.

2. Mulching

Help to converse water and improve the soil moisture levels by making sure all of this year's transplants have a nice deep layer of mulch around their base and water holding saucer ("well") to shade the soil from the sun.

• For Xeric and many Native Plants use 1 to 2” thick layer of pine needles, crushed pecan shells, or crushed gravel.

• For Plants that Like more moisture and richer soil: 1 to 2” thick layer of composted bark (not bark chips or nuggets), shredded wood or leaves, and coarse-textured composts like Soil Mender BTE cotton burr compost.

3. Use Medina Fish Blend Liquid Fertilizer

Add to a watering can and soak your this year's transplants at least a couple of times in early fall. Fall is an active time for root growth as the above-ground stems and leaves have stopped growing and are getting ready for winter. This "root stimulator combo" as I call it, encourages new root growth. DO NOT use chemical fertilizers (like Miracle-Gro or other powered fertilizers that dissolve in water) on your plants, but especially this time of the year; chemical nitrogen is readily up-taken by plant roots and stimulates unnatural late-season growth that is subject to winter cold damage and dehydration (an important problem with our typically arid winter weather).

4. Don't Cut Back Your Garden

Wait until early to mid-spring of next year. (See details below)

5. Wait to prune woody shrubs and trees until late November- February. (See details below)

Late Fall

late October to November

1. Watering

Dehydration is a bigger problem in New Mexico than winter cold when it comes to plant survival over the winter months. Dry fall and winter weather is tough on plants, especially newly planted additions to your garden and landscape. And evergreens are especially susceptible to the effects of dry winter weather.

• Water Thoroughly one last time before you winterize your drip and sprinkler systems - this should be done in late October or November. Make sure the ground has ample moisture by watering one last time before the ground begins to freeze (mid-to-late November in Santa Fe)

• Winter watering is essential for all new perennials, shrubs and trees planted this past growing season. If there is no snow or rain, water when day temperatures are above 45⁰ F, once every 2 to 3 weeks.

2. Fertilizing (Feeding the Soil) For a healthy, resilient garden and landscape, healthy living soil is essential; so when we fertilize, use organic and natural fertilizers like Yum Yum Mix and good quality composts to “feed the soil”. The web of life depends on the soil’s ability to break down fallen leaves and other organic materials and recycle the nutrients into the soil. This is accomplished by the incredible diversity of microbes, fungi, and earthworms that live in the soil. After the first hard frost is a good time to mix up a wheelbarrow of high-quality compost and Yum Yum Mix and top dress your flower beds, shrubs, and younger trees and lawn. Just scatter the compost/Yum Yum Mix over the top of the soil and scratch it in lightly. Then set the sprinkler and water it in.

3. Apply Beneficial Fungi to Plant Root Zones

In our arid western climate, most plants depend on beneficial mycorrhizal fungi to help them extract extra water and nutrients that plant roots can't reach. It's easy to add these amazing fungi to the soil using Granular Root Zone root inoculant granules to the Yum Yum Mix and compost mixture. The spores will germinate over the winter months and make your garden and landscape plants healthier, more resilient and more water-efficient.

4. Mulching Mulching is an essential tool for conserving precious soil moisture, building the soil's humus content, and keeping the soil cold in the spring so plants don't wake up and bloom too early. I like to mulch after I've fertilized to cover the soil and the organic fertilizers so to help facilitate the organisms in the soil to break down the fertilizer and make it available to the waking plants in spring.

Fruit trees and other early blooming flowering trees and shrubs are greatly benefited from having the ground well mulched out to the drip line of the tree to protect them from pre-maturely warm early spring temperatures.

For Xeric and Native Plants use a 1" to 2” thick layer of pine needles, crushed pecan shells, or crushed gravel.

For Plants that Like more moisture and richer soil like fruit trees, flowering shrubs, and evergreens: 1 to 2” thick layer of composted bark (not bark chips or nuggets), shredded wood or leaves, and coarse-textured composts like Back to Earth cotton burr compost. Use clean straw for your fall and winter vegetable beds.

5. Garden Clean Up Enjoy the beauty of the fall and winter garden provided by dormant plants and grasses. In your flower beds and landscape plantings, let the perennials and ornamental grasses stand over the winter (don't cut back until spring). This improves the cold hardiness of plants like Hummingbird Mint (Agastache), Hummingbird Trumpet (Zauschneria) and native Sages (Salvia).

Protect beneficial insects and pollinator populations. The eggs and cocoons/pupae of beneficial insects, butterflies and moths are often attached to the dormant stems of your garden plants so let them stay and hatch next spring. Clean-up in mid-spring after a few weeks of warmer weather. Wait to prune trees and shrubs until late winter/early spring.

6. Planting Spring Blooming Bulbs Don't be in a hurry to plant your spring blooming bulbs. It is very important to let the soil cool from the effects of hard frosts and cold nights, Bulbs are a bargain and a great way to wake up your garden in spring, but plant them where they will get some supplemental irrigation. Common bulbs like tulips, daffodils, grape hyacinths and others need spring moisture to bloom well, so plant them in irrigated beds. Shop local nurseries or visit High Country Gardens.

7. Planting Perennials, Ornamental Grasses, Shrubs, Trees and Evergreens Most cold-hardy plants benefit from fall planting. Fall-planted plants have extra time to establish their roots before winter and will bloom more robustly and grow strongly in the heat of summer than late spring transplants. Finish your plantings by late October.

8. Raking Leaves Keep your leaves and pine needles on your property; they are a valuable resource for soil building and mulching. Pile leaves as mulch around the base of the pinon and all your other trees. They provide invaluable biomass to feed the soil.

9. Relax and Spend Time in Your Garden Doing Nothing Take a seat on your portal or layout on your hammock and enjoy the soothing beauty of your fall garden.

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Watering New Transplants: Even xeric (waterwise plants) need regular watering during the first growing season to grow strong, deep roots. Don’t water stress new plantings by not watering enough!!

BY WATERING DEEPLY AND FREQUENTLY THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER, you’ll save water in the long run as the plants will establish more quickly and require less frequent watering during the following growing seasons.

• At this point (early September), your transplants will need watering every 3-4 days.

• Water twice: fill the saucer to near overflowing, let it percolate into the soil, and fill the saucer again.

• Of equal importance, is making sure all your plants have been mulched, especially your new transplants.

Make a Water Holding Saucer and Mulch It: When watering new transplants by hand, be sure the plants have a nice, wide, one-inch deep saucer-shaped depression around their base to hold water. If you planted in spring, the water saucers may have become shallow filling in with soil. Reform the saucers making them wider and deeper so they will hold more water.

After checking and reforming the water saucers as needed, I recommend that you fill the depression with mulch to keep the soil cool and damp. (Yes, I fill the saucer-shaped depression with mulch. This helps the saucer hold its shape after repeated waterings.)

Mulching New Transplants: Use mulch materials like crushed gravel, Back to Earth Cottonburr Compost, pine needles, or finely shredded bark. Mulching reduces transplanting stress by keeping the soil more evenly cool and moist. Perennial plants should be mulched to a depth of one inch directly under and around so as to cover a wide ring of any bare soil around them. Woody plants (trees, shrubs, and evergreens), the mulch layer should be 2 to 3 inches deep. fill the saucer to near overflowing, let it percolate into the soil, and fill the saucer again. When watering by hand, be sure the plants have a nice, wide, one-inch deep saucer-shaped depression around their base to hold water. I also filled the depression with mulch to keep the soil cool and damp. (Yes, I fill the saucer-shaped depression with mulch to help it hold its shape after repeated waterings.)

Mulching Established Plants: Be sure that all your established perennials, trees, and shrubs are well mulched with a thick layer of wood chips, bark chips, crushed pecan shells or pine needles placed in a wide circle around their base. Now is an excellent time to thicken up the mulch layer as the mulch decomposes into the soil and becomes thinner. Even gravel mulch gets thinner after the freeze/thaw cycle of winter and spring absorbs the gravel into the soil.

Perennial beds need a one-inch layer of mulch material.

Trees and shrubs need a 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch material.

Irrigating Established Plants and Landscapes: It’s much better to water less frequently and deeply with more water than more frequently with less water. Roots follow the water down into the soil. Ample deep watering increases root depth and resistance to dry conditions above ground. You can train your garden to be more water-thrifty by doing it this way. In the heat of summer here in arid New Mexico, I water once every 7 days watering long enough that the water goes 8 to 12″ deep into the soil. Trees and shrubs need a 2 to 3-inch layer of mulch material. Plants on a Drip System: If your plants are being watered on a drip system, and you have new transplants on the same watering zone as established ones, you'll need to program your irrigation controller using two schedules. One schedule should turn for at least 1 ½ hrs. once or twice per week. Then program a second schedule to come on every other day for 30 minutes to keep your new transplants adequately moist.

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Pollinator-friendly plants are why late summer and fall gardens can be as colorful as springtime with a stunning display of flowers and seed heads. Agastache (hummingbird mint), Salvia (Sage), Zauschneria (Hummingbird Trumpet or Fire Chalice) as well as gorgeous ornamental grasses, described below, like Muhlenbergia 'Pink Flamingos' (Muhly Grass) and Sorgastrum nutans 'Thin Man' (Indian Grass) are all wonderful additions to the waterwise landscape as a source of natural nectar for pollinators and stunning colors to please gardeners. See many of these perennial plants in our test gardens!

Pollinator Plant Sale 2022

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday

August 10, 11, 12, 13

Plant shopping 9 - 4

Agastache "Ava' (Ava's Hummingbird Mint)

Agastache ‘Ava‘ is a hybrid of A. cana x A. barberi both native to the southwestern U.S and Mexico, ‘Ava’ was cutting propagated from a single seedling that appeared in one of my xeriscapes.. A tall, robust plant, ‘Ava’ inherited her height from A. barbari, a very tall species from northern Mexico. Flowers appear over a long June to September (sometimes to first hard frost) bloom period and are highly attractive to bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. Leaves have a mint scent, and may be used fresh or dry to flavor teas.48-60" tall x 24" wide and cold hardy to zone 5.

Agastache x 'Red Happiness' (Hybrid Hummingbird Mint)

A long blooming hybrid hummingbird mint was introduced by David Salman. Found as a volunteer garden seedling in his Santa Fe garden, this long-blooming perennial has exceptional garden resilience and aromatic foliage. Grows well in most any soil including compost amended clay. Sun Xeric Rabbit/Deer resistant and is a hummingbirds magnet. 28-32 in. tall x 15-18 in. wide and cold hardy to zone 5.

Helianthus maximiliana 'Santa Fe' is a select form of this stunning fall blooming native wildflower. This plant is widely grown around the older parts of Albuquerque, Santa Fe (and elsewhere in NM) where it has been a "pass around" plant between neighbors for generations. About 16 years ago, David spotted an outstanding specimen in a neighborhood he drove to work. The plant was notable for its strong, upright, non-floppy growth habit and spectacular display of large golden yellow daisy-like flowers that were stacked tightly on the bloom spikes. He got permission to take some cuttings and the cultivar 'Santa Fe' was introduced the next year to the gardening public. Many growers start this perennial from seed, but the plants can be highly variable in both habit and the density and arrangement of the flowers. Generally, it's not a very tidy grower or a profuse bloomer. But 'Santa Fe' is a star and will light up your fall garden and bring the seed-eating songbirds to its seed heads later in the fall. 6-8' tall x 4' wide and cold hardy to zone 4.

Lavandula angustifolia 'Wee One'' is one of David's best introductions. This lavender is a special dwarf English Lavender that blooms with a wonderful display of short blue flower spikes only 10" tall. It is the most compact Lavender cultivar in cultivation.8-10" tall x 12-16" wide and cold hardy to zone 5.

Monardella odoratissima FlowerKisser™ 'Arizona Beauty' is a native western wildflower and this particular selection is from east central Arizona. Long blooming with lavender-pink puffball shaped flowers, this collection is from a lower elevation and is more wildly growable than the sub alpine forms known by rock gardening enthusiasts. Exceptional sweet minty herbal fragrance to the flowers and foliage. Eagerly sought out by native bees and butterflies. 4-6” tall x 12-15” wide. Cold hardy to zone 4.

Penstemon pinifolius 'Luminous' This David Salman introduction has bright light orange, yellow-throated flowers light up like a glowing orange bouquet of light when they capture the low-angled morning and late afternoon sunshine. This is an exceptional small growing, evergreen shrublet that covers itself with luminous orange flowers in late spring-early summer. A western native perennial, Pineleaf Beardtongue thrives in well-drained soils with plenty of sun and makes a fine edging plant with its tidy growth habit. Drought tolerant once established. 8-10" tall x 12-15" wide and cold hardy to zone 5.

Salvia pachyphylla 'Blue Flame'

David selected 'Blue Flame' from the xeric sub-shrub Giant Purple Sage and chosen for its huge, brightly colored 10"+ long flowering spikes. The long tubular blue flowers poke through the rose-pink bracts attracting hummingbirds from the entire neighborhood. 24" tall x 24-30" wide and cold hardy to zone 5.

Salvia Raspberry Delight® is one of David Salman’s best plant introductions. This stunning ever-blooming Salvia has a profusion of deeply-colored, raspberry-red flowers and deep green foliage with a sweet herbal fragrance. Garden trials have shown it to be a fast, vigorous grower with excellent heat tolerance and cold hardiness. Blooms mid-summer summer through fall and cold hardy to zone 6. Deer and rabbit resistant and a hummingbird magnet. 36" tall x 36" wide and cold hardy to zone 6.

Scutellaria 'Dark Violet'

This long-blooming native hybrid skullcap covers itself with a profusion of dark violet flowers held on short compact flower spikes. Scutellaria ‘Dark Violet’ blooms most of the summer and its neat, mounding habit enables ‘Dark Violet’ to be planted along the edges of hot, sunny paths. The hotter and harsher the growing conditions, the better it performs. This plant will stay compact. 6" tall x 10-15" wide and it is cold hardy to Zones 5. Introduced by David Salman in 2013.

Zauschneria garrettii Orange Carpet®​

This superb Hummingbird Trumpet spreads like a groundcover and is perfect for slopes and cascading over the edges of raised beds. It blooms in mid-to-late summer it lights up the garden with a profusion of bright-orange flowers that hummingbirds adore. Introduced by David Salman in 2000, Orange Carpet originates from the arid, mountains of southern Idaho and thrives in northern New Mexico gardens. Wait until spring to cut it back just above ground level 4-6" tall x 15-18" wide and cold hardy to zone 5.

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Two of our Favorite Fall Blooming Ornamental Grasses

Growing in our display gardens you'll see two of our favorite ornamental grasses. Muhlenbergia capillaris 'Pink Flamingos' (Muhly Grass) and Sorghastrum nutans Thin Man PP#28,923. Both are exceptional companions for late summer/fall blooming perennials and feed songbirds and other seed-eating animals later into the winter months.

Muhlenbergia capillaris 'Pink Flamingos' (Muhly Grass) is a vigorous grass ornamental grass with very narrow blue-green foliage and soft pink flower spikes in early fall. A heat-loving plant, it is an excellent choice for most Santa Fe and Albuquerque landscapes. Its narrow, upright growing habit makes it a great choice against walls and in tight spaces. 4-5' tall x 15-18" wide and cold hardy to zone 6.

Sorghastrum nutans Thin Man PP#28,923 is a selected form of native Indian Grass with very blue foliage and a narrow, very upright growing habit to the leaves and flower spikes. Blooming in late summer, the attractive bronze-colored flowers set lots of big seeds that feed songbirds and other seed-eating animals. 'Thin Man' was selected from a population of Indiangrass originally collected near Clovis, NM. A David Salman introduction 2017 Plant Select® winner. 6 feet tall x 24-30" wide and cold hardy to zone 4.

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#pollinatorplant #Hummingbirdmint #agastache #bees #butterfly #hummingbirds

The Monsoon Season

Predictions for summer monsoonal rains say we’ll likely have normal to above-normal precipitation. However, once the rains get started, don’t assume that your plants have been adequately watered after a shower. Buy a rain gauge so you’ll know how much rain was received! Gardeners almost always overestimate how much rain fell. Unless it’s a good soaking rain event (1/2” or more), don’t skip irrigating. Continue your regular schedule of deep watering.

Regular Deep Watering is Essential

If you are watering by hose, be sure you have well-formed saucers around the base of new transplants to contain the water. When it’s time to water, fill them with water twice. Fill it, wait 5 minutes and re-fill it again. This ensures the water moistens both the plants original root ball and the surrounding soil. You should be watering every other day or every third day to keep new plants hydrated and healthy.

If your plants are on a drip system, be sure you have one (1) gallon/hour emitter just off to the side of the plant but close enough to fill the saucer. Using the same timeline as above, schedule a 20-minute watering every other day or every third-day interval. Keep your established plants on a separate schedule where they get 2 to 3 hours of irrigation once every 7 to 10 days.

How do you know when water is needed? Plants will tell you when they need water. Look for visual clues such as flagging foliage or an off-green grayish color to the leaves. Too much water will turn the foliage yellow.

Mulching

Mulching is the best way to protect soil moisture from the sun and wind. And it provides cool soil temperatures that are best for root growth. I generally use Back to Earth Composted Cotton Burrs or similar compost. When mulching your plants with compost, every time you water, some of the nutrients are absorbed by the water, making a mild compost tea which is liquid gold for new transplants.

Fill both the watering basin (depression in the soil at the base of the plants) and cover a wider circle around the plant as well. A one-inch thick layer is just right. Other suitable mulching materials include small, crushed gravel, pine needles, pecan shells (excellent for keeping dogs and cats off your flower beds) or finely shredded bark/leaves/stems (available at the city dump). Use all at the same depth of 1 inch.

A twice-monthly watering with Medina Fish Blend

Put 1-2 tablespoons of Medina Fish Blend in a gallon of water and water new transplants with the mixture. Also, get a good misting bottle and fill it with Medina/water blend and coat the leaves in the early morning as the sun is just coming up. You’ll be amazed at how the plants respond. Apply every 10 to 14 days.

Pinching new transplants

Pinching is an invaluable technique for helping to stimulate root growth and create more numerous stems. This helps young plants bloom with more flowers. Typically, recent transplants (annual or perennial) and year-old perennial plants planted last year are most in need of pinching. Pinching is the simple technique of cuttings off the tips of the new growth. June is an ideal month to pinch off the new growth one of two times. When pinching new transplants or established perennials, remove several inches of new growth from the top of the growing stems.

Weeding

This year the weeds are mainly found around irrigated plants. It’s been too dry for most weed seeds to germinate and grow. However, with a few soaking rains, the weeds will sprout and grow seemingly out of nowhere. Keep an eye open for summer weeds when the monsoons kick in. Goat Heads or Puncture Vine (Acanthospermum hispidum) will likely be especially bad. Pull or cut as soon as the young plants appear. Don’t wait for the horrible seeds to ripen because it will be too late to control them.

Mycorrhiza inoculant can be applied spring through fall. Our Soluble Root Zone_organic mycorrhiza and formulation is best to use in early summer and poured onto individual plants. When the monsoons are active, then the Granular Root Zone_organic mycorrhiza can be broadcast around the base of established plants where the rain will germinate the spores.

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For New Transplants: Even xeric (waterwise) plants need regular watering during the first growing season. This is essential to growing a strong, deep root system. Don’t water stress new plantings!! By watering deeply and more frequently now and into June, you’ll save water in the long run. New transplants should be watered 3x per week for the first 2 weeks when the temperatures are hot. This can be decreased to 2x per week after the initial 2-week period. Each small plant (2 ½, 5” deep, and #1 gallon pots) should receive between ½ and 1 gal of water per plant whether by hand or drip emitter. Larger 2 gallons and larger plants should receive 2 – 5 gallons of water at the same frequency.

Mulching New Transplants: Place mulch materials (crushed gravel, coarse compost, pine needles or finely shredded bark) to a depth of one inch directly under perennial plants as well as covering a wide ring of any bare soil around them. Mulching reduces transplanting stress by keeping the soil cool and evenly moist. For woody plants (trees, shrubs, and evergreens), the mulch layer should be 2 to 3 inches deep.

Make a Water Holding Saucer: When watering by hand, be sure the plants have a nice, wide, one-inch deep saucer-shaped depression around their base to hold water. I also fill the depression with mulch to keep the soil cool and damp. (Yes, filling the saucer-shaped depression with mulch will help the saucer hold its shape after repeated waterings.) Water twice: fill the saucer to near overflowing, let it percolate into the soil, and fill the saucer again. Plants on a Drip System: If your plants are being watered on a drip system, and you have new transplants in the same watering zone as established ones, you'll need to program your irrigation controller using two schedules. One schedule should turn for at least 1 ½ hrs. once or twice per week. Then program a second schedule to come on every other day for 20 minutes to keep your new transplants adequately moist. Use a Gentle Root Stimulator on Transplants

Medina Fish Blend 2-3-2 fertilizer (or Ladybug brand John's Recipe which is also a fish blend fertilizer) to help new transplants get off to a great start. Never use chemical fertilizers like Miracle-Gro or other brands (liquid or granular). This will stress the plants with unnecessary Nitrogen and force the plants to grow foliage when they need to grow their roots first.

FOR ESTABLISHED PLANTS AND LANDSCAPES: It’s much better to water more deeply and less frequently. You can train your garden to be more water-thrifty by doing it this way. In the heat of summer here in arid New Mexico, I water once every 7 days watering long enough that the water goes 8 to 12″ deep into the soil. Be sure that all your trees and shrubs are well mulched with a two-inch-thick layer of wood chips, bark chips, crushed pecan shells, or pine needles placed in a wide circle around their base. This will keep the soil cooler and moister. Perennial beds need a one-inch layer of mulch materials. The photo below shows the use of crushed 1/4 inch diameter gravel mulch on a bed of xeric native perennials.

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Ajuga reptans Catlin’s Giant (Catlin’s Giant Ajuga)

This large growing Ajuga has huge blue flower spikes in late spring/early summer that bees love as a nectar source. This is a shade lover and is very useful for planting under pinon and other trees and large shrubs that cast shade. Ajuga likes regular irrigation to keep it happy and growing vigorously.

Full sun or partial shade. 8-12" tall x 12-18" wide and cold hardy to zone 4.

Cerastium tomentosum (Snow-in-Summer)

White, fragrant flowers cover the fuzzy, evergreen gray foliage in late spring and attract lots of pollinating insects. A tough but beautiful groundcover, Snow-in-Summer is long-lived in the xeric garden and tolerates light foot traffic once established. It's an excellent choice for covering large areas. Full sun. 4-6" tall x 15-18" wide and cold hardy to zone 3.

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides (Hardy Plumbago)

This outstanding Old World groundcover hails from China but is superbly adapted for planting in New Mexico. Blooming in late summer with deep blue flowers, the foliage provides outstanding red fall foliage to beautify our xeriscapes for many months. It grows in full sun or full shade in all types of soils including clay. And if it likes its spot in the landscape, it lives forever. I have a thirty-year planting that’s still healthy and colorful. Full Shade, Full Sun, Partial Sun. 9-12" tall x 12-20" wide and cold hardy to zone 4.

Delosperma cooperi (Purple Ice Plant)

The first cold hardy ice plant to be introduced in North America, this South African succulent is an outstanding groundcover renowned for its summer-long display of large purple, honeybee attracting flowers. It makes a great groundcover for covering gravel mulch to reduce glare and reflected heat. But if rabbits are a problem, this is not a good choice unless protected in courtyards and other fenced areas. Full or part sun. 24-24" tall x 24-36" wide and cold hardy to zone 4.

Paronychia kapela ssp. serpyllifolia (Nailwort)

A marvelous, very long-lived Old World groundcover from the Spanish Pyrenees. Highly recommended for planting between flagstones and in the patio where it will tolerate light foot traffic. Evergreen with white flowers/seedheads, nailwort is a top choice for xeriscapes. Full Sun. Grows 1" tall x 12-15" wide and is cold hardy to zones 4.

Teucrium aronanum (Creeping Silver Germander)

It's showy, lavender-pink flowers perfume the garden with its honey-scented flowers. The gray evergreen foliage is finely textured and makes a handsome groundcover when out of flower. This is a tough, long-lived perennial for planting on gentle slopes, between flagstones, or as an edging plant along walks. Rabbit resistant. 2-3' tall x 18-24' wide and cold hardy to zone 5.

Tanacetum densum v. amani (Partridge Feather)

Another Old World plant, Tanacetum’s best attribute is its attractive feathery silver foliage and nice bright yellow late spring/early summer flowers. Partridge Feather is nicely xeric and grows equally well in the full, blazing sun or partial shade. Absolutely rabbit-resistant once established. Rabbit resistant. Full Sun & Partial Sun

Grow 3-8" tall by 12-24" wide and cold hardy to zone 4.

Thymus pseudolanuginosus (Wooly Thyme)

A cottage garden favorite, this fuzzy grower has been a garden favorite for hundreds of years, being useful planted between flagstones, along the edges of paths, and as a large-scale groundcover in flower beds. Non-flowering, its primary beauty comes from the carpet of soft gray evergreen foliage. An outstanding choice for NM. Full sun. 2" tall x 16" wide and cold hardy to zone 4.

Thymus Reiter (Reiter Thyme)

A vigorous evergreen cultivar originally introduced from California is one of the fastest-growing thymes for use as a groundcover or crack filler between flagstones. The plant has attractive dark green foliage and a profusion of small, light pink flowers in early summer.

Full sun. 3" tall x 30" wide and cold hardy to zone 4.

Zauschneria garrettii Orange Carpet®​

One of David’s first native plant introductions from the late 1990s, this incredible groundcover spreads via underground stems and flowers with a blaze of orange tubular flowers beginning in July. A hummingbird favorite, Orange Carpet® appreciates modest irrigation to be its best. Use on slopes, to cascade over railroad ties and retaining walls or as a carpet around taller growing perennials like Salvia FlowerKisser™ Dark Shadows and other Sages. Orange Carpet originates from the arid, mountains of southern Idaho and thrives in northern New Mexico gardens. Wait until spring to cut it back. 4-6" tall x 15-18" wide and cold hardy to zone 3.

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Our Spring 2023 Spring Plant Sale begins now and we're offering hundreds of amazing new and tried & true perennials, ornamental grasses, shrubs, cacti, and succulents. We're showcasing interesting plant combinations you can use as inspiration for designing a small space or an entire garden.

Are you looking to add drought-tolerant and long-blooming perennials to your garden? Take a look at this combination of Penstemon virens, Salvia Raspberry Delight® and Gaura lindheimeri 'Rosyjane'. We suggest planting Penstemon virens around the taller Salvia and Guara to make a lovely skirt. This xeric trio will also attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.

long-blooming

Superior Little Plant!

Enjoy month-long blooms with 100's of pollinator-attracting flowers. Penstemon virens is a small growing species and is native to the open Ponderosa forests and foothills of eastern CO and WY and well suited to northern New Mexico gardens. The dainty spikes of blue, lavender-throated flowers are held over evergreen rosettes of dark green foliage and are a delight in the late spring garden. Most effective in groups of three or more. Plant in lean, well-drained soil. 8" tall x 8-10" wide.

Tried and True and a David Salman plant introduction!

Salvia Raspberry Delight®

During the spring and summer of 1998, I spent a lot of time evaluating a very large group of Salvia plants grown from seed I had collected the previous year. Finally, I spotted a single plant that stood out head and shoulders above all the rest; 'Raspberry Delight' had been found! This stunning ever-blooming hybrid has a profusion of deeply-colored, raspberry-red flowers held well above its long, arching branches. The foliage is deep green and has a sweet herbal fragrance when brushed. Garden trials have shown it to be a fast, vigorous grower with excellent heat tolerance and cold hardiness. 36" tall x 36" wide

Tried and True perennial for 2022

Gaura lindheimeri 'Rosyjane' is an improved selection of our native Apple Blossom Grass that blooms all summer, with a flurry of pink-edged white flowers held above the foliage on tall, wiry stems. Rosyjane Apple Blossom Grass (also known as Rosyjane Beeblossom) is reliably perennial when planted in fast-draining soil in the full, hot sun. You'll appreciate its unusual coloration and long-blooming nature. It also makes an outstanding container plant.

#salvia #penstemon #longblooming #droughttolerant

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Our Spring 2023 plant sale events are starting now and we're offering hundreds of amazing new and tried & true perennials, ornamental grasses, shrubs, cacti and succulents. We're showcasing interesting plant combinations as inspiration for designing a small space or an entire garden.

A great trio for areas with dappled sun or partial shade.

Take a look at this combination of new Aquilegia eximia (King's Crown Columbine) and tried and true Festuca 'Siskiyou Blue' with Heuchera 'Weston Pink'. Aquilegia eximia and Heuchera 'Weston Pink are both long-blooming perennials that will provide abundant flowers from late spring through summer. Festuca 'Siskiyou Blue' provides a vivid contrast with its bright blue foliage.

Serpentine Columbine (Aquilegia eximia) is an uncommon CA native, with huge, downward-facing orange and yellow flowers that bloom for many months beginning in late spring. An exceptional Columbine, Aquilegia eximia (also known as King’s Crown Columbine) can be quite tall and is a good choice for planting in shade and semi-shade beds. A vigorous re-seeder, use Serpentine Columbine to naturalize the shady areas of your landscape. Enjoys moisture and alkaline soils. 36-60" tall x 15-18" wide.

Tried and True native ornamental grass!

Festuca Siskiyou Blue is a new selection of the native Idaho Fescue, notable for its enticing spruce-blue foliage. The thin leaves are much longer than the more familiar Festuca glauca, giving 'Siskiyou Blue' a softer, more graceful look. It blooms in the late spring producing tall, straight tan flower spikes typical of Festuca grass. 15-16" tall x 15" wide

Tried and True perennial

Weston Pink Coral Bells (Heuchera sanguinea ‘Weston Pink’) has everblooming sprays of coral-pink flowers that cover the plant all summer long. I thought we had lost this vigorous and long-lived plant but found a couple of plants in a Santa Fe garden to use as stock for cuttings, and we have it back now. Originally discovered in an English nursery, it was brought to the U.S. by Digging Dog Nursery about two decades ago. 16-18" tall x 12-15" wide.​

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#longblooming #droughttolerant #shade #ornamentalgrass #columbine #coralbells

Be sure and mulch your plants with a thick layer of gravel in xeric gardens or put down pecan shell mulch and other non-mineral materials at least 2" thick around trees, shrubs and flower beds. It will be important to keep the ground as cool and damp (after irrigating) as possible.

Now that it's April, it's time to cut back our perennials

Herbaceous perennials

If you haven't already done so, cut off dead, above-ground stems and leaves. In general, these perennials will show you where to cut. Look for a low mound of new foliage at the base of the old dead stems and cut off these dead brown stems just above the new green foliage.

Ornamental Grasses

Now is the time to cut grasses back. There are two categories of grasses; cool-season and warm-season growers. They are handled differently during spring clean-up.

Warm-season grasses include Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium), Big Bluestem (Andropogon), 'Blonde Ambition' Blue Grama (Bouteloua), Muhly (Muhlenbergia), Prairie Switchgrass (Panicum), Chinese Maidenhair Grass (Miscanthus), Giant Sacatoon (Sporobolus wrightii) and others. They should be cut back hard in mid-spring. Big growers should be left with about 4" of stubble and smaller growers should be left with about 2" of stubble. It's essential that the old stems be roughed out with gloved hands to remove dead stems from the crown and leave room for new foliage to emerge.

Cool season grasses, like Blue Avena Grass (Helictotrichon), Fescue grass (Festuca, pictured left), Silky thread Grass (Nassella) and 'Karl Foerster' Feather Reed grass (Calamagrostis) have evergreen or semi-evergreen foliage.

Don't cut them back hard to the ground like warm season grasses. If there is a lot of dead leaf blades in the clump, it's best to comb them out with gloved hands or a sharp blade. Or, if most of the interior part of the clumps are green, prune off the dead tips leaving the clump dome-shaped, not with a flat top cut.

Dividing Mature Ornamental Grasses

Most ornamental grasses naturally die out in the middle as they mature. The healthy crown and stems tend to grow a

round the edges. So it's very beneficial for the appearance and health

of your ornamental grasses to divide them once every three or four years. Dig up the clump, slicing down right along the edge of the stems growing out of the ground. Cut the big clump into quarters and with gloved hands remove dead stems and roots until you are left with sturdy pieces of living stems and crown. Work compost and Yum Yum Mix into the hole where the grass was dug up and replant the pieces into the hole. Or take some of the pieces and replant them elsewhere.

Here is a warm-season ornamental grass (completely brown and dormant) needing division. You can see the lighter brown grass that's still alive growing around the dead, with darker brown stubble in the middle.

Get Your Garden Clean-up Done in April

Spring Blooming Deciduous Shrubs, Trees and Fruit Trees: If these plants are blooming or starting to leaf out, The time for hard pruning has passed. As a general rule of thumb, once the leaf and flower buds begin to swell, the primary pruning season is done.

Summer blooming shrubs

• Native Salvia ( Raspberry Delight, 'Furman's Red, 'Maraschine' and other S. greggii and microphylla types) have started to push new foliage from their woody stems. Remove all wood above the new foliage and shape the plants into a dome. Also, thin out interior branches to clean up the lower main stems. Top-dress the soil around your newly pruned plants with some compost and Yum Yum Mix. I mix 1 part Yum Yum to 2 parts compost. This will provide essential nutrients for them to grow back vigorously and bloom plentifully.

• Lavender (Lavandula) – I've cut my lavender back hard this year, removing the top 1/3 to 1/2 of the plants. Also, top-dress your lavender plants like the Salvia above.

• Rosemary should be cut back to remove winter-killed branch tips. Also, prune into a dome shape and thin interior branches along the main stems. What a wonderfully fragrant task!

• Russian Sage should be cut back hard in mid-spring, leaving stems 12-15" tall. This should be done every spring to keep them blooming heavily. This is also the time to dig "suckers" (new stems to push up from the ground) so to keep your Russian sage in bounds and not overtaking its neighbors.

• Blue Mist Spirea and Buddleia davidii should be cut back by 1/3 to 1/2 of their height every third year (NOT annually) to re-invigorate the shrubs and encourage blooming.

Turn On and Check Your Drip System for Leaks

By late April, it's time to turn on your drip system. Late, light freezes possibly through the middle of May will not cause damage to your drip system. Turn on each zone and walk your landscape to find any leaks or damaged tubing. Gophers love to chew through the pipes and can cause major leaks. Do the walk-through before you apply fresh mulch as it's very difficult to find leaks when the emitters and tubing are covered.

Keep Watering New Spring Transplants Deeply Every Couple of Weeks

• Keep up with the regular watering of young trees, shrubs, vines and perennials for at least 2 or 3 growing seasons. Underwatering younger woody plants will stunt their growth. Even xeric native trees and shrubs will make better landscape specimens with regular watering to get them well established and larger in size. Then the watering frequency can be decreased over the following years.

• If watering by hand, be sure to re-build their wells (small mounds of soil that ring the base of the plant to hold water). Then fill the well a couple of times to soak the soil deeply.

• The general rule of thumb when it comes to watering is Water deeply but less frequently so the roots will follow the water down more deeply into the soil. Shallow, frequent watering encourages shallow roots.

Feed the Soil Before Mulching

Spread a Yum Yum Mix / high-quality compost blend onto the soil’s surface before spreading the mulch. I recommend one part Yum Yum Mix to 2 or 3 parts good quality compost. We have Yum Yum Mix for sale in 12 and 15 pounds bags as wells as good quality compost to purchase.

It's a good time to thicken up your existing mulch or cover new areas.

Spread the mulching material to make a good 1 to a 2-inch thick layer. By thickening up the mulch layer, this will ensure that the sun and wind don't evaporate the moisture and leave it in the soil for the plants to use. Also helps to control weeds and slowly enrich the soil.

• Don’t forget to replenish your gravel mulch. Freezing and thawing of the soil pulls the gravel into the soil and thins the gravel depth on the surface. So thicken it up each spring.

• Mulching fruit trees heavily will help to keep the soil colder and delay early flowering somewhat. It also helps to control grass around the tree which eliminates grass root competition and increases the tree’s growth.

Protect Plants from Critters

Control Gophers

Gophers have always been a problem in northern NM. But the mild winters of the past 5 or so years seem to have allowed them to increase their populations. And they are especially active in the spring. So, it’s critical that you protect both new transplants and established plants from getting their roots eaten.

• New transplants – sprinkle a handful of Chase Mole and Gopher Med granules around the base of each plant at planting time and soak the ground to move the emulsified castor oil into the soil.

• Established plants – watch for mounds of fresh soil and treat the area with the Mole and Gopher Med. Water in thoroughly.

Hungry Deer and Rabbits

New transplants, even rabbit-resistant species like Penstemon and Salvia should be sprayed with a deer and or rabbit repellent at planting time. Repeat one more time until the plants start to grow new foliage.

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New Mexico is rich with cold-hardy cacti species, having more species than almost any place in the Western Hemisphere. And we can use these incredible wildflowers to enrich our northern NM xeriscapes with brilliant flowers, sculptural stems and ornamental spination. It’s essential that we integrate cacti with other perennials, grasses and succulents to duplicate how they live in nature with many other plant types. Relegating cacti to just a pincushion grouping in an unused corner of your landscape deprives you of their true beauty.

Echinocereus engelmani v variegatus Stachys inflata, Alyssum

Cacti are Essential Early Season Natural Nectar for Native Pollinators

Not only do cold-hardy cacti bring a fascinating botanical element to your xeric garden, but they are tremendously important nectar sources for pollinating insects early in the spring before other plants bloom. Take the time to observe your cacti in flower and you will see the flowers alive with all types, sizes and colors of native bees and tiny pollinating wasps.

Penstemon pinifolius, Echinocereus, Agave utahensis, Hymenoxys

Creating a Cactus Berm

Cacti and other xeric plants like a fast-draining soil and benefit from being planted on a raised mound of soil (also called a “berm”) with rocks strategically placed top to bottom that provide planting pockets between them. Find a sunny spot (some afternoon shade is OK) to locate the berm.

Then, mix the garden soil where you’re locating the berm with white pumice (available locally from several soil yards), Yum Yum Mix and Reunity Resources compost.

• Mix two parts garden soil mixed with one part pumice.

• Add a cup of both Yum Yum Mix and compost, per 5-gallon bucket of pumice and soil.

Once mixed, mound the soil mixture and artfully place some lichen rock or river rounds in a natural-looking arrangement prior to planting.

Planting a Larger Cactus Garden

The design of a planting that includes cacti can also be on a larger scale, planted into flat or sloped ground. Here, big growing barrel and pad type cacti combined with other larger xeric plants to create low water, low maintenance designs.

When planting the cacti into flat ground, mix the pumice, Yum Yum Mix and Reunity Resourses compost, at the rates listed above, into the cactus planting hole. All the other plants don’t need the extra drainage (pumice) but will benefit from the use of compost and Yum Yum Mix into their planting holes at recommended rates.

Use Crushed Gravel Mulch When Planting is Completed

After the planting is done, mulch the whole berm or flat area with small 3/8” to ½” crushed gray or Santa Fe brown gravel to a depth of 1 to 2 inches. This is essential as it helps to make the plants and cacti grow better and faster while facilitating watering by helping the water soak into the soil and not simply run off downhill.

gravel mulch (left) with Echinocereus triglochidiatus, Scutellaria, Hymenoxys

Large Growing Cacti

Here is a shortlist of large growing cacti to create larger plantings that cover more square footage.

• Echinocereus coccineus (Needle Spined Claret Cup),

• Echinocereus triglochidiatus (Claret Cup),

• Opuntia engelmannii ‘Inermis’ and

• various Cholla species (Cylindropuntia).

Unfortunately, there are no commonly available cold hardy column types (i.e. Saguaro) or tree type Opuntia that are seen in warm winter deserts around Phoenix and Tucson. Instead, we can use the large succulents listed below in their place.

These Large Growing Succulents that provide some height in the plantings include;

• Dasylirion (Sotol)

• Nolina (Beargrass)

• Large Agave (Agave parryi, Agave neomexicana, Agave havardiana and Agave palmeri)

• Yucca (Yucca faxoniana, Yucca torreyi, Yucca elata, Yucca baccata and others)

• Hesperaloe parviflora (TX Yucca)

Penstemon, Echiinocereus rigidissimus, Yucca nana hybrid, Echinocereus chloranthus v. weedenii

Add right sized Xeric Native Shrubs that should also be included in the cactus/succulent mix include;

• Prunus besseyi Pawnee Buttes® (Creeping Sand Cherry)

• Fendleri rupicola (Fendler’s Cliffbush)

• Cercocarpus intricatus (Littleleaf Mountain Mahogany)

• Fraxinus cuspidate (Fragrant Ash)

• Prunus andersonii (Desert Peach)

• Salvia dorrii (Great Basin Sage)

• Salvia pachyphylla (Giant Mojave Sage)

• Chrysothamnus nauseosus ‘Baby Blue’ (Dwarf Rabbit Brush)

• Amorpha nana (Dwarf Leadplant)

• Amorpha canescens (Leadplant)

Salvia dorrii v. incana 'Robusta', Pinus syvestris 'Compacta', Hesperaloe parviflora

Xeric Perennials and Ornamental Grasses Add the Icing to the Cake

Interplanting cacti with xeric perennials and ornamental grasses helps gardeners replicate what we see in nature where cacti grow with other wildflowers. They are good companions for each other and add additional flowers for pollinators to feed on. When shopping for companion perennials, look for plants that are xeric, like full sun good drainage. Some of the best xeric perennials include;

• Hymenoxys (Sundancer Daisy)

• Penstemon (Beardtongue)

• Engelmannia peristinia (Engelmann Daisy)

• Agastache rupestris (Licorice Mint Hyssop)

• Salvia greggii (Texas Bush Sage) – many different cultivars

Echinocereus triglochidiatus, Agastache aurantiaca, Agastache hybrid

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#garden design #xeriscape #cacti #cactus

March Watering

While the mountains and the SF Ski Basin are getting some snow this winter, down here at 7,000 ft. elevation here in town and the surrounding areas, have spotty moisture. We need to water our gardens and last season's transplants. Don't turn on your drip systems and sprinklers as the freezing temperatures will damage them. Instead, use a sprinkler and hose to water when day temperatures are at least 45° F.

Set a timer and move the water every 30 to 45 minutes or longer so the ground gets good and damp. Any transplants in the ground 2 years or less must be watered every 2 to 4 weeks depending on how much sun hits the planting sites; the more sun the more frequent the watering. Be sure to disconnect the hose from the faucet and drain the hose after each day's use. We strongly recommend using the Dramm dial-a-pattern sprinkler, available from local hardware stores and garden centers around town. (See the sprinkler pictured.)

Get Your Tree & Shrub Pruning Done Very Soon

Deciduous Shrubs and Trees: The time for hard pruning of shade, fruit, and flowering trees and spring-blooming shrubs has passed once we reach the end of March. As a general rule of thumb, the primary pruning season is done once the leaf and flower buds begin to swell.

Summer blooming shrubs like Russian Sage (Perovskia), Blue Mist Spirea (Caryopteris), and Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii and hybrids) can be cut back in mid-spring.

Click here How to Prune a Tree Limb

* Russian Sage should be cut back hard in mid-spring, leaving stems 12 to 15 inches tall. This should be done every spring to keep them blooming heavily. This is also the time to dig up any "suckers" (new stems pushing up from the ground around the original plant) to keep your Russian Sage in bounds and prevent it from overtaking its neighbors.

* Blue Mist Spirea and Buddleia davidii should be cut back by 1/3 to 1/2 of their height every third year (not annually) to re-invigorate the shrubs and encourage blooming.

* Roses should NOT be pruned until later in spring. Early May is ideal. Pruning stimulates roses to grow, which is not what you want to do when the nights are still frosty in March and April. And don’t prune roses too hard—remove only the top 1/3 of the stems (or less), and thin out any crossed interior branches.

Clean Up Your Perennials

In late March and early April, it's time to cut back our perennials. Herbaceous perennials greet the spring with dead, above-ground stems and leaves. In general, these perennials will show you where to cut. Look for a low mound of new, green foliage at the base of the old dead stems, and cut off last year’s brown stems just above the new green foliage.

Evergreen perennials like Rosemary, Lavender, Iberis (Candytuft), Beardtongue (Penstemon), Hesperaloe (Texas Red Yucca), and others only need to have any winter-killed stem tips and leaves removed. Don't cut back evergreens to ground level like their herbaceous neighbors. Doing so will injure or kill these evergreens.

* Lavender (Lavandula)—The winter 2020-2021 weather has caused some die-back of the foliage and stem tips. So to get these ornamental herbs pruned for the new growing season, I'm recommending cutting the plants back hard this spring to prune off the winter die-back. We may need to cut them back by 1/3 of their height. But before you cut, wait until late March-early April when you can see tiny green leaves beginning to push out from the old woody stems. This will show you how much of the old branches have been damaged by winter cold/desiccation. Shear the plants with pruning shears to remove the dead branches cutting above where the new growth is emerging from the old stems. Leave a nice, rounded mound of stems and foliage. Remove any old, dead stems from the plant's interior.

*Beardtongue (Penstemon)—Cut back the old flowering stems and any lanky stems to leave a nice, rounded mound of evergreen leaves and stems. This will re-invigorate the plants and give the flowering stems a more even shape later in the season.

- Other evergreen perennials—Simply cut off any winter-killed stem tips and foliage to leave a nice, mounded plant.

Cut Back Ornamental Grasses

Mid-spring marks the time to cut back your ornamental grasses. There are two categories of grasses: cool-season and warm-season growers. They are handled differently during spring clean-up.

Warm-season grasses include Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium), Big Bluestem (Andropogon), 'Blonde Ambition' Blue Grama (Bouteloua), Muhly (Muhlenbergia), Prairie Switchgrass (Panicum), Chinese Maidenhair Grass (Miscanthus), Giant Sacaton (Sporobolus wrightii), and others. They should be cut back in April. Leave about 2 to 4 inches of stubble standing—tall growers should be left with about 4 inches and smaller growers should be left with about 2 inches. After removing the dead foliage, scratch out the grass clumps with gloved hands to remove old dead stems from the interior of the clump. This gives the new growth room to push up toward the sun.

Cool-season grasses, like Blue Avena Grass (Helictotrichon), Fescues (Festuca), Silky Thread Grass (Nassella), and 'Karl Foerster' Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis) have evergreen foliage that should not be cut to the ground unless the winter cold has turned the foliage completely brown. Instead, vigorously "comb out" dead leaves with gloved hands and clip off the dead leaf tips. Also, clip or pull off old seedhead stalks to remove them from the foliage and make room for the flowering stems that push up in late spring.

Divide Old Grass Clumps

If the interior of your established grass clumps seem to have a significant amount of dead stems, it’s time to dig up the clump and divide it. Typically this is necessary once every 3 to 4 years. Cut the clump into quarters and re-plant a piece into the same hole. While you’re there, be sure to enrich the soil with some compost and Yum Yum Mix to help replenish the soil’s nutrient levels. Make new planting holes for the other pieces of the original clump or gift them to a friend. Note that the landscaper left too much dead foliage on the grass after the pieces have been replanted, cut them back further so that only 2 to 4 inches of stubble remains.

Mow Your Native Grass

If parts of your yard are covered in native grasses like Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis) and last summer’s seed heads are still standing, March is a good time to mow them off. Mowing will reduce fire danger later in the season when the winds kick up and the foliage gets crispy dry. Set the mower deck on the highest setting and go to it.

Feed the Soil

If you forgot to feed your soil last fall with an ample application of Yum Yum Mix, you can catch up now. Yum Yum Mix is an all-natural fertilizer specifically formulated for our northern New Mexico soils. My long-term experience with this fertilizer has demonstrated that it supports healthy, living soils and provides the essential nutrients that make all types of plants robust and resilient.

I like to spread it over the top of the soil and scratch it in with a hand cultivator or small, stiff hand rake.

Water Deeply to Flush Yum Yum Mix into the Soil Surface

Once the Yum Yum Mix has been spread and scratched into the soil’s surface, I like to use a sprinkler (on a calm, windless day) to moisten the ground and Yum Yum Mix. Moisture helps the soil organisms start to digest the ingredients and break them down. This enables the plants to utilize the nutrients later in the spring as their roots become active when the soil thaws out.

Mulch

After watering, cover the area with a good 1- to 2-inch layer of whatever mulch you’re using. By thickening up the mulch layer, you will ensure that the sun and wind don't evaporate essential moisture, keeping it in the soil for the plants to use.

Mulching will also help to keep the soil cold, so your plants don’t wake up too early and suffer from late frosts that are a regular part of our erratic spring weather. Mulching under fruit trees is especially important for this very reason.

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March is a great time to begin soil preparation for the upcoming growing season. By getting the soil mixed with beneficial soil additives now, it gives the beneficial microbial organisms and earthworms a head-start on breaking down these additives, so the plant roots can uptake the nutrients at planting time.

Preparing New Flower or Vegetable Beds

The general rule of thumb for preparing new flower beds or vegetable garden areas is;

• For large new beds, ½ to 1 cubic yard of Reunity compost or Back To Earth Cottonburr Compost and 3 to 4 lbs. of Yum Yum Mix soil food per 100 sq. ft.

• For smaller areas, a 1 cubic ft bag of Reunity Resources compost (or half a bag, I cubic ft., of Back to Earth Compost) per 10 sq. ft. of bed area and a measuring cup of Yum Yum Mix.

• Big or small bed, dig down 8 to 12 inches deep, and thoroughly mix these ingredients.

• Then set up your sprinkler and water the new bed to moisten the newly turned soil down to the hard soil underneath. This will help to activate the soil microorganisms to begin to eat and digest the Yum Yum Mix and compost.

Planting Holes for Trees and Shrubs

If you’re the type of gardener who likes to plan in advance where new trees and shrubs are to be planted, it’s also very beneficial to dig the hole and mix in the soil additives in advance. This will provide an enriched soil with available nutrients at planting time.

• When the hole is dug, fill the hole with water and let it drain down. This will help to store water deeply all around the planting hole to be available as the roots grow into the surrounding soil.

• Then mix the Yum Yum Mix and Reunity Compost into the loose soil surrounding the hole.

• Then refill the hole with the blended soil and additives. Water once again to moisten the backfill and begin the breakdown of the soil additives.

If you’re not able to prepare your beds and planting holes in advance, the above instructions are still relevant when preparing the soil at planting time.

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• March 30 -April 7 Cactus and Succulent Sale

• April 8- May 28 Spring Plant Sale

Ordering Online

• Peruse our vast selection of perennials, ornamental grasses, shrubs, and more. You will find detailed information and photos of each plant.

• Place your choices in your cart and checkout using a credit card.

• The next available pickup date will appear in your shopping cart. If it isn’t convenient, leave the plants in your cart and check out when the date is convenient for you.

• After you submit the order, you will receive an email order confirmation with your order summary and pickup information.

We will be adding more plants throughout the season, so be sure to check back often.

How to Pick up your order

• You will be informed of your pickup date and time in the shopping cart. We strive to have your plants ready to pick up on our next business day (Tuesday-Fridays) between 12-4 PM.

• On the day assigned, you will receive a text or email just prior to the pickup time.

• It’s imperative (and greatly appreciated) that you plan to arrive the day of your order.

Enjoy your plants!

When planting outdoors before last frost date (early to mid-May), harden-off plants (acclimate) them to direct sun and frost by placing them outside in a place with morning sun/afternoon shade. Leave outdoors at night unless frost is forecast. If frost is coming, bring inside for the night and put back outside in the morning once it warms above freezing. Water as needed to keep soil moist but not soggy. Continue for about 10 days, then plants will be ready to plant and not be bothered by frost or sunburn.

1) Digging the Hole—Plants need plenty of room to spread their roots. For pots, 5 gallon sized and larger, make the hole twice as wide and 3-4” deeper than the pot. For smaller plants in 2.5”, 5” and #1-gallon pots, dig the hole 1 ft. wide x 8-12” deep.

2) Amend the Soil from the hole—Improve soil texture with the addition of good quality compost like Reunity Resources Compost and Yum Yum Mix natural fertilizer or Gro-Power® Plus and 0.5 tsp of Granular Root Zone mycorrhiza.

• For xeric (low-water need) plants that prefer growing in a “lean” or infertile soil, dig in a handful or two of Yum Yum Mix into the planting hole as described above.

• For plants with moderate water needs, Combine the Yum Yum Mix with Reunity ResourcesCompost (usually 1 part Yum Yum Mix to 2 parts RR compost). The bigger the hole the more soil amendments should be added. But never replace more than ¼ of the soil in the planting hole with soil amendments.

3) Planting—Remove the plant from the pot and slice the sides of the root ball with the corner of a plant tag or knife blade to cut through tangled or circling roots. Place the plant slightly lower than the surrounding soil. Fill the hole with amended soil and firm it into place with your fingertips.

4) Build a Ridge of Soil Around the Edge of the Planting Hole – Use extra soil from the planting hole to create a ring of soil (called a “well” or “saucer”) to hold irrigation water. Fill the saucer with mulch to help hold its shape and protect the roots from drying out. (See “Mulch” paragraph below)

5) Mulch—Mulching is essential to getting your transplants off to a strong start. Cover both the soil between the plants and directly below each plant. Mulch helps to;

Keep the soil shaded and cool for optimum root growth

• Conserve the soil moisture by protecting it from the sun and drying winds,

• Add invaluable organic matter to the soil to improve its fertility and water penetration and keep down the weeds.

• Xeric perennials, cacti, and succulents - Gravel is a superb mineral type and works best when used at a sufficient depth of at least 1 to 2 inches. Use smaller 3/8” to ½” diameter crushed (angular) rock for best results.

• Trees, shrubs, perennials, and ornamental grasses – Use plant-derived materials like shredded bark crushed pecan or Back to Earth Blend compost to cover the soil 1 to 2” deep.

6) Get New Transplants Off to a Great Start—To help plants establish strong roots, use Medina Fish Blend 2-3-2 at a rate of 1 tablespoon/gal. of water. Use weekly for the first month or so after transplanting to stimulate root growth and promote healthy microbial activity in the soil. The fertilizer can also be applied as a foliar spray every couple of weeks (see directions on bottle). If you didn’t use Granular Root Zone mycorrhiza at planting, use Soluble Root Zone in the water to inoculate roots.

7) Water—It’s essential to water deeply. Using a gentle stream from a watering can or hose, water in your new plant. Fill the saucer. Let it soak in and repeat. Always water twice. Continue to water your new transplants 2-3 x/week until established. For some xeric perennials, this could be about 8 weeks. For most other plants, water 1-3 x/week for the first growing season through fall.

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