New Year's Eve Reflections

On the eve of the New Year, I always spend time reflecting on the past year, but today I ran across an old photo and I was transported back to an early summer afternoon well over a half-century ago when I was about four years old. My hair was sun-bleached from hours spent outside each day, and my hands were dirty and stained from planting orange tree seeds that never came up and from picking low hanging fruit from the mulberry tree. I ate those berries as I skipped around the garden, hurrying from one plant to another, taking in the fragrance of carnations, wild roses, anise, and parsley. Every minute seemed to bring a new discovery.

I watched butterflies, birds, lizards and even mice, and saw some fairies lurking more than once. I gathered black walnuts in a little tin can, breaking the nuts open with a stone while sitting on a tree stump. After a long, glorious day, I headed back to the house at sundown. As I rounded the corner, my mother snapped this slightly out-of-focus photo of me, now faded in spots by time, but still a reminder to me of that halcyon childhood day.

After spending decades tied up with all the normal events of life; getting educated, married, kids, career, successes, failures, tragedies and triumphs, good times and bad, and finally, retirement, I see I'm back to doing those same garden things I did as a very young child, albeit without the skipping and fairy sightings. I now have time once again to enjoy the wonder of nature, and it still enthralls me. I think I've come full circle.

When I remember by-gone days
I think how evening follows morn
so many I loved were not yet dead
so many I love were not yet born.
~ Ogden Nash

My Daughter's Rose

Rosa 'Brass Band'

A rose from my daughter's garden.

A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world.

~Leo Buscaglia

Phoenix Gardens ~ More Than Granite

My daughter, who lives in one of Phoenix' historic home districts, brought me a bouquet of roses from her garden the other day. Rather than desert landscaping, she has the type of garden commonly found in the earlier days of Phoenix, when people coming from other climates duplicated the homes and gardens they left behind. Most all the historic neighborhoods in the area still have grass lawns, citrus trees, oleander, non-native trees, roses, and palm-lined streets.

I took some photos of homes in several historic neighborhoods so that folks can see that Phoenix is not all granite and cactus, Mesquite and Agave.

The styles of the homes are eclectic; California Bungalow, English Tudor, Spanish Revival, Classic Bungalow, Ranch, Spanish Colonial, Craftsman, Period Revival, Prairie, and Tudor Revival.

Most all the historic homes are one story, but in the oldest neighborhoods, a few two-story homes, such as this Spanish Colonial, are more common.

I think this is a Tudor Revival, but I'm no expert on early home styles. The vine covering part of the house is a Macfadyena unguis-cati, or Cat's Claw, which is a popular vine in Arizona. This one is my favorite. It was featured on a home tour I attended, and it is just as meticulous on the inside.
You can see a typical two-strip driveway on the right. Most of these narrow driveways originally lead to a small garage in the back yard. Notice the sculpted shrubs, another common sight.
The tree on the left began as some type of cypress shrub 70 or 80 years ago. As it grew, it was trimmed into a tree shape. This is another common sight in these old neighborhoods. I really don't like these tree/shrubs at all. They always have sprouts along every branch.

Mature trees surround this property, along with some recently planted Arizona Ash (Fraxinus velutina).

Agave desmettiana 'Variegata'

This is the third variety of Agave desmettiana that I have in my garden. The A. desmettiana ‘Variegata’, sometimes sold as A. desmettiana v. Marginata, differs from the others in that it has a creamy-yellow band along the leaf margins. The minute spines along the margins disappear when the plant gets older.

The margins differ from plant to plant. Some plants have a wider band of yellow, others less, so check all plants for your favorite variegation if you plan to purchase one. These plants do well in USDA Zones 9b-10, and are hardy to about 25ºF.

For more information on the A. desmettiana, see previous posts. The species name, desmettiana, is also spelled desmetiana.

Eucalyptus kruseana

Eucalyptus kruseana, or Bookleaf Mallee, is a tree-like shrub with unusually arranged blue-green leaves. Many folks are familiar with the leaves or flowers, used extensively in flower arrangements. The greenish white flowers appear in winter, clustered among the leaves, on plants that have been in place about two years.

E. kruseana is supposed to do well in Phoenix heat. For some reason, I have not had good luck with this Eucalypt species planted in my garden, so I’m growing this one in a container. Several nursery sources maintain that E. Kruseana will not do well in containers, but so far, so good. It is currently over five feet tall and may reach a height of 10 feet.

This shrub needs deep watering about once a week in summer, and every three weeks in winter. It supposedly does best in full sun, but that hasn’t been true in my experience so I have it located in a sunny, but sheltered, southwest-facing spot on my patio. E. kruseana is semi-hardy in Phoenix. Temperatures below 28ºF can cause damage.

Even though E. kruseana is a shrub suited to our USDA Zone 9b, it is relatively rare in gardens here. When used as a landscape shrub or small tree, it usually doesn’t last more than a season or two for some reason. Most gardeners in this region resort to growing E. kruseana in containers, regardless of the caveats of the expert nursery sources. Sometimes gardeners know best, especially with regard to their own gardens.

Another Pet Cactus

The pet cactus I wrote about several days ago now has a new brother. When I opened a stocking stuffer Christmas gift from my son, the gift message read, “Mom, bet you don’t have this kind of cactus. Merry Christmas!” It was a Mini Pet Cactus to use on a key chain, jacket, or cell phone. This tiny unidentified cactus is the real thing, captured inside a plastic dome. The only care it needs is a once a month watering, accomplished by placing it in about a ¼-inch of water for a minute. There are tiny holes in the bottom of the dome that absorb the water. The dome measures 1¾-inches high and 1-inch in diameter.

I won’t be using this cactus as a key chain, and certainly not on my cell phone or a jacket. That’s more appropriate for the young people in Japan who have made the Mini Pet Cactus quite popular there. I’ve placed mine on a suction cup hook hanging in my kitchen window where I can keep an eye on it. In a way, I feel sorry for this imprisoned miniature cactus. In my view, cacti should grow wild and free, or at least in pots out in the open. I'll let you know if I plan a prison break.

Christmas

Christmas Eve

Poinsettia In Candlelight

Desert Holiday Ornaments

Desert Holiday Ornaments

 
After cacti complete their blooming, fruits, or seedpods form and ripen over a period of months. Seedpods come in many different shapes and colors, but many of them are red, such as these shown here. The pods do not always contain seeds. The only way to tell is to slit them open and check. Since I don't normally propagate cactus with seeds, I just let them go, and birds and wildlife consume them.



Pet Cactus

This cactus is almost like a pet. I've had it for eleven years, and it is fun to watch. It responds to environmental conditions by bending and twisting. Some days, the stems are straight, other days, they curve into a soft C shape. Sometimes, the stems almost form an S. Each stem (one is 35 inches long, the other 30 inches) does its own thing. I never know what it's going to do from day to day. On some days, it will be erect in the morning, and by late afternoon, it becomes curved, which is what occurred today when I took this photo.

I have never repotted this cactus. I water it once a month in the summer, and only once in winter, and since I haven't repotted it, I do provide it with a dose of cactus fertilizer in the spring. I'm not sure under which genus and species this cactus falls. It has many characteristics of the Opuntia subulata, but it has no spines, and as far as I know, there are no subulata species varieties without them.

I've always kept this cactus on the patio, so it does have some protection from temperature extremes. Last winter during the hard freeze, the stem on the right sustained damage to the growing tip, despite the protective Styrofoam cup placed on it. I wasn't sure if the one stem would survive, but in the spring, it produced a side shoot under the damaged area, and it is doing fine.

I suppose I should name this cactus, now that I've deemed it a pet. Any suggestions?

Cow's Tongue Prickly Pear

Opuntia engelmannii var. linguiformis

A common sight in Arizona gardens is the Cow's Tongue Prickly Pear. Folks like this cactus because of the unusual shape of the pads, which strongly resemble a cow's tongue. It can grow quite large--ten feet tall and wide. It takes little water, and has yellow or orange flowers in the spring that form along the margins of the pads, followed by numerous red fruits as seen in a previous post.

The downside of this cactus (or any Prickly Pear for that matter) is that after it matures, it displays a woody trunk that takes away from its attractiveness. One way to hide the trunk is to plant wildflowers near it.

Opuntia paraguayensis

Opuntia paraguayensis (Paraguay Cactus) also known as O. quimlo, O. bonaerensis, O. riverina, or Orange Tuna, is an attractive prickly pear with fleshy green pads and orange flowers that appear in spring, followed by purple fruits. It grows long thorns randomly on the pads. Over time, this prickly pear will get about six feet high and wide.

I picked up a free pad of this species at one of our local Cactus and Succulent Society meeting plant exchanges, mostly because of its plump pads. All the other prickly pear species in my garden have thin, flat pads, so I thought this species would make a good addition to my garden. It has grown several new pads since its summer planting, but I doubt it will have flowers for a couple of years.

As with all the Opuntia species, this cactus does not need much supplemental water, or any special care. Planted on a slope in my garden in full sun, this cactus has a lot of room to spread out, so I won’t even have to worry about keeping it a certain size.

Because it can grow rapidly under the right conditions, it can be invasive in some parts of the world. Australia has deemed it an invasive species and banned it. I am not aware of this species of Opuntia banned in the United States. I wonder what environmental conditions cause it to be invasive in Australia but not in the U.S.

Mammillaria klissingiana

A few early flowers have appeared on this Mammillaria klissingiana, however, the best is yet to come. It has its best show of flowers in late March. Maybe this cactus is practicing for its grand showing. This species must have full sun to bloom. I planted it with a southwestern orientation, and each year, it has had a nice showing of flowers.

I purchased this cactus several years ago from an Ebay vendor because of its cristate form. The globe shown in this photo is one of the new heads that have appeared in the last couple of years.

Usually cristate forms are more sensitive to temperature extremes and sunlight than normal forms, but nothing seems to affect this cactus. I rarely water it so it has to get by on whatever rainfall we have. It seems extremes suit this specimen, despite the cristation.

To see the large crested portion of the cactus, check out my previous post on about it.

Jojoba ~ Slow But Sure

Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) has to be one of the slowest growing shrubs in my garden. I had to look back on earlier photos to see if it had grown at all, since I can’t see any increase in size in the two years since I planted it. Jojoba is a very slow grower at first, but once settled it will grow at a moderate rate to six to eight feet high and wide.

This nondescript shrub is good as a background plant for cacti and succulents. Its blue-green, leathery foliage contrasts nicely with desert wildflowers and spiky Agaves. Another common landscape use is as a hedge or screen. When used this way, minor pruning is usually necessary.

Although the Jojoba shrub is unremarkable in appearance, some things about it make it a fascinating plant:

• It is dioecious. The female flowers (small and green) are on one plant, and male flowers (larger and yellow and in clusters) on another. Both must be in proximity for pollination to occur. Pollination is by wind or insect.
• The leaves have a waxy coating to reduce water loss.
• The leaves can angle in such a way as to keep sunlight at a minimum during the hottest part of the day.
• The seeds produce a liquid wax that became the alternative to Sperm Whale oil when the whales became a protected species in 1969.
• Jojoba is commercially grown in the U.S. and Mexico, as well as Israel, Argentina and Australia.
• The oil, now used in cosmetics, shows promise for use in cooking and in industry.
  
  

Agave desmetiana Hybrid

One of the most beautiful of the Agave species is the A. desmetiana (also spelled desmettiana.) It has a graceful, curved shape that adds softness to surrounding cacti and succulents. This A. desmetiana hybrid has the same vase shape as the desmetiana, but the leaves are a lighter green color, and instead of smooth leaf margins, this one has small, pliant teeth.

A. desmetiana is one of the smaller Agaves, and it does better if given a north or east exposure in the Phoenix area. It freely offsets. This Agave is one of those that will die once it blooms. The offsets provide the opportunity to have replacement plants. Flowering usually doesn't occur until the plant is about ten years old, at which time it will send up an 8 to 10 feet tall panicle with yellow flowers.

This species looks wonderful in large containers. To read about the regular A. desmetiana, see this earlier post.

Emu 'Valentine'

Eremophila maculata v. brevifolia 'Valentine'

Flowering is in progress on my Emu 'Valentine' Bush. Normally, flowering starts in January, and it is in its full glory by Valentine's Day. By now, I'm used to early, late, and unexpected blooms on my plants. This year has been a strange year that way.

The tubular flowers of the Emu Bush are a draw for hummingbirds. Today I saw three hovering around my specimen. Eremophila is drought resistant, and doesn't take much supplemental water. This plant does not like constantly wet soil. It can take a full southern exposure here in Arizona. It is endemic to Australia, and it loves our desert climate.

There are over 200 Eremophila species and almost a thousand cultivars. Their forms, foliage and flowers vary tremendously, and the colors almost endless. 'Valentine' is one of the most popular cultivars in our region and is used extensively in public areas and along roadway medians, as well as in private gardens.

This past January, we had unseasonably warm weather, followed by a sudden, rare three-day hard freeze. That seemed to throw plants into confusion; some had odd growth spurts, cacti bloomed early, late and more or less profusely than normal. The Emu Bush was untouched by the frost but had a late (and profuse) flowering period in February and March, and now, this early show of flowers.

 

Heavenly Bamboo

Nandina domestica

I love this plant. Aptly called Heavenly Bamboo, it provides something different for each season; pink-red leaves in winter, followed by new growth that is almost maroon. Then, white flowers appear in spring, followed by green berries that slowly turn red in summer, contrasting with the blue-green leaves that change again to a light lime green in late summer. Sometimes, you can see all the foliage colors at once, as shown in this photo.

Heavenly Bamboo is not really a bamboo, even though it has cane-like stems. It is not even related to bamboo, but it is considered invasive in some southeastern states. It spreads through underground rhizomes, and by birds eating the seeds. There are no restrictions on Nandina domestica in our region, probably because supplemental water is necessary. It is not drought resistant.

This plant does take a little more care than I usually like to perform. Our soil is a bit too alkaline for it and it can become chlorotic, requiring regular treatment with iron chelate. In addition, thinning the old canes is necessary for it to look its best, rather than just a quick shaping by clipping foliage. However, the constantly changing beautiful foliage, plus the seeds and flowers, makes the extra work worth it.

Spanish Dagger

Yucca recurvifolia

Yucca recurvifolia, commonly called Spanish Dagger or Weeping Yucca, originated in the Southeastern United States where it is abundant. It will grow in our desert areas, but I’ve found that it really can’t take our extreme summers and still look good. This plant is located near a front walkway, with a full southern exposure. Every year, the Y. recurvifolia leaves burn and the only way to make the plant look decent is to cut off the burned leaves in the fall, something that I do, but reluctantly. I don’t like the butchered look, but I dislike the burned look even more.

There are about 40 species within the Yucca genus, which is part of the Agavaceae family. Yuccas can bloom year after year and not die, as most Agave species do. The cream-colored flowers do not appear until the plant is quite mature. They are held on a stem in branching clusters, called a panicle. In order for the plant to bear fruit, the flowers need pollination by the yucca moth, a process that is quite interesting. This site gives an in depth explanation of that whole process.

The Y. recurvifolia shown here may well be a Y. gloriosa. It is hard to tell because these plants are often mislabeled. Sometimes, they are hybrids. I don’t think there’s a way of knowing for sure—unless one is a Yucca aficionado. That, I’m not.

Opuntia Engelmannii

In the almost three years this Opuntia engelmannii (Engelmann’s Prickly Pear) has been in my garden, it’s never received supplemental water. A southwest desert native, it can survive with only a few inches of rainfall a year, and continue to grow and thrive.

In the desert, it can become very large, up to a 20-foot spread and about three feet high. In a landscape setting, pruning controls size. I have not yet pruned this cactus as it is on a slope and has plenty of room to spread another six feet. I have landscape lighting, and one spot highlights this cactus, casting a large shadow. This provides sculptural interest to the garden at night as you can see from this very poor photo—taken without a tripod.

In the past, ranchers have planted this cactus as a natural barrier to keep livestock from moving from certain areas, and to keep people out. Can you imagine trying to cross this barrier? In drought conditions, the cactus also served as feed and liquid for livestock after singeing off the spines and glochids.

In May, yellow flowers (or sometimes orange-red) appear, followed by purple-red fruit that makes a good jelly. The pears are also eaten raw or cooked, as they are in Mexico. The pears also provide food for several forms of wildlife.

The only problem I’ve had with this cactus has been an infestation of Cochineal scale, described in a previous post.

Agave bracteosa

Agave bracteosa is one Agave that does not always die after flowering. It also needs light shade in the summer in Phoenix, a fact that I neglected to heed when I planted it in an area with a southern exposure. Full sun doesn’t kill the plant, it just causes the leaves to yellow and possibly scorch.

The A. bracteosa, called the Squid Agave or Green Spider Agave, is a relatively small Northern Mexico species, growing to about three feet high and wide over many years. When it does send up a flower stalk, it will be about six feet high and produce cream-colored flowers. Its leaves are very flexible and it doesn’t have spines, but the leaf margins are somewhat rough and scratchy.

This plant looks good right now, unlike this past summer when its leaves were quite yellow from the intense sunlight. This is another plant I need to move to a shadier location. Since it is still small, I think it will be all right in the transplant process. However, I will wait until early summer to do this.

More Garden Views

Over the months that I've had my garden blog, several folks have asked that I show some views of my garden, since I usually focus only on closeups of my various plants. Last week I posted a couple of garden photos, and here are a couple more.

The photo above is just a small portion looking toward my back patio. The tree is a Desert Museum Palo Verde.

This view shows a small patio off one bedroom. It has an eastern exposure (the side where I had many tropical plants that were devastated by last winter's hard freeze,) so all the replacement plants on this side are smaller. The larger ones are original plantings not damaged by the freeze.

The rip rap "riverbed" landscape element that runs through a good part of my landscape is there for much more than looks. Because my back yard is sloped, the riverbed acts much as a natural riverbed would by holding and carrying rainwater to a drain area. It served its purpose this past week when we received 1.4 inches of rain. My husband built two small bridges a couple of years ago so I can easily cross from one section to another.

Since my back yard is approximately 1/2-acre, I have to take photos in sections to show the landscape progress.

Other views are here, and this is what a portion of my garden looked like when I started out.

Beaucarnea recurvata

A few years ago at an arts and crafts sale, a local garden book author was selling potted plants that he had grown from seed or offsets. When I admired his large collection of Ponytail Palms (Beaucarnea recurvata), he invited me to drive by his house and check out the huge specimen he had planted in his front yard. It had a southern exposure, and was at least 12 feet tall. Until that day, I had not thought about placing a Ponytail Palm in my garden. I had grown them as houseplants for years, but always thought they could not take full sun here in the Phoenix area.

When I found a good-sized specimen, I purchased and planted it right after all danger of frost had passed. It has a southeast exposure, and so far, it is doing fine. In the low desert, these plants usually do better with some shade, and although this location is sunny for most of the day, it does get some late afternoon shade, which may be just enough to keep it healthy.

The Beaucarnea genus is native to Central Mexico, with just a few species in the genus, and is part of the Agave family. It has a swollen base, which makes it interesting enough to be very popular as a houseplant. In the spring, any offsets the plant produces can be separated and repotted as separate plants. That local author I spoke of has a good side business of repotting offsets from his huge specimen into artful arrangements for arts and crafts shows. He always sells out.

Bougainvillea 'Barbara Karst'

Bougainvillea 'Barbara Karst'

What most folks think of as Bougainvillea flowers are actually bracts. The papery bracts are colorful, modified leaves that surround the tiny flowers to guide insect pollinators to the plant’s pollen. Once they serve their purpose, the bracts dry, fade, and then fly in the wind carrying the anthocarp (fruit). The tubular flowers are usually white with a yellow throat. If it weren’t for the bracts, the flowers would go unnoticed.

There are dozens of Bougainvillea hybrids and cultivars, perhaps hundreds, with more available each year. They come in a myriad of colors, and some even change color as they age. Hybrids and cultivars are developed for specific purposes, such as for landscape plantings, in baskets and containers, or for special interests such as bonsai. Some are developed for specific climates and conditions. ‘Barbara Karst’ is a Monrovia hybrid that loves the heat and does well in the desert.

Bougainvillea does not take well to transplanting because of its delicate and sensitive root system. Special care is necessary when transferring plants into the landscape or containers. The best way is to cut out the bottom of the original container and set the plant in its new environment, then slide the original container up and over the plant and add potting soil as needed without moving or disturbing the root system.

Cylindropuntia species

Cylindropuntia species

This shrub like cactus is an unknown species of Cylindropuntia. The way to tell members of the Cylindropuntia genus is by their cylindrical stems. The stem shape can almost guarantee inclusion in the genus. However, species identity is often difficult to pinpoint because this genus easily hybridizes.

I’m surprised at the fast growth rate of this cactus. I purchased it in April as a small two-inch high specimen in a four-inch pot, and it has grown to its present size of 10 inches high in this short time. Although I’ve only watered it a couple of times in the past six months, it is thriving. Many cacti, especially Cylindropuntia, including those in pots, do not need much water at all.

Unlike many species in this genus, the segmented stems of this cactus do not easily separate. Also, there are no paper-like sheaths on the spines, so I don't think it is a Cholla. Perhaps when it blooms, I will have another clue as to its species.

December Desert Garden

My garden is only 30 months old so it's still quite immature, but it's coming along. I took these photos late Thursday afternoon, showing just a couple of views looking east and west in one portion of the garden. I picked these views because I've written about every plant shown.

I will soon trim back the Lantana to six inches and the Purple Fountain Grass and Red Bird of Paradise to 12 inches. That will be the only garden work I'll need to do for the next couple of months. With last week's rain and more expected today, the irrigation system is turned off and I'll keep it off, depending on the amount of rain today, over the next three to six weeks until the ground drys out. Rain this time of year is unusual, and it's not the best of circumstances for the dormant cacti. I'll be on the lookout for signs of rot in the cacti and succulents over the next few months.

Last week I moved all my potted cacti to the patio to keep them dry during last week's rain. They will stay there until there's no more rain in the forecast, and no danger of frost. Other than that, I'll just wait out the winter and count any casualties next spring.

Coral Aloe

Aloe striata

Unlike the other Aloes I have, this drought and frost resistant Aloe striata resides in my garden instead of in a container. Its wide, flat and spineless leaves have a pinkish hue, especially along the margins, because it receives a lot of sun. When shaded by a nearby Palo Verde tree, the leaves will take on a more blue-green shade. This fall, we had a few unseasonably hot days after the Palo Verde tree was trimmed, and this plant received some sunburn, which has detracted from its beauty. That sunburn shows up as the whitish areas on the leaves.

Better known as Coral Aloe, it does well in USDA Zones 9b-11. It is one of the stemless Aloe varieties. It grows two to three feet wide and up to two feet tall, and in mid-January, it consistently sends up a stalk with orange-red flowers that last for several weeks.

The name, striata, means marked with lines. The lines are somewhat visible on the unburned leaves of the Aloe in the photo. I’m not a huge Aloe fan, but of the ones I have, this species is my favorite. It was in a four-inch pot when I purchased it, and it has grown to its present size in just three years. With its good looks and consistent flowering, what’s not to like?

Cure All?

Aloe barbadensis (Aloe vera)

The curative powers of Aloe vera date back 6,000 years to early Egyptian civilization. Shown on stone carvings, it served as a burial gift to deceased pharaohs, and its benefits documented in one form or another throughout history.

If you do a Google search on A. vera, you’ll find almost 4,000,000 hits. With so much information available, I’ll not waste time writing about the curative powers attributed to A. vera. Billions of dollars are spent worldwide on the plant and products from the plant. It seems most everyone has a plant available for use on burns, or else uses a product that contains A. vera.

A. vera is a fast growing, freely offsetting plant that is drought resistant. It prefers light shade in Phoenix. Damaged at freezing temperatures, it should receive protection when the thermometer dips. It is an excellent container plant, and it is drought resistant. However, if it is kept for medicinal use, regular, but not too much, watering will plump up the leaves to provide more gel.

Aloe variegata

Aloe variegata is a stemless Aloe from Namibia. It is sometimes confused with Gasteria, another succulent genus with similar leathery, speckled leaves. The leaves are canoe shaped and the margins have numerous tiny tooth-like spines that are relatively soft.

This plant, known as Partridge Breast Aloe or Tiger Aloe because of the leaf markings, does well in pots, and makes a good houseplant. It grows to about one foot tall, and in late winter or early spring, it will send up a 12-inch stalk that will carry salmon or coral colored flowers. Easily propagated by offsets, I have about six of these in various stages of growth.

It is drought resistant, and in Phoenix, needs light shade in summer. Its growth period is in spring and fall, and it is winter dormant like most Aloes, so I’m withholding water until mid-February. The word Aloe means “never die” which originated because the plant seems to live without water. As with so many plants that do well in our climate, the quickest way to kill it is to over water.

Many folks believe that all Aloe species have medicinal value. That is not true. All parts of the A. variegata are poisonous.

Aloe marlothii

Aloe marlothii

The Aloe marlothii is an unbranched tree Aloe, and it can grow to 10 feet tall. Known as the Flat-Flowered Aloe because when it grows the flower stalk, it forms horizontal branches from which widely spaced flowers hang. It blooms in mid-winter, and the flowers are a dark orange.

This specimen did not bloom last year, so I’m hoping it will produce some flowers this winter. I’ve kept it on the patio, but it can take full sun, even in Phoenix. However, it needs frost protection, so I keep it in a pot rather than plant it in my garden. This plant is a summer grower and needs regular water during the hot months. It’s dormant in winter, so I keep it dry starting in November.

The brown spines on this Aloe appear on the leaf margins as well as here and there on the leaf. There doesn’t seem to be a pattern to the spines. The leaves are quite thick, and the plant is surprisingly heavy for its size. This Aloe species is also called the Mountain Aloe, as well as Bergaalwyn.

Aloe sp.

Aloe sp.

When searching for a flower to photograph for today I realized I had written very little about the Aloe genus although I have about six different species in my garden. This is the time of year when various Aloe species start sending up stalks in preparation for their late December, January and February flowering. Although the tubular shaped flowers of this Aloe have not yet opened, they are close to it, and they will remain yellow.

I am not sure of the species of this particular Aloe. There are over 300 species in the genus, divided into eight types. The types are, Stemless, Grass, Tree, Creeping, Dwarf, Rambling, Single-stemmed and Speckled. This one is obviously in the Speckled Aloe group. Most Aloes come from Arabia, Madagascar and Africa.

In Phoenix, Aloes need light shade and some frost protection. I did not heed this advice and I planted this Aloe in full sun. It struggles through the summer, but in fall and winter, it perks up and consistently produces flowers. Last winter it received some frost damage, but I cut away those leaves and it has continued to thrive. Perhaps I’ll move it to a shadier spot in spring.

If anyone knows the species identity of this Aloe, I would appreciate some help.

Cape Honeysuckle and Tetanus

Tecomaria capensis

Gardening can be dangerous! Today I had to go to urgent care because a knuckle scrape I received while cleaning out pots earlier this week developed into a painful Cellulitis--complete with a red streak that moved rapidly up my forearm. After a tetanus shot and a prescription for antibiotics, it should be fine, but it is difficult and painful to type, so this short blog entry is all that's happening today.

By the way--it rained all day Friday with more to come. November rains are rare. This is the most rain we've received this time of year in over a decade. Before it clears, we should have close to two inches!