Shade 2018

© Project SOUND
Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden
Gardening with California Native Plants in Western L.A. County
Project SOUND – 2018 (our 14th year)

© Project SOUND
Gardening with
and for Shade:
how shade defines & refines
a garden
C.M. Vadheim, K. Dawdy (and T. Drake)
CSUDH (emeritus), CSUDH & City of Torrance
Madrona Marsh Preserve
March 3 & 8, 2018

2018 Season – Gardens that sooth
© Project SOUND
Gardens that heal
What has shade got to do with our theme? Lots

Where we’ll be going in today’s talk
 Heat, drought & climate change: trying
to predict/prepare for the future
 The importance of shade for health –
our and the environment’s
 Degrees of shade
 Drought tolerant shade trees from the
Sonoran Desert
 Why Sonoran plants make sense
 How to use shade to make your garden
more interesting (to be continued next
month)
© Project SOUND

Why is shade becoming more important?
© Project SOUND

Our planet – and our S. California – is getting
hotter
 Heat is not just annoying – it kills
 By mid-century, extreme heat events in
urban centers such as Los Angeles are
projected to cause two to three times as
many heat-related deaths as there are
today.
 Greater risk of death from dehydration,
heat stroke/exhaustion, heart attack,
stroke, and respiratory distress
 High temperatures stress almost all living
creatures - from bacteria to mammals.
© Project SOUND
http://leadingwithtrust.com/2013/06/23/are-you-a-
thermometer-or-thermostat-leader/

In fact, the L.A. Basin may change more
than other places in California
© Project SOUND
https://www.theweathernetwork.com/us/news/articles/us-weather/2017-2018-us-winter-forecast-next-three-months-of-weather-temperature-
precipitation/89579/

Why most warm dry lands are at mid-latitudes
 The tropical atmospheric convection cell is
known as the Hadley cell (Hadley circulation).
 Warm air rises near the equator, spreads
laterally, becomes cool and falls at around 30
degrees latitude, north and south.
 As the warm air rises at the equator, it
cools, dropping its moisture as rain. Tropical
rainforests are the result, circling the
globe near the equator.
 The air moves north and south to about 30
degrees of latitude and falls. As the high-
altitude cool air becomes warmer in the
lower atmosphere, its relative humidity falls.
The descending air-mass is dry, and deserts
circle the globe between 25 degrees and
30 degrees of latitude.
© Project SOUND
http://dougrobbins.blogspot.com/2014/05/hadley-cells-
global-distribution-of.html

We live in a mediterranean climate…
© Project SOUND
…a dryland climate (not a desert, but still dry)
created by a combination of large scale atmospheric
circulation and proximity to an ocean
Between 30 & 45° N and S

© Project SOUND
Mediterranean climates are special places
– biodiversity hotspots + edgy climate
Meditereannean climates are particularly vulnerable to
global climate change

We’re subject to El Niño and La Niña
 Los Angeles rainfall determined by:
 position and strength of the Pacific and
Polar jet streams
 strength of the Gulf of Alaska low.
 In an El Niño year, a well-developed series
of cold fronts moves into the area with
relatively short separation between each,
bringing intermittently rainy periods.
 In a La Niña year (drought years of 2012–
2016, ?2017-18), a blocking region of
atmospheric high pressure over the
eastern Pacific Ocean, between Alaska
and the Pacific Northwest, diverts the jet
stream and its flow of cold fronts far to
the north.
© Project SOUND
http://www.climas.arizona.edu/content/how-does-enso-affect-sw-
weather-patterns

Global temperature affects the size and
position of the Hadley Cells
 As global temperatures rise, the
temperature difference between the
poles and the equator is likely to
decrease, expanding the Hadley Cells.
 One effect this has is that mid-
latitude regions like the
Mediterranean and the Southwestern
US are likely to see an increase in sea
level pressure — which corresponds to
drier weather.
© Project SOUND
http://dougrobbins.blogspot.com/2014/05/hadley-cells-
global-distribution-of.html

Poleward shift
 “… circulation features have moved poleward since the 1970s, involving a
widening of the tropical belt, a poleward shift of storm tracks and jet
streams, and a contraction of the northern polar vortex.”
 Consequences:
 Lessening of the equator-polar temperature gradient slows the jet stream.
 As the jet stream slows, it supports a "wavier,” more frequently amplifying jet
that increases the probability of extreme weather events, known as Arctic
amplification.
© Project SOUND
http://www.climatecentral.org/gallery/graphics/climate-change-the-jet-stream
https://news.usc.edu/82002/five-things-to-know-about-
the-california-drought/

Blocking high pressure in the Northern Pacific
 Cold, moist air diverted through Canada and down into the U.S.
Midwest, leaving the U.S. west coast and especially Los Angeles
under warm and dry conditions for weeks to months at a time.
© Project SOUND
https://www.costofweather.com/why-is-it-so-cold/
We’ve seen this
all too often
recently

The poleward shift (due to climate
warming) effects our winter precipitation
© Project SOUND
https://news.usc.edu/82002/five-things-to-know-about-the-california-drought/
Likely to experience more frequent dry, La Niña type winters

But will global warning also bring us more
summer rain (summer monsoons)?
 San Diego County is already seeing increased summer
precipitation – but will the rain reach Los Angeles County???
© Project SOUND
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-monsoon-20170803-htmlstory.html
 Sub-tropical ridge
expands and moves north
 Circulation around the
high pressure pulls
subtropical/monsoonal
moisture up from the Gulf
of California and the Gulf
of Mexico, increasing
humidity in the
Southwest.

Is the L.A. Basin becoming more ‘desert-
like’? What about the future?
 Less winter rainfall (in many years)
 Dry winds (Santa Anas) more of
the year
 Less humidity
 Higher temperatures
 Urban heat island effects
 All point to increasing aridity
(desert = shortfall of
precipitation compared to
evapotranspiration rates)
© Project SOUND
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Ana_winds

Sunset Garden Zones
 Zone 22 - Cold-winter portions of S.
California’s coastal climate
 Zone 23 - Thermal belts of S. California’s
coastal climate
 85 percent of the time, Pacific Ocean
weather dominates; interior air rules only
15 percent of the time.
 A notorious portion of this 15 percent
consists of those days when hot, dry Santa
Ana winds blow.
 Zone 24 - Marine influence along the S.
California coast
 Winters are mild, the summers cool, and
the air seldom really dry.
© Project SOUND
https://www.sunset.com/garden/climate-zones/sunset-climate-zone-
los-angeles-area
What if all the Zones got hotter (all year long)?

Our view of the Pleistocene: based on the
La Brea Tar Pits
© Project SOUND
https://tarpits.org/la-brea-tar-pits/timeline
Climate pretty much like today – Coastal Sage Scrub/Chaparral

Climate of the Los Angeles Basin 12,000 BP
 At the end of the Pleistocene, the climate
changed abruptly - became hotter and drier
 Continued getting dryer until what
paleoclimatologists call the Altithermal --
the peak of the current interglacial when
temperatures were at their hottest.
 At this time, the basin's ecosystem wasn't
sage scrub or chaparral, but Sonoran desert
(current Arizona).
 The summer heat pulled monsoon rains out
of the Gulf of Mexico into southern
California, making the climate and local
ecosystem more like the Sonoran Desert.
© Project SOUND
https://tarpits.org/la-brea-tar-pits/timeline

So what can we do to prepare?
 Assume we’ll be hotter &
drier, more of the time
 Look carefully at plants from
the Colorado Desert.
 Colorado Desert plants
already experience some of
our (likely) future conditions:
 More heat
 Drier (but rainy) winters
 Occasional summer rain
 Plants from some
communities can take
occasional flooding
© Project SOUND

OMG! This is so not me
© Project SOUND
http://www.redhousegarden.com/2016/03/the-ethel-m-chocolate-factorys.html

© Project SOUND
http://www.oakhillsnursery.com/Native.html
We need to choose and adapt plants and
gardening practices, to make them suitable for
our future climate

So what can we
do to prepare?
 Assume we’ll be hotter & drier,
more of the time
 Look carefully at plants from the
Colorado Desert.
 Colorado Desert plants already
experience some of our future
conditions:
 Hotter
 Drier (but rainy) winters
 Occasional summer rain
 Plants from some communities can
take occasional flooding
© Project SOUND
We can encourage everyone to plant more, water-wise
trees/large shrubs

Trees/other vegetation cool our neighborhoods in
two important ways
 Provide shade
 Tree shade: decrease temperature
20 to 45ºF (11-25ºC) for walls and
roofs; ~ 45ºF for parked cars
 Vines: reductions of up to 36ºF
(20ºC).
 Provide evapotranspirational cooling
 Peak air temperatures in tree
groves are 9ºF (5ºC) cooler than
over open terrain.
 Suburban areas with mature trees are
4 to 6ºF (2 to 3ºC) cooler than new
suburbs without trees.
 Particularly important in hot, dry
periods
© Project SOUND
http://www.c3headlines.com/global-warming-urban-heat-island-bias/
http://gawker.com/5625730/take-a-tour-of-tv-landmarks-
with-google-street-view

And trees have other effects that will help
us cope in the future
 Filter out harmful UV rays
 Root system allows for increased
water absorption during
rain/irrigation events
 Act as windbreaks to decrease
wind-associated drying
 Provide habitat, food
© Project SOUND
We should choose our trees carefully, so they provide these
services for years to come.
https://publish.extension.org/mastergardener/tag/xeriscaping/

Trees (shade) can also make our gardens
more interesting and attractive
© Project SOUND
https://www.trover.com/d/15DzR-fabian-garcia-botanical-garden-las-cruces-new-mexico
Fabian Garcia Botanical Garden
Las Cruces, New Mexico

We need to learn to appreciate – and
create - the beauty of dry shade
© Project SOUND
https://www.gardenoholic.com/30-trendy-and-beautiful-desert-garden-decor-
ideas/pictures/2016/

© Project SOUND
Our inspiration can no longer be the wet,
shady gardens of other climates

Nope, this isn’t the right look either
© Project SOUND
Eucalyptus grove
https://www.trover.com/d/V6Tg-ucsd-san-diego-california

We need to look seriously at examples of Southwestern
dry shade: in public and private gardens
© Project SOUND

Lesson 1: Build shade
& people will come
© Project SOUND
http://www.38spatial.com/botanical-gardens-albuquerque/botanical-gardens-
albuquerque-inspirational-prairiebreak-barking-up-the-right-tree/
Albuquerque BioPark Botanic Garden

How do they do it?
 Choose the right trees
 Landscape/climate conditions
 Size
 Desired amount of shade
 Other characteristics:
flowers, foliage, shape,
habitat, useful products
 Place seating in shady spots
 Provide an interesting
understory
 Contrast sunny and shady areas
– need both for an interesting
garden
© Project SOUND
http://www.maxsyma.com/category/visiting-new-mexico/
https://www.sothebyshomes.com/Santa-Fe-Real-Estate/sales/0565549-900-
Acequia-Escondida-Nw-Albuquerque-NM-87104

Choosing the right Colorado Desert trees
© Project SOUND
https://www.forms-surfaces.com/projects/desert-botanical-garden

Desert Riparian Woodland (Colorado Desert)
 Along permanent water sources
(mostly rivers); look similar to local
riparian woodlands
 May include typical Riparan species
(Willows/Cottonwoods; Baccharis; )
as well as other large shrubs and
trees.
 Often a well-developed understory:
 Riparian species: cattails; rushes
 Other perennials & grass-like plants
 Trees and larger shrubs remain green
except in winter (winter deciduous
types) or very bad drought
 Plants require water
© Project SOUND
http://tommysbirdingexpeditions.blogspot.com/2014/03/two-
location-lifers-in-one-day.html
http://onthegrapevine.blogspot.com/2006/11/

Desert Microphyll Woodland
 Along seasonal desert waterways, arroyos
of the Colorado Desert [Sonoran Desert in
general]
 Stored runoff water stored under and along
the sandy or gravelly beds supports a rich
shrubby flora
 Larger trees/shrubs may be dormant in dry
years – still access ground water
 Warmer round-the-year temperatures and
perhaps other factors support an open to
sometimes dense woodland of small (to 5 m),
microphyllous trees, especially Fabaceae.
 Smaller shrubs or perennials also
conspicuous along the arroyo margins
© Project SOUND
http://home.sandiego.edu/~pkemp/Bio112-Desert.html

Desert Microphyll
Woodland
 Very important animal habitat;
supports diverse array of
insects, birds, animals
(including humans)
 Supports interesting group of
plants that cope with
extremes of soil moisture
 May become an increasingly
important source of garden
trees & shrubs for L.A. Basin
 In fact, we’ve already
discussed a few of these
© Project SOUND
http://www.basinandrangewatch.org/Blythe-Sep.html
http://www.aridzonetrees.com/cercidium-hybrid--desert-museum-.html

© Project SOUND
*Blue paloverde – Parkinsonia (Cercidium) florida
J. E.(Jed) and Bonnie McClellan © California Academy of Sciences.

 Sonoran Desert of California, Arizona &
Mexico
 Scattered along washes, flood plains in
desert riparian associations, pseudo-
riparian communities and desert
microphyll (desert wash) woodlands
© Project SOUND
*Blue paloverde – Parkinsonia florida
J. E.(Jed) and Bonnie McClellan © California Academy of Sciences
©2011 Neal Kramer
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:L76_Map_35_Parkinsonia_florida.png

© Project SOUND
Blue Paloverde: big and impressive Pea
 Size:
 15-35 ft. tall
 20-35+ ft. wide
 Growth form:
 Large shrub or tree; mounded to
weeping habit
 Multiple stems (usually)
 Drought deciduous – loses all its
leaves in dry season
 Bark: green (photosynthesis)
becoming gray with age
 Deep roots
 Foliage:
 Compound leaves typical of Peas
 Blue-green
 Has thorns
http://www.public.asu.edu/~camartin/plants/Plant%20html%20files/parkins
oniaflorida.html
https://www.snwa.com/apps/plant/detail.cfml?id=14986 http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20o?search=Parkinsonia%20florida

© Project SOUND
Blue paloverde
 Used as an ornamental shade tree
in dry gardens
 Excellent habitat tree
 Large informal screen or hedge
 Looks beautiful with other desert
natives – or those of LA Basin
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5268/5670580435_627551819d_b.jpg
http://www.springspreserve.org/apps/plant/detail.cfml?type=85&id=14986
http://www.springspreserve.org/apps/plant/detail.cfml?type=85&id=14986

Parkinsonia ‘Desert
Museum’
 Parkinsonia (Cercidium) x 'Desert
Museum‘ - complex hybrid among
Mexican, Blue and Foothills paloverdes
 Introduced by Arizona Sonora Desert
Museum (1981); widely available
 25-30 ft. x 25-30 ft.
 Good attributes
 Thornless; few seed pods
 Fast growing to 25 ft.
 Long flowering season (up to 2 months)
 Needs well-drained soil
© Project SOUND
http://www.public.asu.edu/~camartin/plants/Plant%20html%20files/parkins
oniaflorida.html

© Project SOUND
*Yellow paloverde – Parkinsonia microphylla

 Arizona, se. California, and nw. Mexico; at 500-4000
(152-1219 m).
 Sonoran Desert (Whipple Mountains) - indicator
species of the Sonoran Desert floristic region
 Upper bajadas, rocky slopes & flats of desert hills
and mountains, from 1,000 to 4,000 feet
© Project SOUND
*Yellow paloverde – Parkinsonia microphylla
©2010 James M. Andre ©2010 James M. Andre
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinsonia_microphylla

© Project SOUND
Yellow paloverde
 Size:
 10-25 ft tall
 15-20 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Woody shrub or small tree
 Multi-trunk; fairly open with
irregularly mounded crown
 Young bark very yellow-green
(photosynthetic)
 Tip spines
 Foliage:
 Drought-deciduous; no leaves
much of the year
 Bipinnate, compound leaves
©2015 Zoya Akulova

Blue paloverde vs.
Yellow paloverde
 Blue Paloverde (P. florida), which
has blue-green branches and
foliage, occurs chiefly along
drainages, blooms earlier, and has
larger, deeper yellow flowers.
 The most notable difference
between this palo verde and blue
palo verde is the trunk and branch
color. Foothills/Yellow palo verde
is yellow-green, vs. a bluish cast to
blue palo verde.
© Project SOUND

© Project SOUND
Lovely flowers
 Blooms: in spring - usually April-
May
 Flowers:
 Open, pea-type flowers
 Pale yellow; much less bright
than Blue paloverde
 Attract hummingbirds & many
insect pollinators, butterflies
 Seeds:
 Pea-like seeds (several per pod)
 Pods relatively thin, with
constrictions

Eating Paloverde
 Fresh seeds – raw or cooked
 Soaking, fermenting, sprouting,
and cooking make more digestible
 Dry seeds
 Cooked like beans
 Sprouted for nutritious sprouts
© Project SOUND

© Project SOUND
Plant Requirements  Soils:
 Texture: well-drained – sandy
or rocky (or plant on a berm)
 pH: any local
 Light: full sun
 Water:
 Winter: adequate (at least 6
inches)
 Summer: requires less water
than the blue palo verde.
Deep water once a month
(Water Zone 1-2; perhaps 2)
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
 Other: prune as needed – can be
pruned up as tree
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinsonia_microphylla

© Project SOUND
Yellow paloverde
 Shade tree – light, filtered shade;
in leaf or not
 Screen, hedge or background shrub,
particularly with desert species
 All-round habitat plant
 Water-wise food planthttp://www.eyeofthelady.com/keyword/Parkinsonia%20microphylla/

Grades of shade in
the dry garden
 Full sun - all day sunshine or a
full afternoon of sun.
 Filtered (light or high) shade –
dapple bright shade under small-
leaved/drought deciduous trees
[Palo verdes; Desert willow]
 Part shade - morning sun and
afternoon shade after 12 p.m. Or
shade under small-leaved trees,
such as Mesquites, Ironwood.
 Full shade - no direct sun during
the day because of dense
overhead foliage or buildings.
© Project SOUND
http://sabinocanyonblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/whats-blooming-at-tohono-chul.html

Paloverde trees provide light shade
© Project SOUND
https://www.snwa.com/apps/plant/detail.cfml?current_page=8&type=80&id=14985
Many water-wise desert
and non-desert native
plants thrive in light
shade

Using light shade: Tohona Chul Park, Tucson AZ
 Many water-wise plants – from
perennials to shrubs - do very
well with a little bright shade:
 Penstemons
 CA fuschia
 Summer-dry native ferns
 Many grasses
 Many agaves; Banana yucca
 Salvias: Salvia clevelandii; Salvia
pachyphylla
 Rose family (many)
 Some Sunflowers
 Many others
© Project SOUND
https://weddings.sweetgrassceremonies.com/tag/tohono-chul-park/
http://sabinocanyonblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/whats-blooming-at-
tohono-chul.html
Parry penstemon beneath Palo Verde
See the Dry Shade and Semi-dry Shade
plant lists for ideas

Let’s say you like a warm, bright palette
© Project SOUND
https://www.homestratosphere.com/colorful-garden-ideas/

© Project SOUND
Firecracker Penstemon – Penstemon eatonii
http://plants.tagawagardens.com/12130017/Plant/20653/Firecracker_Penstemon

© Project SOUND
Firecracker Penstemon
needs excellent drainage
 Soils:
 Texture: any well-drained;
sandy or rocky/gravelly best
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Full sun to part shade; actually
quite shade tolerant
 Water:
 Winter: needs good water in
well-drained soils
 Summer: best with little water
once established (Zone 2)
 Too much water, fertility
probably shortens life
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils;
use non-organic mulch
http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=5960

© Project SOUND
Flowers are just
fantastic
 Blooms:
 Summer; usually May-July in
coastal S. CA
 Long bloom period – blooms
open sequentially
 Flowers:
 Scarlet red; tubular
 Along stems above foliage
 Cutting of spent stalks may
encourage more blooms
 Attracts hummingbirds and
butterflies (all Penstemons)
 Vegetative reproduction: easy
by divisions
Al Schneider @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

© Project SOUND
Garden uses for
Firecracker Penstemon
 As an attractive pot plant; be sure pot
is deep enough
 Good bet for the hummingbird and
butterfly garden
 Spectacular when massed
 Excellent for dry shade under oaks
and other native water-wise trees
https://savingutahwater.wordpress.com/flowers/
http://www.contracosta.watersavingplants.com/eplant.php?plantnum=
24380&return=c_aF
http://wolfelab.asc.ohio-state.edu/database/penstemon-eatonii-var-exsertus

The interesting
garden: contrasts
 Remember: an important part of
good garden design is planning for
contrasts:
 Light colors vs. dark
 Hues (colors)
 Fine texture vs. coarse
 Sun vs. shade
© Project SOUND
http://www.birdsandblooms.com/blog/a-new-butterfly-garden-revisited-1-year-later/
https://www.slideteam.net/blog/color-wheel-choose-right-color-scheme-powerpoint-
slides/

Limited color
schemes : mass
planting
© Project SOUND
http://sabinocanyonblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/whats-blooming-at-tohono-chul.html
http://www.succulentsandmore.com/2016/01/122815-desert-botanical-garden-
phoenix_10.html
Principles: simplify; use repetition
Enough complexity to be
interesting; enough simplicity to
be soothing

Other desert microphyll trees provide a
little more summer shade
© Project SOUND
http://publicgarden.ucdavis.edu/public-garden/ellen-picks-dramatic-and-drought-tolerant

© Project SOUND
*Desert-willow – Chilopsis linearis
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/738379301379218331/?lp=true

© Project SOUND
*Desert-willow – Chilopsis linearis
 American SW from CA to Texas; S. to Mexico
 Desert & adjacent mountain ranges < 5000
 Mojave and Colorado deserts
 Common in gravelly or rocky soils in arid
desert washes and desert grasslands
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Chilopsis+linearis+ssp.+arcuata
http://www.delange.org/WillowDesert/WillowDesert.htm
http://southwestdesertflora.com/WebsiteFolders/All_Species/Bignoniaceae/
Chilopsis%20linearis,%20Desert%20Willow.html

© Project SOUND
Flowers are like orchids
 Blooms:
 Long bloom period
 usually Apr-Aug/Sept. in S. CA
 Flowers:
 Like an orchid or Catalpa
 Extremely showy – tropical- or
Mediterranean-looking
 Light fragrance – somewhat like
violets
 Nectar attracts hummingbirds &
bees
 Seeds:
 In long, thin pods
 Tan pods remain on tree through
winter
http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/1788381_t5i7e/1/91507869_yreg7#91507869_yreg7

© Project SOUND
Wide natural range in color: pink/purple
http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/desertwillow.html http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=14157

© Project SOUND
Many uses for Desert Willow
 As a specimen/accent tree –
even on parking strips
 For erosion control on slopes
 As a large informal hedge or
screen; windbreak
 In very large containers – better
in ground
http://www.delange.org/WillowDesert/WillowDesert.htm
http://desertwillow.us/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Ay_5Wd58E

Desert
willow
 As a shade tree – even in lawns (with well-drained soils)
 Produces filtered sun – can grow other plants beneath it
 Winter deciduous; shade when you need it
 Good near decks/patios
© Project SOUND
https://desertflower.wordpress.com/tag/chilopsis-linearis/

Who needs Crepe Myrtle when we have
attractive, water-wise natives
© Project SOUND

Mesquites give the look of an olive grove
© Project SOUND
http://www.saguaro-juniper.com/i_and_i/treesNshrubs/mesquite/mesquites.html

© Project SOUND
*Honey mesquite – Prosopis glandulosa
https://www.springspreserve.org/apps/plant/detail.cfml?current_page=16&type=80&id=15190

© Project SOUND
*Western honey mesquite – Prosopis glandulosa
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_cpn.pl?PRGLT
 Southwest U.S. and Mexico
 In CA (var. torreyana) : San Joaquin Valley, San
Gabriel & San Bernardino Mtns, Mojave &
Sonoran Deserts south into Mexico.
 Common. Mesas, washes, bottomlands, sandy
alluvial flats and other low places to 4000',
creosote bush scrub, alkali sink.
©2002 California Academy of Sciences
http://www.nzdl.org/gsdl/collect/hdl/index/assoc/HASH011e.dir/p060.png

© Project SOUND
Honey mesquite: large member of the Pea Family
 Size:
 25-40 ft. tall
 20-50 ft. wide
 Growth form:
 Large shrub or tree
 Mounded or weeping form
 Bark red, brown or gray
 2 inch thorns
 Foliage:
 Medium green
 Double-compound leaves with 15-35
rather narrow leaflets – feathery or
fern-like appearance
 Roots:
 Deep taproot (to 150 ft.)
 Shallow roots (N-fixing); most nutrients
http://wnmu.edu/academic/nspages/gilaflora/prosopis_glandulosa.html
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/537--
prosopis-glandulosa-torreyana
https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/prosopis-glandulosa-torreyana

Another edible ‘Pea’
 Lining of seedpods separated, dried,
and ground into a powder to make
mesquite meal or mesquite flour
 Sweet, caramel-tasting; a staple of
indigenous diet & now sold
commercially
 Can be used to make breads and
cookies.
 When fermented, it produces a
slightly alcoholic beverage.
 The green pods can be boiled in
water to make a syrup or molasses.
 A tea or broth can also be made
from the pods.
© Project SOUND©2005 Robert Sivinski
http://sagebud.com/honey-mesquite-prosopis-glandulosa
http://wnmu.edu/academic/nspages/gilaflora/prosopis_glandulosa.html

Harvesting Mesquite is becoming more
popular in Arizona every year
© Project SOUND
https://www.untamedconfections.com/

Harvesting desert seeds & pods
 Harvest bean-tree pods – ironwood, palo
verde, and mesquite – as soon as they
are ripe in summer (June through fall)
 Pick pods from tree (don’t harvest from
ground; serious fungal toxins)
 Pick the pods by hand or spread a tarp
on the ground and gently shake the
limbs. The ripe pods should fall onto the
tarp.
 For mesquite, TASTE one of the pods
first (watch out for the very hard
seeds). If it tastes good to you, go
ahead and pick from that tree.
© Project SOUND
http://www.sustainablelivingtucson.org/2017/06/

Drying & milling Mesquite
 Dry pods outside on drying racks, a
clean metal surface, or even a clean
cloth spread over the ground during
the day.
 Or dry/roast them in a solar oven,
conventional oven, or over a fire.
 When the pods readily snap in two
when bent, they are ready for storage.
 Store completely dry pods in airtight,
food-grade containers
 Many people mill the Mesquite pods to
make ‘Mesquite flour’
© Project SOUND
http://www.copperarea.com/pages/oracle-state-park-harvest-
event-on-oct-19-will-showcase-mesquite-milling-programs-
music/
Desert Harvesters portable
hammermill

You can even grind small amounts at home
 You can grind for yourself in a
molcajete, Vita-mix (not an average
blender or food processor) or coffee
grinder, and sift through a wire mesh
strainer to remove the hard seeds
and remaining bits of pod.
 Store in air-tight glass jars
 Or cook whole pods and strain the
liquid to make ice cream, toffee,
syrup, atole, pudding, smoothies,
milkshakes - even tea or beer
© Project SOUND
https://frugallysustainable.com/foraging-how-to-
make-your-own-gluten-free-mesquite-pod-flour/
https://www.westernskycommunications.com/photo-essay-
mesquite-bean-math/

Using mesquite flour: you get to taste
some simple Mesquite muffins
 Can be used to make a simple
flatbead
 Mesquite bean flour is most
often used in combination with
other flours. Substitute ¼ cup-
to-½ cup mesquite flour in each
cup of grain flour.
 Mesquite bean flour can be used
in breads, pancakes, muffins,
cakes and even cookies.
© Project SOUND
https://savorthesouthwest.blog/2017/12/

© Project SOUND
Ornamental shade
 Fast-growing & attractive
 Best 10-20 ft. away from lawn or
regular water
 Nice, medium shade – the best kind
to have!
 Excellent habitat tree
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PRGLT
http://knpr.org/programs/norms-favorite-desert-treeshttps://www.springspreserve.org/apps/plant/detail.cfml?current_page=8
&type=85&id=15037

© Project SOUND
*Screwbean mesquite – Prosopis pubescens
http://snowbirdpix.com/sonoran_desert_plant_page.php?id=1629

 W. TX and Coahuila west to s. CA & Baja CA;
north as far as extreme s.w. UT
 In arroyos, along creeks and in river bottoms
 Associated with desert riparian woodland
and scrub habitats (including Creosote bush
scrub and Mesquite bosques)
 Introduced by Theodore Payne
© Project SOUND
*Screwbean mesquite – Prosopis pubescens
Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences
©2012 Jean Pawek
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopis_pubescens

© Project SOUND
Screwbean mesquite: smaller & open
 Size:
 15-30 ft tall
 15-25 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Many-branched open woody shrub
or small tree
 Form: open, mounded, somewhat
irregular
 Drought-deciduous; older bark
shreddy
 Stout spines; fast-growing
 Foliage:
 Bipinnate compound; small, green
leaflets (typical Pea)
 Roots: can spread (usually slowly)
©2012 Jean Pawek
©2016 Zoya Akulova

© Project SOUND
Flowers are fantastic
 Blooms: late spring to early
summer, depending on weather
 Flowers:
 Tiny pea-type flowers
 Pale yellow
 Numerous on stout stalk; looks
fuzzy – quite pretty
 Sweetly fragrant; attract
many pollinators
 Seeds:
 Pea-type seeds in distinctive,
cork-screw pods; quite pretty
 Dried pods/seeds are edible
 Transported by water, animals

© Project SOUND
Mesquites are
survivors
 Soils:
 Texture: most - adaptable
 pH: any local
 Tolerances: salt, alkali, flooding
 Light:
 Full sun to part-shade
 Water:
 Winter: adequate rainfall
 Summer: best with several deep
waterings (Water Zone 1-2 to 2)
 Other:
 Thin and shape as needed; can
be quite nice if pruned up
 Tip-prune young plants to
promote fullness
©2016 Zoya Akulova

© Project SOUND
Screwbean mesquite
 Nice shade tree; light-medium shade
 Accent or hedge plant; nice foliage
 For habitat: larval food for Marine
Blue, Metalmark butterflies
 For its food value; collect dry pods in
late summer & mill for flour
http://snowbirdpix.com/sonoran_desert_plant_page.php?id=1629
http://barefootswan.blogspot.com/2012/03/magnificent-mesquite.html https://apps.cals.arizona.edu/arboretum/taxon.aspx?id=233

North of the Mexican border most of the common
Sonoran Desert trees are legumes. Why?
© Project SOUND
http://www.plantmaster.com/gardens/eplant.php?plantnum=265

How do Sonoran Desert plants survive?
 Avoidance: avoiding the hot,
dry summer
 Annuals (50-90% of species)
 Bulbs & corms
 Succulence: storing water for
the dry season in fleshy
leaves, stems, roots
 Cacti and desert succulents
(Agaves; Yucca)
 Special photosynthesis
(CAM): allows stomata to
remain closed during day,
conserving water
© Project SOUND

 Drought tolerance: ways to
delay & withstand desiccation:
 Deep roots; netlike roots
 Small, thick leaves
 Light color; waxy coating; leaf
hairs
 Drought-deciduous leaves
 Leaf orientation
 Cellular mechanisms that
protect cell structure
 Lots of flowers, timed to
coincide with their pollinators
 Protection against herbivory:
chemical & physical means
© Project SOUND
http://home.sandiego.edu/~pkemp/Bio112-Desert.html
How do Sonoran Desert shrubs survive?

Why all the Desert Peas? The Fabaceae
(pea or legume family)
1. Ancestry: Their prevalence in the Sonoran Desert flora (for
example, there are 53 legume species in the Tucson
Mountains, 8% of its plants) reflects this desert’s tropical
origin.
2. They are champion drought tolerators, most abundant in
the arid tropics.
a) Root characteristics
b) Foliage characteristics
c) Flowering characteristics
d) Characteristics of seeds and seed pods
e) Other protective mechanisms against disease, predation
© Project SOUND

Mesquites are a good example of why
Desert Pea shrub flourish. 1.
 Root systems:
 Host nitrogen-fixing bacteria; enrich
soils.
 Wide lateral root spans; outcompete
other plants for water.
 Deep taproots reach subsurface water,
sometimes 150 to perhaps 200 feet
below the surface.
 Foliage characteristics:
 Small, wax coated leaves minimize
transpiration
 During extreme drought, may shed their
leaves to further conserve moisture.
© Project SOUND

Desert Pea shrub flourish, 2.
 Flowering/seed characteristics
 Fragrant flowers attract insects,
especially the bees.
 Large seeds; long life
 Abundant, nutritious seeds promote
caching by animals
 Pod protects seeds against premature
predation and desiccation
 Seeds have hard, chemically-protected
coat - can last for decades waiting for
right conditions.
© Project SOUND

Desert Pea shrubs flourish. 3.
 Other protective mechanisms against
disease, predation
 Sharply pointed, strong thorns
challenge browsing by desert
herbivores
 Foliage, bark and roots produce
deterrent and protective chemicals
© Project SOUND

Mesquites are important
medicinal plants
 Pods/Seeds:
 Eyewash
 Sunburn treatment
 Sore throat
 Gum (exuded from trunk):
 Eyewash for infection and
irritation
 Treatment for sores, wounds,
burns, chapped fingers and lips
and sunburn
 Diarrhea, stomach
inflammation, system cleansing
or to settle the intestines
 Sore throat, cough, laryngitis,
fever reduction, painful gums
 Leaves
 Eyewash
 To treat headaches, painful
gums and bladder infection
© Project SOUND
Mesquite wood (smoke) is also favored for
barbeque
http://www.couponclippingcook.com/how-to-
barbeque-a-turkey/
https://www.groupon.com/deals/green-
mesquite-round-rock-1

Can I grow anything
under a Mesquite?
© Project SOUND
https://dryheatblog.wordpress.com/category/materials/planting/page/2/
http://www.avondale.watersavingplants.co
m/eplant.php?plantnum=2097&return=l20_
aR
Many plants thrive
in Mesquite shade
Desert trees serve
as ‘nurse plants’

In Arizona gardens, contrasting shapes &
foliage provide additional interest
© Project SOUND
http://www.birdsandblooms.com/blog/a-new-butterfly-garden-revisited-1-year-later/

© Project SOUND
California Primrose – Oenothera californica
© 2005 Brent Miller

© Project SOUND
California Primrose – Oenothera californica
 Coastal, Sierra, Transverse and desert
mountain ranges of CA to Baja – locally in
San Gabriels; in foothills (mostly)
 Sandy or gravelly areas, dunes, desert
scrub to pinyon/juniper or ponderosa-pine
woodlands
 Same genus as Hooker’s Evening Primrose
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Oenothera+californica
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oenothera_californic
a_subsp._eurekensis_(2).jpg
http://rslandscapedesign.blogspot.com/2011/06/oenothera.html

© Project SOUND
Characteristics of CA Primrose
 Size:
 Usually < 1 ft tall
 Usually 2-4 ft wide; more in
favorable locations (with more
water)
 Growth form:
 Sprawling sub-shrub or
herbaceous perennial
 Foliage initially in basal rosette
– then becomes almost vine-like
 Foliage:
 Lance-shaped; may be incised
 Drought & cold deciduous
 Roots: 2-4 ft
http://www.timetotrack.com/jay/desert/primcal2.htm
http://www.theodorepayne.org/gallery/pages/O/oenothera_californica.htm

© Project SOUND
Flowers are the reason to
plant native primroses
 Blooms:
 In spring - usually Apr-May in
our area
 Flowers open over long period –
individual flowers short-lived
 Flowers:
 White, becoming more pink
 Fairly large (2 inch) and
definitely showy
 Sweet, slightly musky fragrance
 Seeds: many tiny seeds in a capsule
 Vegetative reproduction:
sprouting from roots
© 2003 Lynn Watson
http://botany.si.edu/onagraceae/taxalist.cfm?genus=Oenothera

© Project SOUND
Care and management: plant & ignore
 Soils:
 Texture: sandy/rocky best
 pH: any local to 8.5 (alkali)
 Light:
 Full sun – coastal
 Part-shade/morning sun inland
 Water:
 Winter: good winter rains
 Summer: drought tolerant but
takes anything from 2 to 3; best
to let dry out in late summer/fall
 Other: cut back as needed in fall.http://botany.si.edu/onagraceae/taxalist.cfm?genus=Oenothera

© Project SOUND
Native primroses in
the garden
 Nice with native grasses,
perennials, annual wildflowers in a
habitat garden – in dappled shade
 Lovely in pots on a sunny deck
http://botany.si.edu/onagraceae/taxalist.cfm?genus=Oenothera
https://www.azplantlady.com/2014/04/a-jewel-in-city-sustainable-landscapes.html

Low, groundcover
plants for under
water-wise trees
 Verbenas & mock verbenas
 SW Mahona/Berberis
 Several buckwheats (Eriogonum)
 Dudleyas
 Many grasses
 Non-native, water-wise
groundcovers
 Even leaf vegetables: lettuce,
spinach, Miner’s lettuce, other
wild and garden greens
© Project SOUND

Just the word ‘Acacia’ makes many
gardeners cringe
© Project SOUND
https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/acacia-podalyriifolia
The commonly planted
Invasive, non-native Acacia
decurrens, A. dealbata, and A.
melanoxylon are on the
California ‘Do Not Plant List’
for a good reason.
These all are highly
invasive, spreading by
seeds, suckers and sprouts

© Project SOUND
*Catclaw acacia – Senegalia greggii
©2009 Neal Kramer

 Northern Chihuahuan, Sonoran,
and southern Mojave deserts
 Washes and canyons to 6000', in
habits of creosote bush scrub and
pinyon-juniper woodland
 Important habitat plant
 Introduced by Theodore Payne
© Project SOUND
*Catclaw acacia – Senegalia greggii
Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences
Glenn and Martha Vargas © California Academy of Sciences
var. greggii var. wrightii
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegalia_greggii

© Project SOUND
Catclaw acacia: shrubby desert pea tree
 Size:
 10-20 ft tall
 10-20 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Many-branched woody shrub
or small tree
 Irregular, rounded form;
drought deciduous
 Branches have ‘claws’
 Moderate growth; long-lived
 Foliage:
 Bipinate leaves (Pea family)
 Light to medium gray-green
w/ small leaflets
 Roots: deep roots
©2009 James M. Andre

© Project SOUND
Interesting flowers
 Blooms: in spring - usually Apr-June
 Flowers:
 Flowers small, yellow pea flowers
in very dense spikes (somewhat
like willow catkins; unusual)
 Very sweetly scented
 Attract loads of insect
pollinators; the honey is prized
for it’s flavor
 Seeds:
 Pea type pods with constrictions
between the seeds; mature
seeds toxic if ingested
 Vegetative reproduction: can re-
sprout if cut/burned
©2009 Gary A. Monroe
©2009 Neal Kramer

Medicinal uses for Catclaw acacia
 Pods are used to make an eyewash to
treat conjunctivitis.
 A poultice of pods used to treat sore
muscles
 Leaves and pods when ground into powder
will stop small amounts of bleeding and
soothe chafed skin or diaper rash.
 When this powder is made into a tea, it
can be used as an antimicrobial wash or
drunk to treat diarrhea and dysentery
 The thick, sticky root, when made into
tea, treats sore throats, mouth
inflammations, and coughs
© Project SOUND
©2009 Neal Kramer

Catclaw acacia: source of new medicines?
 Some chemical compounds found
in Senegalia greggii
 Beta-methyl-phenethylamine
 Catechin
 Fisetin
 Hordenine
 Phenethylamine
 Quercetin
 Tyramine
© Project SOUND

© Project SOUND
Plant Requirements
 Soils:
 Texture: well-drained, sandy soils
are best
 pH: any local
 Light: full sun
 Water:
 Winter: needs at least 6 inches;
supplement if needed
 Summer: deep water several
times in summer (Water Zone 1-2
or even 2)
 Other:
 Prune to shape as multi-trunk
tree if desired
 Size can be controlled by limiting
water
©2002 Charles E. Jones

© Project SOUND
Catclaw acacia
 Used extensively as a small, water-
wise shade tree – filtered shade
 Nice accent plant; pretty shape
 Useful for screen/barrier
 Excellent habitat plant; can also be
used in basketry
https://www.springspreserve.org/apps/plant/detail.cfml?query=catclaw+acacia&id=146
51

Like the other Peas, Catclaw acacia can
accommodate a range of plants under and around it
© Project SOUND

Shrubby understory options:
more than you’d think
 Some Salvias
 Some Ribes
 Rose family
 Some bush Sunflowers
 Even the Fairydusters, Creosote
bush, smaller saltbushes
© Project SOUND
http://www.elginnursery.com/products.php?pid=399&detail=true

 Desert uplands from 3,500 to
7,500 feet
 Throughout all four south-
western deserts -- Mojave,
Chihuahuan, Great Basin, and
Sonoran
 In CA, Joshua Tree Woodland,
Pinyon-Juniper Woodland
 Fallugia is a monotypic genus of
shrub containing the single
species Fallugia paradoxa
 Introduced into cultivation in
California by Theodore Payne;
Avail even through Monrovia
Nursery
© Project SOUND
* Apache Plume – Fallugia paradoxa
© 2009 Lee Dittmann
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?6677,6721,6722

© Project SOUND
Apache Plume: medium-large desert shrub
 Size:
 4-8+ ft tall
 5-10+ ft wide
 Growth form:
 Semi-evergreen to evergreen
– depends on water
 Mounded form; many shrubby
slender branches – good
cover for birds, etc.
 Shreddy gray-brown bark
 Foliage:
 Small, deeply-lobed leaves
 ‘fine textured’ appearance –
looks good with other shrubs
 Roots: spreads by root suckering
with abundant water
© 2007 Jason E. Willand
G.A. Cooper @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
Patrick J. Alexander @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

© Project SOUND
Flowers and seeds are
very showy
 Blooms: in spring – April-June in
our area
 Flowers:
 Give a good clue that this plant
is in the Rose family
 2 inch pure white flowers like a
wild rose – ooh la la
 Like a rose, attracts many
insects (butterflies, bees, etc.)
 Seeds:
 Have fluffy tails – very showy
on the plant
 Fade from pink to gold as they
mature
© 2010 James M. Andre

© Project SOUND
Another desert wash plant
 Soils:
 Texture: likes a well-drained
soil, but pretty adaptable
 pH: any local
 Light: full sun to part-shade –
perfect for hedgerow
 Water:
 Winter: supplement if needed
 Summer: likes occasional
summer water, but very
drought tolerant when
established – Water Zone 1-2
to 2 (about once a month)
 Other: inorganic mulch or very
thin organic
© 2009 Lee Dittmann
© 2006 Heath McAllister

Managing Apache
Plume
 Prune in late fall/winter
 Prune to shape & promote
blooms (blooms on new growth)
 Selective deep pruning of old
branches (3 years or older)
 Shortening of younger ones
(up to ½ of length)
 Hedge pruning/tip pruning in
summer – makes it neater, too
 Prune to rejuvenate
 Cut oldest woody stems to the
ground to rejuvenate
© Project SOUND
http://desertedge.blogspot.com/2011/06/plant-trinity-abq-to-el-paso.html
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=FAPA

© Project SOUND
Gardeners are discovering
Apache Plume
© 2002 Gary A. Monroe
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/fallugia-paradoxa
http://www.nazflora.org/Fallugia_paradoxa.htm
 As an accent plant for beauty &
habitat value – even in dappled or
part-shade under trees
 As a foundation shrub; informal
hedges/hedgerows
 In very hot, dry situations (parking
lots; roadways)
https://sierravistagardenguide.wordpress.com/2012/03/05/cut-your-
watering-bill-plants-that-survive-without-irrigation/

© Project SOUND
*Desert ironwood – Olneya tesota
 Sonoran Desert of CA, AZ and n. Mexico;
Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino, San
Diego counties
 In washes, arroyos, flood plains to 2500 ft. –
sandy/rocky soil, intermittent water
 Member of Desert Riparian plant community
http://www.livescience.com/51276-desert-ironwood-trees-photos.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olneya

© Project SOUND
Desert ironwood is one tough tree!
 Size:
 15-35 ft tall (slow-moderate)
 15-25 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Shrubby tree, often multi-trunk,
mounded form
 Attractive gray bark
 Partially drought deciduous;
evergreen with a little water
 Foliage:
 Leaves compound, medium- to blue-
green, leathery
 Sharp, curved thorns at leaf base
 Very nice looking tree; long-lived
 Roots:
 Deep and shallow; shallow ones
nitrogen-fixing
http://www.livescience.com/51276-
desert-ironwood-trees-photos.html

© Project SOUND
Flowers like orchids
 Blooms: late spring into
summer
 Flowers:
 Pea-shape; in clusters
 Color: white, pink, lavender
 Bee pollinated
 Very pretty – showy – trees
covered with blooms
 Seeds:
 In bean-like, brown pods
 Edible seeds
 Birds, animals love them!
http://faculty.ucr.edu/~chappell/INW/plants/ironwoodblossoms.shtml
http://ironwoodforest.org/about/the-monument/nature/desert-ironwood-tree

© Project SOUND
Very hardy Sonoran
Desert tree
 Soils:
 Texture: must be well-drained:
sandy, gravelly
 pH: any local
 Light: full sun; takes heat well
 Water:
 Winter: needs adequate
 Summer: deep water monthly or
less once established (Water Zone
2 or 1-2)
 Other:
 Will need to be pruned up – be
careful of thorns
 Plant 10 ft. from watered lawn;
don’t over-water
 Flower, pod, leaf drop – self-mulch
http://web.gccaz.edu/glendalelibrary/glis%20olneya%20tesota.htm

© Project SOUND
Water-wise with the look of
Crepe Myrtle or Olive
 Good shade tree; becomes more dense
with water, age
 Often used in desert front yards –
with Sonoran desert (or other Zone 2)
plants (serves as nurse plant)
 Attractive: needs few other plantings
http://www.enchantedgardenaz.com/plants_pg3.htm
http://deserthorizonnursery.com/desert-trees/ironwood-tree/ http://www.desertharvesters.org/native-plant-food-guides-the-desert-can-feed-
you/desert-ironwood/

Edible seeds are an
extra plus!
 Fresh seeds taste like fresh
soybeans
 Seeds can also be dried,
roasted or parched and eaten
as pinole, or ground into a flour
 Can also be sprouted for
sprouts (like bean sprouts)
© Project SOUND
http://www.desertharvesters.org/native-plant-food-guides-the-desert-can-feed-
you/desert-ironwood/

Vertical elements
 Columnar cacti (Cholla and others)
 Penstemons
 CA fuschia
 Desert milkweeds
 Euphorbia (including Baja spp.)
© Project SOUND
http://az.audubon.org/newsroom/news-stories/2013/easy-ways-
attract-wildlife-your-yard

Other interesting
accents
 Larger native grasses (Deergrass)
 Agaves
 Yuccas
 Dudleyas & other succulents
 Cacti
© Project SOUND
http://www.aridzonetrees.com/olneya-tesota.html
http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/38363040/list/great-design-plant-olneya-tesota-
offers-desert-shade

© Project SOUND
Singleleaf Pinyon – Pinus monophylla
green - Pinus monophylla subsp. monophylla
blue - Pinus monophylla subsp. californiarum
red - Pinus monophylla subsp. fallax
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Pinus_monophylla
 Tree of the Southwest: CA, AZ,
NM and northern Baja California;
in the dry mountain ranges of
NV, UT, and southeastern ID
 Pinyon-Juniper Woodland,
Foothill Woodland between
~3000 & 7500 ft.
 Widespread and often abundant
in this region, forming extensive
open woodlands, often mixed
with junipers, Jeffrey pine,
sagebrush & montane white fir

© Project SOUND
Gardening with pinyons
 Container or bonsai plant
 Screen/hedge; good for mild, coastal conditions
 Neat and bold appearance to a rustic tree whose
gray color blends well with dry high-desert and
mountain landscapes as well as modern and
mediterranean gardens
http://selectree.calpoly.edu/treedetail.lasso?rid=1054
http://paridevita.com/2013/04/20/drip-drop-drip-drop/
http://www.washoecounty.us/parks/arboretum/burke.html

© Project SOUND
* California Juniper – Juniperus californica
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Juniperus_californica_Mount_Diablo.jpg

Pinyon & juniper provide
good part-shade
© Project SOUND
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Pinus_monophylla
http://southwestdesertflora.com/WebsiteFolders/All_Species/Cupressac
eae/Juniperus%20californica,%20California%20Juniper.html
A surprising number of plants grow in the
afternoon shade provided by Pinyon &
Junipers

© Project SOUND
* Colorado (Giant) Four O’Clock – Mirabilis multiflora
http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/pink%20enlarged%20photo%20pages/mirabilis.htm

© Project SOUND
* Colorado (Giant) Four O’Clock – Mirabilis multiflora
 Southwestern U.S. from CO to CA
and S. to Mexico
 Locally in Tehachapi Mtns and
Mojave, Sonoran Deserts
 Open, sandy hillsides & mesas;
juniper & pinyon communities; 2500
to 6500 ft.
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?5194,5221,5231
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.as
px?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242415050
http://www.comstockseed.com/Images/four%20oclock.JPG

© Project SOUND
The genus Mirabilis .. very interesting
 Common name: Four o’ Clocks
 In Four O'clock family
(Nyctaginaceae). This family contains
28 genera and about 250 species.
 The largest genus of the family is
Mirabilis with about 60 species.
 Name Mirabilis - Latin for "miraculous
or wonderful"
 The plant literally “erupts from
nothing” – it truly is a “miracle”
 The flowers open and close daily
 May also be a reference to the beauty
of these plants
http://a.gerard4.free.fr/images3/Mirabilis_jalapa.jpg
Wishbone Plant
Mirabilis laevis

© Project SOUND
Giant Four O’Clock – herbaceous perennial
 Size:
 1-2 ft tall
 3-6 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Herbaceous perennial from a woody
root; long-lived
 Plant sprawls like a groundcover –
or can be more shrubby
 Entire plant quite succulent
 Foliage:
 Often blue-green but may be light
green, toxic (don’t eat)
 Leaves simple, succulent, may be
sticky
 Roots: very long and large taproot;
don’t try to move established plant
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Mirabilis_multiflora
http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/pink%20enlarged%20photo%20pages/mirabilis.htm

© Project SOUND
Flowers are fantastic!
 Blooms: in spring/summer; usually
May-June in S. CA
 Flowers:
 Large size (up to 1 inch)
 Trumpet-shaped; ‘petals’ are
actually colored sepals
 Many – plant is covered with
blooms
 Very showy, amazing, sweetly
scented
 Flowers open in late afternoon,
close in the morning
 Attract many nocturnal insects,
including the hawkmoths Sphinx
chersis and Eumorpha achemon
(the pollinators) as well as pollen-
collecting bees visiting at dusk
and dawn.
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MIMU

© Project SOUND
One hardy plant!!  Soils:
 Texture: any
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Full sun near coast
 Morning sun in very hot gardens
 Water:
 Winter: needs adequate
 Summer: don’t over-water;
Treat as Zone 1-2
 Fertilizer: none needed – can take
light fertilizer, but best with rock
mulch
 Other: cut off dead branches in
fall/winter

© Project SOUND
Giant Four O’Clock looks
like a garden perennial
 Excellent in mixed beds of
water-wise shrubs and
perennials
 As a water-wise ground-cover
 Used for erosion control on
slopes
 Attractive draping a retaining
wall.
 Showy, bright color in spring-
summer
 Excellent addition to the
pollinator garden
http://www.waterwiseplants.utah.gov/default.asp?p=PlantInfo&Plant=192&Cart=

 Southern California, s.w. UT & s. NV, east to
NM, w. TX, south to Jalisco, Mexico
 Canyons, arroyos, streambeds (higher
groundwater areas); Yellow Pine Forest,
Chaparral, Southern Oak Woodland,
wetland-riparian
 Collected by Leroy Abrams, Alice Eastwood,
the Parishes
© Project SOUND
Velvet ash – Fraxinus velutina
©2016 Zoya Akulova
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraxinus_velutina
http://calscape.org/Fraxinus-velutina-(Velvet-Ash)?srchcr=sc5709bc40796ed

© Project SOUND
Velvet Ash: moderately large tree
 Size:
 30-50 ft tall
 30-40 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Woody tree; moderate-fast
growth
 Pruned to an upright leader,
with irregular, mounding crown
 Produces medium shade
 Nice-looking tree
 Foliage:
 Winter deciduous
 Medium-green leaves become
yellow in fall©2016 Zoya Akulova
https://www.snwa.com/apps/plant/detail.cf
ml?current_page=7&type=85&id=14894

© Project SOUND
Plants are dioecious
 Blooms: early spring (Mar-Apr)
 Flowers:
 Separate male & female
trees; male’s pollen is
allergenic
 Flowers not that noticeable;
small & yellow-green
 Seeds:
 Only develop on fertilized
female plants
 Winged samara; wind
distributed
http://www.answers.com/topic/dudleya
©2013 Neal Kramer
https://www.fireflyforest.com/flowers/1114/fraxinus-velutina-velvet-ash/

© Project SOUND
Water-wise
shade tree
 Soils:
 Texture: well-drained, but quite
adaptable
 pH: any local
 Light: full sun
 Water:
 Winter: tolerates seasonal flooding
 Summer:
 Regular water to establish
 Occasional water thereafter; Water
Zones 1-2 to 2; deep water is best
 Fertilizer: none needed, but tolerates
lawn fertilizers
 Other: choose plant with good central
leader; pruning in first 15 years essential
for good, strong shape.
©2017 Zoya Akulova

Fraxinus velutina
‘Modesto’
 Much like parent species, though
may be somewhat smaller
 Moderate to fast growth
 Generally does not set seeds
 Provide deep watering regularly
while establishing (first year)
and then semi-monthly to help
prevent surface rooting in lawn
trees
 Water at the edge of the canopy
on a slow trickle for several
hours.
© Project SOUND
https://www.snwa.com/apps/plant/detail.cfml?current_page=7&type=85&id=14894

Fraxinus ‘Rio Grande’
 Hybrid with a TX native ash
 Spreading upright to 50’ tall
and 30’ wide
 Ample canopy of dark green
foliage that resists wind burn,
drought, cold, desert and
intermountain conditions
 Excellent shade, street, or lawn
tree
 Widely available
© Project SOUND
http://www.public.asu.edu/~camartin/plants/Plant%20html%20fil
es/fraxinusvelutina.html

© Project SOUND
Velvet ash
 Widely planted as water-wise
shade tree through-out the
American Southwest
 Large size – best for parks,
commercial sites, schools, etc.
http://www.onlineplantguide.com/Plant-Details/931/
https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/221037/

We’ve been inspired by some interesting
water-wise gardens
© Project SOUND
https://www.sothebyshomes.com/Santa-Fe-Real-Estate/sales/0565549-900-Acequia-
Escondida-Nw-Albuquerque-NM-87104

We’ve discussed the human benefits of
trees/vegetation
 Improve human health and
well-being
 Reduce pollution/dust
 Reduce noise levels
 Decrease effects of
extreme heat events
 Provide habitat, food
 Provide oxygen
 ‘Calm and heal the soul’
© Project SOUND
Trees have inspired writers, painters
and other artists as far back as
record goes.

We’ve learned
some tricks…
 Choose the right trees
 Landscape/climate conditions
 Size
 Desired amount of shade
 Other characteristics:
flowers, foliage, shape,
habitat, useful products
 Place seating in shady spots
 Provide an interesting
understory
 Contrast sunny and shady areas
– need both for an interesting
garden
© Project SOUND
http://www.maxsyma.com/category/visiting-new-mexico/
https://www.sothebyshomes.com/Santa-Fe-Real-Estate/sales/0565549-900-
Acequia-Escondida-Nw-Albuquerque-NM-87104

…and considered some
awesome California
Desert trees
© Project SOUND
http://www.plantmaster.com/share/eplant.php?plantnum=25493
https://misadventureswithandi.com/things-to-do-tucson/

In the next few months we’ll continue our
discussion of light & shade
© Project SOUND
https://www.landscapingnetwork.com/pictures/southwestern-landscaping_42/88005-
nm-casa-serena-landscape-designs-llc-garden-walkway_2825/

We’ll consider how best to integrate plants from the
Sonoran Desert with local native species…
© Project SOUND
http://gardensdecor.com/1531/garden/gorgeous-botanical-gardens-san-antonio-san-antonio-botanical-garden-alices-garden/
San Antonio Botanic Garden

Shade 2018

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