Cool Season Landscapes

I was recently contacted about a planned "xeriscape garden" at the Rio Grande Botanic Gardens here in Abq. Between my paying work, fires and deadlines, I met with representatives of that organization on location, and we discussed some of my and their initial ideas for that space. And check out areas of the gardens, and some cool plants that look good in winter, of course.

Here are some scenes from that unseasonably chilly day. I like the gothic grove of Vitex agnus-castus on the patio, and the way the desert plantings work in the foreground:


I designed this garden, where weddings are held, in the mid-1990's for a past employer (COPA). The wall was built as per my design, but the RGBG staff changed the planting to many forms of roses; their adddition of Cupressus sempervirens 'Stricta' intermingling with the wall is a nice touch:


Know this voluminous and appealing plant, you Californians? You should - Heteromeles arbutifolia / TOYON, happily thriving in Burque's high desert climate, thank you:


Rhus choriophylla and Yucca schottii on a cool N exposure:

Arbutus xalapensis:

Agave ovatifolia:

Yucca decipiens, and assorted (and thriving) Chihuahuan Desert natives...not one struggling potentilla or austrian pine here:

Dasylirion leiophyllum:

Today, returning from a site meeting in Rio Rancho, I decided it was a good idea to get some cool season shots of a project I designed under an inadequate time frame, to be durable and interesting...the West Mesa campus of the Central NM Community College (CNM). And fine for long-sleeve shirts once more.

Note on the following photos what this landscape would look like, if year-round form, durability, or plant massing were not considered:

And yes, maintenance is lacking in areas:

The courtyard off of the dining and break area - a selection of SEED-GROWN Yucca rostrata from Moutnain States Wholesale Nursery in AZ, underplanted with Salvia greggii:

More scenes from my 2002 design; the hardscape is a blend of my and the architect's design, but the planting design is all mine:

Finally, the mesquites are getting pruned...Prosopis velutina:

Vauquelinia californica used in one of the outdoor sitting amphitheatres, where there was an architectural design faux-pa of a too-low barrier to the area below.

Freeze & Agaves

Another Aliso visit to see if the Parthenocissus 'Hacienda Creeper' are giving fall color, or if the freeze last night hit them (28F at the nearby ABQ Sunport). Well, maybe the color will happen this week, if the rest of the low temps stay above that critical 28F:


Muhlenbergia capillaris 'Regal Mist' and Dasylirion wheeleri:


Now to some Agaves! This is a front yard I pass often, while driving S of UNM along westbound Lead Ave SE; needs some editing and maintenance, but a nice grouping of (2) different Agave salmiana forms and the usual Yucca elata in the middle:


Another view with a young, red Quercus shumardii in front:

The larger Agave on the right...Agave salmiana, AKA Agave ferox:

That Agave has nice, sensuous curves to the leaves...

And the smaller Agave salmiana / A. ferox form on the left; very coarse teeth on the margins:

Let me know if you know these Agave plants.

Finally, another sign of the time of the year and a freeze...Morus alba shedding all leaves overnight and as I visited, typical with such temps. A nice scene, unless you are the one who has to rake them up!!

Gloom and rain?

A mid-level cloud deck moved over Abq in the pre-dawn hours yesterday, holding in the warmth of the previous day and giving us a low of 50F - but a high of only 58F that afternoon. Today, the low was 52F, and we finally got rain. This made it look cooler than it was.

A few Populus wislizenii brighten a distinctly "old west" scene along old Route 66 and Tijeras Arroyo, just 1/2 mile E of our house, late Thursday:

Foreground - native grasses Digitaria californica, Sporobulus cryptandrus.

This afternoon at my office, looking out from the puddles on the south parking lot; Yucca rostrata reaching into the stormy sky, and Fraxinus velutina providing golden fall color:


The all-too-common, but tough, Morus alba:


And just as common as Fruitless Mulberry, though it needs wetter, lawn conditions, Fraxinus velutina 'Modesto':


And last, but not least - young Pistacia chinensis, which grows larger in lawn conditions such as here, but growing at least to a respectable 15' x 15' in xeric landscapes:



This looks spectacular against our habitual evergreens, such as Mediterranean Cypress, as well as today's stormy sky and the Sandias. It is one of the few xeric trees to display consistent orange to burgundy fall color, other than Texas Red Oak, which is just getting color.

The late day sun is peeping out again. It looks to be a windy, chilly weekend, with a chance at some instability showers and possibly some light snow. It is mid-November, after all! And I can't wait to get home and check our rain gauge; just a little more work to finish down here.