In My Garden Blog
January 3, 2008
Southwestern Deserts
By
Cathy Cromell,
Phoenix, AZ
Garden inspiration comes in various packages.
Inspiration in the Garden
Where does your gardening inspiration come from? I'm gearing up to redo parts of my garden and luckily have been bombarded with ideas from all angles. Here are a few sources of inspiration for me:
Other Gardeners: I used to put plants in any container that was empty, until I visited a garden gal who made combining plants and pots into an art form. Not only did she have dozens of uniquely crafted pots, but she was deft at putting plants into pots that enhanced their color. Last week, I searched several nurseries until I found a deep blue container to show off three golden barrel cacti. The yellow spines are so much more vivid against the blue than against red clay pots.
Public Gardens: I love to visit gardens in other regions. It doesn't matter if the plants won't grow in the low desert. If I see a great color combination, I can try to recreate it with desert-adapted plants. Sometimes, the inspiration can be less tangible. For example, whenever I look at a certain rabbit sculpture at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, I'm inspired to create that sense of exuberance in my garden.
Books: Books are my inspiration and sometimes my downfall. Literally. Sometimes I have so many piled around my chair that I am in danger of falling if I stand up too quickly!
Plants: Sometimes even a troublesome plant can inspire. A New Year's Resolution: "I promise to prevent the kudzu-impersonating pink trumpet vine from sealing off entrance to the backyard." I think I made this resolution last year, too. It is more imperative than ever, as last fall this Podranea ricasoliana was so overgrown that I had to crawl on hands and knees to get by, just barely avoiding strangulation. Its vigorous vines reach and spread over other plants, creating arches and secret passages, which are really cool, until they collapse from their own weight. (Hence the crawling.)
It would make more sense to plant a different vine, but I admire its tenacity. I planted it 15 years ago from a 1-gallon pot, haven't watered it in 12 years, chop it back without mercy, and still it shoots forth 20-foot vines covered with blooms. I always recommend choosing the right plant for the right place, so I'm guilty of not doing as I say. But I'm inspired to devise the ultimate industrial-strength trellis!
Here's to your New Year filled with inspired gardening!
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Comments on Inspiration in the Garden
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Donald Blackmon
I would sure like to know how you made you vine grow so much and so
fast.
I would like mine to cover the chain link fence on the west side of
my home, granted I've only had them for 4 or 5 months, but they show
hardly any growth. I have drip irrigation and they get 1/2 hr. every
other day, I think the drip is a gallon per hour type
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Cathy Cromell
Hi Donald,
Don’t be discouraged so soon after planting! Backtracking 4 or 5
months, I assume your vines were planted in August or September.
Also assuming you are in the low desert somewhere, August is a
stressful time to plant, and even September can be tough on new
transplants as they struggle to establish root systems during
intense heat. There’s really only a month or so in there that’s
prime growing weather. Right now, the soil is too cold and most
landscape plants are dormant. So, your vines really wouldn’t show
much, or any, growth now. As for watering, that could be a factor in
slow establishment. It’s important that water soak through the
entire root zone, and the soil remain barely moist as roots
establish immediately after transplant. Gradually, the frequency of
irrigation should be tapered off, but the amount of water (always
soaking through the root zone) stays the same. In winter, when
plants are dormant and not actively uptaking a lot of moisture, it’s
not good for roots to sit in constantly wet soil or they may rot.
After this many months in the ground, and during winter, it
shouldn’t be necessary to water so frequently, as long as the water
is penetrating the appropriate depth. The rule of thumb for any
plant is to water deeply but as infrequently as possible. Check out
the info in this previous report on watering, especially the How
Deep and How Often sections and consider using a soil probe to help
you figure out if irrigation is applied correctly. After reviewing
it, let me know if you have other questions on watering your trumpet
vine. I hope this info helps!
http://garden.garden.org/regional/report/arch/inmygarden/346
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