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Ron Gass , founding father of Mountain States Wholesale Nursery ( MSWN ) , recommends plant and volume for those interested in desert gardening .
RECOMMENDED PLANTS
These aboriginal desert plant are not only pleasing add-on to the home landscape painting , but they also draw pollinators to the garden .
picture : Courtesy Mountain States Wholesale Nursery .
Asclepias subulata(desert or rush Sonchus oleraceus )
This 4 - metrical unit perennial has creamy yellow flowers that pop up from spring through fall on upright , almost leafless , grey-haired - green stems . The flowers attract butterflies , vend moths , and tarantula hawks . postulate full sun and can handle reflected heat . aboriginal to part of California , Arizona , and New Mexico .
Beloperone californicasyn . Justicia californica(chuparosa )
A bush aboriginal to the Sonoran desert with succulent stems that mature around 4 feet high . crimson tubular flowers that blossom from spring until fall are hummingbird magnet . It ’s drouth resistant but thrives when given a little extra water .
Concoclinium greggii‘Boothill ’ syn . Eupatorium greggii,(Gregg ’s mist flower )
foggy lavender flowers are irresistible to queen butterflies . A good perennial ground cover that grows to 2 foot high and bloom from springiness until late fall . Give it full sun or part shade and gravelly dirt . Native to Arizona , New Mexico , Texas , and northern Mexico .
Larrea tridentata(creosote bush )
Gass read that the native solitary bee evolved with the creosote bush . Foliage is peculiarly aromatic after a rain . The bush has an open habit , getting 6 metrical unit in high spirits and 8 feet all-inclusive . yellowed spring bloom are followed by fuzzy seedpods . Full sun and well - drained grunge ; will grow tight and lush with more water . aboriginal throughout the sou'-west .
Photo : Courtesy AZ Plant Lady .
Parkinsonia× ‘ Desert Museum ’ ( ‘ Desert Museum ’ palo verde )
This thornless palo verde is a three - way cross betweenParkinsonia microphylla , P. florida , andP. aculeata . Native bees are attracted to the promising yellow flowers that flower throughout leaping . The Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree can turn over 25 fundament in tallness . For salutary results it needs full sun , well - drained grime , and a restrained hand with watering . Dr. Mark Dimmitt from the Arizona - Sonora Desert Museum was the first soul to bring this works to everyone ’s attending .
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
“ The enthusiasm these authors have is infective , ” Gass says . “ With these Good Book and the botanic gardens as a resourcefulness , gardeners can leap right in and have a right time with desert plants . ”
Cool Plants for Hot Gardens
By Greg Starr ( 2009 , Rio Nuevo Publishers )
From $ 23 at Amazon
Greg Starr owns Starr Nursery in Tucson , Arizona . “ In the book , he does a great chore of describe the plants he helped bring into the business deal : how they can be utilized , what their aid requirements are , and everything about them from A to Z , ” Gass says .
pace Full of Sun : The Story of a Gardener ’s Obsession That Got a Little Out of Hand
By Scott Calhoun ( 2005 , Rio Nuevo Publishers )
Tucson - ground Scott Calhoun writes about how to transition into desert landscape gardening for people who have move here from other places and how to make these desert works run in the garden .
garden Success with Difficult Soils
By Scott Ogden ( 1992 , Taylor Trade Publishing )
From $ 24 at Amazon
“ A good book for someone who starts excavate in this southwestern soil and says , “ Man , this is n’t what it was like back in Iowa ! What do I do now ? ’ ” Gass says . “ Scott total to people ’s help here . ”
A mother wit of Place : The Life and Work of Forrest Shreve
By Janice Emily Bowers ( 1988 , The University of Arizona Press )
From $ 30 at Amazon
“ arbor is an amazing writer , ” Gass aver . “ I make a ton of good stuff out of that rule book . Other people might consider it ’s heavy because she does n’t write with a lot of emotion , but she writes excellent descriptions . ”
This bonus content accompanies an article in the Autumn 2016 issue in which we talk to Ron Gass about his purpose in transforming the desert landscape .
Desert Garden IdeasDesert Plants for Arid Landscapes
