Drycreek Blog

The Cactus Blooms Continue

2012-06-15T13:58:47-04:00

This year has been an incredible year for cactus flowers. The blooms started a couple weeks early and are still giving us a reason to tour the garden each morning. The colors are bright and rich on the cold hardy types we've collected from Dry Creek over the years. What a way to celebrate springtime in the Truckee Meadows!

We have two different types of Cholla cactus (Cactacea Opuntia) in our south facing front yard. Both have grown to be quite large and impressive in just short of a decade. Each spring the plants cover themselves in a profusion of buds that begin to bloom in mid to late June. This week one of the two plants has started showing its color.

The branches of the Cholla are cylindrical with joints that segment, allowing for many branches to grow from a single stem. The result is an eventual shrub that stays beautiful year round.

Once established, the Cholla needs very little water and very little care. Sometimes we pick off last year's fruit to start new plants for other places in the garden. They can be grown in containers, too. The relatively slow growth will allow potted specimens to last quite awhile before re-potting, sometimes several years.

Remember, the cacti sold at Dry Creek are cold hardy for our area, which means you don't have to bring them indoors during the cold winter months. They can even sit under several feet of snow for long periods. Some might look a bit rough after the snow melts, but the warm spring sun will perk them up in little time.

Next time you stop by Dry Creek Nursery, be sure to take notice of the large Cholla growing near the entrance, just off the driveway, under the sign.

Yucca Flower Stalks Emerging

2011-05-26T10:43:00-04:00

This Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora), a member of the Agave Family, has been living in downtown Reno for five or six years. It commands a warm and sunny south facing spot, which it loves. Each spring it sends up several flower stalks that rise up above the leaves by at least two feet. Sometimes there are as many as ten flower stalks; other years less than half that amount.

Red Yucca is a hardy, drought tolerant, carefree evergreen perennial that's perfect for desert themed xeric landscapes and large rock gardens. The plant grows somewhat slowly, and will eventually become shrub-like, reaching a spread of up to five or six feet wide and three feet high.

In well drained soil, give your yucca a good occasional watering to encourage blooms. If your plant receives regular blasts of Nevada's drying winds, it will appreciate a drip line or weekly watering during the summer. The long lasting bright pink flowers are a major attraction to hummingbirds and the tall flower stalks make it easy to see when the hummingbirds make their rounds. Honeybees are also a frequent visitor. The flowers themselves last most of the summer, developing pods of flat black seeds that can be sprouted.

As the single plant spreads out, suckers will appear around the base that can be separated and planted elsewhere. You can propagate from seeds, too, although it will be several years before you'll be seeing flower stalks emerging.

Drycreek carries several varieties of yucca.

Lilac In Bloom

2011-05-19T14:48:00-04:00

Lilac (Syringa) is an upright deciduous shrub belonging to the Olive family (Oleaceae) and is grown for their beautiful, showy, highly fragrant flowers that bloom this time of year. Lilac is not indigenous to North America, but does very well in many parts of the United States, including the Truckee Meadows. This slow to medium growing shrub will reach twelve to fifteen feet at maturity. It loves full sun, but will take partial shade. The more sun, though, the better chance of a festival of blooms in May. Make sure the soil drains well.

To get more flowers, Lilac enthusiasts recommend snipping off the spent flower heads immediately after the flowers fade. This practice keeps the plant from producing seeds and promotes new flower growth for the next blooming season. The next year's buds develop just after the present blooms fade, so don't wait too long if you plan to prune, else you might inadvertently destroy next year's crop of flowers. Also avoid cutting old wood unless it has become completely unproductive as it takes about three years before flowers form on newer stems and shoots. If you need to shape the plant, try pruning old growth in yearly stages. This way the plant will bloom each year as its new shape takes form. Avoid severe pruning. If all old wood is removed, the plant will most likely survive; new shoots will emerge, but there won't be flowers for two or three years.

There are over twenty Lilac species with many more hybrids and cultivars. Flower colors include white, blue, magenta, pink, purple, violet, and of course, lilac.

Oak Catkins Are Abundant This Spring

2011-05-17T17:08:00-04:00

One of the most significant oaks in Nevada is the Gambel Oak (Quercus gambelii). This slow growing shrub/tree is often seen growing in scattered fashion amongst the slopes and valleys of the Great Basin and Range. The species has an extensive range throughout Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. If left to themselves, Gambel Oak grow slowly in irregular shapes in thick groups, reaching a height of about fifteen feet in twenty years. In the wild, thickets expand by acorn seeds and root sprouts. The trees are long lived, easy to care for and remain small for many years. They enjoy regular, coarse soil, little fertilizer and regular light watering. The gracefully shaped leaves turn golden-brown to reddish-brown in autumn.

New Growth On Local Manzanita

2011-05-16T17:08:45-04:00

There are over one hundred different Manzanita (Arctostaphylos) species. California seems to be the Manzanita capital of the world, as there are at least sixty-nine varieties native to the state. Several types have naturalized in Nevada, including Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), Pointleaf Manzanita (Arctostaphylos pungens), Pringle Manzanita (Arctostaphylos pringlei), Greenleaf Manzanita (Arctostaphylos patula), and Pinemat Manzanita (Arctostaphylos nevadensis).

The distinguising features of most Manzanita are their beautiful soft evergreen leaves, their amazing slick red bark, and their light pink flower clusters in late winter, early spring. The plant is incredibly drought tolerant and comes in a variety of shapes for different uses. The Manzanita featured in the photo is a bush type and a bit of a challenge to grow in the lower elevations (but who doesn't enjoy a challenge?), but perhaps the favorite for local xeriscaping projects is the Kinnikinnick. Also called Bearberry, Kinnikinnick is a low growing, creeping evergreen ground cover with beautiful deep green leaves and whitish pink flowers in the early spring.

The USDA characterizes Kinnikinnick as long-lived and very cold hardy. The plant requires little maintenance once established, but demands well drained, normally dry, course, sandy soils. It will grow in full sun, but also grows well under the broken shade of conifer trees. It's a very special plant, indeed. Drycreek has a limited supply of Kinnikinnick this spring.

Bitterbrush In Bloom

2011-05-13T13:15:00-04:00

Bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), also known as Antelope Bitterbrush and Buckbrush, joins Big Sage and Rabbitbrush as an essential species for the Great Basin desert. Many animals, both native and introduced, depend upon Bitterbrush for survival. The plant's range is vast, extending beyond Nevada to Arizona, California, Colorado Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and even to northern British Columbia. As with many blooming perennials this year, the local plants seem to have enjoyed this past winter's moisture. Many plants are completely loaded with flowers.

Drycreek tries to carry bitterbrush for those interested in xeriscaping with native and naturalized plants. The quantities are usually small and sell out fast. The nursery also carries a plant with similar features, the Cliff Rose. Both plants are very attractive, take very little care, accept poor sandy soil and are drought tolerant. They love full sun and will grow into a full sized shrub over a few seasons, typically three or four feet high. Bitterbrush is a good choice for controlling erosion on land that's been disturbed from recent construction.

Beautiful, Versatile Photinia

2011-05-12T13:11:30-04:00

In certain parts of the country, Photinia can be somewhat invasive, but not here. Easily controlled, Photinia works well in full sun for shaping into dense hedges for marking property lines, privacy screens, and to a lesser degree, wind breaks. Left to itself, without regular pruning, the plant will grow tall and wide, filling spaces with a more wild, free growing stance. This is a fast growing shrub, easily expanding a foot or more per season. They produce a more condensed growth in full sun. Regular pruning will help the shrub remain compact. In partial shade the branches will stretch out looking for sun.

Some gardeners grow Photinia in containers, whether as a bush or a small, single stemmed tree. The plant enjoys warmth, but also likes to be watered regularly. If over watered, though, they can develop leaf spots. This year the Photinia growing in the Truckee Meadows are vibrant, healthy with abundant new growth.

The Desert Peach

2011-04-21T13:14:00-04:00

Desert Peach (Prunus andersonii) is good choice for local xeric landscaping as it is a desert indigenous perennial for eastern California and western and central Nevada as far east as Eureka and Nye counties, and therefore completely adjusted to our climate. This slow growing deciduous perennial shrub belongs to the rose family and is actually related to the peach, cherry and almond trees we use as food producers. Although Native American populations considered the plant as medicinal, they also utilized the fruit as food and the twigs and leaves as tea, but for gardening and landscaping purposes, the plant is now mostly considered an ornamental.

Also called the Wild Almond, this lovely plant enjoys the full intensity of the desert sun. According to the United States Forest Service, the plant is "morphologically and physiologically adapted to drought conditions," which means it will accept low to moderate amounts of moisture to stay happy and healthy. The USDA also notes that the Desert Peach is a good choice for revegetation on disturbed land within its historical range. This makes the Desert Peach a good choice for rehabilitating local home sites that were cleared during construction.

Drycreek now has Desert Peach in stock in one gallon containers, making it easy to transplant. The plants have flower buds emerging for this year's springtime bloom. The wide flowers attract honeybees for pollination.

Springtime Is Rose Pruning Time

2011-04-15T15:26:00-04:00

Each week, Nancy Strickland, co-owner of Drycreek, has been chatting briefly about gardening with DJ Dead Air Dave on the local radio station, The X (100.1 on your FM dial). You can listen to her gardening tips from the home page of this Web site. This week Nancy tells how local gardeners can be sure it's the right time to prune their rose bushes.

To condense Nancy's advice on pruning:

"A lot of people say tax day, but we say it's time to prune your roses when the forsythia bloom. Because we have so many climates up and down the mountain here, if your forsythias are blooming in your neighborhood, it's time to prune your roses. But if the forsythias are not blooming, then wait."

If you grow roses, what better excuse is there for finding a nice sunny spot for a forsythia bush? Not only will it add springtime color to your yard; it will also alert you and all the rose lovers in your neighborhood it's time to prune the roses. This is an example of Green Philosophy. As Nancy said, "Plants give us lots of things, they feed us, they give us piece of mind and shade...plants will tell you things...you need to listen!"

There's a pretty good article about how to prune roses at the University of Illinois Extension Web site called Our Rose Garden. As you will see, the horticulturists at the University of Illinois agree with Nancy about the forsythia.

The California Quail in Nevada

2011-04-10T14:06:00-04:00

The California or Valley Quail (Callipepla californica) are out and about, always a welcomed sight in spring. Very soon the roving coveys will include a line of chicks.

Quail are a common sight, often seen even in the downtown neighborhoods of Reno, Sparks and Carson City, although, since they are ground dwellers, they are vulnerable to fast moving autos, garden poisons and prowling house cats.

A signature pastime for Quail is the dust bath. The covey searches out a nice sunny spot of bare dirt where they belly down, twitch, wiggle, flap their wings and fluff their feathers. It's quite a sight to see. Giving Quail a space for this ritual is just one more reason not to have traditional grass lawns in the desert. Provide some shrubby landscaping and a nice sunny patch of soft bare dirt and you just might get them to visit.

According to Desert USA, the origin of the latin name, Callipepla, means "beautiful robe" which is certainly the case with our Valley Quail. We are lucky to have them as our neighbors.

The Lovely and Talented Yucca

2011-03-29T16:33:06-04:00

There has been local song bird action around this Perry's Agave and Hairy Yucca. It seems the Kinglets and other small birds like to snip the filaments for nest making.

Both of these pictured plants are cold hardy for our area (approximately zones 5 - 9). The yucca will grow to about twenty inches high with an almost three foot spread. The agave will grow to about 9 inches high. Both are beautiful plants and are great for rock gardens and other types of xeric landscaping.

The flower pedals of many different types of yucca are edible and some are considered to be delicious (no guarantees...). You can try putting freshly picked flower pedals into your summer salads. You can find recipes that call for harvesting the entire flower stalk as it emerges in late spring, early summer. The tips resemble the look of asparagus tips, but you won't get to see the flower stem bloom with this technique. Many types have long lasting flowers, some extending into late summer.

Apparently, especially in earlier times, many native American tribes utilized the yucca for food and for weaving, making baskets, weapons and clothing and also for making soap (hence the common name, Soapweed). Many Yucca types are incredibly easy to care for. Most do not uglify during the winter. They are natural born bird feeders and they will make your garden landscape look like you know and love the environment within which you live.

Forsythia Blooms Abundantly

2010-03-28T11:13:00-04:00

It seems the Forsythia bush will grow just about anywhere (zones 4 through 8), signaling the arrival of spring from New England to Southern California. Many gardeners love Forsythia because it is such an early bloomer. It blooms even before its leaves appear. It's also easy to grow, needing not much more than a sunny location. The plant will take some partial shade, but seems to bloom more profusely in full sun. Soil prep is minimal, too, as Forsythia will grow in just about any type of well drained garden soil. Good for xeric landscaping, after established, you won't need to worry about watering Forsythia except during the driest parts of the year.

Size, too, is quite manageable. You can shape the plant into a controlled hedge or allow it to shape itself. It's best to prune just after blooming.

In early spring, it's fun to cut some branches just before the flowers bloom and bring them into the house. The bright yellow flowers will open and brighten up any room. And since they are easily propagated by cutting, if there's water in your vase, the stems will probably develop roots which you can plant. Stems that touch the ground on the plant itself, if partially buried, will also develop roots, which is an easy way to help the plant spread if you're planning a hedge row.

All in all, Forsythia is easy to grow. It grows fast, resists pests and disease, is beautiful in early spring with its bright yellow flowers, beautiful as a shrub in the summer with its deep green. The only drawback is that Forsythia can be a deer magnet. Because of this, landscapers will sometimes develop the plant as a hedge row deer detracting fence that keeps the deer away from other parts of the yard.