gardening pages
Featured Plant:
Callistemon: Bottlebrush
This group of Australian natives are tried and true performers and add long seasons of color to Tucson landscapes. Callistemon species come in a variety of forms to accommodate a range of uses, with a ground cover form recently added to the mix.
Callistemon viminalis, weeping bottlebrush, is an exceptional small tree that grows at a moderate rate from 20 to 30 feet high with a 15-foot spread. This freely branching evergreen makes a fine specimen tree with an irregularly shaped crown. Its pendulous branches become covered with magnificent, red, 6-inch-long flowers during mid-spring and summer. They attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
Callistemon citrinus, lemon bottlebrush, is similar but smaller with a less weeping form. It grows as a shrub or small tree 15 to 20 feet high and to 15 feet wide. Deep red flowers create a spectacular show in the spring and summer and sporadically during other times of the year. Young tree forms need support. Train main stems to sturdy stakes to support heavy canopy growth. Trim crossing interior branches and remove dead wood each year at any time for better appearance, but avoid shearing branches. Treat for iron chlorosis in late summer if leaves begin to yellow. Water deeply on a regular basis to develop sturdy roots.
Callistemon viminalis, Little John, is an altogether different bottlebrush. It is a low-growing, almost prostrate shrub that some landscape designers use as an interesting ground cover. The narrow, light green leaves grow up to 6 inches long. Profuse numbers of red bottlebrush flowers bloom fall into spring, attracting butterflies and hummingbirds.
Bottlebrushes accept about any type of soil, but it's helpful to acidify the soil every three months or so to prevent chlorosis and encourage more flowers. Also, do not plant bottlebrush in lawns—the roots do not like to be overly moist. Plant in full sun to partial shade and give them low to moderate applications of water.
Chef's garden
Janos Wilder
This is the last of our four-season gardening series with the James Beard Award-winning chef and owner of Janos and J Bar. Check out tucsonhomemagazine.com for a complete year of gardening with a chef's eye.
Q: What kind of recipe might you include those in?
One of my favorite times to cook is during the transition from winter to spring. It's a time of rebirth and optimism. I love creating dishes that blend bright flavors and beautiful colors with complementing and contrasting flavors. Try working with the earthy flavors of beets tossed with citrus—oranges, tangerines, or kumquats would be wonderful. Toss in a scattering of bitter and tender greens such as arugula and mache, and perhaps some roasted mushrooms or duckling to round out a salad that announces the arrival of spring.
Q: Favorite homegrown goods to come out of the garden this season?
These months bring us into the beginning of spring, when shorter days and cooler nights yield to warming days of sunshine and luscious evenings. All the greens planted in the fall will be ready to harvest: mache (lamb's lettuce), arugula, lettuces, and cilantro. Southern Arizona produces wonderful lemons, oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, and kumquats, which we love working into our menus. Root vegetables, including beets, turnips, and radishes, are ready to harvest.
Q: Biggest crop challenge during this season? Any tricks or tips?
Coming out of the cool season, we do have an occasional and sometimes unexpected frost. Keep an eye on the weather, and be prepared to cover your garden when the temperature dips at night.
Q: What native plants do you plant this season?
As you prepare for spring and early summer, I'd suggest planting fava beans, garbanzos, lentils, and peas.
Ask a Green Thumb
Now that winter has passed and done a number on my bougainvillea, what can I do to bring it back? -Marilyn Lawes
When a bougainvillea or other tropical plant gets frozen back during the winter, there are two issues to address: do you want to use this yearly event as a method of size control, or is it more important that the plant recover its full size and begin to bloom again as soon as possible?
For most, the latter is the case. In order to find out how much of the plant actually froze, you must play the waiting game. As it warms up in the spring, the plant regenerates new growth from the base of the plant outward. Usually, it's not until the end of March or later that you can say for sure where the damaged part truly ends. So remove dead leaves and brittle tips to tidy up, then watch for the new green shoots. Once there is new growth emerging from many places along the major stems, you can prune away the rest.
Then, the important things are food and water. For a plant that has lost the majority of its leaves, having the building blocks to make new ones is essential. Begin to fertilize in mid-February with a good-quality, balanced, preferably organic fertilizer (such as Monrovia Tree & Shrub or MVG Special Blend). Water deeply once a week and fertilize once a month, and it won't be long before you have a beautiful, blooming bougainvillea again.