Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Updated Plant Catalog
Last year (both the summer of 2018 and the winter of 2018/19) were some of the hottest and coldest my yard had to experience. There are quite a few trees and plants that did not make it. So I updated the catalog of links on the right of the page to remove the plants that did not make it and added a new DIED section. I feel like this is important documentation; To not only show the success in the yard, but also the failures (which can be instructive) when trying to do zone pushing in the desert.
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Spring Update 2019
I am doing a large yard update for spring 2019. Most everything that is not dead and will eventually recover from our winter is already recovering. So I took a lot of photos ... bring on the deluge!
Figs and Jujubes
(Left) Fig area (10+ varieties)
(Right) Garden: Tomatoes, peppers, radishes, carrots, watermelon, potatoes, wildflowers, etc.
Mango Area 1. This was an interesting experiment. This was uncovered during the winter. Castor is interplanted between mangos for canopy (cut back to 2 ft tall in spring). Lots of damage in this area. 1 mango dead, 5 others severely damaged. This area got a lot of cold. But 2 mangos really stood out: 1) Bailey's Marvel (this one has a reputation for being slightly more cold tolerant and my experience confirms that) and 2) Kathy / K-3 (Took absolutely no damage whatsoever. This one was a very nice surprise!)
(Left) Persimmon. Loaded with flowers and has already set a ton of fruit.
(Right) Norris Che. Also loaded with fruit
Mango Area 2 as well as a bunch of other stuff in pots (Garcinias, Eugenias, Diospyros, Citrus, etc.)
This is just fun. Part of my 'lawn' (which is mostly clover with some Bermuda intermixed) and the edge of my pool deck that I have put in a several 'bright-edge' yucca and interplanted some creeping oregano. I like the color and texture contrast.
(Left) Grape vines on pool fence
(Right) Namwah banana, Figs, Marcus Pumpkin avocado
(Left) View of the eastern end of pool (western exposure): Orange, Olives, Natal Plums
(Right) View to the west from eastern edge of pool, rest of the "food forest"
Hybrid Torch cactus. I got this one from my friend Ken in Tucson. Everytime I look at these beautiful flowers, I can't stop smiling!!
(Left) Black Bamboo making a big spring growth push
(Right) Deciduous area, fully leafed out an looking great
(Left) Got apricots coming!
(Right) Lots of fruit set on the Sweet Treat Pluerry
(Left) Fruit Punch mango is absolutely loaded this year
(Right) Floridaprince peach is so loaded with fruit that I have thinned several times and cut branches to keep the tree stable
(Left) Neem tree is leafing out again. Neem is evergreen in my yard most years, but this winter it completely defoliated
(Right) Tainung #2 Papaya leafing out again
Black Star Surinam Cherry, already flowered and has set a crop. The fruit off this one is *so* good!
(Left) Golden Silverberry has incredibly beautiful foliage and is really spreading out now
(Right) Mangos, Avocados and Lychee. The Coconut Cream mango was huge but took severe damage this winter. It is leafing out from the trunk. The Brewster lychee took no damage, looks great and is putting out flower buds.
(Left) Annona area. All the Annonas defoliated and many took lots of damage. Only the Rollinia deliciosa actually died. But the rest are leafing out again.
(Right) Geffner Atemoya is looking great. I am training it up the trunk of the Jamaican Cherry like a trellis.
Sunrise mango hit hard this winter, lost about 50% of tree. Leafing out well. I got over 2 dozen mangos off it last year but this year will be a recovery year for it.
Feijoas / Pineapple Guavas starting to bloom. Very striking. Flower petals taste like tropical marshmallows (not joking).
(Left) Lychees are doing great. No damage at all during the winter and are leafing and blooming with a vengenace
(Right) Closeup of the flower stalks on my Sweetheart.
(Left) Longans looking lovely
(Right) Pouterias looking great! Here is the Fairchild II Canistel and Pace Mamey Sapote. The very large Ross Sapote did not make it through the winter :( . This was my most heartbreaking loss.
(Top) View inside Pakistan Mulberry
(Left) Loaded with fruit!
(Right) These truly are an incredible spring treat. Those who don't grow them really don't know what they are missing.
There is nothing like fresh picked strawberries!
(Left) Bananas: Dwarf Namwah, Pitogo, Raja Puri, Dwarf Orinonco, and Hom (from Doug Jones)
(Right) Dwarf Namwah pup
(Left) A few papaya seedlings that were ready to go in the ground (Red Lady #786 and Wild Papaya)
(Right) A close look a the Wild Papaya. Very thick base. Striated trunk that almost looks like bark. Weird long arrow shaped leaves. Very cool little dude.
Avocados that are all doing well!
(Top) Day
(Left) Stewart
(Right) Oro Negro and older Brogdon
And an avocado that isn't doing so well
(Left) newer Brogdon
(Right) But it holding a fruit
And the last two for this post!
(Left) Royal Empress
(Right) Seedling Loquat
Figs and Jujubes
(Left) Fig area (10+ varieties)
(Right) Garden: Tomatoes, peppers, radishes, carrots, watermelon, potatoes, wildflowers, etc.
Mango Area 1. This was an interesting experiment. This was uncovered during the winter. Castor is interplanted between mangos for canopy (cut back to 2 ft tall in spring). Lots of damage in this area. 1 mango dead, 5 others severely damaged. This area got a lot of cold. But 2 mangos really stood out: 1) Bailey's Marvel (this one has a reputation for being slightly more cold tolerant and my experience confirms that) and 2) Kathy / K-3 (Took absolutely no damage whatsoever. This one was a very nice surprise!)
(Left) Persimmon. Loaded with flowers and has already set a ton of fruit.
(Right) Norris Che. Also loaded with fruit
Mango Area 2 as well as a bunch of other stuff in pots (Garcinias, Eugenias, Diospyros, Citrus, etc.)
This is just fun. Part of my 'lawn' (which is mostly clover with some Bermuda intermixed) and the edge of my pool deck that I have put in a several 'bright-edge' yucca and interplanted some creeping oregano. I like the color and texture contrast.
(Left) Grape vines on pool fence
(Right) Namwah banana, Figs, Marcus Pumpkin avocado
(Left) View of the eastern end of pool (western exposure): Orange, Olives, Natal Plums
(Right) View to the west from eastern edge of pool, rest of the "food forest"
Hybrid Torch cactus. I got this one from my friend Ken in Tucson. Everytime I look at these beautiful flowers, I can't stop smiling!!
(Left) Black Bamboo making a big spring growth push
(Right) Deciduous area, fully leafed out an looking great
(Left) Got apricots coming!
(Right) Lots of fruit set on the Sweet Treat Pluerry
(Left) Fruit Punch mango is absolutely loaded this year
(Right) Floridaprince peach is so loaded with fruit that I have thinned several times and cut branches to keep the tree stable
(Left) Neem tree is leafing out again. Neem is evergreen in my yard most years, but this winter it completely defoliated
(Right) Tainung #2 Papaya leafing out again
Black Star Surinam Cherry, already flowered and has set a crop. The fruit off this one is *so* good!
(Left) Golden Silverberry has incredibly beautiful foliage and is really spreading out now
(Right) Mangos, Avocados and Lychee. The Coconut Cream mango was huge but took severe damage this winter. It is leafing out from the trunk. The Brewster lychee took no damage, looks great and is putting out flower buds.
(Left) Annona area. All the Annonas defoliated and many took lots of damage. Only the Rollinia deliciosa actually died. But the rest are leafing out again.
(Right) Geffner Atemoya is looking great. I am training it up the trunk of the Jamaican Cherry like a trellis.
Sunrise mango hit hard this winter, lost about 50% of tree. Leafing out well. I got over 2 dozen mangos off it last year but this year will be a recovery year for it.
Feijoas / Pineapple Guavas starting to bloom. Very striking. Flower petals taste like tropical marshmallows (not joking).
(Left) Lychees are doing great. No damage at all during the winter and are leafing and blooming with a vengenace
(Right) Closeup of the flower stalks on my Sweetheart.
(Left) Longans looking lovely
(Right) Pouterias looking great! Here is the Fairchild II Canistel and Pace Mamey Sapote. The very large Ross Sapote did not make it through the winter :( . This was my most heartbreaking loss.
(Top) View inside Pakistan Mulberry
(Left) Loaded with fruit!
(Right) These truly are an incredible spring treat. Those who don't grow them really don't know what they are missing.
There is nothing like fresh picked strawberries!
(Left) Bananas: Dwarf Namwah, Pitogo, Raja Puri, Dwarf Orinonco, and Hom (from Doug Jones)
(Right) Dwarf Namwah pup
(Left) A few papaya seedlings that were ready to go in the ground (Red Lady #786 and Wild Papaya)
(Right) A close look a the Wild Papaya. Very thick base. Striated trunk that almost looks like bark. Weird long arrow shaped leaves. Very cool little dude.
Avocados that are all doing well!
(Top) Day
(Left) Stewart
(Right) Oro Negro and older Brogdon
And an avocado that isn't doing so well
(Left) newer Brogdon
(Right) But it holding a fruit
And the last two for this post!
(Left) Royal Empress
(Right) Seedling Loquat
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