Gardening on the Moon ( GOTM )

Written by Jeff

John Alcock wears many hats and while wearing each of them he seems to find a good deal of humor and obvious wonderment. On a recent day Mr. Alcock was addressing the Maricopa County, AZ Master Gardeners to discuss his front-yard desert landscape. It wasn’t always a desert landscape, but he decided that it needed to be restored to a more native environment to reduce the amount of labor and resources needed to take care of it. At one time, there was a Bermuda grass lawn in the front and as Mr. Alcock noted at the start his presentation, “Phoenix is not Bermuda!”

Mr. Alcock has numerous credentials that classify him as an “expert” in the ecology of the Sonoran Desert. He is professor Emeritus in the Life Sciences department of Arizona State University and he has written books about the Arizona desert; Sonoran Desert Spring and Sonoran Desert Summer.

As he began his presentation, Mr. Alcock pointed out the way in which Bermuda grass was making inroads into the wild areas of the desert and has become an invasive plant in several areas, especially along riparian zones.

Referring to Edward Abbey, author of Desert Solitaire, he took minor offense at Abbey’s assertion that Arches National Park in Utah was the prettiest place on earth. Much of the research done by the John Alcock focused on areas of the Usery Mountains which he claims is as beautiful as any place on earth when in bloom or during certain stormy periods.

Throughout the presentation, it was very obvious Mr. Alcock has strong negative feelings about certain types of landscaping:

Monoculture – a large mass of only one flower or plant. During the spring in the desert, this can be seen when certain yards appear full of African Daisies or Lantana with little or nothing else in cultivation. (While from an aesthetic point of view, I might disagree with part of this argument, from a gardening point of view it makes good sense. If a pest or disease enters the garden and finds your monoculture plant a wonderful host, it will cause a significant problem and potential catastrophic failure. It also sidesteps proven garden design principles such as vary the texture and color of landscape materials.)

Zeroscape – This is a yard or area with no plant material at all. (I have seen some very creative yards done mostly in hardscape of varying proportions, but having some plant material would provide more interest and serve the environment well.)

Bougainvillea made the list of no-nos as well. (I happen to like Bougainvillea especially when the plant gets large and flowers profusely as it does several times a year in the desert. Yes, this is not a native plant, but it is well adapted and provides long-lasting color. )

What Mr. Alcock proposes instead is “looking to the desert” for inspiration. He began to dismantle his non-xeriscape yard in the late 1980s and worked on it through 2004. One quickly realizes that Professor Alcock doesn’t worry about consistency, rigorous schedules and many of the gardening fine points. He fertilizes whenever he decides it is the correct time. I am not certain that many would whole-heartedly emulate Mr. Alcock’s front yard, which was completely desert-landscaped by 2004. It survives primarily on natural rainfall with only a rare supplemental watering. Once a plant has taken hold (about six months) it isn’t watered on a regular schedule.

Of course there are certain desert plants that are pretty and they were highlighted by Mr. Alcock (comments after plant names are mine):

Penstemon – These come in a variety of colors and the hummingbirds seem to favor them. Another benefit is that they seem to self-sow readily and transplant well when done in the fall or early spring.

Chuparosa – This bush can get straggly, but it definitely attracts the hummers who like the long, thin, tubular red flowers. Kept tidy, it can make a very nice display. I have seen some that were nothing but masses of orange-red flowers.

Globe Mallow – This plant can be seen growing on the side of the roads in some very hot locations. It has a somewhat short blooming period, but when it is bushy and in bloom, it puts on a spectacular display of orange flowers. I have also seen some pink Globe Mallows, but they are hard to find and a real treasure in any garden.

Lupine – Another plant that grows wild in the desert during the spring. They are pretty even when not in flower because of their interesting, velvety leaves.

Fairy Duster – While the presenter highlighted this plant, I must say that the only variety I think is worthy is the Baja Fairy Duster that has puffy, red flowers. The native pink Fairy Duster always looks like it is past its prime as the light pink flowers appear to be fading soon after they bloom.

Chia – Yes there really is a Chia plant. These are not spectacular bloomers, but have an interesting growth form which can serve as a point of interest in the garden. Click for more information about the Chia plant.

Creosote Bush – This is one plant that will take care of itself. I love to walk in the desert after a rain and smell the pungent odors emitted by the different plants especially the Creosote Bush. The flowers are not spectacular, but in a year when they flower heavily, the cotton-like clusters of the faded flowers are decorative.

Ironwood Tree – It is ironic, but until this year, I really didn’t appreciate the Ironwoods in all of their pink splendor. This year they bloomed prolifically and they seemed to be everywhere. I agree that this tree is a keeper and the bees seem to love it as well.

Desert Foothill Palo Verde – This tree puts on a nice show when it is in bloom. The tiny yellow flowers provide plenty of interest to the bees and the trees come alive with a buzzing sound. I prefer not to prune these heavily and leave them in a more natural form, but more often than not, they are pruned to please man, not nature. When heavily pruned to a top-heavy canopy, they are prone to being uprooted during the “monsoon” season storms. Click for more information about the Desert Foothill Palo Verde.

Mr. Alcock then transitioned the discussion by relating how he grows his vegetable garden in the front yard because it is the only adequate exposure he has. Front yard gardens can be attractive if done right and if kept neat. He enjoys two distinct planting seasons. The fall planting season (starting in October) finds cool-weather crops in his landscape:

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Swiss Chard (his specialty)
• Spinach
• Dwarf Oregon Snowpeas – “Mammoth Melting”

Plant residents in the summer (end of Feb., beginning March) veggie garden are:

• Zucchini – (hand pollinate until the bees discover them – they have male and female flower)
• Eggplant
• Basil
• Tomatoes – (Yellow Pear although not the best) “Check the Too Many Tomatoes cookbook for more information.

As noted above, Mr. Alcock is very knowledgeable about a variety of desert flora and fauna. There are numerous types of bees that find their home in the Sonoran desert and he knows them well. Besides the Honey Bee, there is the “digger bee“ (Centris pallida) which makes a nest by burrowing into the ground almost a foot deep. This is no easy task; just ask a desert gardener. We have shovels, but the poor bees need to use their mandibles! The brood cell is filled with nectar and other sustaining items. Only one egg is laid in each nest and then the process is repeated. This generally takes two or three days for each brood cell. The female lives for a month. The male digger bees can sense when a female is going to emerge from the nest and they begin to dig down to find her. Unfortunately for the first one on the scene there is no Mr. Nice guy here and a number of males compete to be the first to find the female and fly off to mate with her. The spring hatching activity takes place over a period of about two months.

A fact that Mr. Alcock noted was that only female bees sting. Males don’t have stingers.

Palo Verdes provide targets for Carpenter Bees and wasps. Desert Senna also is of interest to the carpenter bees. I never realized that bees have so many predators. Mr. Alcock showed a slide of a Brittlebush stalk with bees lined up head to rear covering a good length of the stalk. Against the darkening sky, the antennae were clearly visible. This turns out to be a protection scheme. As Assassin bugs and other predators seek a meal, the bees sleep together reducing the chances that any one bee will be singled out for dinner. I wonder what the Vegas odds on that are?

Assassin beetle picture (click on link) – NOTE– This was not the exact species of Assassin bug addressed by Mr. Alcock. There are many different insects with this name.

A few days before this presentation, my wife and I were at our local library and we were admiring the desert milkweed (nothing like the traditional milkweed found in the northern part of the country) and on the milkweed were these small, pretty black and red bugs. I had no idea what type of bug they were, but Mr. Alcock had pictures and explained that this is a “true bug” called the milkweed bug; how appropriate. Apparently they also like Desert Marigolds.

Desert Milkweed bug picture

Throughout the lecture Mr. Alcock peppered the audience with quips and interesting facts. When queried about Lyme disease in the desert, he pointed out that the tick is really not an insect, but rather an arachnid. I never appreciated that! If you enjoy this subject matter and learning more about the flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert, I recommend Mr. Alcock’s books. He has a new title coming out soon: When the Rains Come: A Naturalist’s Year in the Sonoran Desert. I am sure you will learn a good deal and be entertained by his wry, humorous style.

References:

Usery Mountain Park -Mesa, Arizona

http://www.arizonensis.org/sonoran/places/usery.html