Last article we talked about water harvesting and recycling. This is an over discussed but very important issue with much to be learned from. We are now at a turning point as to how we look at our water resources, both in building and in landscaping. Most homeowners still think of gray water use as annoying tasks like emptying out your bathtub with a bucket and rainwater collection as swampy plastic barrels under the canales. Both kinds of systems can work much more easily and smoothly but it does take an investment in a local expert.

How else can we utilize these great rains for our landscaping? There are simple ways to maximize your rainwater without the complexity of harvesting. For example, when planting a tree, always build a big moat around it to hold extra water. If the tree is on a hill, only build up the moat on the downhill side. A simple trench to the tree can direct much slope runoff to its roots that would otherwise be lost. When you think of it, any puddle in the road is wasted water that could be growing trees. When choosing spots for your big shade trees or accent shrubs, look for spots that your driveway or walkways tend to slope toward and water accumulates.

Another example of good planning is to have your thirstiest perennial bed at the base of a imperceptibly sloped patio. You would be amazed at how much it puddles up and soaks in a good rain (frequent at this time of year). A lawn, native or otherwise, with a very slight bowl shape to it will also soak up the extra rain water instead of shedding it. When seeding native grass and wildflowers for land reclamation such as post construction landscaping, double up the wildflower seed on the low spots and watch them transform into focal points of color. Last but not least, terrace your hill sides if you are planning to grow anything on them. This will slow erosion and hold more water for the plants.

All of the above are simple solutions that you can work with nature to maximize our rainfall in this desert region.

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Some of the best and simplest solutions are cut branches.  The branches that look the best are red and green dogwood and curly willow branches.  These retain their color throughout the winter but will eventually brown out.  (Just in time for spring planting.)

Other options, particularly for pots on covered porches, are dried flower arrangements. Some of the heartiest flowers and foliage are yarrow, eucalyptus, protea, and cattails.

And finally, potted evergreens are wonderful, especially if you have room to plant them in the garden elsewhere in the spring. Mix sizes, heights and shapes.

What is left is to plan ahead.  Fall fertilizing will stimulate late season root growth and what is left will soak in over the winter fo stimulate the soil for the spring.  Mulch will protect plant roots from the wild temperature extremes that Santa Fe gives us, as well as retain moisture.  Slowly clean up the plants as they die out, or watch them fade and clean them up all at once if you want to enjoy them for their last few weeks.

Inspect your trees.  I am starting to notice tent caterpillars.  If you see a branch covered in webbing like a spider web, your best bet is just to remove the branch and throw it away.

I am always glad at this time of year that I have included tomatoes in my landscape.  They blend right in with my flowers and there is always something to snack on when I work in my yard.

Echanacea thrives here and adds purple to many August gardens, as does goldenrod and a variety of wild carrots that is know on the East Coast as Queen Anne’s Lace.  Daylillies abound, even this late in the season.

While classic delphiniums are long gone, there is an old fashioned variety here that is tall with deep blue-purple flowers.  The flowers remind me much more of a bleeding heart in texture.  My mother thinks that it came up on its own but her neighbor remembers it from when she was a little girl, which makes me think that the seeds or plants may have laid dormant for decades, waiting for the right conditions to return. While I have never seen this in Santa Fe, I am determined to try it, to see if it shows its face more than once every thirty years back in our climate.

Many containers are now at their full glory.  Petunias are now in huge masses.  They do need to be dead headed though.  Ofter they are so big that it is too much to pinch off each individual seed head, just take off whole stems in areas where there is enough left not to show.  The underlayer is going to need the light and the plant needs to put its energy into flowering not creating seeds.  Geraniums, marigolds and snap dragons can also use vigorous trimming.  Remember, we have three months to go, don’t let the plants out grow themselves too early.

What do we do?  Clean up and keep trying.  Many of the groundcovers like the Bishops Weed will still grow a new set of leaves if the old ones are cut, and they will grow fast.  Other things will generally regrow but the flowers, particularly in pots, will need a shot of fertilizer.

Many of the plants will never fully recover this year, so cutting them back and mulching may be the best options to keep things tidy for the rest of the growing season.

See photos below:

If your garden and landscape have been forgiving so far ths summer as far as attention required, now may be the time to invest some energy into it to make sure it prospers and gives you it’s best in these last three remaining summer months.