Yard Survivors

For the past couple of years, it’s been so dry in the Southwest that it’s easy to see how any residential or commercial growth could simply become unsustainable in short order.  Just driving around town, on some of the furnace-like days last summer, it was easy to see.  Even the desert plants, which often give only subtle clues about their health, were obviously struggling.  And the heat seemed more edgy.  I mean, there’s hot and then there’s really hot.  Parking lots felt like skillets and the white tables at the snow cone shops were covered with red syrup stains that looked like crime scenes–evidence of treats that melted before they could be eaten.  

Despite the obvious difficult conversations and realities about water out here, there’s been a booming real estate market and development frenzy going on.  Of course, all these new yards require decisions about plant design, including what plants are up for the xeriscape challenge.  Above all this, one thing is clear; you can’t put just anything in this hard desert ground and expect it to survive.  The local nurseries usually do a decent job of offering desert savvy plants, although it’s still possible to buy some types that are just plain doomed from the outset.  

I experienced this last year while attempting to put more plants in my yard.  Two Carolina Laurels went on the nursery cart during pretty much an impulse buy.  They looked nice, with their bright green waxy leaves that were a good size and shape.  I needed some evergreens for a backyard screen between me and the neighbors.  For some reason, I remember checking all the height and spread dimensions, but somehow blundered over the water requirements, which were “moderate,” a description which I have come to see as meaning “You’ll have to water them more than you think.”  But I didn’t understand this yet, and so on the cart they went, off to the checkout counter and then on to a slow death over several weeks in my backyard.  Despite what I thought was a valiant effort, it was terribly dry for a long time and I just couldn’t keep up.  The laurels first began to stress, then cling to life, and then, after a week-long vacation, my relationship with them was finally over.

And so this begs the question, “Just how much should you pay attention to water requirements when it comes to buying outdoor plants in the Southwest?”  Well, I’m beginning to see that it should probably be your first consideration, even above aesthetics.  First make sure the plant can be a true survivor, then think about how to work it into your landscape design.  

To be fair, I didn’t do everything wrong in planting last summer.  I did buy a beautiful Blue Agave and was lucky to put it in a good spot, with apparently the right amount of light because now it’s thriving.  The Agave survived the same brutal summer that incinerated the laurels.  And, with the consistent rain this winter, and what’s finally looking like a decent snow pack up north, I think it’ll be a beautiful part of our yard for the long haul.