Here's a "before" pic for reference. If you look closely you can see some of the green paint we used for marking, the pot marks the spot the palo verde tree will go.

The low wall will be built of the same kind of stones (cheap and common here). The area to the right will be built up slightly to encourage the water to run down to the front of the property.

This post was edited by Violet.West on Fri, Apr 4, 14 at 14:44

Nice!

Love your stone wall and look forward to seeing more pics when it's done.

How exciting! It sounds lovely.

I'll be sure to post after pics!

Very impressive project. Can't wait to see the finished garden. I don't know anything about desert plants but I know you will enjoy the space.

I hope it's impressive! don't know what I'm doing, haha

Glad you're planning to take advantage of native plants. They'll thrive, provide habitat for local critters & birds, and use a lot less water and no need for chemicals.

Can't wait to see more!

I entirely agree. I'm so sad to see the native shrubland being bulldozed by the day. Since I'm in a new development which destroyed some of that, I feel it's incumbent upon me as a steward of the land to plant at least some of it back.

Violet, this sounds wonderful! Hope you'll post pictures as the project progresses.

I like your wall! I have low planter beds built all along the walls of my one garden, too, and can assure you that the extra seating they provide really comes in handy. These raised planting beds are a godsend, too, giving us the chance to amend our poor soil easily and keep our irrigation only where it's needed. Having been gardening out here for many years (I'm a Master Gardener), here are some perennials that I've found to be very low water users, that can take our full sun, and are low maintenance, as well: Russian Sage, Achillea (Moonshine Yarrow & Coronation Gold Yarrow), Santolina, pretty much all of the Agastaches ( love them!), Gaillardia, Cinquefoil, Chocolate Flower, Nepeta (Catmint), Texas Red Aloe, Jupiters Beard, and Maximilian's Sunflowers, just to name a few. I'm looking forward to seeing more pics as your garden progresses.
Lynn

Thank you, and thank you for your suggestions--will have to look up a few!

I'm not planning on amending the soil back there, at least for the most part, because I'm planning on native plants which should be able to survive in the sandy alkaline soil in my yard. And "anchor" plants first this season.

Do you think I need to build in weep holes in the wall? I mean for my design to guide water to the sides and down toward the front, but I was thinking about putting a weep hole in the middle.

I totally agree that you'd be doing yourself and the environment a big disservice by amending your soil too much, Violet. Our xeric plants don't thrive in rich soils. But, using organic/natural amendments such as earthworm castings, natural trace mineral fertilizer, and natural made-for-our soil compost will help keep the soil from compacting and create a nutrient rich soil able to better to absorb and hold the little water they'll get to nurture their deep roots.
As for weep holes, I have a couple in the wall of each of my planter beds, but I really have never seen any water actually run out of them in all these many years. What rainwater we do get is quickly absorbed into the bedding soil. We never get too much rain for a huge runoff. And, my drip irrigation is on timers and specifically designed to emit only the needed water for each plant. As you and I well know, it's a huge sin to waste water out here in New Mexico.
BTW, you might check your local garden clubs for their annual Spring plant fairs. It's a great way to get low cost starter plants that have been grown locally. Those always do so much better than the ones shipped in from back east.

So glad to have some expert advice! Although I have been attending some master gardener presentations locally, I had never so much as planted a petunia before this.

I won't worry about the weep holes then; thank you.

UTEP has an annual native plant sale which I have been looking forward to . . . and am going to miss because of a family commitment out of town. Boo! However, there are a couple of good local nurseries nearby that have good selection of native and hardy adapted plants so I think I'll be okay on that end.

Sounds good, Violet. One more thing you should do before any plants are in. Even though you want to have only xeric plantings, get your bedding soil amended and add a natural water absorbing granule, such as Quench, BEFORE anything is ever planted. Trust me, even xeric plants and trees do much better in naturally amended soil. Ours is pretty sterile out here, especially down where you are. And stay away from annuals. Stick with hardy perennials, such as the ones I listed above. Most of these hardy ones have deep tap roots which help them thrive in hot, dry climate. With your soil already healthy and amended, you will not have to disturb their deep roots digging in amendments afterwards.
Lynn

yeah, no annuals. I laugh when I go to the big box stores and see people with all those pretty flowers in their cart. Rather spend my money on nice speciman yuccas and agaves grown locally.

Do you have any advice for container plants that survive outside? I don't want to have to bring them in for the winter. These can be non native, a bit more water loving too.

Pots are a great way to add quick color, with either annuals or perennials. Unsealed terracotta pots look great, but the minerals in hard water (which seems to be the norm out here) will end up leaching through the pot, leaving unsightly white mineral deposits. I prefer adding an inner plastic pot to mine.

Next, save yourself time, money and a lot of hassle by using only a good quality potting soil that has the added water retention granules. The soil in pots dries out fairly quickly, which in turn dries out (kills) tender roots.

And speaking of bedding plants for pots, if you can afford it, buy quart or gallon-size, rather than 6-packs. Smaller/ younger plants still have shallow, tender roots that dry out much quicker, needing a lot of TLC, water and shade the first month or so. If not, be prepared to keep them in light shade for the first few weeks and keep them watered.

And always, always mulch everything to protect roots and soil from heat . . . and drying out too quickly! A couple of inches with pots; 3"- 4" in plant beds. I've come to hate rock/gravel for mulch, as it absorbs heat which can fry many plants it surrounds. It also is a huge pain to clean it up! Our winds blow in dirt, trash, weed and wild grass seeds, etc. that settle between the gravel and then unwanted weeds start growing there, despite any under-layer of weed matting you may have put down. I've found that a shredded bark mulch works best for my needs here.
Next, Sun. Out here, most potted plants do best with afternoon shade. Our sun from about noon through 5PM is brutal from early-Summer through mid-Fall. Your hot weather has probably started already.
Being so much further south than I am, I imagine that you can move any perennial potted plants up against a south facing wall during your cold months. They just need to be someplace where you won't forget to water them (LOL).
I tend to stick mainly with geraniums, myself. I love them and they fit in so well with our Southwestern landscape and designs. Many ornamental grasses also do well in larger pots. I have 2 large pots of Karl Foerster Calamagrostis at the top of the steps on my front portal. During the cold season I pull them up next to the house, which is in a covered area out of the wind. In spring, I cut them back and plant bright red salvia around the pot edges. It looks so pretty and they coexist nicely.

Another great way to use potted plants is to just set them in your planting beds between your plantings. Instant color! I try to keep mine in areas where they'll get afternoon shade.

Here are several more great xeric and semi-xeric perennials I've had great luck with: Echinacea, Red Hot Poker, Vinca, Mexican Hats Rock Rose (Helianthemum), Gro-Low Sumac, and Nearly Wild Shrub Rose.

BTW, I'm assuming that your yard will be enclosed and rabbit-proof. If not, rabbits in the area may find your lovelies serve as the world's best salad bar to them. Most of the plants I've listed are fairly rabbit-resistant, though.
Lynn

This post was edited by lynninnewmexico on Mon, Apr 7, 14 at 14:38

I love your wall! By hot do you mean it gets a lot of heat? I'm always interested to see how people grow things where there is intense heat. My west wall stumps me.

marti8a: I live in the desert; zone 8a; very hot summers and cold winters. "Violet's Hot Garden" is just a moniker for the board to distinguish my posts.

Lynne: You are a doll! In re: rabbits: My yard is completely enclosed by the rock wall, but there's a gate they could get under. Haven't seen any yet--we'll see.

Pots: Can you answer this question? I like the look of terracotta pots too, but they're heavy and have problems, as you mention. BUT -- all the plastic pots, which are lighter, that I'm seeing do not have drain holes in them! What gives? Are you supposed to punch holes through that tough plastic?

Violet, I hear you regarding the weight of terracotta pots! With the plastic ones, many have circles in the bottoms that are a thinner plastic. These are made to punch out with a screw driver or the tap of a small hammer if you choose, for drainage. If they don't have this feature, they're meant to have an inner pot that does have drainage holes. In many cases, you can just set a quart or gallon bedding plant down into one of those, pot and all, without transplanting. But, it had better have good quality, moisture-retentive soil to begin with!

that makes sense; thank you!

Regarding rabbits, they can do a huge amount of damage in a relatively short time, so I didn't take any chances with my own walled-in garden. It's also really hard to chase them out of your garden, once they've gotten in.
To keep them from burrowing under the gate, buy several cement blocks and bury them end to end ~ long end down~ directly under the bottom edge of your gate where it sits when closed. Keep only the top edge exposed: low enough so that the gate doesn't drag on it when closing, but high enough so that snakes and rabbits can't squeeze through. The buried parts of the cement blocks will discourage rabbits from burrowing under . . . at least in all but the most desperate cases (LOL)!

It's worked like a charm with my walled garden for the past 20 years. Not one rabbit has ever gotten in yet. This is one of many "tricks-of-the-trade" I learned while studying to become a master gardener.
Lynn

hmm . . . not sure that will work. Because the house is designed to have the excess stormwater drain to the front street . . . through the gates on either side, so I can't block them.

Violet (and Lynn) - One trick I learned with heavy pots is to put a bunch of pine bark mulch in the bottom of the pot before adding potting soil or even another pot to add height. That keeps the weight down and also keeps the pot somewhat cooler. I have some large pots that, even though they are plastic, would be quite heavy if I didn't use mulch in the bottom. It lasts several seasons before I have to add a little more to the level I need.

Violet, I can't emphasize enough the importance of adding soil enrichment/compost/amendment of some sort before you plant. Even if it is a little extra cost, it will be worth it in the long run to have healthier plants and will help to retain water and nutrients also. Best of luck to you. It sounds like you have been doing your homework!

Oh, and I just remembered an old saying...Friends don't let friends buy annuals! Lynn's advice made me remember that one, lol!

Homework is all I've done - I've little practical experience. Most of my "homework" books say NOT to amend the soil, or only to put about half of what is normal in other areas.

I hear your advice, and am not discounting it, but am still on the . . "wall" about amending the soil for plants that grow wild all over the place on the other side of the wall!

I did add compost to the fig tree and pomegranates I planted last year, because they're fruit bearing. My local nursery makes and sells their own compost.

Oh! and the mulch! Everybody just puts rock around here and I'm struggling so much with it because it's all covered with dirt now. We're in the "blowing dirt" season and I'm on the edge of the sand dunes and leveled lots for new construction. I'm just not going to put my gravel down yet. Bark is probably a much better suggestion!

I with the Southwestern/Xeric forum was active. this discussion would be perfect there -- but I'd get no answer if I put it there. I really appreciate these helpful comments to my "squee" post.