Southwest Home and Garden Thread

[biggus diggus]

Many people in Paradise Valley have been removing them in favor of other plants lately. Look around. The oleander craze is over.

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by biggus diggus

Many people in Paradise Valley have been removing them in favor of other plants lately. Look around. The oleander craze is over.

That age of the oleander is over !

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by nickw252

How mature are your ficus trees? I've never had this happen on mine but all of my trees are 15+ years old. That being said, I've only lived in this house for the last 3 winters and I don't think there have been any really harsh freezes.

We've lived here since 2006 and they were mature when we moved in. There have been at least 3 of those severe frost cycles.

[HX_Guy]

What's your guys' take on Fruitless Olive trees? Just bought a nice 48" box tree today in a very unlikely way for me - with no previous research.

We actually went in looking for an Ironwood, but the size and the super slow growth (as we were told) lead us to the Fruitless Olive, which has a very similar look.

This is going in an interior courtyard at our new house, so needed something that doesnt grow very big and also doesnt have huge or invasive roots - hopefully the Fruitless Olive fits the bill.

[nickw252]

Has anyone planted winter rye grass really early in the fall?

The reason I ask is because I have an area that gets almost 100% shade and bermuda grass obviously won't grow there. I want to get the bare ground covered as soon as possible, in part because my dog always gets dusty and dirty, and also because I have out-of-state guests coming in mid-September.

It looks like it'll finally cool down next week. Any thoughts on planting the grass next week, covering it with mulch, and watering it 4 times per day? Would it germinate?

[biggus diggus]

Nights need to be in the 60s

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by biggus diggus

Nights need to be in the 60s

I know that ideally the nights need to be in the 60s, but historically I've planted winter grass a little early with nights in the low 70s and never had any issues (even without topper and full sun). My thought here is that with it being in full shade, putting topping over the seeds, and watering multiple times during the day it may keep the soil cool enough.

I think I'll give it a try and see how it works. Hope it's not a complete waste of time and money.

[PHX31]

Originally Posted by nickw252

I know that ideally the nights need to be in the 60s, but historically I've planted winter grass a little early with nights in the low 70s and never had any issues (even without topper and full sun). My thought here is that with it being in full shade, putting topping over the seeds, and watering multiple times during the day it may keep the soil cool enough.

I think I'll give it a try and see how it works. Hope it's not a complete waste of time and money.

I don't think not germinating is the risk, i'd be more worried the grass would germinate and grow, then die from the high temps.

[soled]

Originally Posted by nickw252

I know that ideally the nights need to be in the 60s, but historically I've planted winter grass a little early with nights in the low 70s and never had any issues (even without topper and full sun). My thought here is that with it being in full shade, putting topping over the seeds, and watering multiple times during the day it may keep the soil cool enough.

I think I'll give it a try and see how it works. Hope it's not a complete waste of time and money.

Yeah, your seed's not going to take this early. It'd be a waste of time and money. Patience, my friend. Time travels faster than life.

[pbenjamin]

I don't think that would work. You're more or less screwed in the short run. In the spring look into planting something more shade tolerant like dichondra or St. Augustine. We've had good luck plugging St. Augustine in shady areas. You can get St. Augustine plugs via Amazon and others, but only during certain times of the year. You'd have a hard time getting as small an amount of St. Augustine sod as you would need.

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

I don't think that would work. You're more or less screwed in the short run. In the spring look into planting something more shade tolerant like dichondra or St. Augustine. We've had good luck plugging St. Augustine in shady areas. You can get St. Augustine plugs via Amazon and others, but only during certain times of the year. You'd have a hard time getting as small an amount of St. Augustine sod as you would need.

Thanks, I'll definitely give St. Augustine a try next spring.

[PHX31]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

What's your guys' take on Fruitless Olive trees? Just bought a nice 48" box tree today in a very unlikely way for me - with no previous research.

We actually went in looking for an Ironwood, but the size and the super slow growth (as we were told) lead us to the Fruitless Olive, which has a very similar look.

This is going in an interior courtyard at our new house, so needed something that doesnt grow very big and also doesnt have huge or invasive roots - hopefully the Fruitless Olive fits the bill.

HX - So, after a year, what's your opinion on the fruitless olive you bought? Does it shed any leaves and make a mess? Does it suffer in the summer?
Would you recommend it?

I'm also considering one of those, or an ironwood tree. I don't really care how big it gets and how fast, so I may go with the ironwood, but I also like the look of an olive.

[ASU Diablo]

Okay all you plant geeks out there - I need some help

So finally getting a chance to pick and plant some type of hedge to create a privacy wall along the back of our home, along the 60' of backyard view fence into a public area. About a 1/3 of our backyard is turf and then the remaining 2/3 is travertine deck along with our pool. I love the look that the "Hollywood Hedges" or Indian Laurel Columns (ficus nitida) provides. However, after some initial research, I'm reading that invasive roots are a problem. Obviously, not a problem I wish to encounter when they will be planted along our backyard fence and our decking is about 2 feet away. Went to Moon Valley Nursery and they mentioned this won't be a problem if I deep water them and hedge them back at least twice a year. Anyone on these boards have any experiences w/ these hedges? I'm also reading they're not as cold hardy and a bad frost may just wipe out our investment.

I'm really looking for something evergreen and that can grow up to 10' or more. Any other recommendations that you guys might have? I was looking at Italian Cypresses as well. Thanks in advance guys!

[soled]

Originally Posted by ASU Diablo

Okay all you plant geeks out there - I need some help

So finally getting a chance to pick and plant some type of hedge to create a privacy wall along the back of our home, along the 60' of backyard view fence into a public area. About a 1/3 of our backyard is turf and then the remaining 2/3 is travertine deck along with our pool. I love the look that the "Hollywood Hedges" or Indian Laurel Columns (ficus nitida) provides. However, after some initial research, I'm reading that invasive roots are a problem. Obviously, not a problem I wish to encounter when they will be planted along our backyard fence and our decking is about 2 feet away. Went to Moon Valley Nursery and they mentioned this won't be a problem if I deep water them and hedge them back at least twice a year. Anyone on these boards have any experiences w/ these hedges? I'm also reading they're not as cold hardy and a bad frost may just wipe out our investment.

I'm really looking for something evergreen and that can grow up to 10' or more. Any other recommendations that you guys might have? I was looking at Italian Cypresses as well. Thanks in advance guys!

I have a pool and a travertine deck and 3 very large ficus trees(not hedges).

I've had the ficus for 25 years and they are about 40' tall. If I could do it over again I would not have planted them. I do deep water, yet their roots are in fact invasive. And they are very messy. The leaves constantly clog my pool vacuum. And after they mature they drop annoying little berries.

Also after they mature they'll need to be trimmed and thinned, annually. Once they get beyond your reach it'll be very expensive to have them trimmed every year.

One more bit of advice, don't listen to anything Moon Valley tells you. They are pushing a product, and all they care about are sales. I have a coworker who used to work for them and he said they have pretty much the same philosophy that car salesmen have. They'll tell you what you want to hear.

[soled]

Originally Posted by soled

I have a pool and a travertine deck and 3 very large ficus trees(not hedges).

I've had the ficus for 25 years and they are about 40' tall. If I could do it over again I would not have planted them. I do deep water, yet their roots are in fact invasive. And they are very messy. The leaves constantly clog my pool vacuum. And after they mature they drop annoying little berries.

Also after they mature they'll need to be trimmed and thinned, annually. Once they get beyond your reach it'll be very expensive to have them trimmed every year.

One more bit of advice, don't listen to anything Moon Valley tells you. They are pushing a product, and all they care about are sales. I have a coworker who used to work for them and he said they have pretty much the same philosophy that car salesmen have. They'll tell you what you want to hear.

I also meant to add: grackles love ficus trees. Grackles are very protective of their offspring, and are in constant 'yelling at you' mode every time you step into your yard.

[ASU Diablo]

Originally Posted by soled

I have a pool and a travertine deck and 3 very large ficus trees(not hedges).

I've had the ficus for 25 years and they are about 40' tall. If I could do it over again I would not have planted them. I do deep water, yet their roots are in fact invasive. And they are very messy. The leaves constantly clog my pool vacuum. And after they mature they drop annoying little berries.

Also after they mature they'll need to be trimmed and thinned, annually. Once they get beyond your reach it'll be very expensive to have them trimmed every year.

One more bit of advice, don't listen to anything Moon Valley tells you. They are pushing a product, and all they care about are sales. I have a coworker who used to work for them and he said they have pretty much the same philosophy that car salesmen have. They'll tell you what you want to hear.

Well, definitely not what I wanted to hear regarding Moon Valley but not surprising. And your experience w/ the tree variety is a common theme I'm hearing and reading up on. I was hoping w/ the deep watering and keeping them at 10' height max, I could avoid issues w/ the roots but sounds like wishful thinking at this point. Thanks for sharing Soled!

[IndyAZ]

Originally Posted by ASU Diablo

I'm really looking for something evergreen and that can grow up to 10' or more. Any other recommendations that you guys might have? I was looking at Italian Cypresses as well. Thanks in advance guys!

Green Hopseed Bush / Dodonaea viscosa is my go to for that situation. It gets 8-10' tall, fast growing, evergreen, drought tolerant, and can handle heavy prunning without looking woody. There is also a Purple variety, but the green tends to be much fuller and looks better in my opinion. I normally spec them at 4-6' on center if I want a dense full hedge.

[ASU Diablo]

Originally Posted by PHX31

For a hedge, I'd highly recommend against ficus nitida. They're no doubt one of the best looking and pretty fast growing, but they're susceptible to freezing. I've twice grown an awesome ficus hedge, only to have it die back to the ground. Maybe if you're ok worrying about the winter freeze every few years, and are prepared to do anything it takes to protect it from the freeze, go ahead with the ficus.

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

We have a ficus hedge and I hate the damned thing. It looks great most of the time, but every two or three winters we get a frost that deduces it to ugly sticks for about a season.

Originally Posted by nickw252

I never thought of this until you mentioned it - I just looked at my ficus hedge and you can see right through it in some areas (although I did just trim). You're probably right, this wouldn't be a great sound barrier.

Looks like I should've read a page back and see all the hatred towards the ficus nitida hedge lol well this species is out. @nick252 - what did you end up using for privacy hedge after all?

Originally Posted by IndyAZ

Green Hopseed Bush / Dodonaea viscosa is my go to for that situation. It gets 8-10' tall, fast growing, evergreen, drought tolerant, and can handle heavy prunning without looking woody. There is also a Purple variety, but the green tends to be much fuller and looks better in my opinion. I normally spec them at 4-6' on center if I want a dense full hedge.

Thanks Indy! I think this is a good alternative, I liked it but wifey wasn't impressed haha. We are also looking at Arborvitae Emerald Green or Italian Cypress as a backup option. Any experience w/ these? Might take a while to get the coverage we want but the end result looks good.

[PHX31]

Ive heard the best hedge for arizona is a citrus tree hedge. I think there is a fruitless variety. Check the brophy sports fields facing 7th street north of Indian school. Only thing bad about them is they may be slower growing if youre impatient.

And yes, moon valley sucks.

[IndyAZ]

Originally Posted by ASU Diablo

Thanks Indy! I think this is a good alternative, I liked it but wifey wasn't impressed haha. We are also looking at Arborvitae Emerald Green or Italian Cypress as a backup option. Any experience w/ these? Might take a while to get the coverage we want but the end result looks good.

Arborvitae just need a bit more water and can be a bit temperamental if they are fully exposed. You may get some burning/yellowing if they are out in the open without any protection and shade, but that is mainly just in the heat of the summer and then they should recover.

Italian Cypress take more water as well, they grow slower, and you will probably have to pay a bit more since they normally don't sell them in small sizes often.