Suzanne Lasky
What we looked at
Thanks for having me out. This write-up covers the back wall where the hopseed keeps struggling, your citrus trees, the cactus garden corner, your pots, and the front yard. The planting work is priced at the bottom. A couple of items are suggestions only, and we've marked those clearly.
Irrigation comes first. Before we plant anything, we're bringing in Garrett to go through the watering system in both the backyard and the front yard and make whatever adjustments or repairs are needed. That work is not included in the pricing below. He'll price it separately once he's had a look. Planting into a system that isn't delivering enough water is how the last two rounds of hopseed were lost, so we won't put new plants in until that's handled.
The west-facing back wall
You've tried hopseed along this wall twice, and it hasn't worked out. Here's what we think is going on. The two plants at either end of the wall are still alive because they pick up a bit of shade in the afternoon. The rest were in full afternoon sun on a west-facing block wall, with rock all around them. The wall soaks up heat all afternoon and radiates it back out, the rock does the same from below, and a newly planted shrub sitting in the middle of that gets cooked. On top of that, they weren't getting enough water for a plant that's just gone in the ground. New plants need a lot more water than established ones, and the system wasn't keeping up.
Hopseed is still the right plant for this wall. It handles heat and reflected sun well once it's established, it grows fast enough to cover a wall, and it doesn't need much water once established. What has to change is everything around the plant: the watering gets locked in, the rock gets covered with mulch so the ground stops acting like a griddle, and the plants go in at the right depth with a proper water well.
There are two hopseed near the middle of the wall that are barely hanging on. They're the purple variety, and they'd end up in the middle of a green hedge, so we're going to pull those two out and replant the whole run with the green variety so it reads as one continuous hedge. In total that's 11 new hopseed, all 5 gallon.
Mulch. The rock along this wall is small and not laid very thick, so we don't need to remove it. We'll put mulch right on top of it along the full length of the wall, about 3 cubic yards. Mulch keeps the soil cooler, holds moisture, and as it breaks down it feeds the soil biology that your plants depend on. It also stops the oven effect that's been killing the hopseed.
Hopseed Bush
Dodonaea viscosa 11 plants, 5 gallonNative, evergreen, and fast growing. Fills in to a dense screen that covers block walls completely. Takes heat and reflected sun once its roots are in, and doesn't need much water once established. Planting the green variety across the whole run keeps the hedge uniform.
Your two citrus trees
Both citrus trees look like they were planted a little too deep. When a tree is buried past its root flare, the base of the trunk stays wet, the tree struggles to breathe at the roots, and over time it declines even when everything else is right. The fix is to dig the soil and rock back from the trunk until the flare, the spot where the trunk widens out into the roots, is exposed again. This video walks through what that looks like and why it matters.
We'd also suggest mulching around these trees. It'll look a lot better than bare dirt, it'll stop the mud, and as the mulch breaks down it feeds the soil life that feeds the trees. Citrus in particular responds well to a living, mulched root zone rather than exposed soil or rock.
Suggestion only. We haven't priced the root flare work or the mulch around the citrus in this proposal. If you'd like us to handle either one, let us know and we'll send pricing.
The southwest corner
Your cactus garden sits in the corner where the south wall and west wall meet, which means those two walls are taking sun most of the day and throwing that heat back into the corner. Covering both walls with a vine would take the edge off. A green wall doesn't store and radiate heat the way bare block does, so the whole corner runs cooler, and it adds a lot more green without taking up any ground space the cactus need.
We're recommending tangerine crossvine, one on each wall. It's evergreen, it climbs on its own without a trellis, and it puts out orange trumpet flowers that hummingbirds go after.
Tangerine Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata 'Tangerine Beauty' 2 plants, 5 gallonEvergreen climber that attaches itself to block walls. Handles heat and full sun well, and doesn't need much water once established. Heavy bloom in spring with lighter flushes through the warm months.
Your two pots
For the two pots you already have, we're planting desert milkweed. It's a native that does well in containers, stays upright and tidy, and it's the host plant for monarch and queen butterflies. You'll get flowers most of the warm season and a steady stream of butterflies.
Desert Milkweed
Asclepias subulata 2 plants, 5 gallonUpright native with slender gray-green stems and clusters of pale yellow flowers. Thrives in full sun and doesn't need much water once established. Host plant for monarch and queen butterflies.
One tree for the middle of the front yard
The irrigation out front definitely needs attention. I'll be out with Garrett to go through it and get you pricing on the repairs. Until that's sorted, we're keeping the front yard planting to one tree.
You've got trees on either side of the front yard, but the middle has been empty since the old tree came out four or five years ago. Putting a tree back there will balance the yard out and give the front of the house some real shade. Our first choice is a desert ironwood. If you'd prefer something that grows a bit faster, a mulga acacia is our second pick. Either one would go in as a 15 gallon.
Desert Ironwood
Olneya tesota Our recommendation, 15 gallonOne of the longest-lived trees in the Sonoran Desert. Evergreen, with a dense gray-green canopy and lavender blooms in late spring. Slower growing than most, but it builds a beautiful, long-lasting tree and doesn't need much water once established.
Mulga Acacia
Acacia aneura Second option, 15 gallonClean, upright evergreen with silvery foliage and yellow flowers. Faster to fill in than ironwood, very tidy, no thorns, and doesn't need much water once established. A good fit if you want shade sooner.
Monthly organic fertilizing
New plants are only as good as the soil they go into, and that's especially true on a property that's already lost two rounds of hopseed. Our monthly program is built around feeding the soil biology rather than dumping salts on the plants. Once a month we spray the whole landscape with our organic liquid blend, and three times a year we top dress with quality compost. Over time that builds a living soil that holds water better, keeps roots cooler, and feeds your plants steadily instead of in spikes.
It covers everything on the property: the new hopseed, the vines, the milkweed, the new front yard tree, your citrus, and the trees and shrubs that are already established. After every visit you'll get a short recap video showing what we did and how things are looking.
Pricing
Planting Proposal
Pricing includes plant material and planting. Every plant goes in at the correct depth with a water well and a compost-amended planting hole to get the soil biology working from day one.
Not included: irrigation adjustments or repairs (Garrett will price those separately, and they need to happen before we plant), root flare work on the citrus, and mulch around the citrus. Happy to quote any of those if you'd like.
Text us to get on the scheduleQuestions about any of this? Text us at (480) 253-9261.