The Garden NerdYour consultation write-up
Thanks for having me out. Everything we talked about is below, in the order we walked the yard, with plant options for each area.
For the order of work: pull rock and lay mulch first, then plant trees, then cover the walls, then everything else. Getting trees in early gives them the most time to establish.
A low hedge along the retaining wall
This is a good spot for plants that top out around 3 to 5 feet and knit together into a loose, informal hedge. Since you want native and pollinator friendly, most of these are native to the Sonoran Desert or close to it, and all of them take less water than plants that aren't desert adapted.
Space them about 3 feet apart so they fill in within a season or two. Mixing two or three of these along the wall looks more natural than one plant repeated, and staggers the bloom times.
Ruellia
Dense and evergreen with purple flowers most of the warm season. Fills in fast.
Dwarf Myrtle
Tidy, dark green, and easy to keep as a clean low hedge. White flowers in spring that bees work hard.
Chuparosa
Loose and open with red flowers through winter and spring. A top hummingbird plant.
Desert Honeysuckle
Orange tubular flowers summer into fall. Hummingbirds and butterflies both use it.
Pink Fairy Duster
Puffball pink flowers in spring. Soft, airy texture along the front of the wall.
Globe Mallow
Orange spring flowers and gray foliage. Fast and tough.
Covering the west facing back wall
This wall takes the full afternoon sun, so it needs plants that handle heat and reflected light off the block. Any of these three will do it. Plant them about 4 to 5 feet apart along the wall so they grow into one continuous screen.
Barbados cherry gives you fruit, hopseed is the fastest to fill in, and orange jubilee brings the most color. A mix of two works well too.
Barbados Cherry
Glossy evergreen leaves, pink flowers, and bright red cherries you can eat fresh. Takes afternoon sun well once it settles in.
Hopseed
Fast, dense, and handles full west sun. The quickest way to cover the whole wall.
Orange Jubilee
Orange trumpet flowers from spring through fall. Hummingbirds love it. Cut it back hard in late winter to keep it full.
Root flare and water well on the citrus
These citrus trees need the soil pulled back from the base so the root flare is exposed. That's where the trunk widens into the main roots, and when it's buried it holds moisture against the bark and invites rot. The video below shows how to do it.
While you're there, build a water well out to the drip line, which is the outer edge of the canopy. Pull the grass back out of that circle so the tree isn't competing with the lawn. Lay about an inch of compost right on top of the soil, then an inch or two of mulch over that, and keep both about a foot back from the trunk. Once it's set up, deep water once a week by filling the well.
Video not loading? Watch it on YouTube.
Replacing the pear tree
The pear tree is rotting from the trunk and isn't going to recover, so taking it out is the right call.
Because of the solar on your roof, the replacement needs to stay midsize so it never shades the panels. These all do well in a grass lawn, stay in the 15 to 25 foot range, and will give you shade without taking over.
Hong Kong Orchid
Big orchid like pink and purple flowers in late winter. Handles lawn water well. Protect it from frost the first couple of winters.
Vitex
Purple flower spikes all summer that bees swarm. Easy to keep at size.
Fern of the Desert
Fine, feathery leaves and filtered shade. Clean and fast.
Texas Olive
White flowers on and off most of the year. Slower, but stays tidy and compact.
Desert Willow
Orchid like flowers spring into fall. Loses its leaves in winter, which lets sun back in when you want it.
Root flare and water well on this citrus
Same treatment as the other citrus. Pull the soil back until the root flare is exposed, build the water well out to the drip line, and keep the grass out of it.
Add an inch of compost on top of the soil, then an inch or two of mulch, both kept a foot back from the trunk. Deep water once a week by filling the well.
A midsize tree in the lawn, under the power lines
This spot needs a tree that stays small enough to live under the power lines and is happy in grass. Plant it offset from the lines rather than right under them, so the canopy can grow out without ever needing to be topped.
These all stay in the 15 to 20 foot range, small enough to live with the lines overhead.
Cascalote
Bright yellow flower spikes through winter when little else is blooming. Handles full sun and heat, and stays compact enough for under the lines.
Vitex
Summer long purple flower spikes. Easy to prune and keep at size.
Texas Olive
Compact and slow, with white flowers most of the year.
Desert Willow
Airy canopy and flowers spring into fall. Deciduous in winter.
The moringa tree
This is a great spot for a moringa. It loves heat, grows fast, and the leaves are edible and packed with nutrients. It can freeze back in a hard winter but comes back from the base.
I have seeds and I'm happy to give you some if you'd like to start one yourself. Just let me know.
Moringa
Fast growing tree with edible leaves and pods. Keep it pruned to encourage bushy new growth you can harvest.
Pollinator garden against the block wall
This corner is a good spot for a pollinator garden. Plant these in clusters of three or more of the same plant rather than one of everything, since pollinators find groups more easily. Space most of them 2 to 3 feet apart.
You won't fit all of these. Pick your favorites and mix at least three or four so something is blooming in every season.
Desert Milkweed
Host plant for monarch and queen butterflies. Upright gray green stems with clusters of pale yellow flowers.
Greg's Mistflower
Soft lavender blooms that pull in queen butterflies in huge numbers, spring through fall. Spreads to fill space.
Chuparosa
Red tubular flowers through winter and spring, right when hummingbirds need them most.
Globe Mallow
Orange cup shaped flowers in spring. Tough, fast, and reseeds on its own.
Penstemon
Tall flower spikes in spring in red, pink, or purple. Hummingbirds and native bees love them.
Desert Marigold
Bright yellow daisies most of the year. Short, so it works along the front edge.
Autumn Sage
Blooms spring and fall in red, pink, or coral. Hummingbird favorite.
Brittlebush
Silver foliage and a mass of yellow flowers in late winter and spring.
Removing the mesquite
As we talked about, this mesquite needs to come out. For removal, I recommend King's Tree Service. Once it's gone, that spot opens up for more pollinator plants or a hedge along the fence.
Under the ficus and the open area beside it
Under the ficus, pull the rock back as far as you can. Rock holds heat against the roots and keeps organic matter from building up. Replace it with an inch of compost and a few inches of mulch, kept a foot back from the trunk.
In the open area that gets afternoon sun, plant desert adapted pollinator plants. These all handle the heat and bring in butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.
You won't fit all of these. Pick your favorites and mix at least three or four so something is blooming in every season.
Desert Milkweed
Host plant for monarch and queen butterflies. Upright gray green stems with clusters of pale yellow flowers.
Greg's Mistflower
Soft lavender blooms that pull in queen butterflies in huge numbers, spring through fall. Spreads to fill space.
Chuparosa
Red tubular flowers through winter and spring, right when hummingbirds need them most.
Globe Mallow
Orange cup shaped flowers in spring. Tough, fast, and reseeds on its own.
Penstemon
Tall flower spikes in spring in red, pink, or purple. Hummingbirds and native bees love them.
Desert Marigold
Bright yellow daisies most of the year. Short, so it works along the front edge.
Autumn Sage
Blooms spring and fall in red, pink, or coral. Hummingbird favorite.
Brittlebush
Silver foliage and a mass of yellow flowers in late winter and spring.
Wildflowers and pollinators along the street
This area is perfect for wildflower seeds. October is the time to put them down. Loosen the top of the soil with a rake, scatter the seed, press it in lightly, and water gently every few days until they sprout. Winter rain carries them from there, and you get a big spring bloom. For seed, Native Seeds/SEARCH has a great selection of desert wildflowers.
Mix pollinator plants in with the wildflowers and pack them in as densely as you want. The more you plant, the more it fills in and shades the soil.
You won't fit all of these. Pick your favorites and mix at least three or four so something is blooming in every season.
Desert Milkweed
Host plant for monarch and queen butterflies. Upright gray green stems with clusters of pale yellow flowers.
Greg's Mistflower
Soft lavender blooms that pull in queen butterflies in huge numbers, spring through fall. Spreads to fill space.
Chuparosa
Red tubular flowers through winter and spring, right when hummingbirds need them most.
Globe Mallow
Orange cup shaped flowers in spring. Tough, fast, and reseeds on its own.
Penstemon
Tall flower spikes in spring in red, pink, or purple. Hummingbirds and native bees love them.
Desert Marigold
Bright yellow daisies most of the year. Short, so it works along the front edge.
Autumn Sage
Blooms spring and fall in red, pink, or coral. Hummingbird favorite.
Brittlebush
Silver foliage and a mass of yellow flowers in late winter and spring.
Pruning, the center post, and a water well on this tree
The low branches on this tree should come off. You can do that anytime now. Save the heavier structural pruning on the rest of the tree for winter, once it drops its leaves, so it isn't stressed and you can see the branch structure clearly.
Take out the center post too. When a tree is staked tight it can't sway, and that movement is what builds a thick, strong trunk that holds up to wind. Without the post it will get stronger on its own.
Build a water well at least out to the drip line, wider if you can. Add an inch of compost on top of the soil, then an inch or two of mulch, both kept a foot back from the trunk. Deep water once a week by filling the well.
Root flares on the red push pistaches
All the red push pistaches in the front yard need the same care. Dig out the root flare on each one so it sits at soil level, then build the water well as wide as the drip line.
Add an inch of compost and another inch or two of mulch, kept a foot back from the trunk. Deep water once a week by filling the well. That's it, they'll take off from there.
Groundcover to cover the rock
The goal here is to cover the rock with living groundcover. That cools the soil, feeds it as leaves drop, and cuts down on reflected heat hitting the house. Plant at the spacing listed and in about two years it will fill in completely.
Mixing three or four of these gives you color at different times of year and a more natural look.
You won't fit all of these. Pick your favorites and mix at least three or four so something is blooming in every season.
Lantana
Trailing lantana covers a lot of ground fast with purple, yellow, or white flowers most of the year.
Trailing Rosemary
Evergreen, fragrant, and blue flowers in winter and spring. Bees love it.
Emu Bush
Australian native that handles full sun and heat. Low growing varieties like Outback Sunrise make a thick carpet with small flowers in winter.
Yellow Dot
Low, bright green, and covered in small yellow daisies. Fills in quickly.
Trailing Indigo Bush
Silver gray native groundcover with purple flowers in spring. Covers the most ground per plant.
Damianita
Fine green foliage and bright yellow flowers in spring and fall. Great along edges.
Blackfoot Daisy
Native, with white daisies most of the year. Small, so tuck it between larger plants.
Angelita Daisy
Tight mounds of yellow daisies nearly all year.
A fast shade tree
This is a good spot for another tree that gives you shade quickly. These all grow tall and fast. Plant it at least 10 to 15 feet from the house so the canopy has room.
Mesquite
Matches the mesquite you already have. Fast, wide shade and native. Plan on structural pruning every winter while it's young.
Tipu
The fastest and tallest option here, with a wide canopy and yellow flowers in late spring. Drops more litter and has surface roots, so give it room from the house and walkways.
Willow Acacia
Tall, fast, and evergreen with a weeping shape. Good height quickly.
Arizona Ash
Fast, dense shade in summer and drops its leaves in winter to let the sun back in. Keep its root flare exposed and water deeply so it stays healthy long term.
Winter pruning on the mesquite
This mesquite looks great. It's clearly happy and growing fast, which is exactly why it needs a good structural prune this winter. Cross branches and long, leggy limbs make a mesquite top heavy, and that's how they split or blow over in monsoon storms.
I recommend King's Tree Service for this. They'll thin out the crossing branches and shorten the long ones so the tree stays strong and upright.
Adding height to the circle bed
This bed needs some dimension. These give you height and a focal point without being a full tree. Plant one or two near the center with lower groundcover around them.
Red Bird of Paradise
Red and orange flowers all summer. Cut it back to about a foot tall in late winter and it comes back full.
Yellow Bells
Big clusters of yellow trumpet flowers spring through fall. Hummingbirds love it.
Texas Sage
Silver foliage with purple flowers that pop after summer rain.
Baja Fairy Duster
Red puffball flowers most of the year. Hummingbird magnet.
Feeding the soil, not just the plants
Everything above does better in living soil. Compost laid on top of the soil feeds the fungi and bacteria that make nutrients available to your trees and plants, holds water longer, and keeps roots cooler. For compost, Arizona Worm Farm is my go to.
If you'd rather we handle it, our monthly program keeps your whole yard fed.
- Monthly liquid soil treatment. An organic blend applied across your landscape, feeding the soil biology that makes nutrients available to your plants.
- Compost three times a year. Organic matter added back to keep that biology fed.
- A recap video after every visit. So you know what was done and what we're seeing.
Where to go for what
Next steps
You can plant any of this yourself using the notes above. As a consult client, you're already in the Garden Nerd Club, so you have direct access to me there if questions come up along the way.
If you'd rather have us do the planting, let me know which areas you want to start with and I'll put together a proposal. For anything with irrigation or turf, call Garrett at 480-678-9121.