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Phaseolus caracalla: Imposter Amongst Us but Beautiful All the Same

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     Phaseolus caracalla, is a typically a tender perennial vine, native to South America, and hardy to Zone 8 to 11. P. caracalla can tolerate some frost exposure but extended periods will result in the plant dying back to the roots. This can be countered by planting it in a sheltered sunny location or treating the plant as an annual, more on that in a bit. In my own garden this plant typically dies back to a woody base and sends out annually 10 feet of growth. Such growth makes it excellent for covering up unsightly walls or the view of the neighbor’s lawn gnomes. Like many other vines training of growth is crucial in keeping a tight tidy appearance. As with many vines growing on walls we want them to remain 2D not 3D, bulging away from the wall, as such any growth reaching outwards should be removed. The growth is easy to train as it is not woody at all, use a trellis or a fish wire setup as your support system, as this vine climbs in the same manner as clematis weav...
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In Search of a Yellow Carnation

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Dianthus caryophyllus 'Grenadin yellow' Dianthus 'Key Lime pie'      When one thinks of Carnations, the colors of pink, mauve purples, and whites often comes to mind drawing romantic notations and memories of when chivalry was once still alive. One color that is seen as foreign in the genus Dianthus is yellow. After all who has seen a yellow carnation? Well, they do exist, though few and far between. This yellow coloration can be traced back to one species Dianthus knappii. A small flowering member who is not often found in the garden, to much shame, its genetics have been used in breeding work to introduce the color yellow to whole  new generation of cultivars. Two such cultivars reside in the sun city garden, those being Dianthus caryophyllus 'Grenadin yellow ' and Dianthus 'Key lime pie' . Two excellent unusual carnations to add to any xeric border.    Dianthus caryophyllus 'Grenadin yellow' is a seed grown strain, that gives rise to...
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Twisted Juncus: A twisted plant

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  Grasses offer a lot to the garden. They provide movement and structure in a form that other perennial plants simply cannot. However true grasses fall short in their habitat preface. The majority of true grasses prefer dry conditions and as such, they would be unsuitable for damp or wet locations. Luckily for the gardeners, there are several grass-like plants that prefer these inhospitable conditions and offer the same attributes as true grasses to the garden, one such genus is Juncus. The genus Juncus is incredibly diverse with members being found all around the world in a variety of habitats. The focus of today is Juncus effus f. spiralis, a species that has many traits considered classic to the genus but with a few twists in store as well.   Juncus effusus f. spiralis  is an unusual grass-like plant that features spiraled foliage.  The straight species is found all around the world and is considered circumpolar. In ...
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Winter is the time for the Southern Hemisphere

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   Winter is a blink month. It is characterized by frosted grays and a sterility of life. Yet it mustn't be this way nor must the only color come from a few hellebores. in order to overcome this challenge, one must look to the southern hemisphere for inspiration. Many southern hemisphere plants come from areas that aren't seasonally defined as more temperate ecosystems. Instead, they are most often characterized by periods of drought and monsoon. These plants often bloom in the latter half of the year and are encouraged to do so by the decrease in daylight. There is just one shortcoming to this and that is that many southern species are tender in nature and can not handle a great deal of frost lease they go dominant or die outright die.     Southern hemisphere flora often begins to bloom at the tail end of summer. They are exciting additions to the border if one is trying to avoid the fever that is Composite yellow. These flowers often come in bright colors that ar...
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Brightening up a Woodland Space: Planting Daffodils

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 Daffodils for Woodland Planting A Narcissus 'Slim Whitman ' bulb waiting to be planted amongest its neighbors     This planting is what I refer to as the drainage point. It is a narrow bed hidden near my greenhouse, that acts like the name says as a drainage point for the rest of the garden due to the overall slope of the land. In the near future it will be home to several unique woodland plants, however even with them, it is lacking in one thing and that is spring interest. To combat this lack of early spring color I have planted two daffodil cultivars. Usually it is recommended that for this kind of planting, small flowered daffodils would be best. The two I have selected are larger flowered hybrids and there is reason to what some may consider heresy. This small planting is right next to a future cut flower garden, a garden that will be exuberant in bloom in comparison to the more dab greens that this planting will consists of. As such the daffodils are a spill ...
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Carex: A Exploration of the Genus as Grass Substitutes

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      Recently the usage of grasses has become very fashionable. However there are several grass like plants that are just as desirable as the true grasses. One such genus is Carex a genus that can be found worldwide often inhabiting forested areas to moist grasslands  consisting of  more than 2,000 species. Many species are tolerant of conditions that the majority of true grasses prefer not to inhabit. such deep shade and moist to outright aquatic environments.The genus Carex thus lends its hands to those areas that we wish we could have grasses but we know that they would otherwise fail.     That being said it would be hard pressed to believe that Carex would thrive in El Paso, but the truth is they do. The majority of the Carex I currently grow are in shaded woodland plantings. Here they provide form and texture that was otherwise lacking in planting that consists mostly of large leaved plants.It's important to provide contrast in a planting as thi...
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Beautiful Thugs: Commelina diffusa & Talinum paniculatum

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Commelina diffusa      Often times in the garden we come under serge by a myriad of weeds from far flung fields looking for new lands to conquer. With these invaders we often have no mercy in hacking them back ,tossing them to rot. They are easy handled. The ones who are the most dangerous are those which we ourselves invited, under the guise of being sheep when  the reality is they are horticultural wolves. Twice I have found myself guilty of falling for this trapped , lured by the beauty and interest  only to find myself pulling up the successors of these successful invaders.     The first plant is to me the prettiest, enter Talinum paniculatum. A small freshly leaved perennial, this species in the the months of summer till frost features tall panicles of pink minute flowers which are excellent for attracting pollinators notably hoverflies. However it is what follows, that poses the greatest issue. This plant self sows with the enthusiasm of a m...
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