Albuquerque Flowers | Albuqerque gardening tips, native plants, and best places to buy flowers

Rabbit Problems

Protect your beds!

Peter cottontail and the ol' desert jack rabbit may look unassuming and cute, but my plants quiver in fear when they see those two tall ears coming their way. The desert is a harsh climate for these critters so I understand that my yard looks like some sort of promised land flowing with edible goodies.

If you need to wage a war on rabbits, please don't use traps or poison. Besides the obvious cruelty factor, you are also putting neighborhood pets and children at risk. It's possible to almost completely protect your beds without resorting to these weapons of mass destruction anyway.

First is exclusion. Yes, rabbits can burrow, but most won't bother to go deep. A small decorative garden fence that surrounds a bed and stands 1 or 2 feet high works well. Bury the bottom 6 inches or so in the ground. Mr. Rabbit will scratch a bit, see no way to easily dig beneath, and continue on.

A fence is your best bet, but a few moving garden decorations can also frighten off the bunnies. Of course, you need a wind for these to move and work, so they aren't a dependable part of the arsenal. Another thing I have used with great success is a little device you hook to a hose. This device, a motion triggered sprinkler, comes on when the rabbit hops nearby. The instant fall of water frightens him off. These are especially useful if the neighbor's cat thinks your petunia bed is a litter box.

Transplant Care

The weather is warming and most of the spring transplants are out in area gardens. A few flowers are starting to bloom in freshly tilled and planted beds, and more than one pretty basket of flowers has caught my eye hanging near a doorway. Yes, spring is finally here in the Duke City.

One thing that catches man new gardeners off guard is how quickly an otherwise healthy nursery plant declines after transplanting. Within 24 to 48 hours, leaves may wilt, flower petals may fall, and the plant may look on the edge of death. This is a common condition called transplant shock.

Bedding flowers are grown in exacting greenhouse conditions that provide for optimum growing – something the plants won't experience in the garden bed. Setting the plants outside in their pots for a week helps them acclimate and minimizes shock, but it doesn't always prevent it entirely.

When transplanting, take care not to damage the roots more than necessary. A cloudy day is best for planting so the flowers don't experience sunburn or rapid drying under the desert sun. I like to feed most flowers a starter fertilizer at planting. This encourages quick root growth so the plants can overcome any shock. Water the plants as needed to further prevent shock.

Bushy, healthy plants with few open flowers tend to adapt better than leggy plants or those already covered in blooms. This is because the plants energy is going to root growth, not to keeping those flower healthy and open. Even healthy plants may drop all their flowers in the days after planting. Give them time and they will resume blooming in a week or two.

Bring on the Daffodils

And the tulips and hyacinths, too!

It's finally here, even though the calendar begs to differ. In my yard the pretty daffodils and tulips are beginning to show their true colors. It always amazes me that those ugly little bulbs I tucked into the ground last fall can grow so quickly into these bright flowers at the first signs of warmth. Even better, since they are perennials, I only need to do a bit of maintenance each spring and fall to keep them coming year after year.

Bulbs require very little care, which is likely why they are so popular. Even the most hopeless gardener can grow these well. Hold off on spring fertilizer until after they begin to bloom, otherwise you may end up with lush foliage but few flowers. I side dress the bulbs with a phosphorus rich bulb fertilizer. Don't get the fertilizer on the leaves, because it can burn them.

Leave the foliage and stems in place after blooming, but snap off the spent flowers. Once the foliage yellows on its own, you can cut it off at ground level. The foliage collects nutrients and energy after the flowers die. Removing it prematurely can kill the bulb or result in poor flowering next year.

Finally, mark your bulb before cutting down the foliage. Digging, transplanting and dividing occurs in fall. If you don't mark the bulbs now with a plant stake, you may not be able to find them all come autumn. I don't mark each individual bulb, just the location of each clump of bulbs.

It's Time to Plant -- Trees!

Basic tree and shrub planting.

A few things are starting to wake up in the yard. Most noticeable is that the buds are starting to swell on the trees and shrubs, meaning any day now we should begin to see the first tender green leaves or flowers. This in between time at the end of winter and beginning of spring is one of the optimum times for planting new trees and shrubs.

Planting now, when these plants are just beginning to wake up from dormancy, ensures quicker root establishment and healthy first year growth. The onset of rapid spring growth means the trees are ready to send out strong roots. The soil is not overly warm or dried out from hot summer temperatures yet, so the roots can grow with minimal stress. By the time summer heat and drought hits the young trees should be well on their way to firm establishment.

When planting trees avoid adding too much to the soil. Creating a shallow basin of rich, heavily fertilized soil prevents the roots from spreading deep into the ground – they would much prefer to stay in the rich zone. This results in a weak, shallow root system and short-lived tree.

Plant trees so that their the top of the roots sits a couple inches beneath the soil. You don't want to plant too deeply or the trunk will rot. Fill the planting hole halfway full then water well before you finish filling it. Keep the root zone well irrigated through the first year after planting. A 2 inch mulch layer will help keep the soil moist.

Most new tree issues happen that first summer after you plant. Keep a close eye on the plant's health. With some tender loving care you should enjoy that little tree for decades!

Rock Mulch Basics

New Mexico xeriscaping in your garden.

When I first moved to Albuquerque in 1992, I kept hearing the phrase xeriscaping. Coming from lush north Texas, it was a new term and I understandably misheard it as “zeroscaping,” which is exactly what those bland expanses of rocks and weeds looked like to me – a big fat zero. Now I understand a bit more about water-wise gardening, but I still don't understand the expanses of weed covered rocks.

The problem is usually improper installation of the rock mulch. Weeds still grow in the high desert. If you cover a patch of dirt with rocks, it will act like a mulch and choke out water-hogging plants, but the tenacious desert weeds will still grow in.

When installing rock mulch, lay down thick plastic first. Landscape fabric is sometimes used, but it breaks down within a year or two. For small areas I like to use fine mesh hardware cloth, a metal screen material that allows water to drain through but never breaks down. An added benefit is the rocks can never work their way into the soil. It's nearly impossible to get the rocks out completely if you ever plan to plant a regular bed in a formerly xeriscaped area.

You will still need to weed the rock mulch area. Pull the weeds when they are young, before the roots have time to establish deeply. Once established you won't be able to dig out the extensive roots because the rocks are in the way.

Finally, plant something in rock mulch areas so they don't look so blanch. Most of our native desert ornamentals, including cacti and yuccas, grow well in rock mulch. Lavender, sage and some broadleaf evergreens also do well.

The Danger of a Late Frost

Winter in the high desert.

February in Albuquerque can be a tricky time in the garden. Usually the weather is getting warmer, conditions are fairly dry, and a few spring plants are already beginning to poke our their heads. But occasionally we get a late frost or a streak of icy, windy weather that can wreak havoc on our landscape plants. Thankfully, this weather doesn't usually sneak up on us completely unawares, so we do have time to protect the most tender plants.

Wrap up those evergreens, for starters. We can experience pretty violent winds on our side of the mountain. Wrap a length of burlap around evergreen shrubs and small trees to protect them from the icy blasts. If ice does settle on bushes or deciduous plants just beginning to leaf out, leave it be. Knocking it off can cause worse damage than the ice will.

Keep a bale of straw handy for a quick protective mulch. Spread the straw over new strawberry plants, newly planted annuals or less hardy perennials that are just sending out their stems. The straw provides insulation and protection from the cold, plus it's simple enough to remove once the weather begins to warm.

Hold off on planting tender plants, including summer vegetables, until late spring. Even if today is warm, the nights are still cold for these plants and even a short cold snap can kill them. If you are running out of room for the seedlings inside, consider installing a cold frame or miniature greenhouse to keep them in.

A Posy of Pretty Pansies

Add color to outdoor pots and gardens.

It's time to think about planting some flowers out in the garden. Oh, I know that cold weather isn't quite out of the picture and we will likely have some evenings, and possible days, dipping down into the 30s in the coming weeks. But there is one easy to grow annual that provides lots of color and thrives during the cool spring days. In fact, this little miracle flower can withstand freezes while still remaining in bloom. I'm talking about the pansy, of course.

Pansies are also called violets, although true violets are just one variety of pansy. These three-petaled flowers come in a range of colors but all feature a center “eye” that is a different color than the petals. Pansies grow well in containers, hanging baskets, garden beds and window boxes, all the while requiring little care.

Pansies are a staple at nurseries in the area during these late winter months, but you can also easily start the seeds indoors at home. The seedlings are ready to plant out once they are four to six weeks old. Sow seeds ¼ inch deep in a flat, leaving 2 inches of space between each seed. Provide warmth and moisture and you should see germination in less than seven days.

Plant the pansies outdoors any time during the cooler months. Some years pansies even bloom through the entire winter in the Albuquerque area. Space the plants about 6- to 8-inches apart in the beds. They quickly grow and fill in any bald patches.

Spread Some Gold on the Garden

Late Winter Garden Renovation

One simple garden chore makes your beds look better, your plants grow healthier, and minimizes some of the summer challenges we experience in our region. Yes, I am once again talking about one of my favorite things – compost! It's not called black gold for no reason, compost really can perform miracles in your soil.

Now is the time to topdress the beds with a fresh layer of compost, whether you make it yourself or buy bags of it at a garden center. Spreading it over the beds just before perennials begins bursting forth and before planting annuals allows for even coverage and gives the nutrients time to leech into the soil bed beneath. I'm pretty liberal with compost, spreading up to 4 inches over annual beds and 2 inches over perennial beds. You don't want to use too much over your dormant perennials, because you might end up burying them alive.

One issue with early compost topdressing is it gives the weeds a chance to invade the rich soil before your desired garden plants are established. Here is where mulch comes to the rescue. I advise organic mulch for vegetables and ornamentals. It doesn't cause the soil to overheat in summer, it looks great and it improves our sandy soil quality as it breaks down. I sometimes cover annual and vegetable beds with a sheet of black plastic until I plant, but plastic in established beds can overheat and burn the plant roots under the high desert summer sun if it's left in place. The soil also dries and becomes rock hard unless you have a good drip irrigation system in place beneath it.

Spring Pruning Time Is Here

Sharpen your shears and get ready for spring.

Although the buds aren't quite ready to send out leaves and flowers on the shrubs and trees around Albuquerque, the time to prune has arrived. Pruning most plants in late winter, just before they begin to leaf out, doesn't stress the plants since they are still in a state of semi-dormancy, but allows them to recover quickly as soon as spring growth begins.

Not all plants require pruning at this time. Spring flowering shrubs and trees are usually pruned in summer after they finish flowering, since a late winter pruning would remove those highly desired flower buds. Most evergreen, semi-evergreen, summer flowering and non-flowering shrubs and trees tolerate a pruning at this time.

When pruning plants, focus on removing dead and damaged wood. Winter and frost damaged branches won't be producing buds even after the rest of the plant has begun. Dead branches are usually brittle and they may be discolored. Cut out these branches near a healthy bud or where they join to the nearest healthy wood – which may be the main trunk or a larger branch.

Also cut out any suckers pushing up around the base of the plant. These small whip-like branches grow up from the roots and look unattractive and serve no purpose to the plants health. You can sometimes pull these off, but thicker ones must be cut off right below the soil surface. They may grow back a couple of times before finally giving up.

You can do minor shaping of most evergreen plants during late winter. Never remove more than a third of a plant's branches or height during a single pruning session. If a plant requires major renovation, prune it back gradually over a period of two to three years to prevent shock.

January Garden Chores

Let the Albuquerque gardening season begin!

Here we are in mid-January. Daytime temperatures are hitting the 50s but we still dip below freezing at night. While things seem somewhat warm right now, we all know that winter isn't quite over in the high desert. Still, this is the time of year when we can finally begin planting the spring garden. Keep on top of the January garden chores so your garden is up an running at the first kiss of spring.

Winter Pruning

Now is the time to get out and prune away dead and damaged parts of dormant plants. Many of the trees and semi-dormant desert species will begin waking up next month, so now is the best time to prune. Avoid pruning anything woody that blooms in spring, as you might inadvertently cut off the flower buds.

Transplant Trees and Bushes

If you are planting new trees or shrubs in the landscape this year, now through March is the optimum time to get them in the ground. Transplanting while the plants are still dormant avoids some shock. The plants take off and establish new roots as soon as the soil starts warming up. You can also dig and move around young plants at this time if they aren't thriving in their current locations.

Start Spring Seeds

Get out the grow lights and start your early spring plants indoors. Kale, pansies, lettuce, broccoli and other cold-season plants go outdoors in about six weeks. Starting the seedlings indoors right now ensures they'll be ready to bloom or produce soon after transplanting in late February or early March. You can even set some pansies outside now. If we don't get hit with a major cold snap they'll bloom from January into early summer. Pansies can survive freezing nights if they are warm during the day.

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