VOL. 8, NO. 5 The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension

Cochise County Master Gardener

MAY 1997

PLANT PROFILE-

Mediterranean "Natives"

Many plants that perform so well in ourSouthwestern gardens are not true natives butoutstanding "non-natives." Two of my favoritesare rosemary and lavender. Rosemary, Ros-marirms offtcimlis, is an aromatic perennial evergreen shrub and herb. Native to Mediterraneanand Europe, especially the coastal areas—^theLatin name means dew of the sea. It is the herbof friendship and remembrance. It endures hotsun, winds, and poor soilsand littleto no watering once established (it does require good drainage). The uses for rosemary are endless. InEn^and rosemary is often used for hedges andtopiary. In cookingrosemary compliments meatdishes, potatoes, and makes an excellent herbbutter for vegetables. Strip the leaves off thestem for a barbecue skewer. Rosemary is a wonderful tonic to the heart, brain, and the nervoussystem. When eaten or used as a tea frequentlyit stimulates blood flow to the head and relaxesthe muscles and prevents migraines andheadaches.

Lavandula officimlis. Lavender, is one of thebest loved scents. Also from the Mediterranean

region, it thrives in hot weather and will grow inalmost any soil as long as it is well drained. Ifind that they make excellent container plants.Use lavender for hedges in the herb garden andcollect the flowering stems just as the flowersare opening for drying. Dried flowers are usedfor potpourri, herb pillows (to help inducesleep), and linen sachets (to scent linen drawersand protect from moths.) Fresh flowers can beused to makejams, ice cream, honey, andlavender vinegar.

Other noteworthy "natives" from the Mediterranean include Olives (Oleaceae), Sweet bay(Laurusnobilis), and Thyme (Thymus vulgaris).

Cheri MeltonMaster Gardener/StaffWriter

Lavandula angustifolia

1140 N. Cfriombo, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635(520) 458-8278, Ext 141

Cochbe County Cooperative Extension450 HaskeU, WOlcox, AZ 85643(520) 384-3594

Cuttings

'N'

Clippings• Peggy Dierking has pellet-fed horse manure - free, youhaul. CaU her at 378-7125

(leave message).

• The Cochise County MasterGardeners Association meets

the first Wednesday of eachmonth at 5:00 pm. Please callthe Sierra Vista CooperativeExtension OfBce for the loca

tion. All certified Master

Gardeners/Trainees are invited

to attend.

• Thanks to the Master Gar

deners who opened their gardens to the public for thexeriscape garden tour. It was anunqualified success! Watch forthe "2nd annual" next year!

• The Sierra Vista Area Gar

dener's Club meets on the third

Thursday of each month at 2:00pm in the Mona Bishop Roomof the Sierra Vista Public Li

brary. Eliot Edwards, MasterGourdsman, will be the guestspeaker at the May 15 meeting.The garden club is requestingthat you save seeds for their"Seed Exchange" at the 1998High Desert Conference.

• The Ace Hardware stores in

both Benson and Sierra Vista

are presenting free "How to"Clinics. Check with the stores

for upcoming classes and dates.

7

Cynaracardunculas

The globe artichoke is a welcome addition in the garden forthose gardeners who desire edible landscapeplants.

Imperial Star Seeds purchasedfrom Shepherd's Seeds produced a humble tiny seedling.The seed was

planted in awell-preparedbed of native

soil, sand, andhorse manure.

A very largeplant grew (3 to4 feet in diame

ter) which required a bit ofroom. Some

may even grow

larger.Artichokes can be planted in

the fall or early spring. Theflowers will produce globes oftender buds which are pickedfrom the plantjust about now inour high desert area.

Artichokes are perennial and asingle plant will produce threeor four new plants which willappear the following year at thebase of the original plant. Oncethe fiuit has been harvested, theplant will begin to dry out andgo dormant during the hotsummer.

Each plant has a spray ofspikey frond-type silvery serrated leaves. These strikingleaves and large flowering stalkscreate a landscape plant of individual character. It is comfort

able standing alone and with its

noticeable foliage is a great or-namratal plant in the landscape.Artichokes are a good choicefor a specimenplant.

An added bonus is that desert

fauna do not enjoy the flavor ofartichoke so the plant will notneed to be protected against thenibblers ofthe desert. If the gardener wishes to not eat the fiuit,the flowering stalk can remain

on the plant andallowed to dry.The fliiit will

form a thistle

like single largeflower on a

sturdy stalk. After the flower

dries it can be

used as a deco

rative part of anarrangement, a

single display, orin a wreath.

Artichokes are not difficult to

grow in our area. The plant willbegin to green again in the fallonce the temperatures turncooler. It is one of the first

plants to vigorously armouncespring.

Barbara KishbaughMaster Gardener/StaffWriter

Newsletter Staff:

Peggy DierkingCarolyn GruenhagenBarbara KishbaughCheri Melton

Virginia Westphal

Rob(

Extension Agent, Horticulture

The Virtual Gardener-

Mediterranean Plants

Cheii Melton's article on

Mediterranean natives that have

found homes in Arizonaprompted me to see what Icould find out about Mediater-

ranean flora on the Internet. A

search on the phrase "Mediterranean flora" yielded several interesting documents, manyoriginated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAG). One of themost interesting of these documents was an FAO report onthe East and South Mediterra

nean sub-region covering Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria,Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan,Palestine, Ldjanon, Syria,Cyprus, and Turkey(http:web.icppr.fao.org/snn/snn-SYN/med/l.HTML).

According to the report, thewild ancestors of many of ourfavorite and most useful domes

ticated plants originated in thisarea, including cereals such aswheat, barley and rye;.legumessuch as chickpea, pea, and lentils; and vegetables such asbeets, artichokes, carrots, rockets, lettuce. Many of our favorite flxiit and nut trees also have

wild ancestors fl'om this region,including chestnuts, walnuts,apples, pears, plums, pistachios,hazel nuts, almonds, and olives.

The region is also the ancestral homeland of many flowersand onuunental plants such asAllium, Anemone, Arum, Cen-taurea, Chonodoxa, Cistus,

Coclchicum, Crocus, Cyclamen,Delphinium, Eranthis, Fritil-laria, Galanthus, Gladiolus,Gypsophylla, Hellborus, Hyo-cinthus. Iris, Laurus, Leucojum,Lilium, Musccai, Myrtus, Narcissus, Nectaroscordum, Ner-ium, Ophyrs, Orchis, Omi-thogalaum, Peaonia, Pancratium, Retama, Rosa, Scilla,Scorzonera, Silene, Stember-gia, Tulipia, and Viola.

One of the reasons why plantsfl'om areas around the M^ter-ranean do well in the Arizona

desert is because the climate is

in some areas is very similar toour own. Although the climatevaries widely in the re^on, it isgenerally characterized by relatively mild winters and hot drysummers. Armual precipitationranges fl'om 30 mm to over2000 mm on the highest mountains (Sierra Vista's annual rainfall is about 400 mm). I spent acouple of years living in Turkeyand found many areas in the interior of the country that lookremarkably like Arizona deserts.

Gary A. Gruenhagen, Master Gardener(gruenha@c2i2,com)

How CoveCy tfiesilence of

growing ihingsl

Check Out

These Books!

Insects ofthe Southwest, FloydWerner, Ph.D. and Carl Olson,M.S., Fisher Books, 1994.Eightchapters of creepy insects.Great drawings and no nonsense text tell you everythingyou want to know (or not wantto know) jbout Southwestinsects.

Gardening Success With Difficult Soils, Scott Ogden, TaylorPublishing Company, 1992.Everything you need to know ifyou have limestone, alkalineclay, or caliche soils. (Thatmeans everybody should alreadyhave this book!) Highlight is thelist of heat/drought tolerantplants that love these soils andtough conditions.

Plants for Natural Gardensand Natural by Design, JudithPhillips, Muslim of New Mexico Press, 1995. You can purchase these two booksseparately or as a beautifullyboxed companion set. Plantsfor Natural Gardens showcasesover 180 plants native to thehigh desert. FGghlight is thepropagation technique for eachplant. Natural by Designteaches the principles of design,planting, and maintenance. Gorgeous pictures.

Chert MeltonMaster Gardener/Staff Writer

Page 3

May Remindersy Deep water<J Plant warm season crops^ Check tree ties

^ Control pestsy Control weeds

(Controlling Weeds - a bulletin available from the Cooperative Extension)

Locoweed(a.k.a. Crazyweed)

Locoweeds, Point locos,Peavines Astragalus spp.Fabaceae (Pea family)

There are many species of locoweed in Arizona, perhapshundreds. Considered to be a

low-growing, perennial herb,the leaves pinnately compoundinto numerous linear to oval

leaflets. Flowers are said to varyin color, white to purple, byspecies but emerge fi'om a leafless stalk (fi'om the center of theplant) and form a spear-likecluster of blooms. The kidney-shaped seeds form in a tougb,pea-like pod.

Long thought to be a joke ora point of humor, locoweeds(and their relatives) are nolaughing matter, but are toxic toall classes of livestock in varying degrees. Horses are usuallyaffected the most and will not

recover if their poisoning hasbeen ofa chronic nature.

According to literature supplied by Kim McReynolds,Cochise County Range

Management Specialist, thereare three distinct groups oftoxic species within the Astragalus gmus.^lenium: The first group is associated with selenium-rich

soils. Selenium smells like garlic. These plants have the abilityto concentrate selenium at toxic

levels to animals:

Two grooved milkvetch (5/8 lb.can be fatal to sheep within 30minutes), Narrowleaf poison-vetch, Gray- £s milkvetch.Stinking Vetch Loco: Thissecond group causes locoism(neurological symptoms rangingfrom incoordination, visual impairment, depression, unpredictable behavior, emaciation andeventual death) in livestock. Allplant parts are toxic. Two in-dolizidine alkaloids (swainson-ine and swainsonine N-oxide)are responsible for locoism inanimals. These plants cause locoism in animals:

Specklepod loco. White Point,Purple Point loco. Two-grooved milkvetch. Earlessloco, Wooly loco. Sheep loco,Wooton loco, Silverline loco.Nitre compound: The thirdgroup of astragalus species includes Timber milkvetch and

Red stemmed peavine. Lactat-ing sheep and cattle are themost susceptible group to poisoning. Horses have a low deathrate but after recovery, they areonly fit for minimal usagethereafter.

For immediate concerns about

animal behavior in regards toany of the above suspectedplants, consult your local vet.

Animals will not normallychoose to eat any ofthese plants

if oth^ forage is available.However, if an animal has beenchronically exposed to locoweeds, it can become addictedand will seek the plants whengrazing. Prevention and earlydiagnosis will save the lives ofmany livestock. Horses do notrecover well.

For proper identification ofany suspicious plants, submitplants with flowers to KimMcReynolds at the local Agricultural Extension Office.

Peggy DierkingMaster Gardener/StaffWriter

Water

Factoids

>• Water covers 70% of the

earth's surface. At least 97% of

the world's water is salty andundrinkable. Another 2% of the

earth's water is polluted, polarice, or otherwise inaccessibleand undrinkable. That leaves approximately 1% of the earth'swater for humans to use.

> On a daily basis, the peopleof the United States, directlyand indirectly, use more than380 billion gallons of water, orapproximately 1,668 gallons perperson.

> The use of six gallons ofgasoline per week requires6,000 gallons of water for production. If you drink onecanned beverage per day, theproduction of that can required29,000 gallons ofwater.

—Denver Water Department

The Agent'sObservations

much fertilizer

shade trees need,^^^^gwhat kind is the best,

when should it

be applied?

shrubs planted in fer-^fflMI^8tile, well drained soil^^^^s»that are growingnormally do not need extra nutrients. If they are not doingwell fertilization may be helphilbut only after the problem causing poor growth is corrected.Symptoms of poor growth maybe light green or yellow leaves;smaller and/or fewer than nor

mal leaves or dead spots; wilting of foliage; few flowers;short annual twig growth; andbranch tip die back. Thesesymptoms of poor growth maybe caused by poor environmental situations like; inade

quate soil aeration andmoisture, or nutrition; adverseclimatic conditions; wrong pH;or insects and diseases.

Normally the only nutrient applied to established trees andshrubs is nitrogen. Other situations like chlorotic leaves, manifested by yellowing of leavesbut veins remain green, requirespecific applications of a nutrient, in this case iron. Theamount of nitrogen needed willdepend on the size of the plant.Measure the diameter of the

trunk about one foot fi'om the

ground, ^ply O.OS pounds ofactual nitrogenfinch of trunk diameter. If a tree has a trunk di

ameter of six inches multiply byO.OS to get 0.3 pounds of actualnitrogen. Divide the amount ofnitrogen by the percentage ofnitrogen content of the fertilizerto be applied. For example: 0.3pounds of nitrogen applied as21% ammonium sulfate would

be: 0.3/21% = 1.43 pounds ofammonium sulfate fertilizer

from the bag.Distribute the fertilizer evenly

by measuring the distance between the trunk and drip lineand multiply by 125%. This willdetermine the outer boundaryradius for fertilizer application.Distribute the fertilizer evenly inthe outer 2/3 of this circle. For

example: If the trunk is eightfeet from the drip line, then theouter boundary will be ten feet,(8 X 125% = 10). Apply fertilizer around the tree or shrub in

a doughnut shaped band 3.3 feetto 10 feet from the trunk, (10/3= 3.3). Applicationsare best applied from early spring.

I have a peach col-ored rose that has

one blossom that is

' half peach and halfwhite. Even one of the petals ishalf peach and white. How didthis happen? Was there crosspollination?

No CTOSS pollination.have found

what is known as a

"bud sport." This isa genetic mutation of the budtissue. In this case the tissue

most likelylost the genetic codefor the peach color, therefore inthe absence of color white re

sults. This is how 'Golden Deli

cious' apples came intoexistence. In the late 19th Cen

tury a branch of a 'Red Delicious' apple tree produced ayellow apple named 'GoldenDelicious.' Buds were graftedinto other trees and rootstocks

and viola! 'Golden Delicious'

apples are now producedworldwide.

Robert E. Call

Extension Agent, Horticulture

Pecan Tree

Budding & GraftingWorkshop

May 199710:00 am in Elfrida

The public is invitedto this free demo

Please call the

Cooperative ExtensionOffice in Willcox

or Sierra Vista

for directions to

location

sued in furtherance c^Coqwrative Extoidon work,acts<^May8 and June30,1914, in cooperation withtheUnitedStatesDepartmoitof Agriculture, JamesA. Christens<H),Director, Cooperative Extension, College Agriculture, The University of AnzooBi and Arizona Counties coopoating.The University ArizonaCollegeof Agriculture is anecpial qjportunity employer authorized toproi^ research, educational information and other services only toindividuals and institutions that function without regard tosex,race, reli^on, color, national (xigifi, age, Vietnam Era Veteran's status, ordisability.The informationgiven h^ein is suppliedwiththe understanding that no discrimination is intendedand no endorsement by Coqjoative Extensionis implied.Anyproducts,services,or organizationsthat are n^rtioned, shown,or indirectlyimpliedin this publicationdo not implyenckxsen^iitby the UniversityofArizona.

COOPERATIVE EXTENSION

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

^ TUCSON, ARIZONA 85721

OFTICIAL BUSINESS

PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE $300

BULK RATE

POSTAGE & FEES PAH)USDA

PERMIT No. G268

r

V

CoHiHivinity Soil W^terConservation ¥ci\r

S^tvir^l^y, M^y 10 ' 9:001:00 pmThe University of Arizona Sierra Vist^ C^ntpvis

1140 M. CobntboSponsore^i by:

'M'erefoPFi Vlotvir^l l^esoviree Conservation districtThe U of A Cooperative Extension

DEMONSTRATIONS

Erosion Control

Soil AnalysisWater Harvesting

EXHIBITS

Arizona Cactus and Succulents

BLM

Cochise County Master Gardeners Assn.Hereford NRCD

Nature ConservancyU.S. Department ofAgriculture

U.S. Forest Service

WaterWise Program

J