City Gardener

The Mission: This is the third year I've chosen a native rush to fill the planter boxes that line my west-facing 13th floor balcony.  Grass seems to be a good plant for the balcony (or a rush in this case, it is not technically a grass) because it visually softens the concrete and metal edges of the balcony. Few other traditional annual plant species tolerate deep shade for most of the morning, followed by intense afternoon sun, and constant wind. Plants that have medium to large leaves (e.g. tomatoes) get shredded by the wind. Grasses and rush grasses will tolerate wind, heat, and some degree of drought. The Plant: Juncus inflexus , commonly known as blue arrow rush. It grows to a height of about 24 inches in the 5-gallon planter bags (but would likely grow higher, to 36 inches, if planted in the ground). Native to northern Europe and Asia, Juncus is also considered native to eastern North America. Although its seed heads are small and indistinct, the blades have a muted blu...

This adobe wall and gate are part of the original hotel in Palm Springs, California. In 1938 the old adobe hotel was purchased by Chester Moorten, who had previously been a stunt man in early Hollywood working on films including the Keystone Cops movies. He and his botanist wife Patricia, lived and operated a desert garden center out of the old hotel. Locally he was known as "Cactus Slim" for his ability to maintain desert plants. Chester's son, Clark, carried on the business and became a noted expert in desert plants. Clark Moorten still owns and operates the Moorten Botanical Garden which is open to the public (except on Wednesdays, which I discovered the hard way). Original adobe wall of the old hotel, now Moorten family home Layout of the botanical garden Compared to other botanical gardens, this one is limited to one acre. However, what it lacks in size it compensates with variety and quality. There are specimens in this garden that would be difficult to find in the ...

It is springtime for plants in the greenhouse, including aquatic plants which are adapted to having their roots always damp or entirely submerged in water. Before plants get too far into the new spring season, now is a good time to address the overgrown roots from last season. One option for an overgrown plant is to divided it into two parts; or, the root ball can be cut down to a smaller size; or, more simply, a plant might be moved into a larger pot. Today, I was directed to use all three techniques for some of the aquatic plants. Umbrella sedge Cyperus alternifolius   A clean tank and water, with repotted plants at the far end With the plants removed from the tank for repotting, it was an opportunity to replace the murky water in the open tank. But, it is not only the tank water needing to be replaced. The majority of the dirty water sits in a large reservoir below the tank. A pump in the reservoir pushes water up into the tank to find its way back down through drain holes. Over...

How do plants do it... ...some stand-off-ish plants have figured out how to keep their distance from each other. They have evolved clever adaptations - sharp elbows - to keep their neighbors away. This behavior is important for survival, especially in the desert where plants compete for water.   I have noticed this phenomenon especially when I've been on a plane flying low over the desert. Where there are plants, they are uniformly distributed but not touching each other. They don't form clumps. They seem to know how far apart to grow. How is that? Why is it these desert plants don't form clumps? They weren't planted this way on purpose (Palm Springs, CA). It seems so obvious to me now that I recognize what is going on, but it took me a few years of hiking in the desert to be mentally conscious of how widely separated, but yet uniformly distributed in the landscape many plants seem to be. How is it that plants are able to keep what appears to be a relatively uniform dis...

Tens of thousands of native California fan palms ( Washingtonia filifera)  rise over the gardens and streets of Palm Springs. The fan-like leaves flutter and wave as the trees gently sway in the desert breeze. If a plant could be described as elegant, this plant would certainly be one. Delicate fibers peel away from the leaf blade as they age, giving the palm part of its name, filifera . The advantage of the fibers to the plant is uncertain; however, the fibers were used by the indigenous Cuhuilla tribes for tools and fabrics. It is no accident the city is named for the palm. For centuries the native Cuhuilla residents were vastly outnumbered by fan palms. For the Cuhuilla, the plant became an important resource for their tools and shelters. Even today, I wouldn't be surprised if the number of palms outnumber the residents of the current modern city. Bird's eye view over old Palm Springs neighborhood; fan palms are everywhere. In their native environment, the palms grow best al...

Finally, after three years... my plant vines have grown and spread to be green wall that I had hoped for. I'm not sure it would have taken as long if the plants were in a more humid, sunny climate, et cetera. But given our indoor Minnesota location - even with a southwest exposure - the vines have needed that amount of time to climb the six feet from the base to the top rungs of the metal grid supporting them. The result has been worth the effort. And to be honest, I didn't have to wait three years to begin enjoying the green wall. The vines were already attractive when only half way up the trellis. A metal grid is filled with mix of Epipremnum aureum cultivar "Marble Queen", Epipremnum aureum aka golden pothos, and Philodendron Brasil . Architecture of the green wall The initial intent of the project was to grow a green wall, in an apartment, that could be moved around to be able to clean underneath, and also to provide a mobile room divider for our open-plan loft....