Plants that Deliver for All Seasons

Last week’s cold snap ignited some really vibrant fall colors, categorically glorious enhancements to our landscapes. Specifically, the Raywood ash, Fraxinus oxycarpa, has taken center stage with its robust shades of scarlet and purple. No other tree right now is endowed with these intense colors. Besides its fall beauty, this ash is a moderate-sized tree, growing to 30 feet, and a very drought tolerant addition to any landscape.

I have a list of favorite locally grown plants that look great in autumn, but also deliver distinctive interest in the other seasons as well. Characteristics of these evergreen plants are spring flowers, summer berries, and autumn color; these plants are good-looking during all four seasons.

Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis, is very fragrant, and valuable in the kitchen. Sapphire-colored flowers adorn this 3-foot high shrub in spring and again in fall. It also is available as a ground cover.
Service Berry, Amelanchier, is showing its fabulous red to orange foliage now. A short tree or tall shrub this plant has bridal-white flowers that adorn every branch in spring and produce berries in summer. The fruits are edible and tasty, but you’ll never harvest many of them because birds LOVE them! I like to take care of the birds in my yard, so I planted one of these shrubs just for “my birds”.

Oregon Grape, Mahonia aquifolium, is the perfect mountain evergreen which is often mistaken for a holly. Solar yellow flowers cover the entire plant in spring followed by a summer berry, thus the name Oregon grape. The berries are very pretty and very edible. Heading into winter the leaves turn a mixed cranberry and orange color that remains until spring bloom. This plant loves the sun, heat, wind, and requires less water than many natives.

Heavenly Bamboo, Nandina, is evergreen with bright red highlights through winter. Bamboo-shaped foliage is graced with clusters of white flowers in spring that form into red berries as summer heat arrives. Think versatility with this 3-foot tall plant as it is happy in any amount of sun, most soils, and tolerates any cold or heat.
Red Cluster Berry, Cotoneaster parneyi, has white flowers in spring evolving to red berries that remain on the plant through winter. It’s a welcome food source for feather friends hanging around after the New Year. A good, and much hardier, substitute for the red tipped photinia, it’s also valuable as a tall (to ten feet) screen.

Strategically interplanted with winter-blooming flowers, any of these plants will bring interest to an otherwise drab winter landscape. Flowers and lawns should be watered about twice per week right now, easing off to irrigation every 5-7 days as Thanksgiving approaches.

My family is celebrating a remarkable source of pride this week: the 27th anniversary of our family’s Christmas Wonderland at the garden center. Almost three decades ago my father-in-law, Harold Watters, started decorating Christmas trees with hundreds of ornaments to fill in a customarily slow time at the nursery. I am proud that my wife, Lisa, and I still carry on this holiday tradition. About this year’s Wonderland, I have to say to the lead designers, Lisa and Pam: “Way to go for a uniquely different Christmas experience!”

Legal garden alert! The town of Chino Valley will consider adopting an 84-page law that completely bans all water use for landscapes, washing cars, kids playing on Slip-N-Slides, horses, vegetable gardens, or any other outdoor use of water. Even pools and spas are at risk! Penalties for violators include class one misdemeanors and fines compounded daily. Penalties, judgments, and the iron fist of local government occupy 26 pages of this 88-page document presented by the city water resource director, Mark Holmes. We all need to band together in fighting this proposed measure.

December 1 at 6:00 pm the C.V. council will hear the reasons for adopting this new law. If you want a copy of the law, and my summary of its far-reaching effects, email your request to my personal email address: kenlain@cableone.net.

This is not only a Chino Valley issue; it is the first skirmish in the battle over water use in our area. The Prescott Water Conservation Coordinator also is weighing the adoption of similar measures. Your support is encouraged; join those of us who stand to uphold property rights, a fulfilling quality of life, and the rich heritage of the region. Please get involved.

Don’t forget my free gardening classes, held at 9:30 each Saturday morning. Classes are about one hour long, aimed at helping you create a standout landscape. The November 7th subject is “Winterizing Your Landscape” and on November 14 we’ll cover, in depth, the topic “Mountain Landscape Designs Made Easy”. Join us for a lot of practical, timely, local gardening information. View the entire class schedule at wattersonline.com.

Until next week, I'll see you at the garden center, or maybe in the Christmas shop