   Book Review: Xeriscape Plant Guide - April 2, 2003 Jeff Schalau, County Director, Agent, Agriculture & Natural Resources Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County Water conservation in home and commercial landscapes something that we absolutely must do. It is easy to have an interesting and colorful landscape that requires minimal care and conserves water. Our recent drought has really brought water conservation to the forefront. With that in mind, allow me to suggest an excellent book that has several ideas to replace water consumptive or drought-killed plants. The Xeriscape Plant Guide by Denver Water and the American Water Works Association is published by Fulcrum Publishing. The Xeriscape Plant Guide contains 100 water-wise plants with detailed descriptions and excellent photos/illustrations of each. It is not a newly published book (1996), but is a well-researched, cooperative effort that is still current and informative. Although it was written for Colorado, most of the plants in the book are suitable for our elevation and climate. This book is especially useful to beginning/intermediate gardeners and new residents unfamiliar with our semi-arid climate and challenging soils. The featured plant species are divided into five categories: trees and shrubs; perennials and vines; ground covers and grasses; annuals; and shade plants. Each plant has detailed information about landscape use, growth form, native range, general characteristics, culture (how to plant and grow it successfully), best features, companion plants, and disadvantages. Each of these topics is covered in a brief, yet concise manner making it easy to locate information of greatest interest. The Xeriscape Plant Guide has a few of the time-tested trees and shrubs like ash, lilac, Spirea, and Viburnum. I also saw several familiar, yet underused plants like Catalpa, desert olive, cliffrose, and Zauschneria. The perennials and annuals included are excellent and many will reseed and naturalize without becoming too invasive. A few of my favorite shade tolerant plants are also included: golden currant, coral bells, creeping barberry. The ground covers and grasses section listed several species that provide effective erosion control and compete well to minimize weeds. I am a real fan of un-mowed native grasses in landscapes. However, several of the species listed can be mowed for a more formal appearance or for a yearly cleanup. For these, suitable mowing heights are indicated. This is important because people often unknowingly stress grasses by mowing them too short. There were at least two plants included in the Xeriscape Plant Guide that I think should be re-evaluated if the book is updated. These were fountain grasses (Pennisetum alopecuroides and P. setaceum) which can become invasive. P. setaceum will likely be listed as an Arizona noxious weed within the year. This plant is a serious threat to the Sonoran desert as it spreads rapidly into wildlands, then can carry fires into plant communities that are not well-adapted to fire (i.e. saguaro cactus, barrel cactus, palo verde). The fountain grass recovers quickly from fire and then spreads further into the desert. In my opinion, western native grasses make better choices for landscapes (grama grasses, Indian ricegrass, buffalograss are included in the Guide). Overall, I feel that the Xeriscape Plant Guide is an excellent resource. Many of the species listed in the Xeriscape Plant Guide are also good plants to use when considering fire risk reduction. These can be cross-referenced with the University of Arizona Publication: FIREWISE Plant Materials for 3,000 ft. and Higher Elevations (available at the following web site: cals.arizona.edu/pubs/ of by request from Cooperative Extension). A new book: Native Plants for High Elevation Western Gardens by Jan Busco and Nancy Morin will be available in May 2003. These authors are from The Arboretum at Flagstaff. Fulcrum Publishing has several other xeriscape and gardening books available. Their web site is: www.fulcrum-books.com. Happy reading! The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension has publications and information on gardening and pest control. If you have other gardening questions, call the Master Gardener line in the Cottonwood office at 646-9113 ext. 14 or E-mail us at mgardener@verdeonline.com and be sure to include your address and phone number. Find past Backyard Gardener columns or submit column ideas at the Backyard Gardener web site: http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/. |