This plant is wonderful. It's overused here in Tucson, but it is EXTREMELY low maintenance for your landscape. It is one of THE perfect plants for Tucson. For most of the year, it has a lovely silvery green glow to it, but it will also throw out some lovely purple flowers. It can be pruned or let to grow naturally. In a cold winter, the plant will die back until spring. New growth begins around March and into April. It's drought tolerant and NEEDS full sun. If not checked on a regular basis, this plant will spread out in your garden. I've had to pull several little Rangers out of the ground and keep the plant in check. Again, here is a report from Cathy Bishop on the Texas Ranger in Tucson.

"Oh, the joys of July! Let’s see, we have intense heat, microbursts of wind, threats of rain that don’t happen, sudden downpours that do happen. But, to make up for the weather not fit for man nor beast, we have Texas Rangers. What would summer in Tucson be without the seemingly miraculous displays of color popping up all over town with our many kinds of Texas Rangers? Where once there was a group of somewhat nondescript shrubs, the day after a storm turns them into balls of brilliant color. We are at no loss of fantastic choices to put to the test. The genus Leucophyllum has many species, which are known by numerous common names such as Texas Ranger, Texas Sage, Rain Sage, Cenizo, Silverleaf and more.  In the past 20 years since the original Texas Ranger (Leucophyllum frutescens) became a staple in desert landscapes, horticulturists rose to the challenge of making these plants better. There are enough kinds of delightful hybrids to make everyone happy; there is the perfect one for every landscape. What everyone wants, and what research and hard work have given to us, are shrubs with better shape, better flower color and more frequent blooming. Among the varieties are:

> Those that can take cold winter temperatures better, such as Leucophyllum langmaniae varieties Rio Bravo and Lynn’s Legacy.
> The small-leafed Leucophyllum laevigatum, most frequently called Chihuahuan Rain Sage, which fits well into landscapes that want to keep a natural desert look.
> Ones that stay compact for small landscapes, such as Leucophyllum zygophyllum Cimarron.
> One with fragrant flowers, Leucophyllum pruinosum Sierra Bouquet.
> Probably the most asked-for of the L. frutescens hybrids, Green Cloud and Heavenly Cloud, for those folks who want a thicker, greener shrub.

For all of the work that has been done in hybridizing Texas Rangers, the finest culmination appears in Heavenly Cloud. The shrub is well-branched and densely clothed with small, dark green leaves that hold well through temperatures even below 20 degrees. The shrub’s crowning glory is the full head of flowers that pops out with the slightest rain shower and glows with a color intensity not found in the other varieties. Somewhere in every landscape, there is a place for a Texas Ranger, so everyone can revel in the wonder of the day after the storm. Now, which one will it be?"  End of article.  Source: http://tucsoncitizen.com/morgue/2006/07/21/19495-texas-ranger-hybrids-grown-in-desert-hardy-varieties/

Another great choice for your landscape in Tucson, but be careful overplanting this shrub or your yard will look rather drab and dull.  I like it has an accent plant and untrimmed. Until tomorrow.....

Labels: growing Texas ranger in Tucson, Leucophyllum frutescens 'Green Cloud', texas ranger, Texas ranger care in Tucson, texas sage in Tucson, what is that purple flowered bush?

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Another favorite pic of mine snapped last year from my roof as I am counting down to the one year anniversary of Las Aventuras Blog.

I spend hours upon hours reading about landscape design, garden themes, and plants to place around homes during our winter downtime. This is perhaps one of my favorite writes in a while as the topic is really interesting.  A wonderful colleague of mine from work brought this garden theme to my attention last year.  I have been researching Moonlight Gardens in the desert for several months now and have found a lot of material on it.  What is a moonlight garden? Why would someone have it? What does it look like?  What kind of plants would you use?  Hopefully I will answer your questions on this very special write about an idea that I think is very magical in nature.

Movies inspire with great storytelling and great acting......but they can also engage the imagination through scenery and landscape.  A couple movies that come to mind are On Golden Pond and the epic Lord of the Rings. When I think "moonlight garden", my mind immediately flashes to a memorable scene from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy where Galadriel is walking barefoot on grass towards a fountain in the moonlight.  I think this scene captures the magic and idea of what a Moonlight Garden represents. Through my travels, I have seen evenings smothered by moonlight and I think that once someone has experienced something so enchanting, they want to recreate it in their own gardens.  If you haven't seen the moon over a still and quiet ocean, the desert, or shining bright through a forest canopy,  this idea may be mumbo jumbo to you, but trust me, it can take your breathe away.  Let's explore Tucsonans and why they enjoy their evenings.

Highly recommended for a large pot or planter, this fragrant night bloomer casts a spell in your garden.  The flower opens at night and floods our courtyard with a lovely smell. It is recommended for a moonlight garden. Picture taken from a planter in our courtyard.

Some people reading this blog will understand because they live in the desert; others will understand because they are "night owls"; while others will read this and think the evening is for sleep. Tucsonans, during the summer, will generally stay out of the heat during the day because it's hot. However, when the sun sets during our summer months, people leave their homes for outdoor dining.  The evenings, especially during monsoon, are balmy and tropical.....sometimes with beautiful lightening storms over the mountains. I don't know if anyone has written about the "night culture"  in the Old Pueblo, but within my community, many of my neighbors are up late at night to go on a walk, take a dip in their pools, have a drink on their patios, or just sit absorbing the night air.  My favorite times are when the power goes out in the city and everything is dark and quiet.....if the citrus is in bloom, El Presidio becomes a very special space. As you can see, moonlight gardening is a wonderful gardening theme....especially if you are up to enjoy the night air.

A night time bloomer, this Night-Blooming Cereus packs a punch in a Moonlight Garden. This plant will only bloom at night and shut its' flower in the morning.

Okay, we've explored the why and sentiment behind this idea.....what about the technical part?  What plants should someone use in their desert gardens?  Stick with plants that have white flowers or a silver grey color leaf.  Texas Sage and lavender are good examples of that silvery foliage I'm describing....plus they have beautiful purple flowers during the day.  White oleander is a good shrub along a fenceline.  For cacti, we can use the Twin-Spined Cactus or the Night Blooming Cereus(several varieties of this plant).  For groundcover, there is the Tufted Evening Primrose and for a smaller bush, there is the Powis Castle Artemisia.  If you have planters and pots, a white datura is great.  Do not put this plant into the ground as it requires a lot of water!!!  I use datura for a single reason in our garden space......when I'm on vacation during the hot summer months, this plant tells my substitutes that the garden may need some water.  If the leaves droop, my gardening friends know it's time to water the pots around the property:)  Several other plants that are favorites for moonlight gardens are the Argentine giant cactus, dusty miller, foxglove, lamb's ear, silver torch cactus(MY FAVORITE!!), Texas Olive(messy), and yucca.  The key to creating this style of garden is A. Think of the leaf and how moonlight would reflect off of it...silver grey leaves will reflect the moonlight  B. White flowers that bloom at night and C. Cacti spines that will also reflect(sorry to write this again, but I love Silver Torch!!!).

Well, there you have it.....a Moonlight Garden for your desert space.  I am excited because my friend who introduced me to this idea is buying a new place and wants to implement this garden theme.  I love designing new spaces!!!  El Presidio is pretty much all done....so a new garden area and design are fun to explore:) Until next time........

Labels: creating a moonlight garden in Arizona, datura, moon gardens for Tucson, moonlight garden, Silver Torch Cactus, texas sage in Tucson, What is a moonlight garden?

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