Plant for Success
By Michele Chambliss, Perennial Garden Consultants
Planting a garden, or a plant cemetery?
The above photo taken at a recent consultation shows a hole dug where a 15-gallon tree will eventually go, thereby replacing the container that’s currently “holding” the spot.
In Las Vegas (located in the Mojave Desert) digging a planting hole like this is unfortunately common practice and in fact not the correct way to install new trees or shrubs.
To give trees a chance for success given our tough climate and soils low in fertility/high in salts: dig a hole 3-5 times as wide as the rootball and just as deep as the rootball (no deeper), improve the soil with organics (at least 50%), and for trees create a watering basin.
When planting shrubs, vines, grasses and perennials, a hole 2-3 times as wide as the container will do.
Remove container stakes and stake trees properly, so it can move and grow strong to withstand desert winds.
The client here also chose a chaste tree, Vitex agnus-castus, which I cautioned against. Why? There's not enough space for it to grow, and furthermore, being a flowering deciduous tree, it's going to drop everything right into the pool.
I love chaste trees; they are beautiful and an excellent pollinator plant. But think it through--a tree buzzing with bees right next to the pool in this case may not be the best idea. And what about when it outgrows its space--you could easily be planting a future maintenance headache.
We tend to think that plant selection as purely subjective, and the fact that we like a plant means it ought to grow where we want it to grow. Unfortunately, putting our aesthetic tastes above the needs of the plant or demands of the site doesn't often work, especially within this challenging desert environment (USDA Hardiness Zone 9, Sunset Western Garden Zone 11).
The season counts too. The photo was taken around the end of July. I would describe summer as less than optimum planting time here, when daily temperatures exceed 100 degrees and nights "cool" into the 90's.
Digging the ground in the Vegas Valley is hard work. I've done it—it feels more like working in a quarry than gardening! But it must be done, and done correctly to avoid digging little plant graves and ensure the best chance of success!
Michele Chambliss is a “plant-driven" garden designer based in Las Vegas, NV. An American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) Certified Horticulturist and Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) Qualified Professional who has been awarded Houzz Best in Service for the fourth year in a row, she has worked in many facets of horticulture for the past 25 years, from maintenance to design.
Contact her directly at: perennialgardenconsultants.com/contact