Horticulture

High Desert Gardening

Santa Fe Garden Club hosts Douglas Tallamy

Noted ecologist and entomologist Douglas Tallamy challenged members of the Santa Fe Garden Club and the Santa Fe Botanical Garden to rethink how we plant our gardens and the use of lawns. The June 13th event was co-sponsored by the Santa Fe Garden Club’s Conservation Committee and the Santa Fe Botanical Garden. On a beautiful blue sky day, participants walked through the Botanical Garden with Mr. Tallamy and observed native plants that are flourishing in our environment. As a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, Mr. Tallamy has authored many books including Nature’s Best Hope. He encouraged greater wildness in our landscapes by planting with native North American flora, helping to support native butterflies, moths and other arthropods, as well as provide food for songbirds, small mammals and reptiles. His deep concern with disappearing native habitats and species, prompted him to advocate for smaller lawns, removal of invasive species, and the addition of native plants. Mr. Tallamy reflected that a native oak tree can support more than 500 caterpillar species of North American butterflies. His initiative “Homegrown National Park,” seeks “to motivate millions of people to regenerate biodiversity by planting natives, removing invasives, and building a culture sympathetic to the needs of conversation”. His informative talk produced stimulating conversations, and a deeper awareness about how the choices of plants in our landscapes make a significant difference in supporting the continuation of natural habitats.

His website : nativeplantfinder.nwf.org

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Honoring the Southwest with our Gardens

The Santa Fe Garden Club was delighted to bring Panyoti Kelaidas, Horticulturist with the Denver Botanical Garden to Santa Fe. The title of his talk was “Gardening is giving back to nature- you can give back to nature but you can not replace it.” Panyoti, a life long Colorado gardener who has worked at the Denver Botanical Gardens (DBG) for more than forty years. Currently, he is Senior Curator and Director of Outreach for the DBG. He is known for his expertise in gardening in the Southwest. Panayoti is also known as the hero of Southwestern Horticulture. He gave a spirited talk about successfully gardening and honoring nature in our Southwest gardens.

Eldorado Cactus Garden

Field trip to Eldorado to see the cactus garden which also provides the public with cactus cuttings each year for free.

Trip to Maya’s Mushrooms located on AquaFria in Santa Fe.
Opportunity to find fresh gourmet mushrooms.

The Purple Adobe Lavender Farm in Abiquiu

The Santa Fe Garden Club sponsors continuing workshops, lectures and field trips to share information about the special challenges of gardening in this high desert environment.

What’s New:

• Honoring Nature in the Southwest with our Gardens, with Panayoti Kelaidis. https://santafegardenclub.org/honoring-nature-in-the-southwest-with-our-gardens/

• High Country Gardens, needs no introduction. https://www.highcountrygardens.com/flower-bulbs/spring-flower-bulbs

• Homegrown New Mexico: Community Homesteading: Grow, Raise, Make, and Preserve by the Giant Veggie Gardener https://homegrownnewmexico.wordpress.com/author/giantveggiegardener/ Offered are classes, along with a newsletter.

• National Gardening Association https://garden.org is another resource for gardening articles and plant information.

• Garden Gate Magazine https://www.gardengatemagazine.com. Featured on this very colorful site are articles like “Guide to Edible Flowers. Also, check out their YouTube Channel, “Talk and Tour,” for how-to guides. Online now is a free, on-demand series of classes on organic gardening, in collaboration with Horticulture magazine.

• New Mexico State University Extension Service offers recorded and live online classes done by excellent instructors. In addition to classes like “Starting Seeds Early,” there’s an entire series of videos on houseplant care. https://aces.nmsu.edu/desertblooms/ready-set-grow.html

• North American Rock Garden Society includes both videos and articles, including one by our own Panayoti Kelaidis, (Durango: Where the Four Corners of America’s Flora Meet”) https://www.nargs.org

• A Way to Garden, Margaret Roach, NYT Real Estate Columnist, offers links to past columns (“It May Feel Like Winter, but it’s Time to Shop for Seeds”). She also has articles on Nature, Gardening chores, and Recipes. https://awaytogarden.com

• Santa Fe Extension Master Gardeners, https://www.sfemg.org has a great newsletter that keeps you current on upcoming classes, programs, and events.

• SF Chapter of the Native Plant Society, which needs no explanation. Here are some upcoming programs. Please note that these links are for members only, You’re all members, right? Or, you’re going to join, right? https://www.npsnm.org/about/join/

1. David Salman, various You Tube videos on gardening, native plants and bulbs.

2. Dr Tom Swetnam, Lonesome Pine: Tree Rings and the Plaza Tree of Pueblo Bonito https://zoom.us/rec/share/2cSECAYImBSOtNIP3s38KREUH3Rh1ff XwRQh5ArfIB3pIrFIAVSy2AnP4vVE64DW.uQQSCBLHgtSVMm 3m (The talk doesn’t start until 6 minutes 50 seconds in if you want to skip forward.)

3. Santa Fe Pollinator Trail partner, Recent meeting organized by Kaitlin Haase, Southwest Pollinator Conservation Specialist https://zoom.us/rec/share/hKgBbN[1]pqUMtZQ9nYtyRvblQIiF9HuKwSLVSa42Wp_45GFP9PXyDVo[1]2Q_F4XvbI.ILpWnPqsHjrDLvCR Access Passcode: Gy$4y0mn

Fall’s Resources–Still good Tools : https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/10-ergonomic-tools-that-make-gardening-nearly[1]painless-45767

Education – online classes from the Denver Botanical Gardens: https://catalog.botanicgardens.org/default.aspx?tagid=43

Useful Website: https://www.swgardening.com : fun with plants in a dry climate Bulbs:

Many of us want to support our local nurseries during the pandemic and beyond. But if you are limiting your trips away from home or cannot find what you want locally, these companies have been excellent online sources for me for many years. Old House Gardens specializes in antique and rare bulbs. White Flower Farm is a general nursery with a large selection of top quality bulbs. https://www.whiteflowerfarm.com https://oldhousegardens.com

Educational videos on YouTube: For those of you not using YouTube as a Horticultural Resource, I have found it invaluable. There are hundreds of short videos demonstrating all sorts of garden tasks, easily found using the YouTube search function ( the little magnifying glass icon).

Here are just a few examples of autumn task information and demonstrations. Garden Style new channel– layered Bulb pots, how to plant long lasting Fall containers Simplify Gardening channel: How to grow bulbs in containers lasagna style. J Parker’s How to layer Spring Flowering Bulbs (containers) Dayton Nursery: How to plant Spring Flowering Bulbs (in ground) Longfield Gardens: Tulip Planting Tips and Techniques Oakes Daylilies : How to divide daylilies; How to plant daylilies.