Desert Blooms

Southwest Yard & Garden By Dr. Marisa Thompson Texas mountain laurel seeds are bright orange-red to deep red when mature and the pods, sometimes with a velvety fuzz, range in color from tan to grey before turning darker if they stay on the tree through the next season. Photo credit M. Thompson. Although these short-statured Texas mountain laurel trees are reported to reach heights over 30 feet in more humid parts of their native range, 10-15 feet is the norm when grown to maturity in New Mexico. Photo credit M. Thompson.   Question: We are looking for Texas mountain laurel seeds or saplings. We recently removed some invasive salt cedars that were growing on our property and would like to try Texas mountain laurel as a replacement tree. What can you tell us about these trees and where to find them for sale or as seed? -           Diane C., Tome , NM Answer: I’m a big fan of the dense-leaved, evergreen, small-statured, clay-tolerant, heat-loving Texas mountain la

Southwest Yard & Garden content and photographs by Marisa Thompson This daffodil at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas in March 2018 was planted by NMSU Extension Viticulturalist Dr. Gill Giese in fall 2017. Question: My friend recently gave me a bag of mixed bulbs to try in my yard. She assured me they’ll be easy to plant and manage, but I’m afraid of killing them before they even have a chance. What are the most important tips for growing bulbs here, and how can I know if I’m doing it right or not? -           Suzanne S., Las Cruces Answer: Don’t worry, I’ve simplified the steps for bulb planting in this column and included pro tips from a regionally revered gardener. You’ll know you’re doing it right when the plants sprout and blooms open. Daffodils became my new favorite flower after blooming on my birthday several years in a row in Las Cruces (February 7, if you must know). And if you do it wrong, you’ll likely never even see the bulb sprout, so

Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson We harvested and weighed over 1,100 lb of unripe tomatoes from frost-bitten plants last week at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas. Photo credit M. Thompson. Question: Why did some plants in my garden handle the first freeze just fine, and others died back completely?         - Jane P., Albuquerque Answer: I was in Las Cruces last week when we got our first two freezes in Los Lunas. Luckily, my poor houseplants on the patio didn’t freeze hard enough—or for long enough—to cause permanent damage. I believe my grandmother would understand and even chuckle if she knew my spider plant that was propagated from hers 20 years ago by my aunt was one of those worried houseplants on my patio. But I shouldn’t have risked it. On those same cold nights at the Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas, less than three miles away, over 100 plants in our tomato study were practically wiped out. By the time I

Southwest Yard & Garden Apples of unknown origin grown and harvested in Mayhill, NM. Photo credit Amanda M.W. Question: We need help identifying this apple variety. Our tree was here when we moved in a little over a year ago and we don't know what they are.  -          Amanda M.W., Mayhill, NM Answer: More than 7,500 named apple varieties are grown throughout the world today, over 2,500 of which are grown in the U.S. Even if we narrow that down to the 100 or so varieties grown commercially in the U.S., it can be very difficult to determine exactly which variety you are growing in your yard. Even though apples are as American as apple pie and the crabapple is native to North America, true apples are native to central Asia and were introduced by the pilgrims in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. ‘Winesap’ and ‘Granny Smith’ side by side. Photo credit M. Thompson. Although I use the terms cultivar and variety pretty much interchangeably, they are disti

Southwest Yard & Garden by Marisa Thompson with guest contributors, Dr. Amanda Skidmore, NMSU Extension Integrated Pest Management Specialist for Urban and Small Farms, and Victor Lucero, Integrated Pest Management Program Manager for the City of Santa Fe Magnified view of diatomaceous earth (photo by Zephyris, Wikimedia Commons). Squash bug nymphs on a squash blossom (photo by Pollinator, Wikimedia Commons). Question: I've always been told that squash bugs shouldn't be squashed, but should be placed in a covered jar or container because, when squashed, they emit a pheromone-binding protein that the other squash bugs can sense from distances and will be attracted to their brothers in my yard. Is this fact or fiction?                                           -Carol B., Los Lunas Answer: I hadn’t heard this scary detail, so I reached out to Dr. Amanda Skidmore, NMSU Extension Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Specialist for Urban and Small Farms, for