Desert Blooms

Southwest Yard and Garden By Dr. Marisa Thompson   SEE HIGHLIGHTED SECTION BELOW FOR UPDATE FROM March 2024!   A broadleaf mistletoe infects a young ash tree in two different parts of the same canopy on Indian School Road in Albuquerque. The smaller sprout (right) is tiny, but the swollen branch is a likely sign that the infection is deeper than it looks and may be permeating throughout the entire trunk. Photo credits M. Thompson. Question: There’s mixed advice out there on how to control mistletoe. What do you recommend? -           Question submitted via Sandoval County Extension Agent Lynda Garvin Answer: For me, the control approach depends mainly on the kind of tree, how bad the infestation is, and if the mistletoe is reasonably reachable. In a nutshell: there are many species of mistletoe (over 1,500 worldwide) and, for the most part, each one is species-sp...

Southwest Yard and Garden By Dr. Marisa Thompson This six-foot-tall cactus in a Las Cruces yard is likely to be a Sonoran saguaro ( Carnegiea gigantea ), even though it has grown remarkably fast. Photo credit Mike B. Question: Is this a saguaro in my front yard in Las Cruces? I’ve heard that saguaros do not grow well in this area. I planted it in 2012 and it is growing about 1 foot each year. It’s currently close to 6 feet tall.             -Mike B., Las Cruces Answer: Yes, probably, but maybe not. When we talk about saguaros in the Southwest, we’re referring to the Arizona saguaro ( Carnegiea gigantea ) of the Sonoran Desert. But there’s also an Argentine saguaro or cordon grande ( Trichocereus terscheckii , aka Echinopsis terscheckii ) that looks remarkably similar and is known to be one of the cold-hardiest columnar cacti in the world, rated at USDA cold hardiness zone 8 (average annual extreme low temperatures reaching 10–20...

Southwest Yard and Garden By Dr. Marisa Thompson Cone galls on coyote willows just outside Abiquiu on December 1, 2019. Photo credits M. Thompson. Question: What are these beautiful, tiny cones on willow branches near Abiquiu?                                     -Malcolm S., Visiting New Mexico for Thanksgiving Holiday Answer: At first glance, I thought either these aren’t cones or these aren’t willow trees because willows don’t have cones like this, or buds like this either. Full disclosure, the question this week came from my cousin, Malcolm, and I was standing right there next to him. I had noticed the small, multi-trunked trees and assumed they were our native coyote willows ( Salix exigua ). But I hadn’t noticed that many of these small trees lining the dry streambed were covered in...