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The Tucson Gardener |
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In the Garden Calendar
Local Garden Links
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Seeds & Plants All those pretty pictures in the catalogs are down right intoxicating. The tomatoes are red, red and not at all like the orangey, always seem to split things, some of us grow. And the foliage? Green, the darkest of green. There are no signs of damage from leaf miner, aphids, flee beetles, cucumber beetles and other insects. You don't see signs of chlorosis, leaf spot or sunburn. How do they grow such perfect plants? The flower pictures show them growing so profusely it's hard to believe all those flowers and buds could be on a single plant. Seed catalogs are fun to browse and convenient. And there's always the chance of stumbling on to a variety that does extremely well in our desert climate and would produces oohs and ahs from anyone seeing the thing growing. The local nurseries offer racks of seeds but their big attraction is container plants. There you find annuals in pony packs, herbs in four inch pots, one gallon plants, shrubs and trees in five gallon plastic pots or trees in 15 gallon containers or in large wood boxes. The varieties of plants and vegetables they sell are usually those that do well in the desert climate but there's no guarantee you'll have success. And unless you look closely you don't know the quality of the plants. They could be root bound or maybe they suffered severe wilt more than once while sitting on a table waiting to be watered by an employee. The one thing the nursery or garden center should offer that you can't get from a seed catalog is local gardening advice. But that doesn't mean the nursery person on the west side of town is going to tell you the same thing the clerk in the garden center at Wal-Mart or Home Depot will. As a desert gardener you will have to decide which information is the most reliable and where you can always buy quality plants. Whether you start your plants from seeds, or container plants, it pays to shop around. Prices differ, selection varies, and the quality of the plant specimen can vary, too. While one garden center may have the tree in a five or 15-gallon container it might have a funny shape, look chlorotic or even be root bound. Another nursery may have the same tree but offer a much better specimen. Don't be afraid to take the time and shop more than one location. You can save yourself some later gardening aggravation by starting with the best plants and advice you can get. (1998) |
