Making the Backyard Our Own While Conserving Water

Our backyard was just a plain expanse of green grass when we first moved in. 

Since then, we've added the chicken coop and run, some new raised beds, a fence to divide off a section from the dogs, and a border for flowers. 

Because a single seeding of hollyhocks has flourished and self-propagated in our front yard (shown above), I've moved some of the resulting little seedlings out back...

... where they've shot upwards of eight or nine feet, almost overpowering the flamboyant desert bird of paradise trees that are planted nearby--look closely for the yellow and red flowers to the left in the photo above. 

In this planting along the side fence, the bird of paradise looks to be winning the competition. 

Elsewhere in the garden (not shown) there is a blue vitex (Texas lilac) that is co-existing with some other pink hollyhocks. Together, they will make a lovely color combination once the vitex gets taller than the hollyhocks. 

We are so lucky to be surrounded by a pecan orchard that gives us a continual cool green backdrop in the summer.

For the second year now, this sweet apricot-colored native globe mallow has volunteered its blossoms in among the other plants. With very little water and a bit of pruning it will rebloom later in the season. 

And for the very first time, this Beverly Sills iris has bloomed after I moved it to a better spot. For some reason, I've had little success with irises, but this beauty has made me want a field trip to the Hondo Iris Farm near Ruidoso, New Mexico. I hope to bring back a few irises in pots and a catalog to order some more. Ruby colors! Blues! Yellows!

Everything that has been planted so far requires just a minimum of water, a good thing in this desert climate. While the long-range plan is to leave a bit of grass for dog romps, we are slowly reducing the size of the lawn in favor of xeriscape-type (drought-tolerant) plants. 

Chastity via Vegetation

A month or so ago, we started noticing some lovely medium-sized trees around town that were blossoming in a wonderful shade of blue. The tree in the left foreground is an example, although I don't think you can see the blossoms very well, but the photo does give you an idea of the size of the mature tree.

I checked with my favorite plant guy down at the Las Cruces Farmers Market and found out that the tree is called a vitex. I bought a small one from him and planted it out front in the full sun.

Here is a close-up of one of the blossoms.

I wanted to know a bit more about the tree, and found that it is also called chaste tree, chasteberry, or monk's pepper. The leaves look a bit like cannabis, and, together with the flowers have a lively peppery fragrance. I like a plant with a bit of a story to it, and this one will add a lot to our gardening conversations: The Greeks used the leaves to "cool the heat of lust," and the plant parts were used as "anti-libido medicine by monks to aid their attempts to remain chaste."

Never mind what they say about older people; perhaps having one of these in the garden might add even more to our reputation around the neighborhood.