Readers share advice on caring for an ocotillo
A southern exposure and specially-bred plants increase the chances of success dealing with our altitude and winters
Dear readers: Having written about the ocotillo last week, I received several messages with continued thought patterns and ways to get more info on the plant itself!
First, Sir Peter wanted to “remind” everyone that a southern exposure is almost mandatory when aiming to grow one of these delights here in the metro area. He went on to say that in the southeast areas of New Mexico, it (the ocotillo) is fairly common and he recognized that it dwindled out above Socorro, the closer you got to Albuquerque. He’s has also noticed that about 20 years ago he started seeing more and more growing in the metro area.
With that I was taught by another note from Ms. Penny that there are ocotillos “bred” from plants that are grown at higher altitude, and therefore more able to withstand our winters better. She also wanted everyone to know about a huge informational resource available to us all. The Cactus & Succulent Society of New Mexico (CSSNM), Albuquerque Chapter, is a club dedicated to the care and tending of all things cactus or succulent!
On the web you can find them at newmexico.cactussociety.org. There are numerous PDFs (files) available to the public on various aspects of gardening with cacti and other succulents. You can even email direct at CSSofNM@gmail.com to “speak” to a human. So perhaps getting ahold of these folks could open a whole new world and answer many questions any of you have about gardening with cactus and succulents in these parts! Just know that it might take a bit of time for your queries to be answered. So, please be patient!
I do know that the CSS of NM usually hosts a sale at the Albuquerque Garden Center in April so that’ll be something to look forward to next year.
What struck me most about Ms. P.’s note was the attached image. This garden is chock full of remarkable blooming color! A Mexican bird of paradise, a stout Spanish broom, cholla cactus with purple blooms, a stately ocotillo — which Ms. P. says is upward of 15 feet tall — prickly pear cactus sporting yellow flowers, and what I think is either a desert willow or a chitalpa tree!
What made my heart glad was to see so many “like water users” planted and thriving together proving that with thought and planning you can create an environment that is full of color and lots of different visual textures and most of all doesn’t require gobs and gobs of water!
Kudos to you Ms. P. and thanks for the information for being able to make more informed and better decision when it comes to planting and tending ocotillo here! Thanks for caring!
Q: My granddaughter and I planted a big pot of marigolds together and we’ve enjoyed the growing part! She gets worried when the flowers finished and I haven’t been able to figure out how to calm her — that that’s the way with flowers. Any ideas how I can explain to her better what’s going on? — G.G., Albuquerque
A: Well, you picked the most perfect flower to teach with!
Here’s what you can do. As each of the flowers is “finished” teach her to cut off the stem holding just the bloom. Collect these finished flowers in a PAPER bag and set them someplace dry, cool and dark. Once a day give the bag a good shake. This shaking movement aids the drying out of the flower heads.
About 10 days to two weeks later — (write the date on the paper bag) — pour the flower heads out of the bag and start to gather the seed of the flowers. The cup or husk that holds the flower petals needs to be peeled away or you can, if the flowers are dry enough, just tug the seed out of that husk. Then in a clean dry paper bag put all of the collected seed, write the year they were grown and if you have it the variety of marigold plant the seed is from. That way you’ll have seed for next year’s pot of flowers and you could plant some of the seed now and grow even more marigold this season teaching her the circle of life!
Harvesting marigold seed is so easy and a fun way to teach all about growing! Happy Diggin’ In!