Differences Between Xeric and Mesic Plants

             Many homeowners don’t know the names of plants in their yards or landscapes. Most can look at a plant and know if it is a tree, shrub, or flower but not its name much less how often it should be watered and with how much.

This pyracantha was known as a "plant with berries" to a homeowner trying to calculate its landscape water use. Pyracantha does have berries but it is considered "mesic" in its need for water.

Xeric plants vs Mesic plants

Lower water use trees, shrubs and flowers are watered less often. They should get the same amount of water when they are irrigated but don’t need it as often. That’s how xeric, or lower water use, plants operate.

            One way to find out if an unnamed plant is xeric is to water it less often during the cooler months. In the long run xeric plants are watered less often. That’s how they, and you, save water in landscapes. If it starts looking bad to your eyes or dies, then it is most likely not xeric.

Big Trees are Seldom Xeric

            Another method is their size. Big trees are seldom xeric. Xeric plants are not big. They tend to be smaller. The bigger xeric trees and shrubs grow where water collects; arroyos, waterways, and desert springs.

This young shoestring acacia is a 40 foot tall mesic tree from Australia that grows along waterways.

This shoestring acacia was "topped" (not done that well I might add) probably because it was getting too tall for that spot. Shortening its height will reduce its water use but not how often it needs water.

Big trees use more water than smaller trees. This is true even if you buy one that is small and it grows big when it gets older. Just like kids. You don’t know if your child will become tall or not until they get closer to that size. Oh wow…which side of the family did HE/SHE come from?

How to Reduce Water Applied to Your Landscape

            During these cooler fall months, start watering less often and see what plants start looking not so good. Try adding more drip emitters to those plants looking not as good as you are watering less often. This gives these plants more water but still less often.

Best Time and How to Prune Ornamental Shrubs

Q. I have some shrubs in my yard that are getting rather scraggly looking.  I was wondering when and how far back I can prune it back in to shape.

Shrubs improperly pruned with a hedge shears. Unfortunately, most people do not recognize bad pruning when they see it and now unfortunately are asking for this kind of pruning.

A. First decide if now is the best time for pruning them or not. You can prune anytime during the winter months. Some plants look better through the winter if they are pruned now. Other plants look fine now but might not look as good if you were to prune them.

As shrubs are pruned more and more into a gumball, in a few years they developed exposed strong stabs at the base.

            Remember, if you prune now you will have to look at them the rest of the winter. If these are flowering shrubs, prune them soon after they finished flowering. If the shrubs do not have ornamental flowers, prune them anytime during the winter.
            The best pruning methods remove the oldest growth from the bottom of the shrub with a lopper or hand shears. Hedge shears for pruning shrubs are, as the name implies, for hedges, not for shrubs.

Properly pruned shrubs require to – 4 cuts at the very bottom to keep it looking good and juvenile.

Clover-Looking Weed with Yellow Flowers is Very Difficult to Control

Q. I have oxalis clover look-alike as a weed. How can I control it? I am ready to use chemicals at this point having tried to rid it by digging and pulling with no success. Having it in my grass is bad enough but now that it is in my iris beds I want to kill the dang stuff!