Thursday, July 31st, 2008
While traveling in California last month with the American Public Garden Association Annual Conference, we had the opportunity to visit Joshua Tree National Park and experience some unique desert flora and fauna. One of our favorite stops was the Cholla Cactus Garden.
This garden is a stand of Opuntia bigelovii, also known as the teddy-bear cholla. There is nothing cuddly about this cactus as you can see from the image. The desert sun really highlighted the bright yellow spines. A native of Nevada and Arizona, another common name for this Opuntia is jumping cholla because the spines seem to attach to…
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Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008
In 2005, the Scott Arboretum began experimenting with hardy containers. These containers are left in place year-round and do not require annual replanting. As a result of the successful first hardy containers planted around Pearson Hall, the Arboretum planted 9 more hardy containers throughout the gardens this year.
These types of containers were trialed in an attempt to be more environmentally sustainable and to conserve natural resources. Once hardy containers become established their watering needs are relatively modest, thus allowing for less irrigation. They also do not require annual replanting which reduces the demands on other resources.
Aside from their value as…
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