Trees aren’t the first things you think of when you think about New Mexico, but Albuquerque’s urban forest is a important environmental tool.

Nick Kuhn, city forester, was one of the speakers at the New Mexico Xeriscape and Water Conservation Conference in Albuquerque last month. I guess it never occurred to me that cities in the southwest would need foresters, but by the time Nick finished his talk, I was a believer.

Nick explained that even the southwest needs an urban forest and street trees are valuable “solar-powered environmental tools.” Each tree is a natural resource for economic, social and environmental benefits.

However, in the city of Albuquerque many residents have stopped thinking of trees as an important part of the ecosystem equation. With water at a premium, and a big push to conserve it, many think that a treeless yard saves water. But nothing could be farther from the truth.

Joel Salatin is a third generation alternative farmer in the Shenandoah Valley who attracted national attention after being featured in Michael Pollan’s book, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.”

The second day of the 15th Annual Water Conservation and Xeriscape Conference in Albuquerque was not only enlightening, uplifting and educational–it was a lot of fun.

The day started off with two keynote presentations, one by Dr. Robert Glennon, the Morris K. Udall Professor of Law and Public Policy at the University of Arizona and the other by Will Swope, the Vice President and General Manager of Corporate Sustainability at Intel. I plan to recap their talks, and others from the conference in future blogs, but tonight I wanted to write about Joel Salatin’s presentation and “A Sustainable Farmer’s Point of View.”

Joel calls himself a “grass farmer” on his family’s farm called Polyface or the Farm of Many Faces. He’s also an engaging  speaker and author of several books with titles like “You Can Farm,” “Family Friendly Farming,” and “Everything I want to do is illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front.”

The theme for the 15th Annual Water Conservation and Xeriscape Conference is the “Land Use, Water Use Connection” and includes the transect from the natural environment to the urban environment.

The weather in Albuquerque is warmer than it was when we left Denver yesterday, but that’s not due to global warming or climate change. It’s always a bit warmer here in late February when the Xeriscape Council of New Mexico puts on its annual conference.

I look forward to this conference every year, not only to escape the chillier Denver weather, but to hear well-regarded experts talk about water issues. For the first time in several years, there seems to be more optimism in the tone of the presentations.

That’s not to say we aren’t still in the midst of a water crisis, but it just seems there’s more hope in working together to find solutions.

Thanks to everyone who shared the lessons they learned from the 2009 gardening season. The winner’s number was drawn at random by the computer genius at Random.org.  Even though gardeners from around the country posted their comments, the winner lives in Denver, Colo.

Judy Lemieux is a licensed acupuncturist who enjoys photography as much as gardening and horticulture. Her garden taught her that she should be realistic about her watering habits and select plants that will survive our dry climate and her failure to water regularly.

This photo shows a corner of her garden that is flourishing with Russian sage, purple and white iris, agastache ‘Golden Jubilee’ and ‘Dimity’ knotweed.

“I seem to kill so many things with my forgetfulness to water,” Judy says.

“I’ve  had several beautiful pots die a sudden death from missing one day.  Now I plant pots with a variety of succulents and other extremely xeric plants that thrive on neglect.  As for the things I plant in the ground – if it can survive a summer with my erratic watering, it can stay, otherwise it goes.”

These Happy Gardeners welcome visitors to the North Carolina Botanical Gardens at Chapel Hill.


Even though I’m back from my travels to North Carolina, I wanted to share a bit more of my trip because I visited so many wonderful public and private gardens and saw so many plants I’d never seen before.

We had but a short time at the North Carolina Botanical Gardens, part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

I only caught a glimpse of the the gardens’ new environmentally-sustainable visitor education center as the bus pulled into the parking lot.

It was then a mad dash to the gardens to see as much as possible in 40 minutes flat.

I’m afraid I didn’t get too far into the official collection of North Carolina native plants, because I was enjoying the herb garden too much.

The Herb Garden included large beds of culinary and medicinal herbs that were used to treat a number of common ailments, like chest diseases, infectious diseases, rheumatism and other external complaints.

Placing plants near downspouts is one way to take advantage of rainwater before it runs off your property.

The new law allowing rainwater collection in Colorado doesn’t apply to most gardeners. If you get your water from a municipality or water district, you still can’t collect rainwater.

Colorado water law is confusing, but it boils down to this: the rainwater that falls on your property doesn’t belong to you. In our state that water is considered part of the tributary to a natural stream and should be allowed to runoff.

Senate Bill 09-080 was signed by Governor Ritter during this legislative session and it allows only limited collection of rainwater to a limited number of property owners meeting set criteria pertaining to a well on the property. A list of the rules is available at Rainwater Collection in Colorado.

Homeowners who don’t fit all of the criteria are not allowed to divert and hold rainwater on their property.

It’s hard work to tear up the turf, but the payoff is less lawn to water, feed, weed and mow.

The dry winter, combined with last year’s hot summer, left the turf in the backyard looking shabby. And not in a shabby-chic way, either.

So in early spring, I decided that instead of replanting the grass, I’d take some of it up and replace it with shrubs, rock and mulch. Limiting irrigated turf areas is one of the seven Xeriscape principles.

Yesterday, after several long weekends of digging, shoveling, wheelbarrowing and replanting, I finally finished my mini-landscaping project.

I dug up the turf that caused the most problems–it was in an area that was difficult to water and to mow. There still would be enough lawn without this area for the dog to enjoy and to have a spot of green just off the patio.

I think these irises are as beautiful as any orchid.

Irises have been part of the landscape for so long it’s easy to take them for granted. Cultivated for hundreds of years, and a staple of grandma’s garden, the bearded iris is the perennial that keeps on giving.

These easy-to-grow plants are colorful, drought-friendly additions to any landscape. The plant’s upright leaves add vertical interest throughout the season and the flowers come in a dazzling array of colors, color combinations, shapes, sizes and bloom times. They also multiply each year.

Irises also serve many purposes in the landscape. Tall irises are traditionally planted along fences or in corners as specimen plants. But mixing heights and bloom times can add color to the garden throughout spring.

Irises can also fill in areas where it’s difficult to put other plants, like the edge of a sidewalk or along the driveway because they can take the heat.

A litter of four squirrels has found a happy home in my garden.


One day John and I looked out the office window and saw a little squirrel head poking out of the opening of the wooden squirrel nesting box at the corner of the garden. Then another head poked through. And another. And then one more.

The squirrel box was one of the last projects my father-in-law made for me and he would be delighted to know that it’s made such a hospitable home for these four juvenile squirrels.

It’s so much fun to see them chase through the garden in the morning, jumping from the picket fence to the arbor and then playing hide-and-seek. We watch them from inside our house as they take turns at the squirrel feeder chomping furiously at sunflower seeds or hanging upside down at the “squirrel-proof” bird feeder. I love to watch them take long drinks at the birdbath.

Gardeners looking for hardy plants to add to their gardens should check this out.

I was at the Plant Select annual meeting a few years ago when the seed was planted for a new garden book. That seed germinated and now it has bloomed.

“Durable Plants for the Garden: A Plant Select Guide” is a beautiful new resource for gardeners looking to add the hardiest plants to their gardens. It’s an essential addition to every gardener’s library.

The book, edited by James E. Henrich, is a cooperative effort of Plant Select, Colorado State University, Denver Botanic Gardens and the Green Industries of Colorado.

The book includes the first 74 plants introduced to the public by the Plant Select Program. The program’s goal is to introduce and then recommend more adaptable plants to the Rocky Mountain region and beyond and every year 6 or 7 plants are chosen. Some of the plants are overlooked treasures and other are completely new to the trade.