Any Vegas gardeners planting a fall garden?

17 years ago

I've read some articles suggesting fall tomatoes (short season types) planted in late August might get some decent fruit before the harsh late December - January. Has anyone done this, I think I read the "Tomato Lady" does. In two months, the pollinating temperatures (55-90 F) are likely.

Of course, I am wondering what kinds of pests and diseases are out there for me to discover, LOL.

Also, Wayside Gardens just sent out their latest flyer. Here are the flowers they suggest for Hot and Dry conditions. Does anyone have these with success in their gardens. There's a difference between hot and Vegas hot, so I wonder how they'd do. Thanks for any help.

Coreopsis

Echinacea

Delosperma

Eryngyum

Gaura

Agastache

Verbascum

Salvia

Gallardia

Bill

North Las Vegas once a month

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Comments (4)

loganlady
17 years ago
Hi Bill

I'm not in Las Vegas but an hour west(in Pahrump)...but I have salvias & coresopsis growing here. I love the Wayside Gardens catalogs!!!

Here is some information for you that I have used. There is a great Nevada book I bought when I moved out here. Nevada Gardener's Guide by Linn Mills & Dick Post. Linn Mills also writes a gardening column every Thursday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper. You can reach him at linn@reviewjournal.com or at the Gardens at the Springs Preserve in Vegas at (702) 822-8352. I want to visit the Springs Preserve in a few weeks when it is cooler. Also you can call (702) 257-5655 where master gardeners can help you with your gardening problems. Between us here and these professional gardeners you should have all of the information you could ask for to help you get your parent's garden up to speed.

Beca
bill_southerncal
Original Author
17 years ago
Beca,

Wow, great information. I'll definitely get that book and call those you've mentioned. Thanks a million.

Bill
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loganlady
17 years ago
Your welcome Bill!!

I cracked up when I noticed that Linn Mills who helped write the gardening book is the same guy who writes in the newspaper column too. Small world. This book helped me alot when I was planning my yards...way before I moved in,etc.

Later...
B.
mohavemaria
17 years ago
Hello Bill,

I think everything on your list will grow in Las Vegas but perhaps not all will thrive. I tried echinacea because I love those big flowers but it did not bloom through the summer. I also tried the delosperma cooperi and it went away on me. I have had several different kinds of agastaches that I got from High Country Gardens and they grew and bloomed but never looked like thier pictures because the flowers faded in the heat until they were barely noticible. The salvias I have had good luck with and I grow Salvia greggii 'wild thing' that I just love as well as salvia officinalis (edible), salvia farinacea, salvia clevlandii (love the smell), Salvia Pachyphylla (California Native), and Salvia Penstemonoides (texas native), and salvia chamaedryiodes (true blue flowers). I love Salvia microphylla but they have croaked for me when it would get really hot.

Guara does really well here and I have the white kind right now although I have had the pink form too. I have had success with some kinds of coreopsis but the threadleaf kind didn't make if for me and I don't grow any of them anymore. I had verbascum which I like but it was a two year plant for me and I like longer lived things. That said a plant genus you should really look into if your after showy flowers is the penstemons, I have penstemon parryi, baccharifolius, triflorus, superbus, and pseudospectabilis. They are great plants for here.

A book I just got that is by Mary Irish the former director of public horticulture at the Desert Botanic Garden in Phoenix is called Perennials for the Southwest. This lady really knows what she is talking about so far as what will survive in the desert. Of course what I couldn't get to grow maybe you could, that's just how it works here.

Oh, and I do try to put in a fall crop of tomatoes and hope for a late frost so I can get some before they freeze over. Early girl works well.

Happy Gardening, Maria