Desert Messenger

10 www.DesertMessenger.com July 19, 2023 Gardening with Dennis NOTICE to Advertisers: Please check your ad(s). Errors/corrections must be submitted before deadline, to be published in the next available edition of the Desert Messenger. DEADLINES are printed - in multiple locations - in EVERY issue of the Desert Messenger! For rates and deadlines visit www.DesertMessenger.com Desert Messenger News offers FREE Classifi ed Ads! Here's the small print: Items for sale under $500. Private Party Only. 1 per month. Yard/Garage/Craft Sales, Wanted, Give-a-ways, Free, Lost & Found, etc. (non-commercial) For more information, contact Rain at 928-916-4235 or Email: Editor@DesertMessenger.com "Positive anything is better than negative nothing." ~ Elbert Hubbard Stay up to date with Town Hall Town of Quartzsite now offers text notifi cations on your phone through TextMyGov. iWorQ is excited to an- nounce a strategic partnership with @TextMyGov to expand citizen en- gagement with text messaging To opt in, text the word "QUARTZSITE" to 91896. What to expect: After the initial keyword is sent, you'll receive a confi rmation message asking you to reply "YES" to verify opt-in. There will be 0-4 text messages per month with a notifi cation from the Town regarding the categories you are opted-in for. Message and data rates may apply. Check with your mo- bile phone carrieer for more details. How to Opt-Out: Text "STOP" at any time to remove yourself from the notifi cation list. Also are you looking for an- swers? Need to report an issue? Now you can Text the Town of Quartzsite directly. Introducing the new way to skip a phone call and use your mobile phone's text messaging to fi nd answers to your questions. Text "hi" or one the words listed be- low, to 928-260-4442. "Trees, Sewer, Contact, Street, Wa- ter, Pothole, Weeds, Departments, FAQ." TextMyGov will help you to quick- ly fi nd the answers your looking for or help you to report an issue to the Town. SHRUBS THAT LOVE THE SUN By Alex Taft Right now, any thought of garden- ing seems like a masochistic exer- cise in futility. Barely managing to water what is needed is enough to do for now. Thinking about gar- dening now, in the extreme heat, is not much different than think- ing about it, while being snowed in. It does however, serve to offer hope that cooler weather will come and then planting what will survive and thrive during the next summer heat wave becomes a positive focus. Here are some shrubs that actually smile at the sun, and do not wilt in the process. Bougainvillea – They thrive in the sun and don't need a lot of water, once they are established. Langman's Sage – They thrive in the sun and have beautiful purple fl owers. Like Bougainvillea, they have the potential to grow very big. They grow at a moderate rate and are evergreen Texas Sage – They grow fast and their fl owers are white, pink or purple. They are evergreen and are sometimes planted as hedges Tecoma stans or Arizona Yellow Bells – They thrive in the sun, grow fast and attract hummingbirds. The Tecoma hybrid, Orange Bells also does very well. Mexican Bird of Paradise – These are evergreen, grow fast, have large yellow fl ower clusters that attract hummingbirds. Red Bird of Paradise – These are evergreen, are fast growing, have orange and yellow fl ower clusters and attract hummingbirds. If these plants are deadheaded regularly, they will continue to produce many new fl owers all summer. Dennis had a long row of these along a small wash and they were beautiful and a cheerful sight when most of the world struggles with the heat. There are many more shrubs than this available that do well in the desert, but these are all fl owering shrubs that smile at the sun. Whether they are fast growing or more moderate grow- ing, they seem to survive 115 de- gree- weather without suffering, as though it is another beautiful day in the neighborhood. Another interesting fact about these perennials is that they can be propagated through cuttings. Pe- rennials that are shrubs have older stems that are hard, brown and dif- fi cult to bend. Then there are stems that are semi-hard that are a little pliable and usually green. The new- est stems are soft and easy to bend around your fi nger. These are re- ferred to as softwood and are usual- ly closest to the tip. A cutting should be around four inches long and that has at least four leaf- nodes. Half of the cutting should be soft wood and half of the cutting should be semihard wood. Dip the cut portion into rooting powder. The powder should coat at least two leaf nodes. Put the cutting in a pot with potting soil and water thoroughly. Then keep the soil moist without drowning it. Put the pot where it will receive bright indirect light. When new leaves emerge, then fertilize lightly. Plants can be gradually brought into more light as they gradu- ally begin to grow. Then the new plants can be transplanted to a larger pot until they are estab- lished enough to be planted in the ground. Propagating plants yourself can become a reliable and relatively in- expensive way to have a hedge, or a large splash of color even when the heat seems to be burning everything up. "Month-By-Month, Gardening in the Deserts of Arizona" by Mary Irish and "Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert" by the Arizona De- partment of Water Resources are the references used in this article. These books are available in the Quartzsite Public Library. Note: for those who did not know Dennis, he was a part-time employ- ee of the town parks department, a Master Gardener since 1985 and instructor for the Master Gardener Class. He passed away in 2018. had a long row of these along a small wash and they were beautiful and a cheerful sight when most of the Put the cutting in a pot with potting soil and water thoroughly. Then keep the soil moist without drowning it. Put the pot where it will receive bright indirect light. When new leaves emerge, then fertilize the new plants can be transplanted DEADLINE : WED. AUG 9 TH for August 16 th edition Desert Messenger News Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com

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