My Calgary, Alberta Desert Garden

Desert plants Photo Gallery

Moderators: lucky1, Alchris, Kansas, Wes North Van, Laaz

Post Reply
Cowtown Palm Society
Seedling
Posts: 213
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2008 12:09 pm
Location: Calgary, Alberta (zone 4a/4b)

My Calgary, Alberta Desert Garden

Post by Cowtown Palm Society » Tue May 25, 2010 2:24 pm

Hi All,

After much toil and sweat, I have completed my xeriscape desert garden! I'm very pleased with the results and getting lots of positive comments from neighbours and people passing by. Here's a look:

The before: boring, sunbaked, hardpan lawn.
Image

The after: desert garden oasis!
Image

My yucca corner: which includes bacatta, brevifolia, rostrata and filamentosa. Check out the needle palm in the background too!
Image

Despite recent highs around 15c or 60f, and lows around freezing, my y. filamentosa has begun to flower!. Sometimes instant gratification is worth the price (5 gallon plant for $59.99)!
Image

Image

Happy little Med Fan Palm
Image

Here's one of my one-year-old (from seed) joshua trees in the garden
Image

A must for any Alberta xeriscape-the endemic yucca glauca (there are two in my garden so far-one gallon plants purchased this spring)
Image

I've all kinds of cactus-opuntia, Echinocereus, Escobaria. Here's one of my bigger opuntia (supposedly hardy to zone 4-I'm skeptical though) starting to form new growth despite three consecutive nights around freezing!. Will have more to show as they hopefully flower!
Image

That's all for now-thanks for checking it out. Happy zone-pushing everyone!

Duncan


<a href="http://www.wunderground.com/global/stat ... big2"><img src="http://weathersticker.wunderground.com/ ... /71877.gif" alt="Click for Calgary, Alberta Forecast" border="0" height="60" width="468" />

DesertZone
Palm Grove
Posts: 4416
Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2004 5:40 pm
Location: South Central Idaho 5b
Contact:

Post by DesertZone » Tue May 25, 2010 4:28 pm

That is awesome! looks amazing! 8)
Shoshone Idaho weather
<img src="http://weathersticker.wunderground.com/ ... ooding.gif" alt="Click for Pearce, Arizona Forecast" border="0" height="50" width="150" /></a>
Here's to all the global warming pushers, may your winters be -30 below and four feet of snow in your driveway. Because I want you happy.
-Aaron-

User avatar
BILL MA
Large Palm
Posts: 1273
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 7:25 am
Location: Southern Mass.

Post by BILL MA » Tue May 25, 2010 6:34 pm

Duncan,
What a terrific transformation to your yard! Very well done, your selection is really good too.

Keep us posted through out the season for sure.

Bill

User avatar
Okanagan desert-palms
Clumping Palm
Posts: 1600
Joined: Sun Jun 26, 2005 12:59 am
Location: Kelowna British Columbia Canada
Contact:

Post by Okanagan desert-palms » Tue May 25, 2010 8:40 pm

Hey Duncan that looks great. A true desert look in Calgary. Maybe it will catch on when they are alive next spring. Thanks for the pics.


John
Okanagan Palms and Tropicals
6b-7a

ROBRETI
Seedling
Posts: 139
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 5:34 am
Location: Oakville, ON

Post by ROBRETI » Tue May 25, 2010 9:04 pm

Hi Duncan,

Congrats, it is so beautiful!!!!
Rob

User avatar
Jay-Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 1207
Joined: Sun Jun 27, 2004 8:02 pm
Location: Kelowna BC Canada
Contact:

Post by Jay-Admin » Tue May 25, 2010 11:09 pm

Looks good Duncan.

-Jay
Image

User avatar
Paul Ont
Large Palm
Posts: 1384
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:58 am
Location: zone 6a Downtown Toronto and zone 5a Kingston

Post by Paul Ont » Wed May 26, 2010 4:20 am

Good stuff! Plenty of room for new plants too...

User avatar
hardyjim
Palm Grove
Posts: 4703
Joined: Tue Oct 14, 2008 9:00 pm
Location: Fairfield Iowa 5b

Post by hardyjim » Wed May 26, 2010 8:58 am

Love what you've done with the yard.

The desertscape is beautiful.
Cactus really are so much easier to care for
than all the palms and grow/ flower more than most realize!
<img src="http://weathersticker.wunderground.com/ ... rfield.gif" alt="Click for Fairfield, Iowa Forecast" border="0" height="60" width="468" />

lucky1
Arctic Palm Plantation
Posts: 11325
Joined: Sun Feb 18, 2007 7:31 pm
Location: Vernon BC, Zone 5a or 5b (close to 6A!)

Post by lucky1 » Wed May 26, 2010 5:12 pm

Duncan, very impressive.
Looks like a landscape company designed it.

Nice needle...and med fan too, look very healthy.

Congrats on that nice Joshua from seed, well done.

Now drink that beer, you deserve it.
Sit back and watch the neighbours duplicate what you've done.

Barb

OOPS, meant to add that my Y.filamentosa isn't blooming yet, not even shoots stretching! Crazy you're ahead of me!
<img src="http://weathersticker.wunderground.com/ ... anguage=EN" alt="Find more about Weather in Vernon, CA" width="160" />


If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt.

Cowtown Palm Society
Seedling
Posts: 213
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2008 12:09 pm
Location: Calgary, Alberta (zone 4a/4b)

Post by Cowtown Palm Society » Thu May 27, 2010 11:45 am

Thanks so much everybody! Very happy with the results. It's been really cool to receive positive feedback from neighbours and people passing the house.

Barb, I must confess that my filamentosa was ready to bloom when I bought it at the garden store 2 weeks ago :wink:

Jim, I can't believe the progress many of my cacti have made in far less than ideal conditions!

Duncan
<a href="http://www.wunderground.com/global/stat ... big2"><img src="http://weathersticker.wunderground.com/ ... /71877.gif" alt="Click for Calgary, Alberta Forecast" border="0" height="60" width="468" />

nlafrance3
Sprout
Posts: 66
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2006 7:57 pm
Location: Edm Zone 3A (5a past couple winters)

Post by nlafrance3 » Wed Jun 16, 2010 11:22 am

Duncan,

Where did you get all your different yuccas? It looks good!

User avatar
Jova
Sprout
Posts: 93
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 7:56 pm
Location: Terre Haute, IN (zone 6a)

Post by Jova » Sat Jun 19, 2010 12:12 am

Duncan, the yard looks excellent! Great layout, very well thought-out. I look forward to hearing how your med. fan palm does, because if you can grow it up there, chances are that I have nothing to worry about with mine:)

Eric

User avatar
sidpook
Clumping Palm
Posts: 1545
Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2009 1:35 pm
Location: Zone 7b: Southern New Jersey (Philly region)

Post by sidpook » Sat Jun 19, 2010 6:08 am

Very Nice, love desert plants... 8)
Mike Trautner

<img src="http://weathersticker.wunderground.com/ ... udubon.gif" alt="Click for Audubon, New Jersey Forecast" border="0" height="60" width="468" /></a>

User avatar
hardyjim
Palm Grove
Posts: 4703
Joined: Tue Oct 14, 2008 9:00 pm
Location: Fairfield Iowa 5b

Post by hardyjim » Sat Jun 19, 2010 7:58 am

I don't think most people realize how many varieties of hardy cactus there are and
how fast they grow are there would be a lot more people trying them.

That Opuntia will need will to be bone dry to have any chance,it looks like the same kind I had.
Don't water it or let it get any water after Sept 1,in the mean time you can water away.

Next year when it's roots are better established/more efficient this will be critical to it's survival.
<img src="http://weathersticker.wunderground.com/ ... rfield.gif" alt="Click for Fairfield, Iowa Forecast" border="0" height="60" width="468" />

Cowtown Palm Society
Seedling
Posts: 213
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2008 12:09 pm
Location: Calgary, Alberta (zone 4a/4b)

Post by Cowtown Palm Society » Sat Jun 19, 2010 4:39 pm

Hi Guys!

Thanks for the nice feedback guys!
I look forward to hearing how your med. fan palm does, because if you can grow it up there, chances are that I have nothing to worry about with mine:)
Eric: The Med. Fan looks great despite lots of cold and rainy weather. Without fairly elaborate protection though, this plant is a goner at some point in late fall, early winter. My plan is only to enjoy it for as long as possible before it succumbs. It was a fairly cheap purchase and I don't really have room to bring it in this winter. I will rescue my bigger (approx. 7 gallon) Needle palm however which is in a pot, in the ground. Happy growing in IN! With a climate like yours, I'd definitely start to think about ways to overwinter hardy palms. In my climate, it's really borderline insanity! I'm not quite willing to say the same yet for some of the hardier yucca species though!
Where did you get all your different yuccas? It looks good!
nlafrance3:

Thanks! The yuccas came from various sources over the last few years.

yucca glaucas: local growers (native to Alberta, where I reside)
yucca brevifolia: grown from seed, by me, from an American seed source
yucca filimentosa: local nursery
yucca bacatta and rostrata: mail ordered from Broadway Gardens (Botanix now, I think) in St. Catherines, Ontario.
I don't think most people realize how many varieties of hardy cactus there are and
how fast they grow are there would be a lot more people trying them. That Opuntia will need will to be bone dry to have any chance,it looks like the same kind I had. Don't water it or let it get any water after Sept 1,in the mean time you can water away. Next year when it's roots are better established/more efficient this will be critical to it's survival.
Jim: Agreed on the hardiness of cactus. There are numerous Canadian species that I know of (several of which are in my garden)-which really says it all about their hardiness. One of my opuntia is from Saskatchewan, which means it can withstand 100f or -40f quite happily. Glad I can water away now, because I've had no choice with our weather!
Very Nice, love desert plants... icon_cool.gif
Thanks Mike! Nice work in NJ! Wish I had your temps.! Maybe not the humidity though!

Take Care everybody and happy zone-pushin'!

Duncan
<a href="http://www.wunderground.com/global/stat ... big2"><img src="http://weathersticker.wunderground.com/ ... /71877.gif" alt="Click for Calgary, Alberta Forecast" border="0" height="60" width="468" />

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests