Is Utah In A Drought in 2021?

 By the looks of things, Utah is already in a drought heading into 2021.   Last year was an extremely dry year, with the hottest and driest August on record.  So far this winter, the snowpack is well below normal.     According to the United States Drought Monitor Map, most of the State of Utah is experiencing extreme to exceptional drought.  If the dry cycle continues into the spring and summer of 2021,  it is possible we will be required to restrict our landscape water usage.  Gardening friends, this means we might need to be prepared to water more efficiently and learn to adjust to limited watering schedules.   I'm going to move forward with all of my gardening plans and I encourage you to do the same.  I'll be posting more information on the current state of the drought in the near future.  Pray for snow!

Fall Color In Mountains Of Utah!

The Wasatch Mountains are bursting with fall color right now.  If you get a chance to hike or drive in  the mountains of Northern Utah, you will see amazing trees with vibrant leaves.  Some of the wild  native trees and shrubs that paint our mountainsides and canyons are quaking aspens, rocky mountain maples, box elders, cottonwoods, water birch, scrub oak and three-leaf sumac.  I hope you find an opportunity to go to the high country this week - before it's over!

Fall Color in Utah Mountains

Quaking Aspens in Fall - Pure Gold!

Hiking in Utah in October

Ephedra viridis - Green Mormon Tea - Excellent Utah Native Plant For Xeriscape!

This Utah native shrub is a great choice for a water wise landscape - it requires no water other than what falls from the sky!  Green Mormon Tea, or Brigham Tea (Ephedra viridis) is a smallish green shrub found in the wild all over the West and Southwest.  The common name comes from the fact that the Mormon settlers of Utah used it to make tea.  Ephedra plants are available at local nurseries that carry native plants.  Plant in a hot sunny area of the xeric garden and please don't give it extra water or soil amendments or fertilizers.  Like many Utah native plants, Ephedra thrives in harsh conditions and will not survive if given too many nutrients or water.

Ephedra viridis - Green Mormon Tea - excellent xeriscape plant

Ephedra viridis - Green Mormon Tea;  Utah Native Plant

Zauschneria garrettii (Hummingbird Trumpet) - Fall Blooming Perennial - Perfect For Xeriscape In Utah!

Zauschneria garrettii - Utah

 Zauschneria or Hummingbird Trumpet is an excellent low-growing perennial for water wise gardens.  It flowers in late summer and fall and provides food for hummingbirds and pollinators.  Native to the Intermountain West (It can even be found growing wild in Albion Basin, Alta, Utah) and California, Zauschneria does very well in the hot, dry climate of Utah and can withstand the extremes of summer and winter.  Once established, this plant doesn't need any extra water other than what falls out of the sky!  Plant it in your xeriscaped hummingbird garden for late season fiery color!  It is a great companion to Nepeta (catmint), Agastache (hyssop) and Russian Sage.

Zauschneria - Fall flowering perennial for xeriscape

Where Can I Buy Waterwise and Xeric Plants In Utah? Deseret Nursery Perennial Farm

There are several great places to buy waterwise plants for your garden and landscape in the Salt Lake area.  One really excellent one is Deseret Nursery Perennial Farm, located at 5750 West California Avenue, Salt Lake City, Utah.   To get there go west on 1300 South until you pass 5600 West.  Look for the Nursery on the north side of the street.
Grown right there at the nursery, the plants at Deseret are all either moderate or low in their water needs.  You will find a great selection of ground covers, flowering perennials and ornamental grasses, all of which will grow well in our harsh Utah climate.
The prices are good and the plants are high quality, healthy and beautiful!  They also have an awesome website loaded with helpful information on waterwise landscaping and perennials.

View of the Wasatch Mountains from Deseret Nursery Perennial Farm, Salt Lake City, Utah

Thyme ground cover for sale at Deseret Nursery Perennial Farm, Salt Lake City, Utah

Waterwise plants for sale at Deseret Nursery Perennial Farm, Salt Lake City, Utah

Sagebrush - Waterwise and Ornamental!

Sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata) is one of the most ubiquitous native plants of the west.  It is fragrant and beautiful in wild places - mountains, plains, foothills and deserts.  Sagebrush is a symbolic and defining feature of the Western American landscape.  We don't often think of it as a home landscape plant to be used in an urban or sub-urban setting.  However, I recently saw this sagebrush in a residential front yard,  right here in the Salt Lake Valley.  As you can see, it has been pruned into a very interesting shape - like a small tree.  Being a sagebrush, it needs no extra water other that what falls from the sky.  I love to see natives used in creative ways as ornamentals!

Sagebrush grown as an ornamental in Salt Lake Valley

Sagebrush growing in a home landscape in Utah

Utah Native Plants Are Beautiful!

There is a misconception that native plants are drab, colorless, prickly and unattractive.  This is simply not true!  There are hundreds of plants and shrubs and grasses native to the Western United States that are green and colorful with flowers and fruits that attracts bees, butterflies and birds.  I recently visited a garden in the Tooele Valley, Utah that has a beautiful planting of Utah Native Plants.  It was a great looking part of the landscape and the best thing about it? - These plants thrive in heat and don't require ANY water other than what falls out of the sky.  I was able to identify Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius), penstemon (not sure which variety), Desert Four o'clock (Mirabilis multiflora) and Indian Rice Grass (Oryzopsis hymenodies).

Utah Native Plants Growing In A Home Landscape - Mountain Mahogany, Sagebrush and Penstemon

Drought-tolerant Utah Native Plants:  Mountain Mahogany, Sagebrush, Penstemon, Indian Ricegrass, Desert Four o'clock

Bristlecone Pine - Drought-tolerant Tree for Utah!

Some friends of mine recently moved to Tooele County and they are looking for trees and shrubs that will thrive in the saline soils and harsh conditions there.  We found out that Bristlecone Pine will grow well there, even at lower elevations (4,000 - 4,500 ft. above sea level).  Apparently other high-elevation (above 7,000 ft. above sea level) conifers struggle, like Limber Pine and Firs.
So I have been thinking about Bristlecone Pines for the last several days and looking them up on the internet.
I was driving around my neighborhood in the Salt Lake Valley, and was happily surprised to find a Bristlecone Pine thriving in a neighbors yard!  Here are some pictures.  And here is a link to info on Bristlecone Pines.  It is a very handsome specimen!

Bristlecone Pine - Utah Native

Bristlecone Pine - native, hardy and drought-tolerant in Utah

Bristlecone Pine - white resin spots on needles

Soil For Utah Native Plants

If you are considering planting Utah native plants (or any plants native to the Intermountain West) then you will want to think twice before you add amendments to your soil.  You will definitely not want to add any fertilizer.  The soil in many parts of Utah and the West is not what we would call "rich" - meaning, it doesn't have very much organic material in it.  It has a lot of sand, gravel and clay; not the dark fertile topsoil you think of when you think of the Midwest (or the soil you are trying to create in your vegetable garden).   Generally speaking, Utah native plants don't like soil with too many nutrients.   They have evolved in poor soils and that is what they like!  Rich soil can kill natives plants (although some can tolerate rich soil better than others so do a little research).  To be successful with native plants, start by using the soil you have.  If it is already too rich, you may have to amend with sand and gravel.  Your sagebrush will thank you!

Sagebrush - Artemisia tridentata

Little Bluestem - Winter Color

Little Bluestem Grass - Schizachyrium scoparium is a great example of a grass that has winter interest.  In fall it starts to turn pink.  By November, it becomes a wonderful mixture of pink, tan and purply-mauve color.  It will stay like this throughout the winter, however, sometimes the snow will smash it down.

Little Bluestem Grass - Fall Color in Sandy Utah

Quaking Aspen - Not A Good Choice For The Home Landscape

Quaking Aspens (Populus tremuloides) are some of the most beautiful native trees in Utah.  Found all over the Western United States, and Canada and Mexico, Quaking Aspen add dramatic and contrasting  colors, textures and shapes to our foothills and mountains.  Because of the Aspens interesting white bark, bright green leaves and golden fall color, many gardeners choose to plant Aspens in their home landscapes. Unfortunately, at lower elevations, this can be a big mistake.  At higher elevations (above 5000 feet above sea level) they grow better.  But in the valleys of the Wasatch Front, Aspens typically suffer from a combination of diseases and pest infestations that cause them to die.  But before that happens, they often send sucker trees under the ground which will sprout new trees all over the place.  There are many better choices for a small tree in the home landscape.  Aspens are best enjoyed in the wild.

Quaking Aspens in Wasatch Mountains

Rubber Rabbit Brush - A Utah Favorite!

Have you noticed a shrub with mustard-yellow flowers blooming in the foothills and along the roadsides?  It is Rubber Rabbit Brush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus).  From a distance (and when it's not blooming) it looks like sagebrush.  But starting in Late August and September, it produces bright yellow flowers atop it's dusty sage-colored foliage.  A native to the intermountain West, Rabbit Brush  requires no extra water and can be grown easily in home landscapes with other low-water natives.  It can get 3 or 4 feet tall so give it plenty of room.  It's flowers attract bees!

Rubber Rabbit Brush - Chrysothamnus nauseosus 

Rubber Rabbit Brush - Chrysothamnus nauseosus

Little Bluestem Grass - Schizachyrium scoparium - Awesome in Utah!

Little Bluestem Grass is an excellent native grass that can be grown in Utah!  It is considered a North American prairie grass and is found all over the United States.  In fact, it is the official state grass of both Nebraska and Kansas.  Little Bluestem is found in areas of Southern Utah, so we can claim it as a Utah native as well!
Growing about 1.5 to 2 feet tall, Little Bluestem is an outstanding performer in a Utah waterwise landscape.  It has blue-green upright foliage and it turns pinkish red in the autumn.  It's water needs are very low - it needs to be soaked once every few weeks during the hottest times of summer (July and August).  The only maintenance it requires is a good cutting to the ground in March.  Excellent in mass plantings for structure and impact.

Little Bluestem 'The Blues'

Little Bluestem in a Utah Parkstrip Planting

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Little Bluestem in Early Fall - Starting To Fade and Turn Pink

Five Good Reasons For Waterwise Gardening!

Here are FIVE things to consider when you are thinking about waterwise or drought-tolerant or xeric gardening:

1 -  We live in a place with a relatively dry climate.  Utah is the second driest state in the nation (Nevada is the driest), receiving an average of about 13 inches of rainfall per year.  In comparison, Seattle gets 38 inches per year and Atlanta gets 48 inches per year.  It is very dry here.

2 - Waterwise plants (either native to our region or transplants from other parts of the world) do well in our climate.  They require less water and they are easy to grow.

3 - Water costs are high for thirsty plants and green lawns.  If you could water half as much, your monthly water bill would be a lot lower!!

4 - Water use could very easily be restricted for us in Utah, as it is in Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.  In those places people are only allowed to use certain limited amounts of water on their landscapes.  If we have another drought and our population continues to grow, there just won't be enough water on the Wasatch Front for us to water our yards in the manner to which we have become accustomed.  The experts have been saying for a long time "it's not a matter of if, but when" - water restrictions are likely in our future.

5 - Because of likely water restrictions, it's a great idea to get to know and love some waterwise plants now.  The good news is that waterwise landscape design is not limited to rocks and yucca and cactus.  There are hundreds of plant choices for us and we can create interesting and beautiful outdoor spaces with waterwise plants!!

A Salt Lake City Waterwise Garden

What Is A Native Plant?

I read something recently in which the writer stated that "nothing from the East and nothing from Europe will grow here;  we should grow natives like lavender and daylilies".  I realized that there is still a lot of confusion about what exactly a native plant is . . .and isn't.  Also, there is a misconception that only natives can be waterwise or drought-tolerant.  Let's see if we can straighten some of this out.

A native plant is a plant that is endemic and/or indigenous to a given region during a specified period of geologic time.
- Some plants are found only in the Wasatch Mountains
- Some plants are found only in the Four Corners region, or the Great Basin
- Some plants are found all over the Western US, Canada and Mexico
- Some plants are found all over the Great Plains and sometimes in the Southwest
- on and on, you get the point

There are many plants native to other places in the world (where the climate is similar to that of Utah) which can be grown here easily.  A good example is lavender, native to Southern Europe, Mediterranean, Northern Africa, Southwestern Asia and India (not the Americas).  Another example of a non-native that does well here is the daylily, native to Eurasia, China, Korea and Japan.  There are hundreds of others.

As Utah gardeners move toward using less water in their landscapes, a basic understanding of waterwise, drought- tolerant, native and non-native plants will be increasingly helpful.  The species and varieties of plants that will thrive in Utah are abounding, both native and non-native.  The possible combinations (based on similar needs) for design and beauty are endless!

Utah Native, Wasatch Penstemon - Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

Daylily - Catherine Woodbury - Sandy, Utah

Lavender - Salt Lake City

Utah Native, Fireweed - Alta, Utah

Red Yucca

Red Yucca - Hesperaloe parviflora - is another plant that requires very little extra water other than what falls out of the sky. It might need a good soaking in July and again in August.  It is popular in waterwise gardens in Utah because it is easy to grow and available for purchase (usually in the spring at local nurseries or on line).  Native to Central and Western Texas and Northeastern Mexico, Red Yucca can withstand all of the heat and sun you can give it.  It's red flowers atop tall stalks attract hummingbirds in mid summer.  This is a great choice for an area in the landscape that takes a beating from the sun.  Plant with other Southwestern desert natives, like sagebrush, rabbitbrush, desert four o'clocks, Palmer's penstemon and firecracker penstemon.

Red Yucca - Hesperaloe parviflora

Red Yucca - happy in a hot Utah garden

Mountain Wildflowers

Now is a great time to take a break from gardening and visit our local mountains.  The wildflowers are in full force in the Wasatch.  Some vistas are absolutely breathtaking!

Maybird Gulch

White Wild Geranium

Albion Basin - Alta

Devil's Castle - Albion Basin

Wallflower and Wasatch Penstemon

Waterwise Plants for Utah

There are very many plants that will do well in our climate on the Wasatch Front of Northern Utah without a lot of water.  Some are natives and some come from other parts of the world.  These are just a few favorites that I have seen blooming in the Salt Lake area during this past week.  You should be able to find these plants at your local nurseries or on line.
Here is another post about waterwise flowers.

This is Mirabilis multiflora or Desert Four O'clock.  It is a Utah Native Plant and, once established, it requires no water other than what nature provides.  It grows into a low shrubby ground cover, spreading three to five feet wide.  Bright pink flowers cover it from June through September.

This tall perennial is Penstemon palmeri or Palmer's Penstemon.  It is also a Utah Native and needs no extra water.  It grows to be about 5 feet tall!  It blooms in June and early July and prefers poor soil.  If you give it compost, water and fertilizer, you will probably kill it.

This is Centranthus ruber or Jupiter's Beard.  This is not a native plant but it does very well here and can be seen in many gardens around Salt Lake.  It needs water only about once a week during the hot times of summer.  If you cut off the flowers when they are finished blooming, the plant will bloom all summer.

 This is Achillia or Yarrow.  There are varieties that are native, but these yellow ones are not.  There are some that grow taller than others, and some that are red, pink and orange.  They require very little water - only once a week or every ten days in summer.  They love full sun and heat!