I want seed!

This article talks about the monster apios that stopped producing seed.... Extra chromosomes like those larger daylilies (triploids).
https://www.nomadseed.com/2019...

You want seeds or tubers? I will have both all my tubers are labeled too.

Baja_Costero said:Please share how you might go about establishing xeriscapic plants, so as to gear them up for maximum drought tolerance.

I am using the word "establish" in the way some plant tags advertise that plants are "drought tolerant when established"... the landscape sense. I'm curious about how your approach might differ from my own, and how that might relate to your climate and the plants we choose.

My plants are almost all succulents and xerophytic plants. I prefer to start with a 3 gallon size plant. Our soil drains very fast and does not hold water, so I do mix some extra compost into the hole. We get 70% of our 10" annual rainfall in the winter and 0% of it in the summer. I water well but not particularly deeply.

The short answer to my original question: I water new installations every week or so through their first year or two, specifically up until their second rainy season. At that point I might relax to watering every 2-4 weeks, or stop watering completely. The drought tolerant plants become zero water plants at that point, or I might continue watering every 2-4 weeks if I don't want them looking too scrappy.

Your approach to watering while you're waiting for new plants to get properly settled in?

I do the same as you, Baja. I change and water new plants more frequently when it;s super hot out. Plants for me do better when planted in the spring, I tend to lose a few when I plant them in autumn. I am in Denver CO. I order quite a bit from HighCountryGardens, mountaincrest, and Flowersbythesea, but plants from my local nursery are much healthier and have a better chance of survival.

I'm going to try to overwinter some drought tolerants in containers this year, mostly grasses and cold hardy succulents, a dwarf mugo pine, fingers crossed that they will live!

ediblelandscapingsc said:You want seeds or tubers?

Whatever I can get...
Maybe we can arrange some kind of trade...

and...
Bulbs...
how about atamasco lilies? Crinums? (for the clay)

Re:
planting...
There's a huge difference between western heat and southern...

As mentioned earlier, we can't grow Sempervivum here... I doubt that the heat is the important factor... rather, it's the humidity.
Those plants grow wild everywhere in LA.

Likewise, sunrose (helianthemum).
I want those so bad I can taste it...
too much humidity...
We have the natural wild frost rose (Helianthemum georgianum), ( crocanthemum georgianum)... but no cistus...
And the frost rose only blooms in the late winter.

Yeah, you gotta wait for the rains to plant anything here...
But... I'm kinda the guy that waters once and wanders off, and forgets all about that plant unless it blooms or something.

Shoot me a tree mail I have aeeds I picked last week for you, tubers can be shipped once dormant. Didn't you once want a flying dragon citrus too?

Hmmm...
What's the difference between flying dragon citrus and trifoliate orange?

I already have plenty of hardy orange... also growing Ichang lemon.

The apios seeds were already mature?
Will send mailing address directly.

I have just been through this process myself. I am almost three months into a new xeriscape installation in my front yard. During installation the contractor watered all of the plants deeply when first planted. For the first two weeks after planting (based on their recommendation) I watered the garden three times a week with a 45 minute drip cycle.

A smaller section of the garden with silver carpet I continued to water every 2 to 3 days by hand with a good soaking particularly when it was hot out. I also was on the lookout for any wilting plants and gave those individual plants extra water by hand as needed. (Mainly was a yarrow and bulbine that needed extra.)

Two weeks later after the initial watering, I watered the garden with a 60 minute drip cycle.

Another two weeks later another 60 minute drip cycle.

Four weeks after that I gave the garden 4 20 minute drip cycles separated by 6 hours each. or equivalent of about 2 inches of rain.

I am hoping that was the last one for the year and I can let nature take over with rain until June. If we don't have rain by December I may drip cycle the garden again...

I then plan to continue the one day watering with 4, 20 minute drip cycles separated by 6 hours once per month in June, July, August, and September.

Fingers crossed , so far everything looks good.

I have used the once per month in the summer watering schedule in the past on various succulents in the past and it seems to work well. Typically the plants are fine without any water at all during this period but I have also found that they will bloom just a little bit extra if given the extra drink during the hot summer. Given this past experience this protocol is what I will try on a larger scale.

I too am interested in what others have done. Also if anyone thinks this plan is too much or too little water let me know as I am still learning and want to use as little water as possible, while still maintaining a healthy xeriscape.

Regards.

I live in the Upper Midwest. Long cold winter's, hot humid summers. Fortunately we don't experience extreme drought very often. But in the garden, I love a maintenance free plant.
To establish anything considered drought tolerant it really depends on what the plant is. Trees I water weekly for the first 2 years. My immediate area I garden is considered a micro environment. So I like to stay as native as possible. My microenvironment is overall cool and humid in summer. Like anywhere droughts happen and finding drought tolerant plants for my environment can be tricky. Wildflowers and grasses, prairie type of plants are the best choice for drought tolerant plants here. For drought tolerant perennials I'll water weekly until I start seeing growth or start seeing water stress in the early morning. For drought tolerant plants I ingore wilting midday to early evening. Even well established drought tolerant plants I can grow here will wilt slightly in the midday sun, watering makes no difference. The midday wilt is something drought tolerant plants do to conserve in the heat of the day.
It also depends on the time of year I plant them. If I plant them in fall. I don't do anything to them at all. If I plant in early spring I just pay attention to what the plant is doing like mentioned above. I don't want to over water drought tolerant plants.