I have been watching what the sun does through fall, winter and this early part of the year, but I'm not sure yet what it'll do in summer. There may be some shade from nearby trees if the house itself doesn't shade it, but the house is on an angle, it just might be in full sun most of the day. Till I see the leaves on the trees to know how much shade they provide, I'm just not confident.
Bev, I moved here from 7200 ft elevation, so I know the sun can be a lot more intense at elevation, but I lived in Laramie Wyoming, and it definitely didn't get hot in the summer. Still dry, but there were a lot of alpine plants in the region that did really well, and you'd see a lot of semp plantings just going crazy! I had some old fashioned noids that were just growing anywhere they could set down. (also the worlds shortest growing season!)
There's a thread on here that talks about how the hotter afternoons with full sun will change the photosynthesis of the plant, and while I didn't expect them to grow all summer long, I also don't want to stress them. (I read like 45 posts yesterday so can't find it, but I think it mentions "SAM" photosynthesis?) IIRC it mentions how many days in sequence over varying temperatures that they can survive, and I'm really hoping that using the shade cloth ideas, I'll be able to mitigate some of that issue.
Anyone recommend any plantings to put with them that can stand full sun but might shade them a little in the dead of summer? Something that will still allow them to be able to show off the rest of the year, and not crowd them out? I already wanted to interplant some of the border with bulbs and irises, along with pinks, iberis, veronica, saxifrage, lavender, thyme and some other low growers to fill in. (I decided against sedums after reading some of the stories on here about them taking over, I'll plant the ones I have in another spot that is on a slope and let them spread en masse.
I may even just get some patio plants to plop down to screen them if anyone knows any that can stand full sun and desert air? I'm already considering canna lilies, for my pots, as I can just pull them yearly and replant the next spring.
This place is really ugly. The whole town, the whole area, has a really austere feel to it, there's a rock formation that when I look at it, I always think it's just a construction site and someone dumped a pile of top soil. It's not, it's probably a mountain.... I'm really trying to work with what I have, as it is, I keep three huge humidifiers going full time in the house to try to keep my indoor plants happy, and can barely get the air to 50%. I'm watering weekly, in winter!
So I really need something here. What's worst is it's a rental, so I can't really do a lot. I can't install irrigation so it has to be something water wise. I know I can do things like adam's needles, opuntia and the like, but I have really never loved these plants... I want something that isn't going to scream "look at all the water that renter is using!" I know it's okay to grow things though, there are people who have patio veg gardens, all in pots! The rocks my husband lined the patio area with, he just found while on walks, he'd bring a pocketful home every day. I'm encouraging him to bring home bigger ones if he can, there's a lot of scrub land around here, and even BLM land so we may end up turning into rock hounds, just to try to make this pretty. I'll snap some pics to share, all the help I can get is appreciated!
