Ask-a-Dave's-Gardener: Flagstaff Question, 3 by ViburnumValley

ViburnumValley wrote:
Interesting that there have been no responses to your questions...

I will ask you a few. You haven\'t given much information for anyone to go on, including a definitive statement on where you garden. You mention Flagstaff. Do you live/garden in Flagstaff, AZ?

You could also provide photos/images of the sites you describe, so that users here have more of an idea of the situation that you are trying to vegetate. Worth a thousand words, each one is.

I do not claim to know AZ plants very well, nor exactly what growing conditions are like there. However, I believe that it gets hot and dry there on occasion. It can also get decently cold in the winter, as it is higher elevation.

I think vegetation for your manmade south-facing hill needs to be drought and heat tolerant, and tolerant of \"poorer\" (meaning disturbed) soils. The plants that are members of Fabaceae (Legumes) are often good choices, at least for starters. Many of these species are pioneer species on poorer quality or disturbed sites, since they can capture nitrogen from the air through gaseous exchange (someone who is more biologically oriented might be able to write that better). Many grass (Graminaceae) species will probably work too.

So! Get thee to an AZ plant list, and see what all your choices are. You will want to be able to water any new plants in order to get them started well, but for longer term prospects choosing drought tolerant native species will always be a prudent path. Your local fauna will thank you excessively.

Must provide some imagery evidence of my bona fides...pictures from along US 180 - the San Francisco Peaks Scenic Road - in October 2012.