This beautiful Prickly Pear cactus flower opened yesterday with such a rich lemon yellow. The plant has several more unopened buds, so we're in for a visual treat over the coming days.

There are several types of Opuntia, some of which are indigenous to the Great Basin Desert. Beavertail (Opuntia basilaris), the Porcupine Prickly Pear (Opuntia erinacea), the Smooth Prickly Pear (Opuntia humifusa), the Plains Prickly Pear (Opuntia polycantha), and the Brown-Spinded Prickly Pear (Opuntia phaeacantha) are such wonders to be found in the Great Basin. In the wild, different species have adapted to different elevations of the Basin and Range.

Opuntia is easy to grow in the ground, rock gardens and in containers. Give them full sun with well draining, course soil that dries out between watering. An advantage to growing them in containers is that they can be moved about. This is especially advantageous when the blooming season arrives, as they can become a temporary center of attention.

If you want to create a rock garden on your property, you need look no further for inspiration than the very terrain that surrounds us. The Sierra and the Great Basin Desert offer endless examples to emulate.

If your yard is sloped with rocks already in place, you're lucky, especially if the rocks are beautiful and well placed. If your yard is flat and rockless, you'll have to collect some rocks. Remember though, rocks are heavy and lifting them can hurt your back! If you want big rocks, you're best bet is to purchase them and have them delivered. (We have some beautiful large rocks on hand this season for this very purpose.)

Rock gardens can be, but they don't have to be sprawling. Even a small space in your garden can serve as an interest point for plants that drain well and do well against rocks that heat up from the summer sun. Place the stones in a pattern or design layout you like, using larger stones as a wall to hold the soil in place. Fill the space between and around the rocks with soil. Add smaller rocks on top of the soil, but reserve some really nice larger ones, too, to make the design look naturally erratic. You might also want to install a drip system.

For the plants, you can pick and choose which ones you want according to color and texture, but also according to what enjoys living in your new rocky microclimate. Choose plants that will grow so as to show off your rock garden, rather than hide it. We carry many plants, including miniture, low-growing ground covers, cacti, sedum and other hardy perennials in small containers that are perfect for rock gardens. We can also help with designs and installations.

Over the Independence Day weekend, the Mule's Ears (Wyethia) were in full bloom in the Sierra mountains. Around Boca and Stampede reservoirs they were green, abundantly blooming, in company with many beautiful alpine wildflowers.

There are several varieties of Wyethia in the Western United States. Close to home, in California, Nevada and Oregon, you can find the Woolly Mule-Ears (Wyethia mollis) and the plain ol' Mule Ears (Wyethia amplexicaulis). California is also home to the California Compassplant (Wyethia angustifolia), the Coast Range Mule Ears (Wyethia glabra), the Whitehead Mule Ears (Wyethia helenioides), and the Humboldt Mule Ears (Wyethia longicaulis). Nevada and Oregon are also home to the Sunflower Mule Ears (Wyethia helianthoides).

Local gardeners often ask whether Mule Ears can be transplanted from the wild. The answer is pretty much a "No" because of the plant's deep tap root which will most likely be damaged with any attempt to move the plant. Nevertheless, bare root propagation is possible. Collecting seeds from the dry flowers might be fun in the summer sun, but it doesn't usually translate into seedlings next spring, although propagation by seed is your best bet.

The best suggestion we can think of is to take a hike this time of year and visit them where they flourish.

Note: Mule Ears are often confused with Arrowleaf (Balsamorhiza sagittata) which occupies roughly the same home range as Wyethia. Which plant do you suppose is depicted in the photo here?

As usual, the cactus flowers have been beautiful this year. This potted Beavertail Cactus has been blooming this week. Last year this particular cactus sat on a deck that received a full day's worth of sun throughout the spring. This year it spent its springtime days in a place that received only morning sun. Consequently this year, the cactus produced only three blooms compared to it's fifteen last year. Still, the flowers are a complete delight.

This cactus does just fine in a pot. It stays outside year round and has never suffered from the cold nights of winter. As the plant grows, we periodically snip off one or two of it's big fat leaves, let them harden for a few days, then plant them either in the ground, or in containers. The new growth is always a nice rich green.

We usually carry hardy Beavertail cactus at the nursery. They are perfect for xeric landscapes and rock gardens and they add interest in your cactus container collection.

These past few weeks have been remarkable for penstemon flowers. It's a good year.

The penstemon pictured here is a Palmer Penstemon (Penstemon palmeri). It is native to many parts of the Western United States, including Nevada, California, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. This is one of the taller penstemons, with its flower stems reaching three and a half feet high. The long lasting soft pink/white, sweet smelling flowers, with their deeper pink stripes and their orange tuffs, look like exotic snapdragons, and are actually sometimes called the 'Pink Wild Snapdragon.' Visitors to the west have have even said the flowers look like tiny orchids. The honey bees and butterflies love them. The wild song birds enjoy the seeds.

This beauty, as well as most penstemon types, is great for erosion control. It loves disturbed and desolate places, and does well in rock gardens and other dry, well drained sites. In a good year -- and this seems to be one -- they can flower from May through July.

Penstemons are great additions to the sun garden. There are many different kinds with as many different colored flowers. From purple, to red, to blue, to violet, pink and white, you can't go wrong with this hardy perennial. We have a wide variety of penstemons this year.

The beautiful white and lavender Columbine (Aquilegia caerules) was established as the state flower of Colorado back in the late 19th century. Also called the Rocky Mountain Columbine, this flower is protected in Colorado with a law that declares its protection as a duty of the state's citizenry.

Title 1, Part 9, Section 24-80-906 reads:

It is hereby declared to be the duty of all citizens of this state to protect the white and lavender Columbine Aquilegia Caerulea, the state flower, from needless destruction or waste.

The statute further declares that it is unlawful, punishable by up to 50 bucks, to rip the plant out of the ground, or to excessively pick the flowers along roadsides or on public lands. It is even unlawful to pick the flower on private land, unless you get the landowner's permission first.

Very adaptable, Columbine plants do well in our area under a variety of conditions, but they thrive if you give them a well draining, rich, moist soil with morning sun and afternoon shade. You can prolong their blooming time into late June and even to mid-July if you remove fading flowers. Your beloved hummingbirds will thank you with a million wing flutters!

The cacti have been blooming abundantly and beautifully this year, but they do every year. Although the cold winter temperatures limit the number of cactus types that grow in our region, the ones that do always delight the senses this time of year.

We have done our research and testing and have found several cold hardy cacti that will do just fine with the long and cold winters of our region. The list includes the Prickly Pear (Opuntia acicularis and O. engelmannii), Santa Rita (Opuntia violaceae), Cholla (Opuntia bigelovii), Silver Cholla (Opuntia echinocarpa), Beavertail (Opuntia basilaris), and several types of Hedge Hog.

All our cacti are grown outdoors, hardened for the harsh conditions of the northern Nevada bioregion. We have several types in easy to transplant four inch pots, as well as several more mature specimens in gallon and five gallon sizes. Cactus plants are great for rock gardens and fulfill many of your xeric needs. Come into our shop and see our selection.

This Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana) -- one of a pair -- was photographed this week sitting on a backyard fence in the Old Southwest section of Reno. The same week a pair was also sighted on the John Cooke Trail during one of the windy, rainy days of late.

This beautiful finch-like song bird feeds mostly on insects and can be seen fly catching. So far the Tanager isn't threatened, perhaps because the bird is almost always on the move, commanding a range that extends from Southern Alaska and Canada's Northwest Territories, through the entire Western United States, all the way to Southern Mexico and Costa Rica. The bird likes to nest in the open, extended branches of pine and other conifers. They are somewhat rarely seen because they tend to move from branch to branch and tree to tree very high off the ground. Sometimes, though, they flit through the forest's understory, especially to drink and to nibble on fruit and berries. If you get to see one up close, consider yourself lucky!

Source: Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Western North America, Fourth Edition

This past week, just before the snow storm came roaring through town, the Claret Cup Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus) started blooming. This is usually the first hardy cactus to bloom in our area. If it likes its location, a single plant will develop five or so stems between five and ten inches high and will produce a large bouquet of deep orange or red blooms in May. The flowers are long lasting as cactus flowers go, staying firm and beautiful for several days, and unlike most cactus flowers, the Claret Cup flower stays open at night.

The cactus in this photograph has been in its present location for six years. In the wild, this particular hedgehog prefers higher desert locations, so at 4500 feet, this one feels right at home. All hedgehog cacti enjoy intense heat from a south sloping perch. A perfect choice for xeric landscaping, the Claret Cup prefers sandy, well drained soil, morning to evening sun, but especially a good dose of the afternoon rays, and less than an inch of water per month. It is beloved by honey bees and hummingbirds.

On the warmer nights of late, count yourself lucky if you can hear the magical, mating song of the Western Toad. What a sound! The Western Toad (Bufo boreas) is a common amphibian for our area, but its population has been declining because of the accumulated impact of unintelligent human development, widespread use of synthetic fertilizers and other types of chemical pollution and environmental degradation. A big concern is development that's not environmentally conscious, the result of which destroys wetlands and isolates toad populations from one another. And then there's the growing danger of temperature changes due to global warming.

If you don't use chemicals in your garden and pond, you might have the good fortune to accommodate Western Toads. Not surprisingly, they enjoy hanging out where there's water or moist soil, although when they aren't interested in sex, they will wander far from standing or running water. They usually like to spend the daytime hours in the dark, underground, or under logs or rocks or patio decks. They are much more active during the daytime in higher elevations where it's not so hot during the day. They either dig their own burrows or use those of small rodents, hibernating during the cold, freezing months of winter.

Great for garden pest protection, after the tadpole stage, the Western Toad dines mainly on insects, including misquotes, ants, beetles, sow bugs, spiders, centipedes and slugs.

Toads have what is called their paratoid glands, located close behind each eye. These highly developed glands are used for defense against potential predators. When threatened or attacked, the glands secrete an irritating poison that is quite distasteful. If the predator is smart, they will release the toad rather than eat it since ingesting the poison can and probably will make the predator quite sick. Nausea, a racing heart and in some cases, even death can be the result. This doesn't mean that the Western Toad is immune to predation. The tadpoles are a tasty treat for birds and fish, and after the tadpole stage, they must keep watch against snakes, birds, and mammals that aren't smart enough to leave them alone. Since the Western Toad doesn't quite trust human affection, it's not a good idea to handle them too much. Don't kiss them! And wash your hands before you get the poison in your mouth or your eyes.

Hopefully, the increase in organic, chemical free gardening will help give the Western Toad and other local amphibians a chance for survival. Give your toads a safe environment and your toads could be helping your gardens for decades, as they have been known to live for 35 years or more!

It was an incredibly beautiful day yesterday in Washoe Valley, a perfect, sun and fun filled Spring day at our Washoe City nursery location. We celebrated Earth Day, the wind and Dry Creek's new wind turbine with a a pro-environment information fair. Lots of students and gardeners stopped by with questions and to hear the amazing music by Tim Snider.

In this photo, John is explaining the energy saving philosophy behind roof top gardening to a group of students.

There was one thing unusual, though, about yesterday's wind energy and wind turbine celebration: there was not a hint of wind! Usually residents of Washoe City would count a windless day a blessing, but everyone wanted to see the new turbine turning.

A good time was had by all.

Pictured in the lower forefront of the photograph is the Cut-leaf Daisy (Erigeron compositus) which opens to a beautiful, showy pale lavender flower that's pleasing to the eye and attractive to butterflies and honey bees. The plant grows from montane to alpine elevations throughout the American West. It requires an average soil and an average amount of water for our area, less being better than more, but regular watering is best. For a perennial ground cover plan, the Cut-leaf Daisy is low growing and will reseed itself from year to year, becoming dependable as a soft texture for rock gardens and other sunny spaces.

The upper flower in the photograph is the Phlox douglasii, a dependable perennial groundcover found in the same northwestern zones as the Cut-leaf Daisy. The Phlox grows in mats and, once established, takes little to no maintenance. Drought-tolerant and a good choice for xeric landscaping, this Phlox, like the Cut-leaf Daisy, adds color to rock gardens and open sunny places this time of year.

Both flowers are in bloom right now, and we have both in stock. For your gardening pleasure, we are offering a 20% discount on the Cut-leaf Daisy while supplies last.

Don't forget to come celebrate the Wind and Earth Day at the Washoe City nursery TODAY, April 23, between noon and 2 pm. Find out more.

Some quotes for Earth Day:

It seems that where ever humans live, it is rare for there not to exist a tension between the land, the wild and the people. It is as if an essential aspect of being human is to be always in transition, a more or less disrupting force perpetually transforming the animal and plant communities within which we hope to coexist. We must be careful! -- Anonymous

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. -- Chief Seattle

Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.ﾠ -- Cree Indian Proverb

The earth is a generous mother; she will provide in plentiful abundance food for all her children if they will but cultivate her soil in justice and in peace. -- Bourke Coekran

When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world. - John Muir

When we heal the earth, we heal ourselves.ﾠ -- David Orr

The old Lakota was wise.ﾠ He knew that man's heart away from nature becomes hard; he knew that lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to lack of respect for humans too.ﾠ -- Chief Luther Standing Bear

When the soil disappears, the soul disappears.ﾠ -- Ymber Delecto

The earth is what we all have in common. To cherish what remains of the Earth and to foster its renewal is our only legitimate hope of survival. -- Wendell Berry

The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe, the less taste we shall have for destruction. -- Rachel Carson

The West of which I speak is but another name for the Wild, and what I have been preparing to say is, that in Wildness is the preservation of the World. Every tree sends its fibers forth in search of the Wild. The cities import it at any price. Men plow and sail for it. From the forest and wilderness come the tonics and barks which brace mankind. . . . -- Henry David Thoreau

Happy Earth Day! And don't forget to come celebrate the Wind and Earth Day at the Washoe City nursery tomorrow between noon and 2 pm. Find out more.

In 1969, the American underground comics artist, Ron Cobb, designed the Ecology Symbol. It was first published in The Los Angeles Free Press ("The Freep"), historically one of the 1960s first underground newspapers in the United States. It seems Cobb had better intentions than simply making money off the symbol and thus promptly released it into the public domain.

The philosophic symbolism behind Cobb's image, reminiscent of the mid-twienth century move towards enlightenment that was the anti-Vietnam war, pro-environmental, pro-civil rights, peace and justice movement, is illustrated on a poster by Cobb. On the poster, the symbol is surround by definitions and concepts that illustrate the hope and idealistic goals of an entire generation.

Much of the intent was to highlight the concept of Ecology in order to incite awareness of the reality of human environmental destructiveness. It would be used as a deterrant to that destructiveness, publically defined so as to remind us of our uncanniness, our lostness, and to help us find a new path toward reintegration with the planet. It would be the rediscovery of a hidden truth, a way to help "get ourselves back to the garden," as Joni Mitchell would sing.

For Cobb, the 'e' was to be lower case "to symbolize the passive yielding or feminine aspect of nature, the 'prima materia' or 'no-thing' out of which all 'things' are made to appear by division." The 'e' was to symbolize the environment, thought of through a list of 'e' words, such as "earth, eden, eternal, evolution, encircle, enrichment, enlightenment, eros, empathy, emotion, ecstasy and existence." The symbol was elliptic to illustrate "the transcendent unity that pervades all dualities..." And so Cobb connected the ends of the 'e' to become a circle to suggest 'o' words, such as "organism, oneness, oasis, OM, omnipresence, origin, open, orgy, orgasm and ontology," thereby creating a mandala, "the universal symbol of wholeness of harmonious unity -- the centering of psyche with cosmos -- the resolution of all opposites ...sanity, peace..."

The symbol survives, reminding us of very practical needs: clean air, clean soil, clean water, room to grow, health, peace, justice, and finding our way back to the garden...

One of the amazing things about Creeping or Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata) is that it adapts easily to a wide variety of environmental conditions. It likes full sun, but will take partial shade. It enjoys a slightly moist soil with a neutral pH, but will grow quite happily in acidic soils that dry out almost completely in the afternoon sun. With its shallow roots, it will even adapt to sandy, rocky soils and the intense heat of desert summers.

Just as impressive in the cold, this plant is Zone 3 hardy, which means it can survive -40 temperatures! That's as cold as the highest mountains of the Sierra and the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. In winter, this phlox will cozy down beneath a thick layer of snow to escape the burning effects of searing winds and storms. Then come Spring, it delights us with its beautiful carpet of flowers.

Phlox is in bloom right now! Spring is its time of visible presence when its five-petaled flowers cover the entire plant for a good two weeks or more. We carry several varieties in 4" pots in many shades: pink, red, lavender, blue, purple, and white. It's a great miniature, easily controlled semi-evergreen ground cover that grows pretty much where you want it to.

Gardeners and landscapers use this Phlox for its beautiful display of flowers in the Spring. It's often planted in rock gardens, at the edge of rock walls, and as border accents.