Special to the Herald/Review
The sundrops are a lovely family.
Fall is a great time to plant cold hardy plants and native plants. The cooler days will help to get them established. In our climate, it is better to plant in fall than in spring. Our springs are very short and it gets hot quickly. May and June are the worst months to plant anything. The heat and dryness and the strong winds are very hard on plants and the effort mostly fails. Of course, more tropical plants such as lantana and red bird of paradise are better planted in spring.
 Sundrops (Courtesy of Angel Rutherford) |
The first plant family to be suggested is the sundrops — calylophus. The sundrops must be my all-time favorite and they do really well in my little garden.
C. hartweggi was one of the first plants I planted in our backyard after my landscaper left me with a moonscape of rocks and gravel. At least I was able to dig holes after the gravel was placed. The gravel gives up moisture, and the ground is more manageable. I could not resist these wonderful yellow blossoms resembling evening primroses. This is the largest plant in the sundrops family. My plant has grown 2 feet high and 3 feet wide. The flowers are profuse and at times you cannot see the leaves. This plant is a western native and will bloom on and off all summer long until frost.
On my island in front of the house, I have planted C. drummondianus. It grows somewhat smaller, 1 foot by 1 foot. The flowers are also smaller, but it blooms from spring until fall. The plant has taken over my island as it spreads by rhizomes and pops up everywhere. This is another plant that is showy and undemanding. It has never been fertilized and only occasionally gets a drink. Even so, it is very drought tolerant. Keep in mind even those plants need to be watered regularly until they are established, which means at least for a year.
The third one in this family is C. serrulatus, a little wildflower found in the prairies from Canada to Texas. This one only grows to a foot overall. This plant is sitting in my dry streambed in front of my house. The flowers are also a lot smaller, but it is a charming little plant, the cooler seasons bring the flowers. All three plants stay evergreen in winter and they look attractive all year long.
The sundrops are also the food plant for the Sphinx Moth. This moth is one of my favorites. I love to watch this moth hovering over flowers looking like a hummingbird. The damage the caterpillars do is very small and can be hardly noticed.
When I came to this area 12 years ago, this plant was hard to get. Now it is readily available and is planted around businesses all over town. Look for it at Ace, the Sierra Vista and Bisbee Farmers Markets, and Mountain View Koi Nursery.
ANGEL RUTHERFORD is historian of the Sierra Vista Area Gardeners Club and a Cochise County Master Gardener. For all your gardening questions, visit her Web site, www.angelfrogs.com. You can find her artwork at the Huachuca Art Gallery and the Tombstone Art Association. Her column typically appears the first Sunday of each month.
