Early harvest, fencing protect fruit from birds

It common for the chitalpa tree to partially defoliate in the summer.

Renewal pruning, cutting deep inside the shrub and removing larger wood, results in a flush of sucker growth from the remaining stubs that will be succulent and produce lots of leaves and flowers.

Plums and pluots improve in flavor when they are kept on the tree longer and harvested closer to their mature date. These fruits are normally harvested from the end of July to the first or second week of August in our climate.

The Chinese pistache is a good choice in the desert as a general landscape, street or lawn tree. It grows to about 30 feet in height.

Lantanas are easy to grow and can add a variety of colors that attract wildlife including butterflies to home landscapes.

Some plants don’t grow well in rock, and roses are one of them. Nearly all landscape plants in the rose family like soil improvement and a moist environment when planted in desert soils.

Be careful when putting cactuses on an automatic water or irrigation timer. They are watered so infrequently that it sometimes makes sense to water these plants manually with a hose rather than automating the task.

The active ingredient in Roundup and KnockOut is glyphosate. This active ingredient alone doesn’t produce any results for four to seven days after it is sprayed.

Some plants grow suckers at the base of the plant and others produce suckers, or new growth, a distance away from the plant. So far, the only practical way to eliminate them is to slice the roots and remove these plants, roots and all.