The Native Plant Demonstration Gardens along the Tule River Parkway are an isle of blooms fit for a wedding. If you want a beautiful picture for your social media, come out a take a picture by one of these living flower arrangements. There are thirty-four species of native plants blooming today. This week’s featured plant is Desert Willow. The Desert Willows are in their peak bloom weeks and will continue to bloom for the remainder of the summer. Each bloom is intricate, when seen from a distance
the trees are ornamented with clusters of pink flowers. Desert Willows can be grown from seed or cuttings and are often sold as named cultivars that range in flower colors; white, pink, lavender, and purple. Desert Willow is a deciduous, fast-growing small tree with an average height of 20’. They are very drought tolerant and do well on twice-a-month water once established but will survive without summer water. Desert Willow will naturally grow as a multi-stemmed large bush but can easily be trained as a single-trunk tree. They do best in full sun, fast draining soil, and little to no fertilization. They are hummingbird and bee magnets and provide nesting material for native birds.
The following are just five of the thirty-four plants which you can see blooming in a quarter-mile walk along the Tule River Parkway between Jaye Street and Parkway Drive.
1. Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis)
2. California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum)
3. Celestial Blue Sage (Salvia ‘Celestial Blue’)
4. California Wild Rose (Rosa californica)
5. Marion Sampson Coyote Mint (Monardella macrantha ‘Marion Sampson’)
Desert Willows and many other California native plants are available at Luis’ Nursery 139 S Mariposa Ave, Visalia, Alta Vista Nursery in Three Rivers which is open by appointment at 559-799-7438, or Quercus Landscape Design in Springville https://quercuslandscapedesign.com/availability/. More information on this plant can be found at https://calscape.org/. by searching for the plant by name. Each of the Native Plant Demonstration Gardens is featured on the TRPA website as well. The Tule River Parkway is a City of Porterville public park which features a three-mile paved walking and bicycle path. The gardens were planted and maintained by volunteers with project management by the Tule River Parkway Association. We have three volunteer garden days each month. Follow Tule River Parkway Association on Facebook for announcements. June events are on the 11, 16, and 18th in the morning. The public is encouraged to explore the gardens to learn more about the featured plants and the project. For More information contact TRPA at tulerivergardens@gmail.com.
Submitted by Cathy Capone 5-25-2022
Comments