Featured post
Plant Spotlight: Barrel Cactus
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · September 01, 2022 2:40 PMContinue reading → Add your reaction Share
Photos by Susan GillinghamA native cactus of the Mojave Desert is the barrel cactus, or Ferocactus cylindraceus. The Latin name Ferocactus means fierce or wild cactus.The bright pink-red spines of the cactus are particularly apparent after a rain. Older plants form a medium or tall column. Flowers are yellow, appearing in spring and early summer, while the fruits are bright yellow.
According to ethnobotanist.com, the "Havasupai collected seeds from the fruit and ground them into an edible, porridge mush. These people also warmed the red spines by fire, then bent the spines into finger rings." The fruit itself is described as "not very tasty."
Featured post
Plant Spotlight: Ocotillo
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · August 01, 2022 12:00 AMContinue reading → Add your reaction Share
Photo by Chris Hunkeler from Carlsbad, California, USA, <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia CommonsOcotillo is a native plant that creates structure and height in our Morongo Basin landscapes. Ocotillo means "little torch" in Spanish, probably inspired by the orange red flowers at the plant's tips. The plant can grow up to 15 feet tall and wide. It prefers full sun and likes our heat.Fouquieria splendens, or ocotillo, for much of the year appears to be an arrangement of large spiny dead sticks, although a closer look reveals that the canes are partly green. Either through irrigation or rain, water makes the plant come to life with small green leaves all over the stems.Tips about growing and irrigating these plants varies widely. Morongo Basin writer Maureen Gilmer notes that getting them started in your yard can be "devilishly difficult." She recommends buying them potted instead of bare root for best growing success.
Ocotillo in Landers, CA. Photo by Marina ChavezFeatured post
Plant Spotlight: Red Yucca
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · July 01, 2022 12:00 AMContinue reading → Add your reaction ShareA non-native grass-like plant that does particularly well in the Morongo Basin is red yucca, or Hesperaloe parviflora. Its grassy evergreen leaves provide interest during all seasons, with plants having a purple cast in the winter cold.
Creative Commons photo by Fritz HochstätterAs a native of the Mexican Chihuahuan Desert, red yucca can withstand our high temperatures. The deep rose-pink blooms usually start in June and last for a long time, provided the plant is regularly watered. The bloom spike can reach 5 feet in mature plants. If watered irregularly, it will either not bloom or the blooms will be few.This is a low-maintenance plant beloved by hummingbirds!Featured post
Plant Spotlight: California Buckwheat
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · June 01, 2022 12:00 AMContinue reading → Add your reaction Share
California buckwheat with Russian sage in the background. Photo by Stacy DoolittleAn outstanding small shrub for Morongo Basin landscapes is California Buckwheat, a native which is likely to volunteer in your yard. Long-lived creamy white flowers eventually turn into attractive rust-colored seed heads. It is attractive all year long.Eriogonum Fasciculatum var. polifolium is the grey-leafed variety we see in the desert, and according to Calscape is sometimes available in nurseries. (See our native plant nurseries for potential sources.) It is also easily grown from seed.
Buckwheat at Mojave Desert Land Trust demonstration garden. Photo by Stacy Doolittle.Virtually pest-free and able to withstand long period of times without water, buckwheat is used for slope stabilization and as low hedges.Featured post
Plant Spotlight: Apricot Mallow
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · May 01, 2022 12:00 AMContinue reading → Add your reaction Share
Photo by Arch McCulloughA favorite springtime native flower of many Morongo Basin residents (and hummingbirds) is the Apricot Mallow. With its upturned, bright orange-cupped flowers, and grey-green foliage, mallow fits into most any landscaping scheme. With any luck, you won't need to plant it as it will volunteer in your water-wise garden!Sphaeralcea ambigua is common along our Basin's roadsides in spring, with its flowering dependent upon seasonal rains. Though most mallow flowers are apricot-orange, there are also pink, purple, red, white and shades in between. Prune once a year after blooming to 6"-12" above ground to help eliminate unproductive woody growth and reseeding. Do not try and shear this plant regularly as it will not respond well. Wear gloves when pruning as its leaves can be a skin irritant.Featured post
Plant Spotlight: Mojave Yucca
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · April 01, 2022 12:00 AMContinue reading → Add your reaction Share
Photos by Stacy DoolittleOne of our most glorious native plants is the Mojave Yucca (Yucca schidigera). With blooms beginning purple and opening to white or cream-colored blossoms, a yucca in bloom is a desert beacon. It's tree-like structure adds solidity to the landscape.According to CalScape, "the flower is pollinated by only a single species of Yucca Moth, and many of the flowers go unpollinated." Although a member of the Agave family, yucca's do not produce pups but instead reproduce by seed.
Featured post
Plant Spotlight: Beavertail Pricklypear
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · March 25, 2022 12:00 AMContinue reading → Add your reaction Share
Photos by Stacy DoolittleOpuntia basilaris or beavertail pricklypear as it is is commonly known, is native to the Morongo Basin and other areas of the southwest. It is a small to medium sized cactus with the potential for hundreds of pads on one cactus. These pads are usually a blue-green without spines. Instead, beavertail has glochids which are small barbed bristles or thorns. These easily detach so caution is recommended.A truly desert-wise plant, the beavertail doesn't need supplemental water except a small amount in the heat of summer. But be careful, overwatering can lead to rot. It does not need any supplemental water the rest of the year, even though it can appear parched.Featured post
Plant Spotlight: Agave
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · February 10, 2022 10:22 AMContinue reading → Add your reaction Share
In the cool winter days of February when nothing much seems to be going on in the landscape, agaves stand out in the garden with their grey-green palette and strong structure.Quite a few varieties of agave thrive in the Morongo Basin. Due to the differences in altitude, an agave that does well in Twentynine Palms may be too cold sensitive for Pioneertown's chilly winter temps. Experiment and talk to other gardeners about what works for them. Agaves are great "pass along" plants as they often produce offspring or "pups".Don't rely on the big box stores to have vetted cold hardiness of agave for our area. They may sell plants in the Morongo Basin that cannot take our low temps. (Note: an agave can sometimes recover from cold damage to leaves.)
Photos by Stacy DoolittleFeatured post
Plant Spotlight: Creosote
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · January 01, 2022 12:00 AMContinue reading → Add your reaction ShareThere is not a more perfect landscaping shrub for our Morongo Basin yards than the ubiquitous creosote bush, Larrea tridentata. Native and very common throughout the Basin, creosote is not fussy about soil and can be trimmed into a specimen topiary or into a hedge/windbreak. With regular water it becomes denser.
Small yellow flowers cover the plant in the spring.
Featured post
Plant Spotlight: Hollyleaf Cherry
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · December 01, 2021 12:00 AMContinue reading → Add your reaction ShareHollyleaf cherry (Prunus Ilicifolia) is a native and drought-tolerant shrub for home landscapes in the Morongo Basin. It is the most widely distributed native subspecies of holly in California.
This shrub can be pruned into a quite tall hedge and should be trimmed to shape twice a year if need be. The red cherries appear in fall and are edible if you get them before the birds do! The plant is evergreen with glossy leaves that smell like almonds when crushed. The leaves and branches are useful for holiday wreathes and arrangements.See All Plant SpotlightDo you like this page?
© 2021 GitHub, Inc. Terms Privacy Security Status Docs Contact GitHub Pricing API Training Blog About
Annual Meeting 2026 Video Now Available
You can view the entire Annual Meeting and Greywater presentation via our YouTube Channel. The Introduction to Greywater Irrigation Systems presentation by keynote speaker Nicholas Holmes begins at 1:07:28 in the video, but we encourage viewers to start at the beginning for the presentations on MBCA's issues and programs that precede the Keynote presentation. Below is a timestamp list for all segments of the presentation. MBCA Annual Meeting, January 24,...MBCA Joins Request for Additional Review on Bonanza Peak Solar Project
In support of the California desert environment beyond San Bernardino County, MBCA signed on to a letter outlining concerns about the Bonanza Peak Solar Project in Inyo County. The Old Spanish Trail Association (OSTA) maintains that relying only on an Addendum to the 2015 Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) for the project is not sufficient for measuring the effects of the extensive changes to the original project. They request that...
MBCA Statement on Denial of Sienna II Solar Project Appeal
MBCA has issued a statement following the denial by San Bernardino County Supervisors of the appeal by MBCA (and others) of the Sienna II Solar...County Supervisors Deny Sienna II Appeal - Details
MBCA's appeal (with 7 co-appellants) of the Planning Commission's approval of the Sienna II Solar Project in Lucerne Valley was denied by the Supervisors on Tuesday, January 28. (Timestamps are from the County meeting video - scroll down the Supervisors meetings page to find the meeting date of 2026-01-27 and its video link.) Supervisor Rowe introduced the topic and the process at 26:40. The review started with the County Land Use Services...Sienna Solar Appeal Letter
After the County Planning Commission approved the third iteration of the Sienna Solar Project in Lucerne Valley, MBCA joined local Lucerne area groups in an appeal to the Supervisors, which is to be heard on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. The case for appeal will be presented with a PowerPoint by President Steve Bardwell, with maps, illustrations, and data gathered by a committee of MBCA Board members. A key point to...Eblast: January 19, 2026
Attend MBCA Annual Meeting January 24 2026! Support MBCA Appeal of Lucerne Valley Solar project Annual Desert-Wise Living Landscape Tour is April 19, 2026 Subscribe to MBCA YouTube Video ChannelMBCA Joins Request for Wildlife Protection at Border Wall
MBCA joined a strong plea to California officials initiated by the Endangered Habitats League to take action concerning expansion of the Border Wall along California’s southern border with Mexico that will further damage wildlife in both countries. The letter importantly references the 2005 Memorandum of Understanding between federal and California agencies and several Mexican non-profits regarding the habitat conservation of the area around Tecate Peak which is among several locations...MBCA Opposes Permit for Joshua Tree Motocross Park
After learning of an operating motocross park on Sunfair Road in Joshua Tree, MBCA sent the County a letter opposing approval of any permit for the park/raceway and asking that operation cease until review and permitting can be accomplished. Such a commercial usage is not permitted in a rural living zone without approved permits. According to a report by Z107.7 local radio, the owner Neil Rauschenberg "says that Sunfair 42...Fall Planting Featured on Latest MBCA Desert-Wise Landscape Video
MBCA has published its latest YouTube video on desert-wise landscaping. "Getting to the Root of Fall Planting/Working with Nature" offers tips and suggestions on design by MBCA's gardening expert Miriam Seger, as well as steps to prepare in fall for a healthy and vibrant spring bloom. For a preview, watch this short video on design, and another on why fall is the best time to plant in the desert.
Showing 1 reaction