Illustration by Denise Wantz

For Arizona’s Mid and High Elevations

WHAT TO PLANT
(Mid Elevations)
• Bare-root and container shade trees, shrubs, roses and fruit trees—Fruit trees are characterized by the number of chilling hours they require to set fruit. Chilling hours are those in which the temperature is below 45 degrees. For best fruit production, select tree varieties with the following requirements based upon your elevation: between 2,500 and 4,000 feet—400 to 700 chilling hours; between 4,000 and 6,000 feet—700 to 1,000 hours. If space allows, extend your fruit harvest season by planting multiple varieties that produce your favorite fruit at different times. For example, ‘Redhaven’ and ‘Sunhaven’ are early peaches; ‘Rio Oso Gem’ is a mid-season peach; ‘Cresthaven’ and ‘Madison’ are late peaches.
• Wildflower seeds—To attract butterflies, sow aster, blackfoot daisy, blanket flower, butterfly weed, cleome, desert marigold and Mexican hat in full sun. Canyon, firecracker, Parry’s and Rocky Mountain penstemon are reliable hummingbird attractors.

(Mid and High Elevations)
• Purchase tomato seeds—Be ready to sow seeds indoors eight to 12 weeks prior to transplanting outdoors. Small- to medium-size fruits perform best in arid climates because they reach maturity faster, and without cracking, than the large beefsteak varieties. Tried-and-true bite-size tomatoes include ‘Gardeners Delight’, ‘Sweet 100’ and ‘Yellow Pear.’ Reliable mid-size producers include ‘Celebrity’, ‘Champion’ and ‘Early Girl.’ Compact plants of ‘Bush Early Girl’ and ‘Patio’ are perfect for containers or small spaces.
For a fun time with children, try growing a rainbow cherry tomato mix from Totally Tomatoes (totallytomato.com), which includes gold, orange, creamy  white,
yellow, pink, green, purple and red fruits. Native Seeds/SEARCH (nativeseeds.org)
offers tomato varieties well-adapted to arid conditions, including ‘Punta Banda’ from Baja California, and ‘Prescott Heirloom’, collected from a family that gardened in Prescott, Arizona, for many generations.

GARDEN MAINTENANCE
(Mid Elevations)
• Prune—Check with local garden clubs and your County Cooperative Extension for pruning demonstrations. Trim dormant deciduous trees, fruit trees and grapes. Wait to prune spring-blooming plants until flowering is complete. Prune hybrid roses from mid-February to mid-March. Remove old canes from blackberries and raspberries, as the plants won’t fruit again. Finish all pruning by mid-month or before new growth (bud break) begins.
• Monitor weather forecasts—Be prepared to protect frost-tender plants.

(High Elevations)
• Examine stored flower bulbs—Dispose of bulbs that are mushy or decayed. If bulbs are shriveled, sprinkle lightly with water to hydrate.

(Mid and High Elevations)
• Water as needed—Continue monitoring winter precipitation. If rain is minimal, water established woody landscape plants monthly and evergreens and fall transplants twice per month.
 

Cathy Cromell is a Master Gardener and co-author of Earth-Friendly Desert Gardening (Arizona Master Gardener Press).