Beat the heat by thinking about improvements for fall

I don’t care how you plan, there are never enough trees in our yards. Think about adding a tree or two to your landscape this fall, which is the best time to plant them in Las Vegas. Look outside for the hot spots, especially during the afternoon hours on the southwest corner of your home where the heat is most intense.

Plan to do some sun blocking with a tree to maximize cooling that area. Some of the best varieties of shade trees for Las Vegas include mesquites, desert willow (you need to see some new varieties at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve), sweet acacia, paloverde and a favorite of mine, Texas honey mesquite.

Oh yes, also use shrubs as shade blockers. Shrubs shield the lower half of house walls to bring about a significant cooling effect around the home. Trees can’t shade these areas. Remember, summer sun rays are directly overhead and your roof overhang will help out some. Some great sun-blocking shrubs to consider include dwarf oleander, cassia, myrtle, Texas ranger, jojoba and yellow bells.

If you have a narrow side-yard, don’t anguish over the dilemma; try espaliering. Espalier is a fancy word for growing and training plants nearly flat against a wall or fence. If branches reach out, prune them off, to encourage growth down or along the wall to fill in even more. Some of the best shrubs to espalier include xylosma, pyracantha, podocarpus and Japanese privet.

If it is shade you want in these narrow spaces, include shoestring acacia, heavenly bamboo and willow pittosporum. Consider palms, because they create a surprisingly large amount of shade. Observe those established in your neighborhood to see what I mean. People often consider palms slow growing, but they reach up fast to help shade the roof. Some good choices include blue, windmill, Mexican, California and Guadalupe fan palms. To get an even more dramatic display of palms, try grouping them and you’ll end up with more and faster shade.

And let’s not overlook shading your air conditioner. Properly placed plants will help to reduce your air conditioning bill when shading the compressor. But keep plants at least 3 feet away from the unit.

What about an ornamental screen as a shade source? Ray and Janet Zawisza grow a mile-a-minute perennial vine (Merremia dissecta) to screen out sun from their exposed patio. This vine grows 20 feet tall and spreads out the same distance. They planted this vine 16 years ago and it is still going strong. They drape string from the patio beam each spring to the vine below, and vines take over until it freezes. They remove it and it returns in all its glory next spring. Ray harvests seeds for friends. If you want some, call me.

Call in ground-covering shade blockers if you mulch with rock. Sun heats up the rock through the day and slowly releases it through the night, keeping the environment extremely hot. Bring on ground covers such as coyote bush, verbena, rosemary, trailing indigo bush and trailing lantana to prevent this.

And don’t forget the natural cooling mechanism called transpiration. You and I sweat, plants transpire. It’s the same principle we used years ago to cool our homes with evaporative coolers. Plants expel water through leaf pores and that cools plants and the surrounding air. As you can see, the more shade-producing plants, the cooler it will be around your home.

Finally, remember that given the proper care, plants grow rapidly, especially shrubs and ground covers. Don’t get caught up in the propaganda that you need to plant bigger plants.

MESQUITE MEAL AND FLOUR

Down in Texas and along the Southwestern United States, mesquite trees are almost weeds. Talk to cattle ranchers and they will confirm this, or take a ride to the upper Moapa Valley and see pastures full of mesquites. They produce bountiful crops of beans, which is the case right now, and cattle love them. You will find mesquites sprouting near every cow pie.

You often hear of a steakhouse restaurant cooking with mesquite wood to improve the taste of their steaks. It adds a distinct smoky, sweetness to grilled foods. Some use the wood for fuel, furniture or flooring, but few have experienced the delectable flavor of ground pods.

Mesquite meal was an integral part of American Indians’ daily diet. As these folks became more domesticated, they, too, forgot their native desert foods and became more sedentary. Now obesity and diabetes have grown at an astounding rate. Researchers are now finding mesquite pods and beans as a great source of nutrition. In fact, it is rather astonishing when they grind pods into meal or flour.

With pods now covering the ground under these beautiful mesquite trees, people ask, “Are the pods and seeds edible?” And the answer is yes. American Indians and others who live off the land use the flour in baking and seasoning on food and in drinks. Along the Southwest border, you’ll find mesquite meal or flour in pancakes, muffins, cakes, corn bread or cookies or sprinkled as a seasoning and in breading meat and fish. For more about the value of mesquite meal in the diets of Indians and its effect on their health, go to Google and type in “mesquite meal.”

To bring this full circle so you understand why it is in this garden column, we always focus on water-efficient plants and mesquites have become one of our staples. But now sustainability has become part of the discussion when considering plants for landscapes. Mesquites not only provide shade, but also sustain wildlife. We are now finding they provide a healthy source of food for humans.

IRIS SALE

Irises are some of the most water-efficient plants you can grow. They originate in the Middle East, which has a climate much like ours. The only time they need more water is just before they bloom. To make sure you are able to have irises adapted to our area, the Southern Nevada Iris Society invites you to its annual iris sale. During the sale, society members will give growing and hybridizing tips to all who are interested. This year’s sale is from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at the Star Nursery at 7330 W. Cheyenne Ave. Call 565-6284 for more information.

Linn Mills writes a garden column each Thursday. You can reach him at lmills@reviewjournal.com or at the Gardens at the Springs Preserve, 822-7754.