Golden yellow blooms of chamisa and goldenrod herald the arrival of autumn across New Mexico. It is a warm and inviting color.
We sigh in relief, the heat of summer has finally broken. Just as we think of reds and oranges for the Midwest’s fall, we see a kaleidoscope of yellow hues in the Southwest. The subtle variations of this fall color are depicted in many of our native plants; the bright yellows of sunflowers, velvet ash and New Mexico Olive, the amber gold of aspens and cottonwoods, the russet of oaks, and the lime-yellow of Gooddings willows and boxelder just beginning to change.
Fall is also a great time to plant all of these natives. Planting in fall makes sense when you look at it from the plants point of view. All of your energy went into leaf and flower spring and summer, now you can focus on your roots as you head into winter dormancy.
You are not so thirsty with cooler days and nights. A fine dew coats the ground most mornings and the hot desiccating winds of spring and early summer are long gone. Fall planting means less work for the gardener and will reward you with a bigger more established plant in the spring.
Most of our native perennials, shrubs and trees can be planted as long as the ground isn’t frozen. Just avoid planting cold sensitive species like certain cacti and some salvias. It is an easier time to plant, water requirements are down from daily to weekly, then monthly as winter sets in.
If you feel the need to fertilize, go easy as most natives like a lean native soil. Avoid chemical fertilizers, as they feed only the plant and not the soil, with continual use they deplete the soil of important microbes that help the plant survive. Soil Mender’s YumYum organic fertilizer is good for the growing season, but switch to their Winterizer in the fall.
These were developed by a local New Mexican for our nutrient poor, alkaline soils. Winterizer provides potassium, phosphorus and trace amounts of nitrogen from its alfalfa, cottonseed and kelp meals as well as from greensand and rock phosphate. Other ingredients provide vitamins, minerals and elements necessary to feed and nourish a healthy soil community.
Supporting soil mycorrhizae and microorganisms promotes plant growth as it is their relationship with plants that secures the nutrients and water for plants to thrive in a sustainable manner.
Mulching is important for this time of year too. Use a rock substrate for the most drought tolerant or cold sensitive species. This will keep the root crown drier and warmer with reflected heat and thermal mass.
Gila Wood Products in Santa Clara has a composted wood mulch that has been inoculated with beneficial microorganisms and mycorrhizae fungi from SoilSecrets (SoilSecrets.com). We use it in our gardens and for all of our nursery plants.
Fall is an important time to support our local pollinators and chamisa and goldenrod do just that with their nectar and pollen rich blossoms. While trading goldenrod plants for honey at our local Silver City Farmers Market with the Red Rock Honey folks, they explained that fall is an especially important time to support honeybees since they do not hibernate like our native bumblebees do. Only the Queen hibernates. The rest of the colony is active keeping the hive safe and warm. This requires a lot of stored food to sustain them over the winter.
My Wright’s goldenrod (Solidago wrightii) is covered with hundreds of bees every fall. I often have to step over the three-foot-tall blooms and am amazed at how focused the bees are on their work, ignoring my intrusions.
While admiring the colors in one of Hosana’s beautiful wall hangings at Wild West Weaving, Hosana told me she has been actively collecting goldenrod blossoms for the dye she makes for her weavings. She will be collecting the better known chamisa blooms next. Both of these plants have a long history of traditional uses with Southwestern Native Americans.
Chamisa, or rabbitbrush (Ericamerica nauseosa) is often covered with a diverse array of butterflies and numerous other insect pollinators in late fall. Both of these autumn bloomers are recognized by the Xerces Society (xerces.org) and the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center (wildflower.org) as important for native bees and for supporting predatory insects which prey upon insect pests.
As you head out to soak in the fall color, rest assured that these two native plants are not the culprits triggering your hay fever. They are both falsely accused simply because they are the plants people notice.
It is actually the ragweeds, the chenopods (amaranths), grasses and sagebrush which are wind pollinated that are causing your symptoms. The flowers of these plants are inconspicuous since they do not rely on pollinators. They also produce massive amounts of lighter pollen as a better guarantee that it will make it to the right plants.
Goldenrod and chamisa do not produce as much pollen because insects are more reliable pollinators than wind. Their pollen is more dense and sticks to the insects. Goldenrod has other beneficial properties. It is a great mulch maker and is attributed with drawing nutrients deep in the soil with its long taproots and making them accessible for other plants. Hopefully you now have plenty of reasons to plant these great natives this fall or winter.
Tricia Hurley is co-owner with her husband, Mark Cantrell, of Lone Mountain Natives in Silver City NM. They have been growing, selling and learning about native plants for the past 13 years where they have a home nursery and sell at the local farmers market in downtown Silver City. Their plants are for sale all year and you can contact them at lonemtn@q.com and visit their website at www.lonemountainnatives.com
