Eastern Washington State

Beginning Desert Gardeners

I lived on the west (wet) side of Washington State. Pop lived Eastside (desert). He passed last year 😢 and I decided to sell...and move to the desert. I'm 70...so I need to get up to speed sooner rather than later. 😯 Help! 😊

I started coming to the desert to help my father age in place about 15 years ago. I have noticed that both commercial agriculture and home gardeners use overhead irrigation. Lots of plants do not enjoy being watered that way. In addition it's hard water and it doesn't take long to coat the leaves and leave unsightly stains. By the end of summer they look awful and perform badly. Is there a reason why people don't use soaker hoses? It's also concerning, at a time when water is more precious, to see hundreds and hundreds of acres being watered overhead with big equipment. I drive past farm after farm watching the spray mist going straight up into the air. Not to mention that, they do this on windy 100° degree days so most of that water evaporates before it ever hits the ground. Am I missing something? They can put a man on the moon but we are still watering like it was an infinite resource?

Can't speak for everyone regarding how they are watering, but I do know that the hard water can make it difficult to have drip irrigation. As for soaking, are you meaning just having a hose run? That is often what I'm doing (deep watering). But sadly, yes, there are many in the desert areas that are watering as though we have all the water to waste. Sadly my area also has a lot of rock front / back yards, making the heat even worse in the summer.

So what are you doing differently in your space? What are you planting / growing?

Hi! By soaker hoses I mean the perforated hoses rather than hoses with drip emitters. Dad's place...now my place 😔 has 7 irrigation zones that use tall sprayers that shoot water up and over long distances which is fine for the lawns (which will slowly get much smaller as I plant more shrubs). I am on a hill above the marina at Charbonneau...just above ICE Harbour Dam on the Snake River. I have a terraced area behind me and another one below me. The shrubs, perennials and annuals do not enjoy the overhead water. The rest is rock. That will slowly go away as well.
My garden in Vancouver has acid soil...desert house is Alkaline. I'm excited to learn what I can grow here. I already have several Lilac varieties doing very well, Spirea, Day Lillies and upright Honeysuckle and Dad bless his heart, planted some pines, and we have 4 large Walnut trees, an Apricot and 3 Plums.
I received my Master Gardener certificate in 1996...in Western Washington. I have no idea what I'm doing here...suggestions welcomed! Do desert peeps use native plants much?

Ah, yes perforated hoses. Really any type of soaker or drip irrigation would be best… though I find even a regular hose is fine, it's about having the water being able to soak into the ground (sometimes having to plant something a bit more down rather than up as one might be used to in wetter regions). The sprayers are used a great deal where people have lawns, but as you said, moving away from that which is great - though certainly can plant native grasses that once established will thrive in the area.

Sounds like you have quite a few things already established which is fabulous. Depending on the variety of pine, some are native to this region and if the other trees are thriving then things were done right.

As for "desert peeps" using native plants… depends on the person. There are many of us that do, I'm always looking for any native plant alternative that I can find, but I'm also growing food for myself (plus others), finding that balance. In my area (near Peoria) there are some natives planted, unfortunately people seem to be planting the same thing, lack of awareness of the diversity and variety available.

Suggestions… it really comes down to what you are interested in growing. Are you wanting to focus exclusively on natives? Are you wanting to have more fruit trees or vegetables for yourself? A combination?

Thank you...lots great info there. Recommendations for native grasses? That would be lovely. We get a lot of wind here and I enjoy the movement. It would also provide soft borders between myself and neighbors. I will definitely be growing food crops but not this year...too much other stuff going on. So, I'll be starting with a combination of Native, non-native and food to start. Also, I am looking for a hedge...no taller than 6 feet for the bottom of my hill where it meets the street. The location is brutal as it's completely exposed to full sun and wind. But my view of the Snake River includes the houses across the street. I would like to block them out. Thank you so much for all the info. 🥰

Definitely understand having a lot on your plate - that was my case last year (though honestly this year is a bit rough as well). But start off with what you can and go from there. I think having a combination is the most realistic for people, as many of us are wanting to have food for ourselves (tomatoes…etc) but we do need to support wildlife and pollinators.

As for native grasses for your region, there are a number of options. First ones that come to mind: Snake river wheatgrass (Elymus wawawaiensis), blue bunch wheatgrass (Pseudorooegneria spicata - I think I spelled that right), Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis) and Indian ricegrrass (Achnatherum hymenoides). There's also bottlebrush squirreltail (Elymus elymoides) which is a good pioneer species to help reduce weeds as you're getting things started.

When it comes to shrubs (hedge) there are also some natives that should be fine (once established of course) and I believe all of them would be good in the full sun: rubber rabbitbush (Ericameria nauseosa), big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), antelope bitter bush (Purshia tridentata), curl leaf mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius), and four wing saltbush (Atriplex canescens). Some of these might be a challenge to find in a local nursery. I know there are some online stores that will sell seeds - so it does become a question of whether or not you can find a native store near you or are willing to wait 2-3 years for it to grow large enough to transplant.

There are of course a lot more, those are just what I can think of for your region. I'd see if there is a local nursery (not big box store) that you can easily get to and find out what they might have.

Hope this wasn't too long winded - more than happy to help, that is part of what being in this community is about 😁