198 
GARDENING IN THE SOUTHWEST 
Creepers 
Conserva¬ 
tion 
of Moisture 
Methods 
Suggested 
ly-blue stars are contrasting climbers. They will ramble down a 
hillside or up the stems of leggy plants. The Oenotheras* (particu¬ 
larly the large yellow Missouriensis or Evening Primrose) are 
lovely among rocks or clambering over a ledge. Their habitat is 
limestone bluffs of poor soil and their pure gold cups are a delight 
to the eye. The lovely pink variety has been overshadowed by the 
more showy, taller-growing white one. 
Petunias, with a choice of gay colors, when their runners are not 
kept cut back, like to climb over obstacles, just as Verbenas do. 
The gay yellow and orange Thunbergia, that insists on growing up 
a hillside instead of down, and trailing Lantana of such hardy, 
vigorous growth will bloom profusely if the seedpods are kept cut 
to postpone maturing until late Fall. An excellent companion 
for these is the Virginia Creeper (of which there is a native, 
“Texas”, variety) especially where the flowering-creepers need the 
support of the clinging-habit of this vine, or the additional green 
of its profusion of five-fingered leaves. Honeysuckle and the 
coarser-textured Woodbines (orange and scarlet, and yellow 
Trumpet-Creepers) give one further choice of more adventurous 
climbers, which may be trained over a trellis to form a shady 
nook. 
The problem of conservation of moisture for the semi-dry gar¬ 
den may be met in several ways, foremost of which is obviously 
the selection of those plants which have been proved best quali¬ 
fied for drought and heat resistance. Mulching, or cultivating 
these will give the highest degree of satisfaction. In many cases, 
a thorough, slow drenching of the plant once a month, or once 
in every two or three weeks (dependent on the range of the tem¬ 
perature), will be quite sufficient. This moisture may be said to 
be blanketed-in, with a layer of straw-mulching, or grass-clip¬ 
pings (taking care that the grass has not gone to seed when cut) 
or possibly mulched with half-rotted leaf-mold, where this is 
available and of the correct chemical combination for the soil 
over which it will be placed. (See page 8.) If one chooses the 
other method, cultivating, remember it must be frequent. Culti¬ 
vating has its advantages, for only by this method is free circu- 
* Native. 
