Rewilding My Lot

The Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) is the second tree that I planted here, in spring 2023, and the one that has grown the fastest. It is currently at least 11 ft tall. As it has grown, I have increased the size of its mulch ring to more or less match the reach of the branches.

A combination of that growth and a major pruning last year means that now there is a significant area underneath the tree that is more accessible (to light and me).

The region immediately surrounding the Desert Willow is occupied largely by Standing Cypress (Ipomopsis rubra), a tall biennial. I already have plenty of those growing in the garden, and I’d prefer to have anything growing underneath the Desert Willow be shorter than that. So I am in the process of pulling out the THOUSANDS! of tiny Standing Cypress that have self-seeded under the tree. I pull a few handfuls out each time I have a little time, but it’s an easy task and I’m likely to get to them long before they bloom.

I try not to let anything go to waste in the garden, so “weeds” that are pulled up in the garden usually get laid on a nearby mulch pathway to die and join the pathway structure.

There are already several Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) that have volunteered under the Desert Willow, even some that are already blooming. If this area were to turn into a mini wildflower meadow, that seems like a good use of the space for now. My plan is to remove all Standing Cypress within the circle and to encourage Bluebonnets and other short wildflowers. It will be interesting to see how this area develops, and in the fall I will consider whether any adjustments are needed.