Articles
Climate ready landscape plants: response of five landscape plants under deficit irrigation treatments
Article number
1467_16
Pages
127 – 136
Language
English
Abstract
In the 2022-2024 Climate Ready Landscape Plant Trials, the objective was to evaluate the effects of reduced irrigation frequency on the growth and morphology of five landscape plants: Cercocarpus montanus ‘Coy’ (alder-leaf mountain mahogany), Philadelphus lewisii ‘Blizzard’ (‘Blizzard’ mock orange), Philadelphus ’ORSTPHILx1’ (Swan Lake® mock orange), Pinus monophylla (single needle pinyon pine), and Vitex agnus-castus ‘SMVACBD’ (Blue Diddley® chaste tree). These species were chosen for their potential use in residential landscapes and were evaluated at the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station’s Greenville Research Farm, North Logan, UT, USA. Plants were transplanted between May and June 2021. From 2022 to 2024, they were exposed to three deficit irrigation treatments, with irrigation frequencies based on 80
% ETO (high), 50% ETO (moderate), and 20% ETO (low). Plant growth measurements and visual quality ratings were collected monthly, with overall appearance scored on a 1 to 5 scale, where 5 indicated excellent appearance with promising foliage and/or flowers, and 1 indicated a poor or unacceptable plant condition.
In 2022 and 2023, ‘Blizzard’ and Swan Lake®mock orange consistently showed poor to acceptable performance across all irrigation treatments, maintaining overall appearance ratings of 2.4 and 3.7. However, by 2024, both species exhibited improved performance across all treatments.
Pinyon pine maintained good appearance in 2023 and 2024, while ‘Coy’ alder-leaf mountain mahogany showed acceptable appearance in 2022 and 2023. The Blue Diddley® chaste tree displayed 1.9 to 4.1 overall appearance ratings across all irrigation treatments in 2022, 2023, and 2024 and declined under low irrigation in August 2022 and June 2024. Plant growth rate was generally unaffected by the low irrigation treatment for all species.
The findings highlight that pinyon pine maintained good visual quality and growth under low irrigation conditions.
Similarly, irrigation treatments had little impact on the performance of ‘Blizzard’ and Swan Lake®mock orange, as well as ‘Coy’ alder-leaf mountain mahogany, indicating that low irrigation is a viable option for these species.
Although Blue Diddley® chaste tree maintained growth under low irrigation, its overall appearance declined during peak summer months, making moderate irrigation the preferred treatment.
% ETO (high), 50% ETO (moderate), and 20% ETO (low). Plant growth measurements and visual quality ratings were collected monthly, with overall appearance scored on a 1 to 5 scale, where 5 indicated excellent appearance with promising foliage and/or flowers, and 1 indicated a poor or unacceptable plant condition.
In 2022 and 2023, ‘Blizzard’ and Swan Lake®mock orange consistently showed poor to acceptable performance across all irrigation treatments, maintaining overall appearance ratings of 2.4 and 3.7. However, by 2024, both species exhibited improved performance across all treatments.
Pinyon pine maintained good appearance in 2023 and 2024, while ‘Coy’ alder-leaf mountain mahogany showed acceptable appearance in 2022 and 2023. The Blue Diddley® chaste tree displayed 1.9 to 4.1 overall appearance ratings across all irrigation treatments in 2022, 2023, and 2024 and declined under low irrigation in August 2022 and June 2024. Plant growth rate was generally unaffected by the low irrigation treatment for all species.
The findings highlight that pinyon pine maintained good visual quality and growth under low irrigation conditions.
Similarly, irrigation treatments had little impact on the performance of ‘Blizzard’ and Swan Lake®mock orange, as well as ‘Coy’ alder-leaf mountain mahogany, indicating that low irrigation is a viable option for these species.
Although Blue Diddley® chaste tree maintained growth under low irrigation, its overall appearance declined during peak summer months, making moderate irrigation the preferred treatment.
Authors
A. Paudel, Ji Jhong Chen, Zirui Wang, Youping Sun, J.A. Sisneroz, L.R. Oki, K. Reid, U.K. Schuch, Soo-Hyung Kim, L.L. Nackley, R.N. Contreras, N.L. Levy, D.L. Haver
Keywords
aesthetic appearance, deficit irrigation, evapotranspiration, landscape plants
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