Your front yard landscape has the potential to add to your home security. If you do it correctly. Right now you may feel safe – but are you? Landscaping for security, and beauty, and to please a HOA – it takes some consideration. Cover image above – A low-water landscape […]
“August is the month when harvest begins in many parts of the world, including here in the Southwest. You may have been harvesting vegetables and fruit from your garden for the last few months, but August is the time when there begins to be a bona fide bounty, maybe even […]
Barrel cactus is a plant that is easy to grow and take care of, and offers a rich edible fruit with no prickers or spines on the fruit. Yes prickly pear is sweet and tasty, but lets look at a plant never needs pruning, and a plant that you can […]
Mesquite trees can be very fast growing when their roots are not disturbed by the potting and repotting that goes on in the nursery industry. In five years, the mesquites that I have planted from seed are taller than the ones grown from potted plants. Great news – mesquite trees […]
Quoting myself. “Yes, you can have a lush looking yard and use little water in the desert Southwest. Sounds impossible – but it is not. All that is needed is a careful selection of plants that are already adapted to live here” and paperflower is one such plant. Cover image […]
Lush looking perennial plants but also low water use in the desert Southwest. Sounds impossible – but it is not. All that is needed is a careful selection of plants. Plants with colorful flower because who doesn’t like some bright colorful flowers?! Cover image above, hesperaloe, a native plant that […]
Agave are called century plants because it takes them many years to get big enough to have the energy to flower. It was once believed that it took a century. Not quite. Some can bloom after a mere decade. Especially when several hot dry summers in a row are followed […]
Oriental gardens and desert landscapes do not go together in most folks minds, but it can be done. Instead of using non-native plants and pouring on tons of water look to the basic concepts of Oriental gardens and then apply those concepts. Oriental gardens focus on creating a harmonious and […]
Growing a salad bowl of healthy greens – on your patio – is easier than you might think. In fact it’s as easy as one-two-three. Here are my three rules for growing a garden in containers. Rule one. K.I.S.S. Keep It Small & Simple! Start small. Were you envisioning a […]
Time for another delightful herb to grow in the Southwest – thyme. It’s pretty, relatively low water, good for pollinators, and useful in the kitchen. What’s not to love?! There are many other herbs I have discussed on this site, indeed, “Herbs” ia one category you can search on this […]
