Fennel is easy to grow – even in the arid Southwest. Here are my tips for growing this cool season crop. Note that fennel is a member of the carrot family, so a number of other carrot family herbs can be grow in this same way. The list includes caraway, […]
Recently I had to cut down a tree. It was a nice tree. I was sorry to cut it down. But it was in the wrong place. Right Tree, Wrong Place Why was this tree in the wrong place? It was damaging the roof of our home. Every year I […]
Bulb flowers are so very charming and when they appear in the yard – an enticing sign of spring. But did you know you can have bulb flowers indoors in mid-winter? It’s called “forcing” when you encourage them to flower earlier than their regular time. But very little force is […]
Want spring flowers? (Well, duh?!) Both bulbs and wildflowers need to be planted in autumn so that the plant part of them can grow now and produce showy flowers in spring. Winter annuals are a different story (read on!). Cover image: “Arranging Daffodils.” 1894 oil painting by Carl Thompson. Showers […]
Goldenbush is an unassuming low perennial plant that most people ignore nine months out of the year, and then comes late summer – when it blooms and is covered in butterflies. Cover image: Isocoma-menziesii is a butterfly attracting plant, but honeybees will stop by as well. Image courtesy J. Schrenk. […]
Fragrance is one of our five most basic senses – but sadly it is often overlooked when creating a landscape or garden.” Who am I quoting? Myself! I said that before in an earlier article on this topic. I have said it in presentations about the topic. No doubt I […]
Paths are a way to get from point A to point B – but they can be so much more than that. A gently curving path in a landscape will offer a destination. This will help make the landscape seem larger than it actually is. A bonus for homes with […]
Arizona native cotton is a lovely shrub to small tree – and a relative of cultivated cotton. It has been brought into the native plant trade in parts of the Southwest as a low water plant. Cover image: Native cotton in bloom. Note the tiny pink spots on the petals. […]
Yes I planted a butterfly garden in my yard. Am I entirely pleased that I did so? Not right at this moment! Cover image: from an 1917 book titled “Butterflies Worth Knowing.” Big Butterfly Flitting Through the Yard I saw a giant black and yellow butterfly flitting through my yard […]
I teach classes, give presentations, and write about plants. I am not a marketer or advertising exec. I communicate about plants, “so that you can succeed with your gardening goals.” A while ago while trying to organize the website, I thought up this whole thing about writing, and the alphabet […]
