Spring flowers are beginning to bloom and hummingbirds are zipping around, collecting nectar and a few insects while they are at it. Entice the Hummingbirds Hummingbirds need more than just sugar-water feeders. Like most animal life, they need a balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. This means that they do need some flower nectar. More than Just Food Every living thing on earth needs food, water, and a place […]
Cover image – Viola, also called heartease – for February, National Heart Month. There is not very much maintenance or tasks the must be done in the Southwest garden in February, just enjoy the season and any flowers you have. Tidy up some things – especially in Low or Middle Desert. Upper Elevations – you get to chill (pardon the pun). Speaking of Flowers I will be speaking of flowers! […]
Cyclamen abound in stores during the holiday season. I love them. They are festive, but in a more refined and delicate way than the boisterous poinsettias. Cyclamen are Captivating I am captivated by cyclamen. Their brightly colored flowers dance over the heart shaped leaves like little fairies, or maybe angels. The petals wing back from the hidden center of the flower, and come in many beautiful colors, and sweetest of […]
Amaryllis and other holiday plants are appearing in stores right about now. I encourage you to indulge yourself when it comes to amaryllis because you can enjoy it indoors for the holidays – and then they will survive and re-bloom for YEARS in your garden – or in your low-water desert-type landscape. That is if you live here in the Land of El Sol. If you like the idea of […]
Bulbs produce some of the most beautiful flowers in the garden palate. They can provide brilliant splashes of cheerful color in the winter and spring months. In the Southwest bulbs can be grown in the landscape, in containers on the patio, or indoors. Bulbs Time their Growth Many desert plants appear in a very specific season – like just after a rain in the coldest soils, or in late spring […]
It seems that every October is different than the previous one here in the Land of El Sol. Luckily there are some things in common – and thus I can help you plan your October 2022 gardening tasks ahead, so your garden will look great through the holidays ahead.* Watch for The 3 W’s – Winter ,Weeds, Wildflowers We had spotty rain across the Southwest in late September. Rain means […]
Fall is time to divide your plants – at least some of them. Yes, it is still fairly hot out there at mid-day, and not so much fun to work outside – but this is a task that will reward you next spring! Why Divide? Just like you separate quarreling sibling humans, you need to separate a clump of sibling perennial plants that are growing too close together. They may […]
Wildflowers in the Southwest spring. Who doesn’t want some?!Great news is that there are 5 simple steps to have them in your yard this spring. But first some background. Why Plant Wildflowers Now? Yes plant them Autumn! Spring wildflowers bloom in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts in response to the winter rains off the Pacific Ocean. Thus you have to get the wildflower seed into the soil now, because their […]
Colorful flowers in the heat of a desert summer? Sure! And without spending tons of water either! Color Most of the folks reading this article enjoy color in our life – in the gardeners sense of the term that is. “Color” is the term for flowering plants that the Green Industry uses (nurseries, landscape designers, and the like). Color in the landscape provides us with something bright and cheerful to […]
