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 […]
Time for some colorful heartease. Never heard of heartease? You may know it by it’s more modern names – violet or pansy. Why Heartease Now? February is upon us and Phil the groundhog has warned of 6 more weeks of winter.* February can be a dreary month, often […]
C is for Castor! Castor for Color. Castor because the Critters don’t eat it! Colorful Castor is a large, showy plant for warm season color anywhere in the Southwest. Thus “Si!” is for castor as well! What is Castor? Castor (Ricinus communis) comes to us from eastern Africa […]
When it comes to gardening tasks, December is a generally slow month. That’s good because it’s the holiday season and there are plenty of other non-gardening tasks to do. Overview Still kind of warm, but not too much rain. That means this year the weeds are not too rambunctious. […]
Poppies sure pop out in spring! Depending on where you live in the Southwest there can be spectacular displays of blooms! Want some of this beauty in your yard? The time to start is months before the flowers appear. Basically you have to plant in fall for spring display. I […]
Many people think that “Dia de Muertos” (Day of the Dead) is some sort of Mexican Halloween. After all, it happens close to Halloween and has the word “dead” is in there. In reality, the original Day of the Dead was about as opposite to Halloween as you […]
Annuals are easy to add for some colorful flowers at almost any time of year. Most people like some flowers in their landscape. Gardeners and landscape folks call this “color.” Lucky for us, “color” in most of the Southwest is a year ’round thing – with a little planning. Plan […]
Grow calendula for a bright and shining and long-lasting pretty flower in the cooler months of winter in the desert Southwest. Calendula – The Plant Calendula (Calendula officinalis) was once an important herb found in every herbal garden. Now calendula commonly grown for its pretty blooms. It still has a […]
So just what is the big deal about an “heirloom?” What is the difference between that and an F1 hybrid? What about GMO? Seed packages often include terms such as “heirloom” or “F1 hybrid.” These terms are quite precise, but may be used incorrectly by gardeners. There are also a […]
November is a wonderful time to get out in the yard for many reasons. But there is not too much work that you “must” do this month. Tidy Up Personally, I like to get everything tidied up and get it looking good for the holiday season ahead. Also, some […]
