Over the weekend, my husband and I went away for the weekend to celebrate our 28th wedding anniversary. We had debated on where to go and decided to make the trip to southeastern Arizona. Why this area, you may ask? Well, I have lived in Arizona for 28 years and during the time, have traveled […]
I have been dreaming of converting our backyard into a beautiful, low-maintenance desert landscape. Right now, it has a large area of grass surrounded by large, flowering shrubs against the wall. I would have loved to have taken out the grass years ago, but my husband and son protested since they would throw the football […]
Have you ever taken out an area of grass and added plants in its place? I have – numerous times. My past was filled with grass – acres and acres of it, when I worked as a horticulturist for golf courses. Nothing made me happier then when areas of grass were being removed and I was […]
As a horticulturist, I have quite a few plants on my list of favorites. So many in fact, that I cannot grow them all in my own garden. But, this favorite has a prominent place in my home landscape – I have four of them. This pink beauty is what I see when I look out […]
Last week was a busy one for me. I had several appointments scheduled, and then I got the ‘mother’ of all colds. I don’t get sick colds very often. So, that is probably why when I do get them every few years – I get a severe one. My constant companions the past week. I […]
Do you have a vegetable garden or have you thought of maybe starting one? Four years ago, we planted our first vegetable garden. The kids were eager to join in the fun and helped us install our new garden. We created a raised vegetable garden that measured 7 x 8 feet for a total area […]
Springtime in the garden is my favorite time of year. Cool-season flowers are still in bloom while summer-bloomers are getting started. The garden is awash in colorful flowers, vegetables, young fruit AND a few bugs and suckers. I have two areas in my backyard where I grow edible plants. Today, I invite you to take […]
Fruit Tree Suckers The other day, I was walking through my edible garden, admiring the ripening peaches on my tree, which I looked down and saw an unwelcome sight… Suckers! So, what are suckers and why are they bad for fruit trees? Most fruit trees consist of two parts: the scion (the top part) and […]
Question: Do you like the way fallen flowers look in the landscape? Some people describe the layer of spent blossoms of trees or shrubs as a ‘colorful carpet’ that adds beauty to the landscape. Or do you feel the pull of your leaf blower calling out to you whenever you see a layer of […]
Do you like red-flowering plants? I do. Many of the landscape plants in the southwestern landscape tend to be found in shades of purple and yellow. As a result, I tend to include plants with red flowers whenever I create a design to help balance the purple and yellows in the plant palette. Baja Fairy […]
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