One of spring’s many joys are the fields of wildflowers that we often see growing along the side of the road. It is one of the many miracles of nature how such lovely flowers can grow in the wild without any help from people.
I find it kind of ironic that if we want to grow these flowers of the wild in our own garden we have to give them a little assistance to get them going. But, the preparation is fairly simple and the rewards are definitely well worth the effort.
Arroyo lupine with white gaura
Planting for a Spring Show
To achieve a breathtaking spring wildflower display, it’s crucial to plan ahead. When it comes to wildflowers, autumn emerges as the ideal time for sowing seeds that will later burst into vibrant spring blooms. This strategic timing allows the seeds to establish strong root systems during the cooler months, ensuring they’re well-prepared to flourish when spring’s gentle warmth and longer days arrive.
So, as summer transitions into fall, seize the opportunity to sow the seeds of nature’s beauty in your garden, and you’ll be rewarded with a picturesque wildflower spectacle come springtime.
Lessons from a First Wildflower Garden
I’ve planted wildflower gardens throughout my career, but I’ll never forget my first one. It was on a golf course and I sowed quite a bit of wildflower seed in that small area – and I mean a LOT of seed. The wildflowers were growing so thickly together and probably would have looked nicer if I had used less seed and/or thinned them out a little once they started to grow. But, I loved that little wildflower garden.
Embrace Wildflowers in Your Garden
If you have a fondness for wildflowers and the enchanting beauty they bring, consider carving out a dedicated space within your garden to cultivate your own captivating wildflower haven. By allocating a portion of your garden to these lovely, untamed blooms, you not only embrace the allure of the wild but also foster a unique and vibrant ecosystem right in your backyard.
With some thoughtful planning and care, you can create a harmonious blend of native or adapted wildflowers that not only adds natural charm but also supports local pollinators and wildlife. So, why not embark on the journey of nurturing your personal wildflower oasis and experience the wonders of nature’s artistry up close?
**Do you have a favorite wildflower?
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Container Gardening: Bringing Life to Your Desert Garden
Spring Transitions in Container Gardening
Spring in the desert brings a flurry of activity out in the garden – much of it involving container gardening. As the season changes, it’s time to rejuvenate your containers and infuse new life into your outdoor space.
As they say, in late spring, it’s “out with the old and in with the new.” In the desert garden, it’s when cool-season flowering annuals are traded out for those that can handle the hot temperatures of summer.
Embracing the Heat-Resistant Annuals
Examples of cool-season annuals are pansies, petunias, and snapdragons, which are grown fall through spring. BUT, they won’t survive hot, desert summers. So, in late April, it’s time to plant flowering annuals that can take the heat. My favorites include angelonia, ‘Blue Victoria’ salvia, and vinca.
While flowers remain a popular choice for container gardening, there’s a world of possibilities to explore with growing plants in containers. Here are some creative ideas to elevate your container gardening game:
1. Colorful Containers
Give your containers a vibrant makeover by painting them in eye-catching colors. Elevate the aesthetics of your garden by transforming inexpensive plastic containers into stylish focal points with a simple coat of paint.
Leaf lettuce and garlic grow along with flowering petunias.
2. Edible Delights
Did you know that you can grow vegetables in pots? I love doing this in my garden. In the fall, I plant leaf lettuce, spinach, and garlic in my large pots alongside flowering petunias. When March arrives, I like to add basil, peppers along with annuals.
Winter container garden with spinach, parsley and garlic growing with pink petunias.
For pots, I recommend you use a potting mix, which is specially formulated for containers and holds just the right amount of moisture. Container plants need to be fertilized. You can use a slow-release fertilizer or a liquid fertilizer of your choice.
Cucumbers growing with vinca and dianthus.
3. Seasonal Vegetable Pairings
In spring, vegetables such as cucumbers, bush beans, and even zucchini can grow in containers paired with flowers.
*If you would like to try growing edible containers, click here for more info.
4. Low-Maintenance Succulents
For a fuss-free container gardening experience, consider planting cacti and succulents. These hardy desert dwellers not only flourish in pots but also require less water compared to their flowering counterparts.
Desert Spoon (Dasylirion wheeleri).
Succulents are an excellent choice for planting in areas where water is not easily accessible. While they will need supplemental water, they don’t need water every day, making them a better choice for these areas.
In general, succulents are lower-maintenance as well, so they are an excellent choice for the ‘fuss-free’ gardener.
Use a potting mix specially formulated for cactus & succulents, which will drain well.
Fertilize succulents spring through fall using a liquid or slow-release fertilizer at 1/2 the recommended strength.
*For more information on how to plant succulents in containers, including how to do it without getting pricked, click here.
5. Space-Saving Strategies
Let’s face it – the potting mix is expensive and makes your pots very heavy. If you have a large pot, your plant’s roots most likely will never reach the bottom – so why waste soil where you don’t need it?
Fill up the unused space with recycled plastic containers and then add your potting mix. You will save money, AND your container will be much lighter as well.
Best Tips for Successful Container Gardening
To ensure your container garden thrives, follow these essential tips:
Use a potting mix specially formulated for containers to maintain optimal moisture levels.
Regularly fertilize your container plants with a suitable fertilizer.
Choose a potting mix tailored for cacti and succulents when growing these drought-resistant plants.
Consider supplementing water with succulents in arid areas.
For more information on succulent container gardening, click here.
Reimagine Your Desert Garden with Containers
Whether you’re a gardening novice or a seasoned pro, container gardening offers boundless opportunities to transform your outdoor space. Explore the beauty of diverse plantings, experiment with colors, and embrace the practicality of edible container gardens. By reimagining what you can do in a container, you’ll breathe new life into your desert garden this spring.
Have you ever discovered a hidden garden in a surprising place?
A few years ago, I found myself driving through the historic neighborhoods of the Encanto district in downtown Phoenix. I had finished up a landscape consultation in the area and decided to drive through the nearby neighborhoods in the historic district.
A Blooming Hidden Garden Oasis Amidst Urban Skyscrapers
My initial goal was to see if I could find the home my grandparents owned in the 1940’s. While I didn’t find the home, I did find a house that stopped me in my tracks.
What first drew my eye was this parking strip (also known as a ‘hell strip’) between the sidewalk and street, filled with a bounty of flowering annuals and perennials.
A Kaleidoscope of Colors
The dazzling hues of California poppies, red flax, and plains coreopsis captivated my senses. Against the backdrop of the Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum, I marveled at the unexpected beauty thriving in the heart of downtown Phoenix.
And so, I whipped out my phone and started to take pictures. The bright colors of California poppies, red flax, and plains coreopsis caught my eye, while in the background I noticed the old, Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum where the Arizona State Fair is held every fall.
As I made my way up the planting bed, I saw more colorful, annual flowers. They are intermixed with globe mallow, ‘Thundercloud’ sage and red yucca.
One flower that I did not expect to see in the desert garden, not to mention downtown Phoenix, was larkspur with its deep purple spikes.
Multi-colored bachelor’s button flowers grew among scarlet flax and plains coreopsis.
A Backyard Hidden Garden Wonderland
Intrigued by the front garden, I met James, the homeowner’s son, who shared the garden’s transformation story. He sowed wildflower seeds in the parking strip, watched them flourish, and then graciously revealed the backyard’s hidden wonders.
Last fall, James took three packs of wildflower seeds (multiple varieties) and threw them on the bare parking strip. Afterward he added some compost on the top and watered well. Over the months, he has watched them come up and was thrilled at how the hell strip had been transformed.
He then offered to show me what he had done to the backyard – a real hidden garden. I could hardly wait to see it after seeing what he has done on the outside.
(A few of the photos are a bit blurry. I’m not sure what went wrong with my phone’s camera. You can still get a sense of the beauty in the backyard.)
Hollyhocks and Timeless Charm
The backyard features a divided lawn with enchanting hollyhocks that self-seed and bloom every spring. An old-fashioned patio set adds a touch of nostalgia. While a concrete pathway, artfully adorned with Bermuda grass, leads to the garage.
I love hollyhocks and have grown them in the past. They self-seed and flower for me every spring. All I give them is a little water – that’s all they need.
Floral Edges and Green Delights in this Hidden Garden
The patio’s edge bursts with the colors of blanket flowers, bachelor’s buttons, and yellow daisies. A 20-year-old crown-of-thorns plant defies its small container, flourishing under James’ care. Two Chinese elm trees provide dappled shade on sunny days, creating a tranquil oasis.
The small patio in the back of the house is filled with an old-fashioned table and chairs. They fit the age of the home perfectly!
The pathway separates the two lawn areas and leads to the garage in the back. It was created using concrete molded into geometric shapes.
Bermuda grass is allowed to grow into the cracks for an interesting look.
The patio is edged with flowering annuals such as blanket flower, bachelor’s button, and yellow daisy (Euryops pectinatus).
In this blurry photo, a large crown-of-thorns plant was thriving in a tiny container. Believe it or not, it is 20 years old and thriving in a very small pot. According to James, he waters it twice a week in summer and weekly throughout the rest of the year.
Two Chinese elm trees provide dappled shade on a beautiful spring day.
A small potting bench stands in front of the wooden fence painted a greenish-chartreuse color. This blends well with the garden.
A Symphony of Water and Shade
A fountain graces the grassy expanse, infusing the air with the soothing sound of flowing water. Imagine the relaxation of enjoying this outdoor haven, even in the height of summer.
How relaxing would it be to enjoy this outdoor space? Even in the middle of summer with all of its shade?
A Final Flourish of Wildflowers
Before bidding farewell to this hidden gem, James revealed the wildflowers he’d planted near the detached garage. Bright pinks and vibrant oranges reminiscent of the ’70s adorned the scene. This is a testament to the beauty that emerges from even old seeds.
Bright pink and vibrant orange – doesn’t that remind you of the 70’s?
These tall poppies were planted from 3-year-old seed that James was going to throw out. I’m certainly glad that he decided to plant them instead.
While old seed won’t germinate as well as young seed, you’ll often still get some seeds to sprout – just not as many.
Discovering Life’s Unexpected Treasures
Life is full of delightful surprises, and this hidden garden is a testament to that. Though modest in size, it’s a testament to the power of careful tending. This garden has unexpected beauty that can spring forth from a seed, even in the most unlikely of places.
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Spring in the desert ‘Tangerine Beauty’ Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata ‘Tangerine Beauty’)
Capturing the Beauty of Spring in the Desert
Spring in the desert is the most beautiful time of year with the majority of plants in the landscape bursting out with flowers. It’s also a very busy time for me with landscape consultations, speaking engagements, work in the garden, and family life. I love to document the happenings in my life by taking photographs with my phone, and I’d like to share a sampling with you. It’s a fun combination that includes colorful plants, spiky pots, snakes, roses and the prom!
Pausing for ‘Tangerine Beauty’ Crossvines
No matter how busy I may be, the sight of a beautiful plant stops me in my tracks. It doesn’t matter how rushed I may be; I will always stop and take a photo. That’s what happened when I spotted this row of ‘Tangerine Beauty’ crossvines on our way into church. Even though we were running a few minutes late (as usual) I had to pause to admire the beauty of the lovely blooms and take a photo.
‘Tangerine Beauty’ does very well in the low desert garden. It has lush green foliage and orange/pink flowers that hummingbirds love. It needs a trellis or other support to climb up on and does well in full sun to filtered sun, but avoid planting along a west-facing wall as it may struggle in reflected sun.
Spring in the Desert Speaking Engagements and Garden Inspirations
As a speaker on various gardening topics, my journey often takes me to the Desert Botanical Garden, public libraries, and also to garden groups. During one of my presentations at the Paradise Valley Country Club, I was greeted by this beautiful bed filled geraniums, foxglove, and yellow daisies. The spiky shape of agave adds welcome texture contrast in this area.
Nearby, an impressive collection of spiky succulents graces decorative pots. Agave, with their striking spiky shapes, makes excellent container plants. Placed against a wall, these succulents thrive in full sun and embrace reflected heat with grace.
The Quirky Side of Presentations
Speaking engagements can sometimes bring unexpected surprises. Here is a very different entry to another presentation I was to give at the Cave Creek Branch of the Phoenix Public Library. Two identical caution signs flank the raised metal bridge, which makes you look carefully before approaching. A humorous touch, albeit one that might discourage young readers, added a dash of quirkiness to the library entrance.
‘Olivia Rose’
Embracing the Rose Garden
Back home, the rose garden is in full bloom with my favorite ‘Olivia Rose’ completely covered in fragrant, delicate pink color. She flowers more than every other rose in the garden and for the longest, ensuring her favored status.
‘Darcey Bussell’
The best performing red rose in the garden is ‘Darcey Bussell,’ and she never disappoints as I view her vibrant blooms from my kitchen window.
‘Lady of Shalott’
This rose is a relative newcomer to my rose garden. ‘Lady of Shalott’ was planted in the winter of 2018 and didn’t produce many blooms in her first year, which is typical of most new roses. However, this year, she is covered with roses in delicate shades of pink and peach.
A Touch of Prom Night
On the home front, spring means that it’s time for the prom. I can hardly believe that my son is old enough – it seemed like it was just yesterday when I came home with a darling little two-year-old boy from China.
Kai’s favorite color is red, can you tell? It takes confidence to wear a bright color like this, and he does it so well. He is the youngest of four sisters, so this was my first time helping a boy get ready for a school dance. Honestly, it is a lot simpler – all he needed was help with his tie and his boutonniere.
I revel in the bustling energy of spring and cherish the vibrant moments it brings. How about you?
Tour of My Spring Garden, Firecracker Penstemon (Penstemon eatoni)
A Spring Garden Tour: Nature’s Pleasant Surprises
Have you ever noticed that spring has a way of surprising you in the garden? This is what I considered as I walked through my front landscape this week.
After spending a week visiting my daughter in cold, wintery Michigan, I was anxious to return home and see what effects that a week of warm temperatures had done – I wasn’t disappointed.
I want to take you on a tour of my spring garden. Are you ready?
Penstemon Parade (Penstemon parryi)
Parry’s Penstemon (Penstemon parryi)
Penstemons play a large part in late winter and spring interest in the desert landscape, and I look forward to their flowering spikes.
Echinopsis Hybrid ‘Ember’
Echinopsis hybrid ‘Ember’
One of the most dramatic blooms that grace my front garden are those of my Echinopsis hybrid cactuses. I have a variety of different types, each with their flower color. This year, ‘Ember’ was the first one to flower and there are several more buds on it.
Shrubby Germander’s (Teucrium fruiticans) Electric Blue Transformation
Shrubby Germander (Teucrium fruiticans)
Moving to the backyard, the gray-blue foliage of the shrubby germander is transformed by the electric blue shade of the flowers. This smaller shrub began blooming in the middle of winter and will through spring.
Red Powder Puff (Calliandra haematocephala)
Red Powder Puff (Calliandra haematocephala)
This unique shrub was a purchase that I made several years ago at the Desert Botanical Garden‘s spring plant sale. If you are looking for unusual plants that aren’t often found at your local nursery, this is the place to go. This is a lush green, tropical shrub. It is related to the more common Baja Fairy Duster. Mostly it flowers in spring and has sizeable red puff-ball flowers. It does best in east-facing exposures.
Million Bells (Calibrachoa) in a Self-Watering Container
Million Bells (Calibrachoa)
I am trialing a new self-watering hanging container that was sent to me free of charge by H20 Labor Saver for my honest review. I must say that I am very impressed. Growing plants in hanging containers is difficult in the desert garden as they dry out very quickly. This is a self-watering container, which has a reservoir that you fill, allowing me to have to water it much less often.
In the container, I have Million Bells growing, which are like miniature petunias. They are cool-season annuals that grow fall, winter, and spring in the desert garden.
Resilient Yellow Bells on the Rebound
Yellow Bells recently pruned
Not all of my plants are flowering. My yellow bells shrubs have been pruned back severely, which I do every year, and are now growing again. This type of severe pruning keeps them lush and compact, and they will grow up to 6-feet tall within a few months.
Abundant Onions in the Vegetable Garden
Onions growing in my vegetable garden
This past fall, my daughters took over the vegetable garden. I must admit that it was fun to watch them decide what to grow. Guiding them in learning how to grow vegetables is a joy. Onions will soon be ready for harvest.
Meyer Lemon’s Blossoming Promise
Meyer Lemon blossom
My Meyer lemon tree hasn’t performed very well for me. In the four years since I first planted it, my Meyer lemon tree has been rather stingy with its fruit production. However, a recent revelation unveiled the root cause: insufficient watering. With this issue rectified, I’m absolutely thrilled to report that my Meyer lemon tree is now adorned with a profusion of blossoms. This promises an exciting abundance in the near future!
A Fragrant Welcome from Chocolate Flower (Berlandiera lyrata)
Chocolate Flower (Berlandiera lyrata)
Moving to the side garden, chocolate flower adds delicious fragrance at the entry to my cut flower garden. It does well in full sun and flowers off and on throughout the warm season.
Vibrant Verbena Blooms in the Cut Flower Garden
Verbena in bloom
In the cut flower garden, my roses are growing back from their severe winter pruning. The roses aren’t in bloom yet. But my California native verbena is. This is a plant that I bought at the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden.
Promising Young Peaches
Young peaches
I have some fruit trees growing in the side garden including peaches! I can just imagine how delicious these will taste. They will be ripe in May.
Apple Tree Blossoms: A Desert Delight
Apple tree blossoms
My apple trees are a few weeks behind the peaches. It surprises people that you can grow apple trees in the desert garden and they will ripen in June – apple pie, anyone? I love the flowers.
I hope that you have enjoyed this tour of my spring garden. All of these plants are bringing me joy.
*What is growing in your garden this spring that brings you joy?
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UPDATE: This blog post originally was published six-years-ago, and I still like to grow vegetables in pots. It’s hard to believe that my garden helper is now 16 years old and driving a car!
I hope you enjoy it!
I started growing vegetables in pots earlier this year, and it was so easy and the vegetables so delicious AND attractive that I had to do it again.
Last week, my mother took my youngest kids to the nursery and picked up some plants for me.
You know what? This is one of the happiest sights in my world 😉
My son, Kai was anxious to pull out the existing plants from our pots.
All my summer vegetables had been pulled a while ago, and all that was left was the Vinca that I had planted. I realize the vinca looks a bit yellow and I admit that I didn’t fertilize them enough (I kind of hibernated inside this summer.
Kai got to work at pulling out the flowers.
He used the hand shovel to loosen the roots so he could pull out the vinca.
Then he used the shovel to ‘bang’ the root ball to loosen the soil back into the pot. You don’t want to ‘throw away’ good soil by leaving it around the roots of plants you are pulling out.
I think Kai did a good job getting all the soil out of the roots, don’t you?
**Vinca will over-winter in my zone 9 garden, but will not flower much. I prefer to treat them as an annual.
Now for the fun part – planting!
I added some more potting mix (not potting soil, which can get soggy), mixed with some compost to each container.
Then each pot was planted with a combination of green leaf lettuce, purple leaf lettuce, garlic, spinach, dill, parsley, nasturtium seeds, and petunias.
In just a few weeks, the lettuce and spinach will be ready to start clipping the leaves for salads. The garlic cloves that I planted will form whole heads of garlic, which will be ready in late spring.
I will start snipping off dill and parsley soon as well.
Garlic, leaf lettuce, spinach, parsley, and petunias
Flowers look great when planted with vegetables, and I always include some. Nasturtiums are easy to grow from seed, and their leaves and flowers are edible. Petunias (and nasturtiums) are great companion plants for vegetables because they help to control damaging insects from eating your vegetables.
Unwanted Guests: Dealing with Javelina in Your Desert Garden
Yesterday, I had a rather unexpected encounter with a javelina while taking pictures of a landscape. I think he was as surprised as I was to see him and he retreated back to his arroyo after a couple of minutes. That meeting inspired me to write this post and how they affect the desert garden – primarily what types of plants they like to eat.
Javelina travel through arroyos (washes)
Javelina: The Surprising and Destructive Garden Visitors
To state that I was surprised to come so close to a javelina is an understatement. In the over twenty years that I’ve worked in desert gardens, I seldom see these pig-like mammals as they usually sleep through the day underneath mesquite or other desert trees.
Understanding Javelina and Their Habits
Often referred to as ‘wild pigs’ due to their resemblance to a boar, they aren’t pigs, but are a peccary, which is a medium-sized mammal with hooves. Javelina are found throughout the Southwest, but their range also extends to Central and South America. In urban settings, you’ll find them in more naturalized areas.
Plants Javelina Love and Those They Leave Alone
They frequently travel in herds, although I only saw these two adults on this day. While it can be enjoyable to view them from afar (don’t get too close as they can be dangerous), dealing with the damage that they cause to gardens isn’t fun.
Javelina’s Dietary Preferences
Javelina love to eat the pretty things we plant in our desert landscapes such as flowering annuals, and they don’t stop there. The spines on your prized cactus won’t deter a hungry little animal – they go right in and munch on the base of a prized columnar cactus as well as the pads of prickly pear cactus.
When surveying the damage that they cause to the garden, what makes it worse, is that the pig-like critters frequently don’t eat what they dig up.
1. Petunias and flowering annuals are delicious
My relationship with these wild animals is a long one. It began by working to keep them away from the thirty-six tee boxes that I had to plant with flowering annuals seasonally on a golf course. Not surprisingly, they were drawn to these colorful petunia and annual islands and would dislodge the plants by rooting them up with their snouts before eating them.
My crew and I had some mixed success with spraying squirrel repellent every few days on the petunias, but it was a lot of work and not foolproof.
2. Soft leaved plants are Javelina candy
Javelina will zero in on popular potted annuals such as pansies, petunias, snapdragons, which are like candy to them. While geraniums aren’t their favorite potted flower, they will eat them too if hungry enough. They prefer soft leaved plants.
If you want pretty containers filled with flowers and live in a neighborhood where javelina are present, you’ll need to place the pots in an enclosed area or courtyard where they can’t reach.
3. Citrus and seed pods attract the desert peccary
Depending on the time of year, a javelina’s diet changes, based on what is available. In winter, citrus they will grab citrus fruit off of the tree.
In summer, mesquite seedpods are one of their favorite foods.
4. Cactus of all kinds feed the peccary
A Cereus peruvianus cactus that has some bites taken out of its base by javelina.
A fairly common sight is a columnar cactus with some bites taken out of its base. This can happen where packs of the animals are present. In most cases, the damage is largely cosmetic and the cactus will be fine. However, to prevent further damage, you can surround the base of the cactus with a wire mesh cage.
Prickly pear cactus is another plant which is devastated by the cactus loving desert dweller.
There are Few Javelina-Resistant Plants
Bacopa
Lavender
There are some flowering plants that they usually stay away from. These include Bacopa and Lavender, which can be used in containers.
Protecting Your Garden: Tips for Javelina-Resistant Plants and Fencing
While there is no guarantee that these animals won’t eat the plants in your desert garden from time to time. There are some plants that are less palatable to them than others. Here a helpful link for javelina resistant plants. I must tell you that if a a wild animal is hungry enough, it will eat the plants on this list – I know this from personal experience.
The only foolproof way to keep them away from eating your plants is to keep them out with a fence or wall.
Share Your Experiences: Plants They Eat and Plants They Ignore
Do you have javelina where you live? What type of plants do you notice them eating? Any plants that they seem to leave alone?
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What does your garden look like in early spring? Does it somewhat boring? How about adding some color and interest to your garden by adding some water-wise flowering plants?
This week, I had a fun project to work on – in partnership with Monrovia, I was asked to select two types water-wise plants for the landscape. So, I headed out to my local nursery with a mission to select from the different water-wise Monrovia plants available.
Once I arrived at the nursery, I was faced with a number of different Monrovia plant choices from succulents, cacti, shrubs and perennials. After a some time going back and forth, I narrowed my choices down to these two water-wise, flowering beauties.
Parry’s penstemon(Penstemon parryi) has long been a favorite perennial of mine. I love the ‘cottage-garden’ look it provides with its pink spikes that appear in late winter and on into spring.
It is quite versatile in the landscape where it can be used in wildflower gardens, planted in a perennial bed or simply placed next to a boulder.
My next plant choice was a flowering succulent.
Blue Elf aloe(Aloe ‘Blue Elf’) is a newer aloe species that is perfect for small spaces. It thrives in hot, reflected heat and flowers in late winter on into spring.
I have been using this small aloe a lot in recent landscape designs (like the one above) including in narrow planting beds, in entries and also in pots.
Both of these flowering plants are water-wise choices and perfect for the drought tolerant garden.
I loaded my new Monrovia plants up and started home.
On the drive home, I could see the flowers from my new plants in my rearview mirror and I couldn’t wait to find new homes for them in my garden.
I played with a number of potential locations in the garden for my new parry’s penstemon, but decided on planting it next to a boulder. Plants like this penstemon look great next to boulders where their different textures provide great contrast.
I didn’t have to try different spots for my new Blue Elf aloe – I knew that I wanted it for one of my containers in the front entry. This area gets blasted with hot, afternoon sun, which this pretty little aloe can handle with no problem.
Monrovia plants can be found at Lowe’s garden centers as well as at many local nurseries, which is where I found mine. You can also order Monrovia plants online. The quality of their plants is excellent and the only problem you’ll have is choosing from the large variety available.
*This post is sponsored by Monrovia, but my plant choices and opinions are my own. Visit their website for more water-wise plant choices for your drought tolerant garden.
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While much of the country is suffering from a truly awful winter season, those of us who live in the Southwest are having the exact opposite problem.
This has been a very warm winter season, with the exception of a few freezing nights back in December.
With temps 10 – 15 degrees above normal, we have been enjoying temps in the ’70s.
I have seen some signs of our warm winter including the fact that I have ditched my slippers and am going barefoot every chance I get. Plants have begun to emerge from their winter dormancy and people are asking me if they can prune their frost-damaged plants early.
In regards to the pruning question, there is still a chance of Southwestern residents getting a spell of freezing weather before we approach the average last frost date. So, pruning too early can actually hurt your plants if by some miracle temps dip below 32 degrees.
But, that may not stop everyone from grabbing the pruners. If you happen to be one of these impatient pruners, make sure that you cover your recently pruned plants if temps dip into the low 30s.
Isn’t this a cool picture of a bee, ready to pollinate the flowers of this penstemon?
I must confess that I did not take this photo (or the other one below). My husband took both of these beautiful pictures.
This firecracker penstemon is happily growing in my garden and is now over 14 years old, which is rare.
Every winter, it sends up spikes covered in red, tubular flowers, much to the delight of the resident hummingbirds.
The blooms last through spring in my desert garden. In cooler climates, it will bloom in spring through early summer.
To learn more about this red beauty and how easy it is to grow in your garden, click here.
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I hope you have enjoyed my favorite flower photos. Starting tomorrow, I will begin posting a series of my favorite DIY blog posts, so please come back for a visit!
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Penstemon-eatonii-flower-and-bee.jpg12551600arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2014-07-15 14:00:002022-11-08 01:53:16Favorite Flower Photos: Day 6 – Spikes of Red
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