Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). Thanks for your support in this way. Do you have a container, or two,…

One of the best things about having a garden in the desert southwest is our ability to grow citrus of all kinds. Lemon trees are a popular fruit tree and I am often asked what type of lemon do I recommend.  There are different types…

Do you have a gardening tool that is extra special to you? I do. Whenever I’m in the garden, you’ll usually see me with a pair of hand pruners that I use for lightly shaping shrubs, removing tree suckers, or cutting fresh flowers. As…

You would expect that after living in our backyard for two years, Aesop, our desert tortoise, would have discovered all there was to see. However, that wasn't the case. His curious nature led him over to where I was working to pull out…

Do you love hummingbirds?  Maybe a better question would be, who doesn't? Hummingbird feeding from an ocotillo flower. Attracting hummingbirds to your garden isn't hard to do by simply adding flowering plants, rich in nectar…

Have you ever encountered this landscaping challenge? This blank wall is rather boring, and the home behind it dominates the view. So what would you do to fix these problems? I faced this dilemma last month at a client's home. The pool…

Vacations are a time that I love to spend with my family doing things that we don't normally have time for with the busyness of school and work that predominates throughout much of the year. This summer, we spent a couple of weeks in Michigan…

In the past, succulent plants were valued primarily for their drought tolerance and found their way into gardens in arid regions. Today, while they are still a great choice for water-wise plants are wise, they offer many other benefits…

The arrival of summer in the desert fills with days where the thermometer surpasses the century mark and trees are heavily laden with apples. People are often surprised to find that apple trees can be grown in our arid climate, but they…