Last year, my mother gave me a blackberry plant. She had planned on using it herself, but then gave it to me instead. To be honest, I hadn't really thought seriously about growing berries in my garden.  But, as a child, we had quite…

Did you have the opportunity to get away for awhile this summer? Our summer has been a bit tough this year.  The reason is that my son, Kai, had hip surgery (his 5th) and was confined to a wheelchair this summer.  He was in quite…

August has arrived, which means that my kids have started school and peace has descended on my house 🙂 Soon fall will be here, which is a very busy time in the Southwest garden because it is the best time of year to add new plants to the…

For those of you who have read my blog for a while, you have probably heard me talk about the epidemic of over-pruning. But, that doesn't mean that you should never prune. The other day, I was driving down a street in our neighborhood when…

*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.* Have you ever seen a miniature garden?  They are becoming…

I love growing herbs in my garden and one of the reasons is that they thrive in our hot, dry summers with minimal fuss. I must admit that I sometimes forget to make use of my fresh herbs, or sometimes I have more than I need. Some…

Last month as I was leaving from a landscape consultation, I took some time to drive by a few of the landscapes in the neighborhood.   I immediately noticed that quite a few people had Olive trees growing in their front yards. …

Last week, I shared with you our latest apple harvest. My kitchen was filled with bags and bags of delicious, crisp, apples from my mother's apple trees. (I don't have any apples from my trees yet because they are too young). …

When I moved to the desert Southwest 27 years ago as a young bride, all I saw was a brown landscape, spiky cacti, landscapes covered in little bits of rock and very few trees. If you had told me that you could grow any kind of fruit tree…