Standing Out in a Sea of Sameness: A Well-Designed Natural Landscape Have you noticed that landscapes around parking lots and shopping malls look somewhat lackluster? This is often due to a combination of over-pruning, over-planting, and the wrong plant in the wrong place. Sadly, this is so commonplace. A beautifully designed and well-maintained landscape stands […]
Prickly pear The next time you find yourself grumbling about having to prune your trees and shrubs – just be thankful that you don’t have to prune cacti at the Desert Botanical Garden. While I have never had to prune a large bed of cacti, I have backed into cholla and other types of cacti early […]
Do you like plants that flower throughout most of the year? How about a plant with evergreen foliage in zone 9-11 gardens throughout the year? Would you prefer a plant that requires very little pruning? If you answered “yes” to these questions, then Texas Olive may deserve a spot in your garden. This beautiful southwestern […]
Do you like shopping for plants? I do. In fact, I often find myself tempted to buy more plants than I have space for. Southwest Nursery Sometimes, I have come home with a plant I bought on impulse, unable to resist its lovely flowers. It may surprise you to find out that there are potential […]
Gather Flower Seeds, Red globe mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua) Did you know that some flowering desert perennials can be grown easily from seed? Many of the plants in my garden are volunteers that grew from seed from established plants. I have several ‘parental’ plants in my front garden, along with their babies that have come up […]
I am always on the lookout for unique landscape design, seeing how others create beauty in the garden so that I can help inspire you with your outdoor spaces. So, here are some design notes from the field that I found that I hope you will find useful. REFLECTIONS: Often when walking through the garden, […]
Budget Gardening For those of us who love succulents, there is a price to pay. These water-wise plants often cost a lot of money. If you have a bottomless wallet, that may not be a problem, but for those of us who live on a budget and want to include these lovely plants in our […]
Backyard desert landscape with low-water plants. Did you know that what you plant today has short-term and long-term benefits? It’s true. As water resources become even more precious, planting wisely is more important than ever. You will enjoy the immediate effects of lowering your outdoor water use while enjoying the knowledge that you are creating […]
I love winters in the desert. It’s a time when activity in the garden slows down and we can sit back and ponder what plans (if any) we have for this new year. As I sit in my office looking outdoors at my winter garden, I see birds visiting my feeders and the stark winter […]
I love to grow vegetables in my backyard. Nothing beats the flavor of vegetables that you grow yourself, and it is fun and rewarding. That is, until you notice unwelcome insect pests causing damage to your edible crops. In the low to mid-desert regions, we are fortunate to be able to grow vegetables and herbs […]
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