I enjoy growing vegetables in both my garden and in containers. While some of my containers are rather traditional, one of mine is not. This was one of my favorite projects because it was an unexpected sight for visitors to my vegetable garden. While you would expect to see leaf lettuce poking up from a grocery bag – […]
I enjoy growing herbs for two reasons. First, they are easy to grow, and second, I love to use them when I cook. In addition to fresh herbs, I also use dried herbs from time to time, especially in winter when some of my favorite herbs (basil) aren’t growing. While drying herbs is rather simple, there […]
Do you grow your own herbs? Did you know you can freeze herbs to preserve their flavor and use them all year round? I frequently freeze my freshly-harvested herbs into ice cubes so that they are easily on hand, even when they are out of season. “Freeze Herbs Into Ice Cubes” Whenever I need them […]
Do you have a border in your garden? How about a decorative spot with DIY stepping stones that you made yourself? Last year, I visited a garden that had a beautiful border that the owner made herself using concrete mix, broken dishes and glass beads. There were also lovely step stones as well. The creator […]
What kind of household cleaner do you use? Earlier this year, I had heard of DIY natural cleaners made from grapefruit and decided to try it out myself. The cleaner was very easy to make and I used grapefruit from my mother’s tree, although you can get yours from the grocery store. I was pleasantly […]
I have spent the past few weeks indoors whenever possible avoiding the desert heat. While I do venture outdoors occasionally to do consults and take a weekly tour of the garden to make sure everything is okay. We did lose a small tree and some branches during a fierce monsoon storm over the weekend, but I was grateful […]
I am excited to show you two pictures of one of my favorite perennials. Favorite Perennials Firecracker Penstemon (Penstemon eatonii) 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 […]
Yellow is a great color to include in the garden. Why Yellow-flowering plants will help the other colors in your garden to ‘pop’ visually because it provides great color contrast. Damainita (Chrysactinia mexicana) One of my favorite yellow-flowering plants is damianita, which blooms in spring and again in fall. It thrives in hot, sunny, desert gardens, […]
I love the color purple in the garden because the color, helps to visually ‘cool’ the garden. ‘Rio Bravo’ Sage (Leucophyllum langmaniae ‘Rio Bravo’) Have you ever wondered how some plants handle our hot temperatures and intense sunlight? Look carefully at the flowers above. Note the small hairs covering the petals? They help to reflect […]
Do you like orange flowers like the Orange Jubilee shrub? I do. Orange Jubilee (Tecoma x ‘Orange Jubilee’) Which is why I have the orange flowering beauty in my garden. Clusters of orange, tubular flowers hang from this large shrub from spring through fall, making the hummingbirds in my garden very happy. Learn more about this beautiful […]
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