Springtime in the garden is my favorite time of year. Cool-season flowers are still in bloom while summer-bloomers are getting started. The garden is awash in colorful flowers, vegetables, young fruit AND a few bugs and suckers. I have two areas in my backyard where I grow edible plants. Today, I invite you to take […]
Fruit Tree Suckers The other day, I was walking through my edible garden, admiring the ripening peaches on my tree, which I looked down and saw an unwelcome sight… Suckers! So, what are suckers and why are they bad for fruit trees? Most fruit trees consist of two parts: the scion (the top part) and […]
Question: Do you like the way fallen flowers look in the landscape? Some people describe the layer of spent blossoms of trees or shrubs as a ‘colorful carpet’ that adds beauty to the landscape. Or do you feel the pull of your leaf blower calling out to you whenever you see a layer of […]
Do you like red-flowering plants? I do. Many of the landscape plants in the southwestern landscape tend to be found in shades of purple and yellow. As a result, I tend to include plants with red flowers whenever I create a design to help balance the purple and yellows in the plant palette. Baja Fairy […]
Have you seen the Chihuly art display at the Desert Botanical Garden? What did you think? Do you love seeing his beautiful artwork displayed in the garden? Or, are you of the opinion that it detracts from the plants and their more subtle beauty? For those of you not familiar with Dale Chihuly, he […]
Did you know that certain flowers are edible It’s true. Last week, I mentioned on my Facebook page that I was “channeling my inner Martha Stewart”, preparing for a future diy blog postHere are the ingredients I used… Distilled water, ice-cube trays and edible flowers such as violas. Here is what I ended up with… Wouldn’t […]
*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 made a discovery that was literally under your nose? I did. Earlier this month, I embarked on a tour of […]
I am always on the lookout for beautiful landscapes that are well-designed and need minimal care. I like to call them sustainable or ‘fuss-free’ landscapes. A week ago, my friend and fellow-blogger, Pam Penick came into town on a quest to see examples of gardens that use little water. So, I was more then happy to spend […]
What do you think of when someone mentions ‘sustainable landscaping’ to you? Do visions of stark landscapes with a few dried out plants and cactus come to mind? Nothing could be further from the truth. Sustainable landscapes are beautiful, low-maintenance and drought-tolerant. Scottsdale Xeriscape Demonstration Garden Last week, I spent an entire day visiting some […]
Some of you who are birdwatchers may have heard of the term ‘life list’, which refers to the list of birds that they hope to see within their lifetime. While I like birds just fine, I don’t have a ‘life list’ of birds I want to see before I die. But, I started wondering whether […]
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
