AZ Plant Lady

A Tiny Investment And a Huge Harvest

I love getting a great deal, don’t you?

Back in October, I spent $2.40 for eight heads of garlic, from my local grocery store.

I planted them and 7 months later, it was time to harvest them.

As I stepped into the side vegetable garden, I took a good look at my garlic. It was a lot bigger then in previous years.

I started pulling and realized that it was a lot harder to pull out then last year.

It was the biggest garlic that I had ever seen in my garden and I was thrilled.

Until I realized that I had planted twice as much garlic as last year and still had to pull out all of the remaining garlic.

A couple of hours later, I hauled in my garlic harvest…

All this for an initial investment of $2.40!

I had so much garlic that I couldn’t carry it in one load.

harvest garlic

The larger heads were almost 4 inches wide. However, the garlic that I grew in containers was quite a bit smaller – more like the size you find in the grocery store, which was fine with me.

Now all I have to do is to let my garlic ‘cure’ for a month in a dark, dry spot. That usually means that I put them on top of my large freezer in the laundry room.

Garlic will last about 8 months if kept in a dark, dry spot out of the heat. I don’t think we will be able to use all our garlic. Thankfully, I have plenty of people to share it with.

For more info on how to grow and ‘cure’ garlic, you can check out my earlier post “Got Garlic?”.

A Small Island

AZ Plant Lady

If you have been following my road trip, I wanted to show you a side trip that we made on our first full day:

We visited a small island off the coast of Georgia called Tybee Island.

Located just outside of Savannah, Georgia – Tybee Island is a barrier island and faces the Atlantic Ocean.

The walkway to the beach was flanked by dense growth. I even saw some Lantana growing wild. It is considered invasive in many humid climates.

As we walked out onto the beach, I couldn’t wait to get my feet into the water.

The beach was beautiful.

I love visiting the beach. I grew up on the Southern California coast and spent many a summer trying to get my fair skin to tan. (It didn’t work and now I am religious on putting sunscreen on).

It always surprises me how much warmer the Atlantic is then the Pacific ocean.

Up the beach was a wooden swing. I have never seen one at a beach before, but I thought – how perfect! If my husband had been there with me, I would have sat with him and watched the tide come in.

I like how these footprints in the sand lead through the grasses, don’t you?

Growing up on the West coast, I am used to seeing the sun set over the ocean.

However, I have never seen the sun rise over an ocean before, like many East coast residents do.

Near the beach, was a large concrete building, which was a ‘severe weather safe site’.

I could only imagine the hurricane and tropical storms that this island has had to weather over the years.

This post, shows how high the storm surges are for the different levels of hurricanes.

It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?

There is great shopping, dining and places to stay on Tybee Island along with beautiful beaches. I only wished that we had had more time to visit…

***************

Our road trip has been going very well, besides a solid day and a half of rain. I’ll post more about our adventures in North Carolina and Tennessee soon!

Home Again…

Unexpected Gardens

AZ Plant Lady

The past couple of days on the road have been both eventful AND uneventful.

Yesterday morning found us in Columbia, SC. We set on our way to find a folk art festival that was scheduled near the campus of University of South Carolina (USC), but couldn’t find it.

What we did find, driving through the campus, was a community garden, a rose garden and beautiful perennial beds along the roadside.

We parked near the university book store in the only spot we could find – we had only 30 minutes to explore or else we could get a ticket.

These perennial beds were filled with vegetables like artichoke and swiss chard, which look great as ornamentals alongside the pansies, dianthus and lamb’s ears.

Pink and coral poppies were in full bloom.

The red poppies in my garden at home were just beginning to fade before I left.

The campus of USC also has historical significance during the Civil War, where the parade grounds and barracks were located.

As we continued our walk, I kept seeing more things that got me excited.

As we turned the corner, we found ourselves in a small rose garden.

Isn’t this Peace rose, pretty? It was raining lightly as you can see.

This climbing rose used a nearby tree as a support.

I have grown many different kinds of roses, but never climbing roses. Maybe I should try?

Being from a dry climate, I am fascinated in observing the differences in gardens of wetter climates.

Okay, I know that those of you who live in more humid climates may be rolling your eyes at this point when you look at the photo, above.

But, I thought these ferns looked just beautiful growing out from the brick wall.

I am also always interested in seeing familiar plants, adapted to dry climates, being represented in other areas, like the Yucca, below.

We came upon the largest agave that I have seen, which is saying something because I see a LOT of agave.

I was having a great time and looking at my watch, realized that we had to start heading back to our car so we wouldn’t get a ticket.

But then, we came upon this community garden.

I was in heaven!

These raised beds were filled with delicious vegetables.

Next to the raised beds, was a garden with herbs, including these flowering broccoli.

The separate beds were divided, not with boxwood hedges, but rosemary. I really liked how it looked.

At the back wall of the herb garden, stood a ‘tipsy-topsy’ planter.

There was a different herb in each pot – chives, cilantro, basil, oregano and rosemary.

As the clock was ticking and we didn’t have any time to spare, we walked by this beautiful bed of flowers, containing one of my favorite plants – Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii).

USC has a beautiful campus and I was so happy to have to found such an unexpected garden ‘jewel’.

After leaving USC, we decided to visit the Confederate Museum in Columbia.

You see, my mother and I love to learn about history and that entails visiting museums and historical sights.

I am both a product of both the North and the South in regards to my ancestry.

It was time to leave Columbia for our next destination.

*The community garden was so wonderful that I will need to feature it in an upcoming post.

**Tipsy-topsy pots are very popular right now and aren’t hard to make. I found a tutorial that you can click on here.

Keeping America (and Phoenix) Beautiful

AZ Plant Lady, az plant lady family

A few Saturdays ago, I woke up early in the morning instead of sleeping in.

I drove to a site in downtown Phoenix in order to participate in our local chapter of Keep America Beautiful.

The gate led into a 15-acre site on Indian School Road and Central Avenue.

This site is “the largest transformation of vacant land happening right now in the country.”

Other volunteers were trickling into the area and we met in the center where we were given t-shirts, tools and assignments.

TroyBilt, is a huge supporter of The Great American Clean-Up and they had TroyBilt equipmen ready to be used to help clear weeds from the lot.

Over 4 million volunteers across the country, come together to help improve their community through a chapter of ‘Keep America Beautiful’.

The focus is on “waste reduction, recycling, beautification and community greening.”

The available assignments that day included weeding, trash pick-up, painting and creating ‘art’ from recycled materials.

I volunteered to help paint picnic benches and raised garden beds.

We used clear deck stain on all the wood surfaces.

I was able to make some new friends while we worked side by side.

After I had finished painting, I walked around seeing the other projects being done including some of the recycled art that will later be displayed at the site.

A group of girls were working hard on making a shield for a figure that was to be created out of recycled material.

This was the first time that I had participated in this kind of event and it was such a rewarding experience.

Click on the following links to see how you can participate in keeping your community beautiful:

Keep America Beautiful

Keep Phoenix Beautiful

An Unexpected Big Hole…

AZ Plant Lady

Earlier this week, I stepped outside to receive a delivery and was quite surprised at the sight that greeted me…

There were two men and a BIG hole in my landscape.

Of course, I knew that we had utility boxes for the phone and cable companies on our property. But, in the 14 years that we have lived here, no one has ever paid any attention to them.

Some of you may wonder if I was angry that I had a huge hole in my front yard.

Well, I wasn’t mad. You see, even though we own the property, I knew that utility boxes have an ‘easement’ that allows the utility companies to dig on your property without your permission.

In my work out in the field, I have encountered this often and when I design landscapes, I am careful to keep plants at least 3 ft. away from utility boxes AND keep a clear route to them from the street.

Now, utility boxes are ugly and no one likes to look at them. But, you can add shrubs and other plants to screen them from your view.

BUT, be careful! If plants are in the way – the utility company can pull them out. The Red Yucca, above, would most likely be removed if work had to be done since they are in the way.

Be sure to keep a clear route to the street when hiding utility boxes.

A few of these Purple Ruellia are also in trouble if work needs to be done.

I would advise decreasing the lawn area by 3 ft. and planting the Purple Ruellia there and leaving free access for utility work that may be needed.

Utility workers will make reasonable attempts to protect your plants as long as they are not in the way. They put a nylon tie around my Globe Mallow to keep it out of their way an put plastic down to protect the gravel.

It is normal to ignore the utility boxes, if you have them on your property and screening them out using plants is often, the first thing homeowners do when installing a landscape.

But, be careful where you place your plants. Try to keep them at least 3 ft. off to the side of the utility boxes and NOT in front.

Because sooner or later, the utility company will have to dig a hole to repair and/or upgrade their wires.

********************

Yesterday, we received a box of my daughter, Rachele’s civilian belongings. You see, as soon as she arrived at basic training for the Navy, she had to put all her clothes, shoes and other belongings into a box that was sent home.

It was a clear sign of her leaving behind her civilian life and the beginning of her military career.

In the box was also her cell phone charger. But I couldn’t find her cell phone.

Of course, leave it to my street-smart oldest daughter, Brittney, who simply looked inside one of the shoes where it was safely tucked away.

We are hoping to get our first letter from Rachele this week. We can’t send her any letters until we receive a letter from her because we don’t get her address until she sends us that information.

We all have written her letters and I just bought a lot of stamps – so I am ready!

Church Landscape Renovation 1 Year After…

Why Adding Trash to Pots is a Good Idea

AZ Plant Lady

In my last post, “Pots, Trash and Goodbyes“, I talked about how I bought some new glazed pots for my front entry.

You would expect that planting pots is pretty straight forward. But, what many of you didn’t expect was the ‘trash’ that I put in the bottom of my containers.

recyclable trash

You can see that the trash at the bottom of this pot consists of mostly recyclable trash such as milk cartons, soda and pasta bottles.

So why on earth would someone put trash in the bottom of a pot?

Here is a clue…

Have you bought potting mix lately?

It is expensive AND many pots are so large, that plant’s roots don’t reach down to the bottom.

So, why waste all that expensive, unused soil at the bottom?

Because this pot was to be filled with shallow-rooted annuals and perennials – I filled the bottom third of the pot with empty plastic containers.

I not only have saved myself money, but my pot also weighs a lot less then if I had filled the entire pot with soil.

If you are planting shrubs, trees or other deep-rooted plants, then you need a lot of soil for the roots to grow into – so, don’t use this trick for these types of plants.

The next time you plant containers, be sure to raid your recycle bin first for ‘trash’.

**You can also use foam packing peanuts in place of empty plastic containers.

**************************

Thank you all for your kind words of support as my daughter, Rachele, left for basic training yesterday.

We got a 1-minute phone call, telling us she was okay and that we would receive a letter in one week and a phone call in three.

My sister-in-law attended her swearing in ceremony in downtown Phoenix just before she boarded a plane for basic training.

She got her hair cut ahead of time.

Rachele didn’t want her dad and I to go because she said it would be too hard for her not to be sad and cry. So, I was happy that my sister-in-law, who worked nearby, was able to go and support her and take photos for us all to see.

We are all starting to write her letters and the ones that the kids wrote are so sweet and just break my heart because they miss her already.

Potting Demonstration

AZ Plant Lady

With warming temperatures, many of us begin to think about changing out our cool-season annual flowers for plants that can take the heat of summer.

Last week, I gave a potting demonstration for attendees of a local home tour.

Potting demonstration

The pots were then to be raffled off.

I planned on creating two succulent pots and one using a combination of perennials and annual flowers.

My daughter, Rachele, came with me to help carry the bags of soil, pots, plants, etc.

It was also an opportunity to spend time together before she left for the Navy.

There were to be two different potting demonstrations. I created one succulent pot ahead of time…

This container has pink-flowering Crown of Thorns, tall Lady’s Slipper, Variegated Elephant’s Food and a gray-colored cactus.

I like to create container plantings with a tall plant for vertical interest. The Crown of Thorns provides striking floral color. The Elephant’s Food will trail over the edge of the pot as it grows, which adds texture and softens the container’s lines.

Lastly, the gray-colored cactus (I admit that I don’t know what kind it is), adds great color contrast with its gray/blue color.

Soon, it was time for the first demonstration. My daughter took photos of me talking. The lighting is terrible because I was in the shade and behind me was the sun, but you can still see what I was doing.

Looking down at my notes. Can you tell I use my hands when I talk?

Planting the orange Calendula.

Adding Purple Verbena and filling the spaces with Celosia.

I just need a bit more Celosia in the front, don’t you think?

For this container, the tall vertical interest comes from Mexican Feather Grass. The bright color is from the Calendula. The trailing plant is Purple Verbena and gray Lavender provides the color contrast.

I used Celosia to fill in the empty spaces. I was pretty happy with how it turned out.

When planning on what plant combinations will look good in a container, I simply arrange the plants, while they are still in their containers at the nursery.

Now it was time for planting the second succulent pot.

First, adding the Elephant’s Food.

Ever wonder how to plant a cactus without getting pricked?

An old towel, folded into quarters (4 layers thick) works great. I covered the top of the Golden Barrel Cactus with the towel as I turned it over to plant. The towel came off easily once I was finished.

Newspaper is also helpful in planting cactus.

Almost done…

Finished!

The Blue Elf Aloe provides the height for this planting combination. Elephant’s Food will grow to trail over the side. The Golden Barrel cactus adds color contrast with its round shape and yellow spines. Ice plant with brightly-colored red flowers adds a needed splash of color.

The pots each went to good homes and raised money for future community projects.

Do you like growing plants in containers?

Or maybe, you haven’t tried before.

Well, it’s not difficult. Come back for a visit in a couple of days and I’ll share with you my container guidelines.

Pink Flowering False ‘Shamrocks’

AZ Plant Lady

Isn’t this a pretty flowering shamrock?

Okay, it’s not really a shamrock. It does belong to a family of plants known as ‘false shamrocks’.

Since I can’t grow real shamrocks in my desert garden, I just like to pretend that my pink- flowering one is the real deal.

This plant that masquerades as a shamrock in my vegetable garden is actually Pink Wood Sorrel, (Oxalis crassipes ‘Rosea’).

I received this lovely plant from a fellow blogger, who gardens in Oregon.

I saw this beautiful flowering plant on one of her and she kindly sent me some a few years ago that she had divided from her plant.

Would this plant grow in my desert garden, I wondered?

Well, it not only grew…

It has thrived!

Hardy to zones 5 – 10, it flowers in spring and fall. During the hot summer, it goes dormant but quickly grows back.

Because it has done so well, I have divided it and place it in other partly shady spots in my vegetable gardens.

I planted it in my vegetable garden where it would do well in enriched soil and receive regular water.

I love the tiny flowers that close at night.

Unlike other species of Oxalis, Pink Wood Sorrel is not invasive.

Even when not in flower, I love how pretty this plant is.

I enjoy growing some plant species that might seem out of place in the desert climate. You just have to adjust the growing conditions a bit. A partly shady corner of the vegetable garden works just perfectly for my false ‘shamrock’.

Overwintered Pepper Plant

Colorful Flowers With a Fancy Name

AZ Plant Lady

One of my favorite plants is described as having ‘chartreuse-colored’ flowers.

Just saying the word, ‘chartreuse’ sounds fancy, doesn’t it?

So what color is chartreuse anyway?

Well, I looked up the definition and found this definition from Wikepedia:

– “a color halfway between green and yellow that resembles a French liqueur called Chartreuse.”

The only reason that I know what color chartreuse is, is because of the flowers produced by this favorite plant of mine…

Colorful Flowers

They are pretty, aren’t they?

What I find quite funny about this plant is that while the color of its flowers have a fancy French name – the common name of this plant is somewhat derogatory.

Beautiful Colorful Flowers of Euphorbia biglandulosa

This succulent plant with the fancy-colored flowers is known as a ‘gopher plant’.

In late winter and early spring, chartreuse-colored flowers appear in zone 9a, providing a welcome splash of color.

As the flowers age, they take on a different appearance that I like as well…

They do great in full sun or light shade. Gopher plants don’t need any special care. Just provide well-drained soil and supplemental water. The only thing to be careful of is not too overwater them – no more then once a week during the warm months.

Once they are done flowering, prune back the old stems. Gopher plants (Euphorbia biglandulosa), grow approximately 2 ft. wide and 1 ft. high.

I like planting them nearby boulders or in groups of three.

I often recommend this plant to clients, but I don’t call it ‘gopher plant’ because let’s face it; would you want to add a plant called that without having seen it first?

Instead, I refer to it as “an attractive succulent with chartreuse-colored” flowers.

Which would you prefer to have in your garden; a gopher plant OR a succulent with chartreuse-colored flowers?

Spring Cleaning – Severe Renewal Pruning

Arizona garden, AZ Plant Lady, AZ Plant Lady Classes, California desert garden, desert gardening, Landscape Problems, Las Vegas gardening, Nevada garden, Pruning, Shrubs

My inbox has been filled lately with pruning questions. Specifically, how to prune back overgrown flowering shrubs.

Chihuahuan Sage (Leucophyllum laevigatum)

You may be wondering why you need to severely prune back overgrown shrubs?

Well, as you can see from the photo, above – as a shrub’s branches age, they produce fewer leaves and flowers. As time passes – these branches die, which leave ugly, bare areas.

Here are a few more examples of overgrown shrubs that need to be severely pruned back…

‘White Cloud’ Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens ‘White Cloud’)

You may think the formally pruned sage shrubs in the photo above, look okay besides being a bit on the large side.

But, what you don’t see is a large amount of dead branches inside. In reality, these shrubs are covered in a very thin layer of growth.

Here is an example of old Cassia (Senna nemophila) shrubs that have only been pruned formally. You can see that there are more dead areas than live growth.

So, how do you go about severely pruning old, overgrown shrubs back?

First of all – don’t do this during cooler months because it will take your shrubs a very long time to grow back. In addition, it can make frost-tender shrubs more susceptible to frost damage. Wait until spring for pruning back summer-flowering shrubs such as bougainvillea, sage, oleanders, etc.

You need a good pair of loppers and sometimes a pruning saw and you are ready to go. Simply prune your shrub back until there is only about 1 – 2 ft left.

Hedge trimmers can help if you use them to remove the outer part of the shrub and then you can get your loppers inside to prune off larger branches toward the base.

Below, are photos of ‘Rio Bravo’ Sage (Leucophyllum langmaniae ‘Rio Bravo’) shrubs that started out overgrown, were pruned back severely, and grew back.

Overgrown shrubs.

Pruned back to 1 ft.

This is the ugly stage. But you need to go through this ‘awkward’ stage to achieve beautiful, healthy shrubs.

I promise that it doesn’t last long…

New growth appears 3 weeks later

8 weeks after pruning.

12 weeks after severe pruning.

You can see that the severe pruning caused the shrub to grow young, new branches that produce beautiful green growth and flowers.

**Although severe renewal pruning keeps your shrubs healthy and attractive – there are a few cases when an old, overgrown shrub won’t grow back. It is doubtful that the Cassia shrubs, above, will survive for long either with or without severe pruning).

This usually indicates that the shrub has declined too much and would not have survived for long even without pruning. If this happens, you are better off replacing your shrub.**

Hand pruners, pruning saw and loppers

A good guideline for severely pruning your shrubs is to do this every 3 years or so. Of course, you can do this every year if you like to help keep your shrubs from outgrowing their space.

I hope that this helps to answer some of your questions.

If you would like to learn more about how to prune shrubs the right way, I invite you to learn more about my popular online shrub pruning workshop.

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A Tiny Investment And a Huge Harvest

A Small Island

Unexpected Gardens

Keeping America (and Phoenix) Beautiful

An Unexpected Big Hole…

Why Adding Trash to Pots is a Good Idea

Potting Demonstration

Pink Flowering False ‘Shamrocks’

Colorful Flowers With a Fancy Name

Spring Cleaning – Severe Renewal Pruning

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