Two Beautiful Garden Bouquets and Ups and Downs…

This weekend has been an extreme roller-coaster of highs and lows.  

Mostly lows though…..

You know what makes a person feel better though?  A beautiful bouquet.  I would like to showcase two bouquets that were submitted for August’s Monthly Garden Bouquet.


I can’t wait to share them with you.

Beautiful Bouquet

Isn’t it lovely?

This bouquet was created by Marguerite who lives in Prince Edward Island.  She has a great blog called Canoe Corner.

She created her bouquet using flowers from her own garden.  She included one of my favorite flowers, Peonies, which unfortunately do not grow where I live.

The next bouquet is from David who lives and gardens in Texas.

Beautiful Bouquet

David has been a faithful contributor to the Monthly Garden Bouquet.  He always creates a monthly bouquet from his garden for his wife.

This one he named “Welcome Home” bouquet after she began working full-time.  

He made it out of Blue Daze, Serena Purple Angelonia, Yellow Musseanda, Luteola and Bergarten Sage.

David is a wonderful blogger and you can read more about his garden on his blog, Tropical Texana.

So, if you would like for your bouquet to be included next month, all you need to do is to send me a photo via email (link on my sidebar), or you can send me a link to your blog page.  You can also post on my facebook page if you like.

I will post it on the 20th of next month.

The only guideline is to create a bouquet using plants from your garden.

I can’t wait to see what you create 🙂

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The past few days have been emotionally exhausting.

My father-in-law, who is suffering from ALS, was taken to the hospital with pneumonia.

We have spent the past three days there with him and other family.  Yesterday, his breathing became even more labored and he is becoming increasingly dependent on a machine that assists his breathing (not a ventilator though).

It is hard to see him suffer so much from this disease.  He can no longer communicate beyond nodding “yes” or “no”.  Using his hands is no longer possible and he is almost completely wheelchair bound.

Today his lungs began to collapse due to his disease, but for now, the breathing machine is helping to keep them open.  

In the midst of all of this was a very joyful time.  You see, my daughter had a 4-D ultrasound where we could actually see the features of our new granddaughter’s face.  Even though she is not due for 10 more weeks, it was so wonderful to gaze upon her precious little face.

granddaughter's face

It was disconcerting to go from such sadness, to joy and back to sadness in a period of 2 hours as we left the hospital to go to the ultrasound and then back to the hospital.

We did bring the photos of the ultrasound to my father-in-law so that he could see his first great-grandchild.  He has been so excited about her.  We only hope that he will survive long enough to see her in person.

For now, we are living in a period of uncertainty.  No one knows how long he will live.  Will we get a call tonight?  Or, will it be a few more months?  No one knows.

What we do know is that there will be a precious little baby born in about 10 weeks.  It is that certainty and joy that is helping us through this difficult time 🙂

I hope you all have a wonderful week….

Do This….NOT That for the Red Yucca Plant!

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This is what Red Yucca looks like when its flowering.

This is what (Hesperaloe parviflora)looks like when its flowering.

Every time I see a Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) in full bloom, I remember a disastrous pruning incident that still makes me laugh and groan at the same time….

Red Yucca Plant Pruning Disaster

I was working as a horticulturist at a golf course and I was fortunate to have a wonderful crew of landscapers.  One of the landscaper’s was Abel.   He was in charge of maintaining the clubhouse landscape grounds.  One day, he came in to my office with a huge smile on his face and told me that in addition to the work that I had already assigned him, he had pruned some plants around the clubhouse and couldn’t wait to show me what a great job he did.

I went with him to see what he had done and when we got there, I just couldn’t believe it….. he had pruned off all the tops of the 30 Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) plants!!!  I was in complete shock and standing beside me was a smiling Abel, whose was so proud of his work and who honestly did not have a clue that he had done something wrong.  

This is what Red Yucca looks like when it has not been pruned correctly

This is what was left of one of the (Hesperaloe parviflora) plants.

Well, I didn’t have the heart to tell him that you never should prune the tops of Red Yucca leaves.  But, I did tell him that he needed to check with me before he pruned anything else around the clubhouse.

Beautiful stand of red yucca

This story has a happy ending…..the Red Yucca eventually grew back and Abel continued to work for me about a year with no further pruning disasters.  He then left to go back to Mexico where he became mayor of his small town.

Red Yucca flowers close up

How to Prune a Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) Plant

Season for Red Yucca Pruning:

Prune the Red Yucca plant after the flowers have faded, typically in late summer or early fall.

Flowering Stalks:

Trim back the flowering stalks to the base of the plant using clean and sharp pruning shears. This helps maintain a tidy appearance and encourages new growth.

Simple Approach to Yucca Pruning:

Pruning Red Yucca is straightforward. Just focus on removing the faded flowering stalks and any dead or damaged leaves.

Avoid Cutting the Top:

Red Yucca plants along a walking path

Be cautious not to prune the top of the plant, as this can make it look unattractive and slow down its growth recovery. The crown of the plant should be left intact.

Red Yucca Minimal Maintenance:

Red Yucca is known for being a low-maintenance plant, and its pruning requirements are minimal. This makes it an ideal choice for a southwestern garden.

Pruning Tools:

Use clean and sharp pruning shears to make precise cuts, which promote quicker healing and reduce the risk of disease transmission.

Protective Gear in the Desert Garden:

Wear gloves and protective eyewear while pruning to shield yourself from the plant’s sharp leaves and any debris.

Sanitize Your Tools:

Before and after pruning, disinfect your pruning tools to prevent the spread of any potential diseases between plants.

Observe and Improve Structure and Plant Shape:

Take a moment to observe the plant’s overall structure and health before pruning. Remove only what is necessary for the plant’s well-being and aesthetics.

Careful Pruning:

If you’re unsure about pruning, start conservatively by trimming a little at a time. You can always prune more if needed, but you can’t undo an overly aggressive trim

Remember, Red Yucca is quite resilient, and with proper pruning, you can enhance its appearance and ensure its continued health in your southwestern garden.

So, have you seen any pruning disasters lately?  I seem to be seeing quite a few….

Enjoying the Sun…..No Sunscreen Required

A Conundrum….My Husband, His Bees and My Roses

Do you know what the definition of the word ‘conundrum’ is?

I do.  Actually, I had to look it up – but it basically means a “difficult situation”.  That sums up what I am facing in my back garden.

Here are the ‘parts’ that make up my conundrum:

First, there is my wonderful husband….

my wonderful husband

You may have noticed that he is bit camera-shy when it comes to appearing on my blog 😉

The second part is the nest box that my husband made to attract leaf-cutter bees.

attract leaf cutter bees

As you can see, there are already some occupants in some of the larger holes.

You may be wondering why my husband is trying to attract leaf-cutter bees.  Well, he has recently become interested in beekeeping and is considering raising honeybees someday.

In the meantime, he decided that he would try to attract leaf-cutter bees.

I was more then happy to encourage him in his experiment.  Leaf-cutter bees are important pollinators, are non-aggressive and rarely sting.

But, that was then……

Do you know what else leaf-cutter bees do?

attract leaf cutter bees

Like their name suggests, they cut circular sections out of leaves which they use to line their nests with.  They then store a supply of pollen and nectar, lay eggs and then leave.

Now my husband’s nest box is located right above my roses….

attract leaf cutter bees

Guess what a leaf-cutter bee’s favorite type of leaf is?

You guessed it….rose leaves.

So, you see what my conundrum is?

I want to be a supportive wife…

I want pollinators in my garden…

Bees are in huge trouble and their populations are declining and I’d like to help…

I don’t mind some holes from leaf cutter bees, which won’t hurt my roses.  However, I would rather not have too many holes cut out of my rose leaves…

So, what should I do?

I will ask my husband if he wouldn’t mind moving his nest box elsewhere in the garden.  That way my roses will not get too ‘holey’, I’ll still have pollinators in my garden and my husband still gets to have fun attracting leaf-cutter bees.

I think that works, don’t you?

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Roses can handle a fair amount of activity from leaf-cutter bees, although too many holes will affect the health of your roses.  Remember that it is leaves that make the ‘food’ for your plants.

I don’t like to use pesticides if I can help it in the garden, but they wouldn’t help me against leaf-cutter bees.  Since the bees don’t actually eat the leaves, the pesticide is useless.  **More importantly, I don’t want to harm the bees, so I wouldn’t use pesticides against them, regardless.

If you don’t want to see any holes in your rose leaves, you can cover them with cheesecloth or fine netting to keep the leaf-cutter bees away (as people who exhibit their roses in shows do).

**So how about you?  Have you experienced a conundrum in the garden?  Who or what was involved?  I would love to hear about it 🙂  

What’s Chewing On My Leaves?

A Barely Controlled Vine

Last year, I said that I would never grow a pumpkin vine in my vegetable garden again….

pumpkin vine

We did get a single pumpkin, but I was not prepared at how much the pumpkin vine grew inside and outside of my garden.

Now before you say that I should have read how large a pumpkin vine grows before I planted one – I did read how big they can become.

However, it is something to read it on paper and another thing entirely to see it happening in your own garden. I wrote about it last year – “Escapee From the Garden”

So this year, I kept my word.  I did not plant any pumpkins.

Instead, I decided to plant two bird house gourd vines….

pumpkin vine

Now I almost wish that I had pumpkin vines instead 😉

Although my bird house gourd vines are rooted in my vegetable garden, most of them are growing outside of its confines.

I decided to plant bird house after I saw them when I visited Amish country in Pennsylvania last year.  They were perfect for making bird houses out of and I couldn’t wait to try it out.  

pumpkin vine

Right now, I have at least 4 gourds growing, but there may be many more.  It is hard to tell with all of the vines and leaves covering them up.

Each week, I am kept busy removing the seeking tendrils of the bird house gourd vines from my cucumber plant cages as well as from my bush beans.

I do enjoy watching this plant grow and I will probably grow it next year, but not in vegetable garden.  I will have to look for a bare area where it can grow to its heart’s content.

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Have any of you had any experience growing pumpkins or gourds?  Did your vines grow all over your garden?  Or perhaps, you paid attention to the directions on the seed packet and placed your vines in a spot with more space 😉  

Keywords, Encyclopdias and Answers….

Do you ever use a search engine to find answers to your gardening questions?  I remember the old days, before search engines when I had to drive to my local library and look through gardening books and encyclopedias to find the answers to my non-gardening questions.

Okay, now that I have dated myself by admitting that I used to use encyclopedias, I must say that I am quite addicted to finding information in just a few seconds using search engines. 
 

Many people find my blog by entering a gardening question using a search engine.  I am able to see what questions that people type in the search window that leads them to my blog by using an application that tracks my stats.

Some of the searches are humorous while others are totally unrelated to gardening.  But, there are often the same type of questions asked.  So I thought that I would reveal the three most common questions for this month in hopes that it may help some of you as well.

Question #1:

“Can I prune my Texas Sage shrub when it is in flower?”

gardening question

Gardening question #1

Answer:

“You could, but why would you want to remove the beautiful flowers?”

gardening question

Please don’t participate in the epidemic of pruning shrubs into round shapes.  It is not healthy for most desert-adapted shrubs and strips them of much of their beauty.

You can read more about this in an earlier post,

“Shrubs Aren’t Meant to be Cupcakes, Frisbees or Pill Boxes”

Question #2:

“What is the white stuff on my prickly pear cactus and how do I get rid of it?”

gardening question

Answer:

Many people assume that it is a fungus.  Well, it isn’t.  The ‘white stuff’ is actually produced by an insect called cochineal scale.  The insects produce the cottony stuff to protect themselves and their eggs while they suck upon the cactus.

The good news is that it is very easy to get rid of it.  A strong jet of water from the hose will remove both the insect and the ‘white stuff’.

There are actually some very interesting information about this insect and how native Americans would use them.  You can read more from this post “Purple Prickly Pear“.

Question #3:

“What plant smells like rain?”

Creosote shrubs

Answer:

Creosote shrubs dot the desert from California to New Mexico.  They have small resinous leaves that smell like rain when wet or crushed.

Keywords, Encyclopdias and Answers....

One of my favorite things to do is to take a few leaves, crush them and then have people smell the intense fragrance that smells just like rain.

You can read more about Creosote from this earlier post “A Desert Shrub That Smells Like Rain”.

So, what do you think?  I hope this has proved helpful to some of you.  I plan on doing more of this in the future.

Now, I have a question for you….

How many of you have used an encylopedia in the past?

A Toad, Star Wars and a Chicken Coop….

Okay, you are probably wondering what on earth I am talking about when I mention a toad, Star Wars and a chicken coop in a single post.  And if you aren’t curious…..you can stop here 😉

This is a story of a toad that is called “Jabba the Hut” after the infamous Star Wars character who lives in a chicken coop.  My post title makes sense now, doesn’t it?

Both of my nephews are extreme Star Wars fans and love collecting the Star Wars Lego figurines.  My youngest nephew is only 3 years old and he named the toad, “Jabba the Hut”

Chicken Coop

So, where exactly does Jabba the Hut live exactly?

Jabba the Hut

He lives in a moist area by the Elm tree.

Jabba the Hut

Can you see him?

Chicken Coop

The chickens don’t seem to mind him sharing their yard.

Jabba the Hut likes to burrow into the moist soil during the day and comes out at night.

It was still hard to really see him and so I tried to coax him out…  

Jabba the Hut

If you have never seen a toad looking cranky, here is your chance.

Jabba definitely did not enjoy all of the attention…..I think we woke him up a bit early.

Jabba the Hut

I am a strong proponent of leaving wild animals alone, but I think I failed in this instance in my desire to take some pictures of Jabba to share with all of you.

He definitely did not enjoy all of the attention…..

Jabba the Hut

I think that he decided to start his night time escapades early and get away from us.

Jabba the Hut

You can why my nephew thought of the name “Jabba the Hut”.  There is definitely a resemblance 😉

***More about “Jabba theHut”***

Mr. Toad is a Sonoran Desert Toad.  They are quite active during our summer monsoon season.

They eat quite a lot of insects and keep to themselves.  Do not pick them up, since they secrete a poisonous substance through their skin.  Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly if you do happen to touch one.

When we lived in Phoenix, we saw quite a few toads during the summer months.  It wasn’t unusual to see 3 to 5 in our front yard.  We lived in a neighborhood that had flood irrigation, which may have been why we had so many.

So, have you seen any toads out and about?

A Pair of Boots and an Empty Chicken Coop….

Guess What Blew In The Other Day?

A couple of days ago, I was busy cooking dinner when I got a call from my husband who was on his way home from work.  He said that there was a haboob on the way.

Okay, some of you may be wondering what the heck a ‘haboob’ is.  Well, the word ‘haboob’ is an Arabic word that describes a dust or sand storm.  Here in the Phoenix area, we don’t have sand, so our haboobs are made up of dust.


Now dust storms aren’t too unusual during our summer monsoon season in the Southwest, but the one that was coming, according to my husband was monstrous.  So, I decided it would be a good opportunity to blog about it, so I went outside with my son, Kai, to watch its approach and take pictures to share with you.

At first, it doesn’t look like much, but as you progress down through the pictures, you can see the progression of the haboob.

You can just see the dust cloud in the distance behind the homes

You can just see the dust cloud in the distance behind the homes.

dust storms
dust storms
haboob

Okay, at this point, my camera battery died.  So, I went inside to get our other camera only to find that its battery was also dead.  I couldn’t believe it…..this was a once in a lifetime weather experience and I had no camera!

But, then my husband arrived home from work and rescued me by taking pictures with his iPhone just as the storm was hitting.

And then it was dark….

haboob

 You can barely see Kai through the blowing dust….

haboob

At this point, we went inside and I actually had grit in my teeth….I won’t mention what my hair looked like 😉

The haboob was 3,000 ft. high and more then 30 miles wide.  It brought winds of 69 mph, some of which broke off some branches of my Mexican Bird-of-Paradise tree.

Just over at Double S Farms, my sister got photos of the storm approaching their house as well.

haboob
haboob

I am a total weather geek and I was thrilled to have witnessed a dust storm of this size.

Now, I just have to sweep the dust off my patio and wash the dust off of my plants with the hose 🙂

A Special Gift of Service…..

Some of you may remember my mentioning that my father-in-law is suffering from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).  The type that he has is very fast moving and in the eight months since he was diagnosed, he can no longer talk, has difficulty walking, has a stomach tube since he can’t eat, he cannot dress himself or even take care of some of his most basic needs.

It has been such a fast progression and we can see differences from week to week.  My father-in-law is a very strong person and is a wonderful example for all of us as he bears this incredible burden gracefully.

As Father’s Day approached this year, we wondered how should we celebrate it with him?  Our normal celebrations in the past included lots of delicious food…..not such a good idea when you cannot eat.

The next idea that we had was maybe having us all go to a movie together.  A couple of hours escaping the grim reality of day to day living might be something that he would like.

In the end, my father-in-law asked us all to come over and help with some projects around the house that he can no longer do.  My mother-in-law is very busy taking care of his needs and her normally spotless house needed some attention as well.

So, we all headed on over.  The kids were put in charge of dusting and cleaning the baseboards.  My husband and brother-in-law got busy fixing some things around the house and changing the air-conditioning filters.  My sister-in-law helped with the cleaning.

Now, what did I do?  I was in charge of planting flowers and pruning.  My father-in-law always has a beautiful display of seasonal annual flowers.  But he can no longer hold things in his hands easily and his strength is rapidly weakening.  So, I was more than happy to step in.

cool-season annual, Lou Gehrig's Disease

My mother-in-law had already removed most of the cool-season annuals.

blank canvas

There is nothing I like more then a blank canvas.

The flowers that they selected were red and white Vinca.  Now, my mother-in-law kept saying that I had the worst job because I had to work outside in the heat.  She kept coming outside to offer me water.

But, I was really enjoying my job.

flowering annuals

You see, in my past jobs as a horticulturist, I was used to planting hundreds of flowering annuals every season.  I always enjoyed doing it and to be honest, I could probably do it in my sleep.

Do you have something that you are good at doing?   Now I am the first to admit that there a lot of things that I am not particularly good at.  But, planting is one thing that I do well and quickly (I really don’t like spending more time in the hot sun then I have to 😉

A Special Gift of Service.....

I enjoyed planting these flowers and it brought back memories of my past work experience.  Nowadays, I only plant annuals in my containers at home.

A Special Gift of Service.....

My father-in-law and I share a love for gardening.  But, our styles are very different.  While we both love many of the same plants – his style is very formal and structured while mine is the exact opposite – I like natural shapes and textures.

In fact, my garden can sometimes be a bit overgrown because I love how my shrubs look when in flower and I abhor pruning them off.  My garden can also be a bit messy for some.  I think that fallen flowers look beautiful on the ground, while others use leaf-blowers and even a vacuum to suck up every stray leaf and flower.

I must admit, that I was very nervous about cleaning up everything afterward.  I wanted to make sure that my completed job was nice and clean.

My father-in-law was very happy with his new flowers and was so grateful for all of the work that we all did for him on Father’s Day.

A Special Gift of Service.....

This Father’s Day was very bittersweet for me.  You see, I lost my own father 4 years ago and my father-in-law has become even more special to me.  Sadly, we do not know if my father-in-law will be here next year for Father’s Day.

I am so grateful that I had a very special dad and that I have a wonderful father-in-law.

Summer Pruning and a ‘Substitute’ Gardener

A Fountain Transformed Into a Planter

I often take my camera with me wherever I go, because I never know when I will see something that I want to share with all of you.

So, I was spending the other evening looking through my pictures on my laptop, while my kids were watching a DVD (the Pixar movie, “Cars” – which I admit, I like too).

Well, I came across a photo that I took last year at a local nursery.  I had accompanied my mother to the nursery to help her select 3 pecan trees for Double S Farms.

I must admit that whenever I visit a nursery, I am rather like a kid in a candy store and I spent a lot of time looking at plants and taking pictures.  I’m not sure how much help I was to my mother, since I was so distracted 😉

Well, I saw a very interesting fountain.  Now, there wasn’t any water in this fountain.  Instead, it was full of plants…

Interesting fountain

Interesting fountain

I just love this….don’t you?

(If you look closely, one of the resident chickens is looking for insects for lunch).

Flowering annuals would be best for the top two tiers since the amount of soil they can hold is rather shallow.  Can you imagine how beautiful it would look, overflowing with flowering annuals?

The base looks great with flowering perennials.  You could also plant some herbs as well.

So while I am very inspired by this idea of transforming a fountain – I don’t have one.

But, maybe you do….

Teak Bowls Make Unique and Beautiful Planters

Beautiful Flowers and New Seeds

A couple of weeks ago, I visited our local Farmer’s Market with my mother and my two youngest kids.  Along with the fresh produce, bakery items, ice cream cones, kettle corn, petting zoo and other tempting treats – I happened across a vendor who was selling a small selection of nursery plants.

 To be honest, what attracted me to her area wasn’t the plants, but it was a vase of hollyhocks that she had displayed.

Now, I love hollyhocks.  There is just something so beautiful about these old-fashioned flowers.

Old fashioned flowers

Old fashioned flowers

hollyhocks
hollyhocks
Old fashioned flowers

Okay, back to the bouquet of hollyhocks that I saw at the farmer’s market – they were white with light pink centers.

Old fashioned flowers

As I was admiring the simple, but very pretty bouquet, I noticed that there was a small stack of envelopes filled with hollyhock seeds.

For only $1, it was my favorite purchase of the day.

I can’t wait to plant them.

I have the perfect place that receives afternoon sun and receives carryover moisture from my vegetable garden.

How about you?  Where do you plant your hollyhocks?