I don’t have any containers filled with flowering annuals. Shocking isn’t it?
There are a few reasons for this, the most important one is that I prefer using relatively fuss-free plants that look great all year in my pots.
I don’t have much patience for high-maintenance containers. In particular, ones with flowering annuals that need frequent irrigation. Not to mention deadheading of spent flowers and having to change them out seasonally. But, I do love the way they look.
Red Geraniums and White Bacopa
My inclination to avoid flowering annuals in my own garden has to do with my past and no, it’s nothing scandalous.
It does have to do with my work in the past. For five years, I was in charge of 45 pots. Each container was always be filled with colorful flowers.
Believe me, keeping all of those pots looking beautiful was a lot of work! Countless trips to the nursery, fertilizing, watering and replacing them twice a year got tiresome. Not to mention that I broke my foot when I tripping on a curb, while loading flats of flowers.
So, it may not come as a surprise that I prefer using succulent plants in my pots.
Victoria Agave ‘Compacta’
Much of my inspiration for using succulent plants in containers come from those at the Desert Botanical Garden as shown in the photo above and below.
Agaves are some of my favorite succulent plants and the smaller species do very well in containers.
In an article I wrote for Houzz, I list my ten favorite small agaves for Houzz that are suitable for growing in pots.
I hope you enjoy it and find one that is perfect for you!
Preparing Your Garden for a Heatwave: 5 Essential Tips
Have you ever wondered how your plants fare in the scorching heat of summer? Is your garden equipped to withstand the punishing temperatures that a heatwave can bring, whether you reside in the arid desert Southwest or more temperate regions? In this guide, we’ll explore how to create a heatproof garden that thrives even during the hottest days of summer.
What do your plants look like in the middle of summer? Do they thrive despite the hot temperatures?
Or do they look more like this?
Assessing Your Garden’s Heat Tolerance
Before we dive into our tips for heatproofing your garden, it’s crucial to understand how to recognize the signs of heat stress in your plants. During the hottest part of the day, take a stroll through your garden and keep an eye out for wilting leaves, as well as leaves turning yellow or brown – all telltale signs of heat stress.
5 Key Strategies to Heatproof Your Garden
Here are five essential strategies to help your garden not only survive but thrive in the face of scorching summer temperatures:
1. Embrace Native and Climate-Adapted Plants
Selecting native or climate-adapted plants is a foundational step in creating an attractive, low-maintenance landscape that remains beautiful year-round. These plants possess unique characteristics that enable them to withstand local climate conditions, including extreme summer heat. Learn how plants like Langman’s Sage and Mexican Honeysuckle adapt to thrive in the heat.
All too often, we find ourselves with landscapes filled with plants. These plants often have large leaves and struggle to survive the hot, summer months. This results in unattractive plants that we work hard to help sustain them until cooler temperatures arrive. Usually, these plants are best meant to grow in climates with less extreme heat.
Plants Adapt to Change
Langman’s Sage (Leucophyllum langmaniae)
Let’s look at an example of an adaptation that this Langman’s sage. The adaptation enables it to handle full sun and 110+ temperatures without undue stress.
Notice that the flowers have small hairs. So do the leaves, giving them a slightly grayish cast. These tiny hairs help to reflect the sun’s rays, which lowers the temperature of the leaves and flowers.
Another way that plants have to handle the heat is by having small leaves. This limits the amount of water lost, which helps them to deal with hot, dry temperatures.
Here in the desert Southwest, there are many native plants that are used. There are also plants from Australia and other arid regions, which have similar climates.
2. Harness the Power of Shade
Introducing shade into your garden offers respite from the relentless sun, benefiting both plants and your home’s overall cooling. Discover how to provide just the right amount of shade by strategically planting trees that offer filtered shade. This allows enough sunlight for other plants to flourish.
3. Master the Art of Deep and Infrequent Watering
Plants need water to survive, and not surprisingly, they need the most in the summer. However, we often water them too often and shallowly for it to do much good.
Shallow watering keeps roots close to the surface of the soil. There the soil temperatures are hot and the water dries up quickly.
Deep Watering is the Rule
Water is essential for your plants, especially during summer, but not all watering methods are created equal. Learn why deep watering, encouraging deep root growth, is far more effective than shallow watering. Discover how to gauge the depth of your watering and why early morning is the best time to hydrate your plants.
“Plants that are watered deeply and infrequently are better able to withstand the heat.”
Shrubs should be watered to a depth of 2 feet and perennials and groundcovers to 18 inches. You can determine how deeply you are watering by inserting a piece of rebar down into the soil (right after you have finished watering) to see how long you need to irrigate. On average, 2 hours is the length of time to irrigate to the desired depth.
An Online Course to Help You Understand Desert Garden Needs
In my online class, Desert Gardening 101, I teach my students that watering deeply is as important as the time of day that you water. The best time to water is early in the morning. Watering plants in the afternoon is not as useful since plants allocate their resources at that time toward surviving the stresses of the heat and so they do not take up water as efficiently.
4. Mulch for Cooler Soil and Moisture Conservation
Mulch plays a crucial role in heatproofing your garden. It helps regulate soil temperatures, keeping them cooler during the summer while conserving moisture – essential for plant health. Explore unconventional mulch options, including fallen leaves, pine needles, and even fallen flowers, and learn how they can enhance your garden’s well-being.
A bonus is that they also help to prevent weeds from taking root.
Be Creative with Mulch Components
Let’s take a minute to rethink our definition of what makes an excellent mulch.
While shredded bark and wood chips may come to mind, did you know that fallen leaves, pine needles, and even fallen flowers can also serve as a mulch? That is how nature does it.
Be Cautious with the Leaf Blower
So, the next time you are tempted to whip out your leaf blower, how about directing it toward the base of your plants where the leaves and flowers can serve as a mulch?
They will also help to improve the soil around your plants as they decay.
5. Opt for Succulents and Heat-Tolerant Shrubs in Containers
Tip for Heatproof Garden
While growing pretty flowers in containers is relatively simple in fall, winter and spring-summer can be another matter entirely. Often, it can be hard to grow flowering annuals in pots throughout the hot summer.
The reason for this is that the soil around the roots of container plants is hotter than if grown in the ground.
Critical Top Soil
This is especially true for the outer 6 inches of soil which heats up in response to air temperatures and the hot container. As a result, annuals can wilt and struggle to produce flowers in summer.
Succulents are a great way to enjoy attractive container plantings throughout the year, not just in summer. Their ability to store water is what makes them an excellent choice for containers.
Tip for Heatproof Garden
If you want to grow something else besides succulents, how about trying heat-tolerant shrubs? Bougainvillea does great in pots as does lantana.
Tip for Heatproof Garden
Caring for Heat-Stressed Plants
Another tip for containers is to leave them empty in the summer months and wait until fall to plant them.
When thinking in terms of growing plants in containers in hot climates, bigger is better – at least 2 feet wide at the top. The larger the pot, the more soil and therefore, more insulation for the roots from the hot outer zone.
So what can you do if you do have plants that are struggling in the heat – particularly during a heatwave?
Other than replacing them, you can provide them with temporary shade such as a patio chair strategically placed so that it protects it against the afternoon sun. A light spraying of water over the plant and surrounding area in the evening can help reduce the temperature – don’t do this when the sun is out, or you may burn the foliage.
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Aug-Rio-Bravo-5.jpg548640arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2019-06-11 07:05:002023-10-03 13:03:295 Tips for a Heatproof Garden
I am often asked this question by desert dwellers and my answer is always, “That depends.”
There are several variables that determine how much water plants need, along with the frequency of watering.
Variables include:
Type of soil (clay, sand, combination)
What kind of plant (native plants, higher water use flowering shrubs and ground covers, succulents, etc.)
Recommended depth of water
Desert region (low-desert, mid-altitude, high desert)
Efficiency of irrigation system
Water pressure (can vary between neighborhoods)
As you can see, there is no universal watering guideline in regards to how long to water or how often.
Let’s look into the variables a little more closely to help you determine what yours are:
Soil – Clay soils hold onto water longer than sandy soil. They take longer for water to permeate to the recommended depth. The result? Clay soils need irrigation less often than sandy ones but need to be watered for a longer length of time. Phoenix area soil tends to have more clay in them while those in the Palm Springs area are sandy.
Plants – Native or desert-adapted plants need less frequent irrigation versus those that come from tropical climates. Cacti and other succulents do well with infrequent irrigation.
Water Depth – Trees need to be watered deeply while ground covers and succulents do fine at a more shallow depth – shrubs fall in between the two.
Desert Region – Where you live in the desert matters when it comes to water and your plants. The differences include rainfall amounts, when the rain falls, high and low temps, and more. Residents of low-desert cities like Palm Springs and Phoenix need to add water to their plants more often than those who live in higher elevation regions such as Tucson.
Irrigation System – The older your irrigation system, the less efficient it is. This is due to mineral build-up within the system, which affects the amount of water that comes out. Also, old drip irrigation systems tend to accumulate leaks. The average lifespan for a drip irrigation system is 10-15 years.
Despite these differences, what is a shared characteristic is that the vast majority of desert residents water too often and not deeply enough. This is usually due to lack of knowledge and thinking the ‘more is better,’ especially in the desert.
Landscapers are generally not a reliable source when it comes to scheduling irrigation – most recommend irrigating far too often.
So what is a desert dweller to do?
Thankfully, there is very useful information available for homeowners to help them figure out when and how much water their landscape needs.
Major metropolitan areas throughout the Southwest have excellent watering guidelines available for residents. The guidelines include the regional variables we have discussed so far.
Here are helpful links based on major desert cities (click the link for the city closest to you):
Watering guidelines are just that – guidelines. Circumstances may mean that you need to water more or less often, but these guides are a useful baseline to work from.
*One final note – before you implement a new irrigation schedule, it’s important to gradually wean your plants to the new one over several weeks. The reason for this is that it allows plants to become accustomed to the new schedule.
Yes, it does take a little work to figure out how much and often to water your plants, but these guides are incredibly helpful and will guide you along the way.
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I am always on the lookout for new plants to the desert plant palette. The desert plant palette is ever-evolving, with growers continually striving to introduce new varieties that boast exciting colors, sizes, and desirable characteristics.
I was able to visit Civano Nursery Farm, located in Sahuarita, 20 miles outside of Tucson this fall. The goal was to introduce me to their new Tecoma shrub hybrid called ‘Red Hot.’ This new plant is closely related to yellow and orange bells. Both are great plants to use when designing.
A Glimpse into ‘Red Hot’ Tecoma
At the time of my visit, ‘Red Hot’ was not yet available to the public. Still a test plant, it has been grown for testing throughout the Southwest.
I met with Jackie Lyle, their Brand Development Manager. She plays an integral part in the introduction of new plants to the Southwest region.
Exploring Civano Nursery Farm
Our tour began in the greenhouses where we explored their state-of-the-art automated systems. There are massive amounts of plants in all stages of growth. I was in heaven!
Although I’ve never worked in a nursery or for a grower, witnessing how they propagate plants from cuttings was a fascinating experience.
The Beauty of ‘Red Hot’ Tecoma
While touring the greenhouses, I got my first view of ‘Red Hot’ Tecoma. Instantly, I could see why there is so much excitement about this new variety. The foliage has the characteristic color of most Tecomas,. But the leaves are somewhat smaller than yellow bells and more compact.
The vibrant red blooms stole the show, and I knew they would undoubtedly attract hummingbirds with their nectar-rich flowers.
The ‘Civano Select’ are plants hybridized by the grower. These shrubs have slightly different characteristics than the more common species. This makes them a welcome addition to the desert plant palette. I was able to view several of their ‘Select’ plants during our tour.
How to Grow ‘Red Hot’ Tecoma
As you can imagine, this is a bustling nursery. There were shipments of plants headed out to job sites and other nurseries.
Whoever is getting these ‘Red Hot’ shrubs are in for a treat!
‘Red Hot’ Tecoma in Your Garden
And, guess who came home with her own ‘Red Hot’ shrubs? Me!
Then I was extremely honored to receive two of these new shrubs. I can share with you how they do in my Phoenix area garden. They are doing very well along the south-facing side of my house underneath the window by my kitchen.
Then, of course, I also brought home other plants – autumn sage(Salvia greggii), Mt. Lemmon marigold(Tagetes lemmonii), ‘Mr. Liko’pink gaura(Gaura lindheimeri ‘Mr. Liko’). Getting free plants is like Christmas to this horticulturist!
The great news is that ‘Red Hot’ Tecoma shrubs are now available at many local nurseries.
Want to see if this is the right shrub for your garden?
Here are the stats:
Size: 4 feet tall and wide
Exposure: Full sun, reflected sun
Bloom Season: Spring through Fall
Cold Hardiness: 15 degrees
Attracts: Hummingbirds
I will share the progress of my new ‘Red Hot’ shrubs and maybe you can do the same.
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Red-Hot-Tecoma-shrub.jpg7681024arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2019-05-09 07:18:572023-10-04 14:04:12‘Red Hot’ Is A Welcome Addition to the Desert Garden
I am always looking for ways to help people on their desert garden journey and so I’m offering a FREE class on 5 reasons you are struggling with your desert garden.
As a horticulturist and landscape consultant, I have seen people making the same mistakes, which prevent them from having a beautiful outdoor space.
Because of this, they unintentionally ‘hurt’ the plants by over-maintaining them and spending money on unneeded products and landscape services.
If this sounds like you, I AM HERE TO HELP!
I’ve been helping people like you for over 20 years and I can help you too!
5 Reasons You Are Struggling With Your Desert Garden
This LIVE class is on January 17th, at 1:00 MST. *If you want to register for this free class, but can’t attend it live, it will be recorded so you can watch it at our convenience for a limited time.
Knowledge is power and once you know what you are doing wrong in the landscape – you have taken one GIANT step toward having a desert garden that you are proud of.
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_0649-001.jpg502800arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2019-01-15 07:05:242022-06-04 04:45:525 Reasons You Are Struggling With Your Desert Garden
Sometimes, one area that many homeowners struggle with is what to plant in their side yards. It can be an awkward place with little sun and not much room for plants to grow. Most of these narrow spaces along the side of our home are little more than “yards,” but there is potential to turn them into “gardens.” On a visit to a client’s house, I saw a great example of this, where the homeowner had created side gardens.
Symmetry and Blooms: A Closer Look at the First Side Garden
First, her first side garden was planted with upright Bougainvillea shrubs against the wall with Star jasmine(Trachelospermum jasminoides) planted in between. I liked the symmetry of the alternating plants. They covered the wall so well – I’m not a fan of a view of a bare wall outside my window.
Lush Green Backdrops: The Other Side of the Side Garden
Most of the time the star jasmine produces small white fragrant flowers in spring. The bougainvillea produces vibrant blooms spring through fall. What is interesting about this plant combination. is that the base of the wall in a narrow side garden rarely gets much sun. The star jasmine does well in the shade. After all, bougainvillea does best in sunny spots. The top part of them gets just enough sun to promote blooms.
In the other side of the garden, Yellow oleander(Thevetia peruviana) trees grew along the wall toward the back. ‘Orange Jubilee’(Tecoma x ‘Orange Jubilee’) shrubs covered the wall closer up creating a lush green backdrop.
Enhancing Your Side Garden’s Aesthetics
I did make two suggestions in regards to this side garden. Remove the ‘Orange Jubilee’ shrubs growing in-between the yellow oleander trees. Right now, they make that area look overcrowded. You cannot see the beauty and symmetry of the tree trunks against the wall.
Brightening Your View: The Importance of Plants in Side Gardens
If you never see your side garden or it serves as your utility area, you may not want to spend time and money on adding plants. However, I do recommend focusing on placing plants directly across from any windows. For the windows that face into that area, because who wants to look out onto a bare wall?
Want to add art and creativity to your desert side yard? Try these three inspiring ideas.
(Desert Adapted Plants) Indian Mallow (Abutilon palmeri)
Exploring Imaginary Landscapes with Desert Adapted Plants
I always enjoy seeing well-designed landscapes that make use of many of my favorite desert adapted plants. A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to explore lovely landscape areas that existed within an imaginary land with real plants that were used to provide a sense of reality to this fictional place.
I invite you to explore these areas along with me and look for clues as to where it is.
Globe mallow, Mexican honeysuckle, and Indian mallow
A Desert Oasis in a Fictional World: The Beauty of Desert Adapted Plants
This is a gorgeous layering of three different shrubby plants. Indian mallow(Abutilon palmeri) anchors the background with its gray-green leaves and yellow flowers. In the middle stands Mexican honeysuckle(Justicia spicigera), which has lovely foliage and orange flowers that appear throughout the year. Globe mallow(Sphaeralcea ambigua) adds nice color contrast with its foliage and orange flowers in the foreground. All of these are drought tolerant and thrive in desert gardens.
A Taste of Arizona: Desert Plants Creating Authenticity
Continuing our exploration, we walk by a desert planting filled with young heat proof plants such as saguaro cactus, ocotillo, and yucca. It almost made me feel like we were in Arizona.
The beautiful green foliage of a jojoba shrub (Simmondsia chinensis) stood out against the reddish walls of a ‘canyon’.
Vertical Elegance: Cereus Cacti and Mexican Fence Post Cactus
Mexican fence post cactuses (Pachycereus marginatus) along with other cereus cacti add a lovely vertical element.
Naturally-themed areas have a plant palette that places you in the desert Southwest. But, we were several hundred miles away from the real desert.
Have you guessed where we were yet? Here is another clue:
Information signs reveal the different kinds of plants in this imaginary land. Your final clue is the name of the plants as well as the shape of the small prickly pear pad.
Revealing Radiator Springs: A Disney-Inspired Desert Adventure
We were exploring the town of ‘Radiator Springs’ which came to life in the movie ‘Cars’ and its sequels. These are my favorite Disney movies because they take place in my own backyard.
Balancing Reality and Imagination: The Use of Live and Imaginary Plants
I found it pleasantly surprising how well they constructed this imaginary town and used the plants to achieve an authentic look. However, there were some notable exceptions to having live plants throughout Radiator Springs.
Old-fashioned rear lights create imaginary flowers at the Cozy Cone Hotel.
Other car parts serve as components of this cornucopia.
Inspiration for Your Desert Garden: A Visit to Cars Land
I found myself distracted by both the real and imaginary plants, other visitors reveled in the appearance of the inhabitants of Radiator Springs.
Have you ever visited Cars Land at Disney’s California Adventure? If you have the opportunity, you might discover inspiring ideas for your desert garden that could surprise you.
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/globe_mallow_Mexican_honeysuckle_san_marcos_hibiscus_plants_Radiation_Springs_Disneyland.jpg1024768arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2018-04-30 06:33:542023-10-10 11:00:12An Imaginary Land With Real Plants
When you ask most people what they want in their garden, their most common answer is, “color”. One of the best plants that I like to recommend for warm-season color is a coral fountain, also known as the firecracker plant (Russelia equisetiformis). It has beautiful, cascading foliage that resembles the movement of water.
Deep orange flowers
Deep orange flowers begin to appear in spring, the attract both humans and hummingbirds. As you can see, this is not a plant for subtle color – it is dramatic.
Coral fountain paired with elephants food (Portulacaria afra).
It looks great when paired with succulents like artichoke agave(Agave parryi ‘truncata’), elephants food(Portulacaria afra), or lady’s slipper(Pedilanthus macrocarpus). For additional interest, you can plant it alongside yellow-flowering plants from the low-growing gold lantana(Lantana ‘New Gold’) or angelita daisy(Tetraneuris acaulis) all the way to the tall yellow bells (Tecoma stans stans).
In my garden, I have three of them growing underneath the filtered shade of my palo verde tree. If you’d like to learn more about the coral fountain to see if it would be a good fit in your garden, please read my earlier post.
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My garden has been transformed with yellow showers of flowers, courtesy of my palo verde tree. It’s a delightful time of year with warm spring temperatures and colorful landscapes filled with flowering shrub, perennials, and trees.
However, nothing heralds the arrival of spring in the desert Southwest like the golden yellow flowers of palo verde trees. I have three ‘Desert Musuem’ palo verde trees spread throughout my garden – one in the front, in the side garden (our dog run), and in the backyard.
The flowers do spread everywhere, which bothers some people, but I like to focus on the lovely yellow flowers transform things in the garden, like my artichoke agave where the flowers nestle inside its rosette.
One of my favorite views of the garden is looking out the patio door to the side garden where the branches of my palo verde tree frame the view.
There are several different species of palo verde and each one has a slightly different color flower, form the pale yellow of the foothills palo verde(Parkinsonia microphylla) to the deep yellow of ‘Desert Museum’(Parkinsonia hybrid ‘Desert Museum’).
Here is more information about palo verde trees from an earlier post. Do you enjoy the blooms of palo verde trees?
Cereus cactus, golden barrel cactus, and firecracker penstemon
From Drab to Colorful: A Landscape Transformation Story
Is your outdoor space looking rather drab? If so, you aren’t alone – many landscapes can appear somewhat dull, especially if there is a lack of color. But, it doesn’t have to stay that way.
One of my favorite aspects of my job as a landscape consultant is to help my clients to transform their garden from drab to colorful and it is quite easy to do.
Revisiting a Landscape Transformation: Two Years of Colorful Growth
I invite you to join me as I revisit with a client two-years after I created a planting plan for her existing, lackluster landscape.
BEFORE – Corner of Driveway
Transforming the Driveway Corner: Adding Color and Texture
Initially, this area did little to add to the curb appeal of the home. Overgrown red yucca plants and a cholla cactus created a ‘messy’ and boring look to this high-profile spot in the landscape.
AFTER
Removing the old plants and adding angelita daisy(Tetraneuris acaulis) and gopher plant(Euphorbia biglandulosa), creates colorful interest while adding texture. Before, the boulders were hidden behind the overgrown plants, so now they serve as an excellent backdrop for the new additions.
Symmetry and Year-Round Color: Anchoring the Driveway Corners
The corners of the driveway are one of the most viewed spots in the landscape and are often the first part people see when they drive by. It’s important to anchor them visually with plants that look great all year and preferably produce colorful flowers or have an attractive shape or color. I always like to add boulders to help anchor both corners as well.
These areas are also critical in that they create symmetry, connecting both sides of the landscape, which is done by using the same types of plants on each side.
A Burst of Color by the Entry: Enhancing Year-Round Appeal
Although there is no ‘before’ photo for the entry, here is an example of plants that will add year-round color because of their overlapping bloom seasons. ‘Blue Elf’ aloe blooms in winter and on into early spring while ‘New Gold Mound’ lantana will flower spring through fall, as the aloe fades into the background. A ponytail palm(Beaucarnea recurvata) brings a nice vertical element to this spot and will grow taller with age.
Adding Color to the Entry Path: Transforming a Desolate Space
BEFORE (Landscape Transformation)
Along the front entry path, a tall cereus(Cereus peruvianus) cactus adds a welcome vertical element while the golden barrel cactus(Echinocactus grusonii) creates excellent texture contrast. However, something is missing in this area, in my opinion.
AFTER (Landscape Transformation)
A colorful element was what was missing in this area. A single firecracker penstemon(Penstemon eatonii) adds beauty while also attracting hummingbirds.
Corner Landscape Transformation: Bringing Beauty to an Overlooked Space
BEFORE (Landscape Transformation)
On the corner of this lot was a palo brea tree with a large desert spoon and turpentine bushes. Overall, there was nothing exciting in this spot before the landscape transformation.
AFTER (Landscape Transformation)
The turpentine bushes were removed to make way for a set of gopher plants, which served to tie in this corner of the garden with the areas next to the driveway. These succulents flower in spring and add nice spiky texture throughout the rest of the year.
Creating a Colorful Carpet: Enhancing Warm Months with Lantana
Purple and white trailing lantana (Lantana montevidensis) serve to create a colorful carpet throughout the warm months of the year. This type of lantana can struggle in full sun in the middle of summer in the low-desert garden but, thrive underneath the filtered shade of a palo verde tree.
When working with an existing landscape, I relish the challenge of determining what existing plants still add beauty to the outdoor space, or have the potential to if pruned correctly. Sometimes an ugly, overgrown shrub can be transformed into something beautiful if pruned back severely. Often, it’s up to me to decide what goes and what stays. Then, the real fun part begins, which is selecting what areas need new plants and what ones will work best.
Landscape Transformation: Less Is More
I find that many people think that to renovate a landscape, you need to get rid of most of the plants and put in a lot of new ones. But, this is rarely the case. All you need to do is keep the plants that will continue to add to the curb appeal or create a beautiful, mature backdrop for new plants and new plants should be concentrated in high-profile areas where their impact will be maximized. Be sure to incorporate proper irrigation for the new plantings.
What would you like to get rid of in your landscape and what would you keep?
Noelle Johnson, AKA, ‘AZ Plant Lady’ is a horticulturist, landscape consultant, and certified arborist who lives and gardens in the desert Southwest. While writing and speaking on a variety of gardening topics keeps her busy, you’ll often find her outside planting vegetables, picking fruit from her trees, or testing the newest drought-tolerant plants.
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viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
