Living in the desert southwest, I am blessed to be able to grow a variety of citrus trees in my garden and they do very well under most circumstances. However, when temperatures outside of the average highs and lows occur, steps need to be taken to protect them. With this week’s record-breaking highs, my orange tree…
Landscape Problems
Book Review: Desert Landscaping and Maintenance
As a garden writer and horticulturist, I am often asked to review new gardening books, which is one of my favorite things to do; especially if the books are about growing plants in the desert. Years ago, there were precious few books that dealt with the unique challenges and solutions to creating a beautiful outdoor space…
How Succulents Can Help Solve Common Garden Dilemmas
I have a love affair with succulents. There are so many reasons for my passion, but the biggest reason is that they are easy to grow, and a low-maintenance way to add beauty to the garden. The popularity of succulents is taking off and nursery shelves are filled with numerous varieties to tempt gardeners. Many…
What’s Chewing On My Leaves?
Have you ever noticed circular areas missing from your leaves? If so, you aren’t alone. The other day I noticed several of my plants with neat semi-circular sections missing. But, was I worried? Nope, and I’ll tell you why in my latest garden video. Has this happened in your garden? What plants were affected?
Mesquite Trees and Crazy Branches
Have you ever paused in the shade of a mesquite tree (Prosopis spp.) and noticed that its branches grow every which way? I was reminded of this when I was visiting a client earlier this week and was advising him on how to care for his mesquite tree. I looked up and saw a cluster of…
Cats in the Garden and an Old-Fashioned Herb With Repelling Qualities
I have a problem in my garden. The suspects who wreak havoc on my vegetable gardens are furry, have tails and whiskers. On the surface, they are very cute, but wild on the inside and shy away from contact with humans, except for the neighbor who feeds them. Now before we go further, I…
Colorful Container, Before and After, and Valentines
February is what I like to call a ‘bridge’ month. In regards to work, it is a transition month for me. It is the month between January, when work slows down as it’s cold with not much is growing and March, when the weather is delightfully warm and everybody seemingly wants to redo their landscape….
Landscape No-No’s and How to Fix Them: Over Planted, Poodle Pruned Shrubs and Lack of Variety
Have you ever driven past a landscape that had some problems with it? As a horticulturist and landscape consultant, my attention tends to be diverted whenever I see ‘Landscape No-No’s’ like this one. I recently shared the photo of the landscape, above, on my Facebook page and invited people to identify three things wrong with…
Are Caterpillars Eating Your Shrubs? How to Recognize and Treat Them
Yellow Bells (Tecoma stans stans) Do you have caterpillars lurking beneath the leaves of your shrubs? If they look like the yellow bells shrub, pictured above, probably not. But, if your leaves look as if a vampire came along and sucked them dry, then they are there, whether you can see them…
A Broken Leg and a Vegetable Garden
*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.* This is what my mother’s vegetable garden looks like in the middle of winter. She works hard at growing a variety…
