

“April Showers Bring Golden Flowers”
Arizona, California, Uncategorized
April in the desert garden is, in my humble opinion, the most beautiful time of year. Winter and spring-flowering plants (Damianita, Penstemon, and 'Valentine' Emu Bush) are just beginning to fade and summer blooms are beginning to appear…

Week In Review: Containers, Xeriscapes, Cactus Flowers & Orange Blossoms
Cactus/Succulents, Containers, Uncategorized
Spring in the desert Southwest is a busy time of year. While those that live in colder climates countdown the days until March 20th, the spring season often begins a full month earlier in the low to middle desert.
As a horticulturist /…

Tips to Save Money When Shopping for Succulents
Agave, Cactus/Succulents, desert gardening, Southwest garden, Succulent Gardening
Shopping for Succulents, Desert Botanical Garden Plant Sale
I enjoy attending plant sales hosted by botanical gardens. Why? Because you can often find the newest plants (even hard to find ones) at them. Of course, you can also find…

Need a Bouquet? Look No Further Than Your Garden
Garden Travels, Uncategorized
Do you ever wish you had flowers to give to a friend or to decorate your table?
Instead of heading to the store for a generic bouquet, how about creating a lovely bouquet straight from your garden?
Now before you say that you don't have…

Mini Christmas Trees? More Bad Pruning…
AZ Plant Lady, Pruning
Last week, as my husband and I, were pulling out of our local Home Depot when I saw what looked like mini Christmas trees throughout the parking lot islands.
mini Christmas trees
I grabbed my cell phone and took a picture of these…

Shrubs Aren’t Meant To Be Cupcakes, Frisbees, or Pill Boxes
Arizona garden, AZ Plant Lady, AZ Plant Lady Classes, California desert garden, desert gardening, Landscape No-No, Las Vegas gardening, Nevada garden, Pruning, Shrubs
Aren't these shrubs beautiful?
Texas Sage 'Green Cloud' (Leucophyllum frutescens 'Green Cloud')
Thunder Cloud Sage (Leucophyllum candidum 'Thunder Cloud')
'Rio Bravo' Sage (Leucophyllum langmaniae 'Rio Bravo')
You…

DIY Natural Household Cleaner From Citrus Peels
Arizona garden, Citrus, DIY, Fruit Trees
Household Cleaners
Do you like the idea of using household cleaners that are natural? I do. Especially after I noticed a build-up of 'blue' cleaning product in the small crevices of my bathroom counters.
So, I decided to focus…

Landscape No-No’s and How to Fix Them: Over Planted, Poodle Pruned Shrubs and Lack of Variety
Cactus/Succulents, desert, desert gardening, Horticulturist, Landscape No-No, Landscape Problems, Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting, Shrubs, Southwest garden
Photo: Landscape No-No
Have you ever driven past a landscape that had some problems with it? As a horticulturist and landscape consultant, my attention diverts whenever I see ‘Landscape No-No’s’ like this one.
A while…

My Love Affair With Roses: Looking Forward and Back
Arizona, California
I have had a love affair with roses for over 26 years.
It all began when we bought our first house. I was a young mother with two girls who was giddy with the possibilities of having her very own spot of garden to grow roses in.
We…

Old and New Blend Together in My Backyard Landscape
AZ Plant Lady, desert gardening, Ground Covers, Landscape Design, Shrubs, Southwest garden
Do you have parts of your backyard landscape that you would like to change?
Perhaps you have areas you like, but there are plants you are tired of or are struggling with.
I want to show you what I did in my backyard, where I blended…