10 Tips for Drought Tolerant Gardening

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Do you live in an area that has been affected by drought?  

You may be surprised at the answer.  Periods of drought aren’t uncommon for those of us who live in the Western United States, but more recently drought has expanded to some other areas that may surprise you.

10 Tips for Drought Tolerant Gardening

Drought tolerant gardening is rapidly becoming a very popular way to garden.  Contrary to what some people may think, drought tolerant gardens are low-maintenance, easy to care for, use far less resources and can be beautiful.

Agave, mesquite and salvias

Photo: Agave, mesquite and salvias.

Drought tolerant gardens are a great choice for any landscape because they are much more self-sufficient and sustainable than other landscapes. Even if drought has not affected your area, that doesn’t mean that it won’t in the future.   

drought tolerant gardening

*This week, I will be doing a series of radio interviews about drought tolerant gardening for radio stations in Oregon, Texas and Alabama. 

I must admit to being a little nervous since I have not done a radio interview before and I have four to do this week.  I think that it should be easier than being on TV since I don’t have to worry about what I’m wearing or if my hair is messed up 😉

Agave, saguaro, wildflowers and yucca

Photo: Agave, saguaro, wildflowers and yucca.

No matter if you live in California where many areas are experiencing exceptional drought, the Southwest or wherever you live, the principles of drought tolerant gardening are the same.

Landscape filled with drought tolerant plants and limited amount of grass.

Photo: Landscape filled with drought tolerant plants and limited amount of grass.

I recently shared 10 tips for drought tolerant gardens in an article for Birds & Blooms where I serve as the garden blogger, which you can read here.

Whether you implement 1 or all of the 10 tips, you will be increasing the sustainability of your landscape.

drought tolerant gardening

I encourage you to take a little time to read the 10 tips and then come back later this week, when I will share with some of my favorite drought tolerant plants.

Wish me luck on my first radio interview tomorrow.  I’ll let you know how it goes…    

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For more information on drought tolerant gardening, click here.

Overcrowded, Overpruned Shrubs and How to Avoid Them

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Have you ever seen shrubs that have been planted too closely together?

over-pruning

At first glance, it looks like the new plants in the landscape above fit just fine into this area.  

But, what if I told you that those small shrubs grow 6 feet high and wide at maturity?

over-pruning

As they grow, out come the hedge trimmers, and over-pruned, ugly shrubs are the result.  

Unfortunately, this is a problem that has reached almost epidemic proportions in areas throughout the Southwest.  

Why else would people prune beautiful flowering shrubs into something that resembles anonymous, green blobs?  

The good news is that you can avoid this from happening in your landscape.  Even if you currently have overcrowded shrubs, you can solve the problem by choosing the right size of flowering shrubs for the space available.

I recently wrote an article for Houzz.com on how to avoid overcrowded and the resulting over-pruning…

I hope that you find this article helpful – I’d love to hear your thoughts.

10 Tips for Drought Tolerant Gardening

Unique Containers: Day 7 – Don’t Sit on These Planters!

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This is my last post on unique containers.  To date, we have looked at containers on four, two and one wheels, one that fits on your feet as well as some ‘trashy’ ones as well.

Today, I’d like to show you two containers that you shouldn’t sit on.

Chair planter in Downtown Noblesville, Indiana.

Chair planter in Downtown Noblesville, Indiana.

I saw these two chair planters sitting in front of a gift shop in downtown Noblesville, Indiana.

The seat of these old chairs have been taken out and a planter, much like those you would use for hanging baskets were inserted into each empty seat.

This type of whimsical planting is fun and hopefully people won’t make the mistake of sitting them.

Note that in dry climates, like Arizona and other desert climates – you can do this in the cooler months of winter and spring, but not in the summer.  The roots would literally ‘cook’ in the hot temperatures.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing some of my favorite unique containers that I have encountered on my travels.

I have found a unique container of my own on a recent trip to Minnesota that I can’t wait to plant in fall once the temperatures cool.  I’ll be sure to share it with you!

Indiana, Illinois and Abe Lincoln

Unique Containers: Day 6 – These Boots Aren’t Just for Walking

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A couple of years ago, I visited a beautiful winery in upstate New York.

I must admit that I was more interested in the gardens that surrounded the winery than the wine itself.  

The gardens were filled with a variety of perennials and even a prickly pear cactus that thrived in despite the frigid winters.  

But, it was this unique planter that caught me eye…

upstate new york

These old boots were filled with hen & chicks succulents that sit amid flowering thyme.

I don’t know about you, but I have never thought of an old pair of shoes as a plant container.  I must admit that I really like it, how about you?

You can see more about my visit to this beautiful garden as well as other adventures in upstate New York, here.

Unique Containers: Day 5 – Flowers on the Move

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As we continue along on our week-long journey of unique containers, I thought that I would share with you one that is portable.

wheelbarrow

Marigolds and Dianthus

This old wheelbarrow makes a very useful container because you can move it easily to a shady or sunny area as needed.

This antique wheelbarrow is filled with marigolds and dianthus and was located along Route 66 in the historic downtown of Williams, AZ which is a place that we spend time every summer.

This stretch of Route 66 is filled with fun and quirky examples of Americana that I shared in an earlier post.

With any container, you need drainage holes, so you would have to add some to whatever unique container you decide to plant.

Tomorrow, I’ll show you a container that you may find yourself sitting on by accident.

Unique Containers: Day 4 – Flowers On Two Wheels

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Today, I have two different unique containers to show you and both are on two wheels.

bicycle planter

Different Unique Containers

This old bicycle was located in a place where bikes and horses are commonplace and cars are not.

I saw this unique container while visiting Mackinac Island earlier this summer.  The front basket was lined with moss and filled with geraniums and trailing ivy.  The side baskets were also planted too.

The bicycle was sitting in the front garden of a quaint house and I noticed that there was a hummingbird feeder on the handle.

bicycle planter

This bicycle planter was located in front of a shop in the historic downtown area of Noblesville, Indiana, which is located just outside of Indianapolis.

When we were young, my sister had a pink bike much like this one while I had a purple one.

As you can see, I see many neat gardening ideas on my road trips.  You can read about my trip to Mackinac Island, here and my trip to Indiana, here.

Tomorrow, I will show you a portable container that has only one wheel and not two.

Unique Containers: Day 3 – A Rusty Bed

One of my favorite unique containers came in a most unexpected form…

My Favorite Unique Containers

My Favorite Unique Containers

Okay, what does an old, rusty pickup truck have to do with plants?

Unique Containers: Day 3 - A Rusty Bed

The bed of the pickup was filled with soil and potato plants.

Now, if that isn’t a unique container, then I don’t know what is.

I saw this bed of potatoes growing at the University of Tennessee garden last year.

I don’t think that the truck runs anymore, but it certainly functions as both garden art and a planter.

Tomorrow, I have two different unique planters to show you and both are planted on two wheels.

Unique Containers: Day 2 – ‘Trashy’ Containers

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What kind of containers do you have planted in your garden?

Are they terra-cotta, glazed or plastic?

Do you have any unique containers?

I like seeing plants that have been planted in unusual containers.  So this week, I will be sharing with you some of my favorites that I have seen on my travels throughout the United States.

Today’s unique container comes from Tennessee.

kitchen garden

‘Trashy’ containers

Have you ever seen a trash can used as a container for plants?

On a visit to the University of Tennessee Gardens, I visited their wonderful kitchen garden, which was filled with surprises and I came away inspired.

You can read more about my visit to these gardens and see some more pictures of these ‘trashy’ containers, here.

See you again tomorrow, when I’ll show you another unique planter that has 4 sets of tires.

Unique Containers: Day 1 – A Gift From Italy

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Do you like to container garden?

I do.  

I have annual flowers, herbs, succulents and vegetables growing in a variety of containers around my garden.

Containers are a great way to expand the boundaries of your garden.  Even if you don’t have any piece of earth to grow a plant in, you can create a garden in a pot.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw some beautiful containers at a client’s home.

The pots were from Italy

As you can see, they weren’t being used except to hold a child’s pool toy.

The pots were from Italy – Tuscany to be exact.

The pots had come from her husband’s restaurant, which had recently had their landscape redesigned and no longer needed the pots.  So, he brought the pots home where they have sat ever since.

My client mentioned that she was trying to get rid of them and did I know of anyone who would want them?

Are you kidding me?

Of course, I knew of someone who would want them….me!

Now, I just had to figure out how to get them to my house.  These pots were big and heavy.  But, I knew of at least two strong men who would maybe help me out.

beautiful containers

My husband and nephew were kind enough to come out on a very hot afternoon and help me out.

beautiful containers

The pots were quite heavy, but they were able to get them up into our truck bed with a little help from me.

beautiful containers

The pots were a little heavier than we expected, but finally we got all three up into the truck.

On the way home, we stopped by a Dairy Queen for ice cream sundaes and to cool off.

unique containers

I can’t believe that I didn’t have to pay anything for these pots, saving me hundreds of dollars.

Of course, I am so thankful for the generosity of my client. 

Now I just have to figure out what to plant in them.  I will be using them in my back garden, which I hope to re-design this winter.

What would you plant in them?  I’d love to hear your ideas…

Come back tomorrow, when I will begin sharing a week’s worth of unique containers that I hope you enjoy!

Unique Containers: Day 2 – ‘Trashy’ Containers

Southwest Plant Profile: Texas Sage

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Are you familiar with Texas sage, also referred to as Texas ranger?

If you live in the Southwest, you have undoubtedly seen these beautiful shrubs.

Texas Sage

Believe it or not, these purple flowering beauties are a fuss-free plant.

Unfortunately, some people over prune them…

purple flowering beauties

The one on the left has been pruned into a ‘ball’ while the one on the right hasn’t been pruned as severely.

Want to learn more about this native shrub and how to care for it properly?  Check out my latest plant profile for Houzz.com

 

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