October is my favorite month of the year in the garden. Summer is over and when I walk outdoors, I am greeted with delightful temperatures in the 80’s. I even had to wear a light sweater the other night when out walking the dogs with my husband 🙂
Planting shrubs in the parking lot of our church along with the boy scouts a few years ago.
This is a very busy month in the garden because the end of summer signals the beginning of planting season. October is the best time to add plants to your landscape because they have three seasons to grow roots, which will help them handle the stress of next summer.
When digging a hole for your plants, the hole can make a huge difference in how successful your plants will be. Make the hole 3 times wider then the rootball. Because roots grow mostly sideways, they will have an easier time growing through recently dug soil then hard-packed soil. The depth of the hole should be NO deeper then the rootball. When plants are planted too deeply, they can suffocate or become waterlogged.
So, what types of plants can you add now? Concentrate on trees, shrubs and perennials that are not frost tender.
Firecracker Penstemon (Penstemon eatoni), blooms in late winter and into spring in my zone 9a garden.
Some of my favorite plants in my garden are those that bloom in fall, winter or spring.
Damianita (Chrysactinia mexicana), blooms in spring and fall.
Pink Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii ‘Pink’), blooms fall, winter and spring and prefers partial shade.
Valentine (Eremophila maculata ‘Valentine), is my FAVORITE shrub. I starts blooming in January and lasts until April when there is not much else going on in my garden.
When shopping for arid-adapted plants for your landscape, be aware that most of them aren’t too impressive looking when seen at the nursery.
Angelita Daisy in the nursery.
Arid-adapted plants don’t really start concentrating on their top growth UNTIL they have grown a good amount of roots.
Angelita Daisy (Tetraneuris acaulis, formerly Hymenoxys acaulis)
As you can see, there is a pretty significant difference after these Angelita Daisies have been in the ground for a couple of years.
Scarlet Flax
Do you like wildflowers? For a beautiful spring display, October is the time to spread wildflower seed. Growing your own wildflowers is easy to do, but there are a few important guidelines to follow. You can read more about how to start your own wildflowers from seed here.
If you enjoy growing vegetables, then it is time to get started planting cool-season vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, garlic, leaf lettuce and radishes – just to name a few.
I amend my soil with 3 inches compost, 2 inches composted steer manure, blood meal and bone meal (following the directions on the package on how much to apply). Lightly cultivate, mixing your new amendments into the soil.
Our little puppy, Penny, is growing up!
*Beware of 4-month old puppies when adding manure, blood or bone meal to your garden. It is absolutely irresistible to them and dogs of all ages 😉
Radish seedlings.
As your seedlings come up, there will be too many growing too close together, so you will need to thin them once they have 2 – 3 mature leaves (not the small seed leaves).
The easiest way to thin excess seedlings is to simply cut them off with scissors. Pulling them out can injure the roots of the remaining plants.
Lettuce seedlings that were thinned.
Don’t throw out your leaf lettuce and radish greens that you have thinned out. Use them to garnish you salad – they are delicious!
Check out your local county extension office’s website for information on when and what to plant in your area this month. For the greater Phoenix area, here is a wonderful vegetable planting calendar
Do you have a favorite agave growing in your landscape? Some agave produce volunteers (also called offsets or pups). October is a great time to propagate succulents like agave or cacti.
I have a favorite Parry’s Agave in my garden and it occasionally produces a little baby, which I take and replant elsewhere in my garden or give to a friend. It is easy to transplant the baby agave and you can see how I do it, here.
As temperatures begin to cool, plants do not need as much water as they do in summer. Adjust your irrigation schedule so that you are water less frequently.
The length of time that you water, should remain the same. Trees should be watered to a depth of 3 feet, shrubs to 2 feet and perennials to 1 foot. For watering guidelines and schedules, click here.
I love container gardening. It is an easy way to change up the look of your landscape seasonally and year to year.
Container with geraniums, yellow Euryops daisies, fern leaf lavender and blue lobelia.
Switch out your warm-season container plantings for cool-season favorites. Alyssum, geraniums, lobelia, pansies, petunias, snapdragons and violas are just a few colorful plants that can be added to your containers in October.
Add 6 inches of new potting mix (I like to use a planting mix, which is a little different then potting soil and avoids problems with wet soil) to each container before planting to replenish the old soil.
After adding your new plants, then sprinkle a slow-release fertilizer around the base of each plant, which will slowly release nutrients for about 3 months.
In addition to your traditional flowering containers, how about changing up your containers?
My granddaughter, Lily, is handling her watering duties very seriously. I just think her little painted toenails are so cute!
We planted this container filled with herbs and gave it to my oldest daughter for her birthday. Chives, parsley, rosemary and thyme will handle our winters just fine and fresh herbs are just a few steps away from her kitchen.
My newest addiction is growing vegetables and flowers together in containers.
Petunias grow among parsley, garlic and leaf lettuce in front of my vegetable garden.
I have almost more fun growing vegetables in containers then I do in my vegetable gardens.
There are many types of vegetable that do well in containers, including leaf lettuce and garlic. For more ideas of how to grow vegetables and flowers together, click here.
**I also made a video about growing a summer vegetable and flower container. You can view it here.
Well, I think that I have given you a fair amount of task to do in your garden.
What type of gardening tasks are you doing in your garden this month? I would really love to hear about it.
I will post another “To-Do” List next month!
AZ Plant Lady’s October Garden To-Do List…
ArizonaOctober is my favorite month of the year in the garden. Summer is over and when I walk outdoors, I am greeted with delightful temperatures in the 80’s. I even had to wear a light sweater the other night when out walking the dogs with my husband 🙂
Planting shrubs in the parking lot of our church along with the boy scouts a few years ago.
This is a very busy month in the garden because the end of summer signals the beginning of planting season. October is the best time to add plants to your landscape because they have three seasons to grow roots, which will help them handle the stress of next summer.
When digging a hole for your plants, the hole can make a huge difference in how successful your plants will be. Make the hole 3 times wider then the rootball. Because roots grow mostly sideways, they will have an easier time growing through recently dug soil then hard-packed soil. The depth of the hole should be NO deeper then the rootball. When plants are planted too deeply, they can suffocate or become waterlogged.
So, what types of plants can you add now? Concentrate on trees, shrubs and perennials that are not frost tender.
Firecracker Penstemon (Penstemon eatoni), blooms in late winter and into spring in my zone 9a garden.
Some of my favorite plants in my garden are those that bloom in fall, winter or spring.
Damianita (Chrysactinia mexicana), blooms in spring and fall.
Pink Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii ‘Pink’), blooms fall, winter and spring and prefers partial shade.
Valentine (Eremophila maculata ‘Valentine), is my FAVORITE shrub. I starts blooming in January and lasts until April when there is not much else going on in my garden.
When shopping for arid-adapted plants for your landscape, be aware that most of them aren’t too impressive looking when seen at the nursery.
Angelita Daisy in the nursery.
Arid-adapted plants don’t really start concentrating on their top growth UNTIL they have grown a good amount of roots.
Angelita Daisy (Tetraneuris acaulis, formerly Hymenoxys acaulis)
As you can see, there is a pretty significant difference after these Angelita Daisies have been in the ground for a couple of years.
Scarlet Flax
Do you like wildflowers? For a beautiful spring display, October is the time to spread wildflower seed. Growing your own wildflowers is easy to do, but there are a few important guidelines to follow. You can read more about how to start your own wildflowers from seed here.
If you enjoy growing vegetables, then it is time to get started planting cool-season vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, garlic, leaf lettuce and radishes – just to name a few.
I amend my soil with 3 inches compost, 2 inches composted steer manure, blood meal and bone meal (following the directions on the package on how much to apply). Lightly cultivate, mixing your new amendments into the soil.
Our little puppy, Penny, is growing up!
*Beware of 4-month old puppies when adding manure, blood or bone meal to your garden. It is absolutely irresistible to them and dogs of all ages 😉
Radish seedlings.
As your seedlings come up, there will be too many growing too close together, so you will need to thin them once they have 2 – 3 mature leaves (not the small seed leaves).
The easiest way to thin excess seedlings is to simply cut them off with scissors. Pulling them out can injure the roots of the remaining plants.
Lettuce seedlings that were thinned.
Don’t throw out your leaf lettuce and radish greens that you have thinned out. Use them to garnish you salad – they are delicious!
Check out your local county extension office’s website for information on when and what to plant in your area this month. For the greater Phoenix area, here is a wonderful vegetable planting calendar
Do you have a favorite agave growing in your landscape? Some agave produce volunteers (also called offsets or pups). October is a great time to propagate succulents like agave or cacti.
I have a favorite Parry’s Agave in my garden and it occasionally produces a little baby, which I take and replant elsewhere in my garden or give to a friend. It is easy to transplant the baby agave and you can see how I do it, here.
As temperatures begin to cool, plants do not need as much water as they do in summer. Adjust your irrigation schedule so that you are water less frequently.
The length of time that you water, should remain the same. Trees should be watered to a depth of 3 feet, shrubs to 2 feet and perennials to 1 foot. For watering guidelines and schedules, click here.
I love container gardening. It is an easy way to change up the look of your landscape seasonally and year to year.
Container with geraniums, yellow Euryops daisies, fern leaf lavender and blue lobelia.
Switch out your warm-season container plantings for cool-season favorites. Alyssum, geraniums, lobelia, pansies, petunias, snapdragons and violas are just a few colorful plants that can be added to your containers in October.
Add 6 inches of new potting mix (I like to use a planting mix, which is a little different then potting soil and avoids problems with wet soil) to each container before planting to replenish the old soil.
After adding your new plants, then sprinkle a slow-release fertilizer around the base of each plant, which will slowly release nutrients for about 3 months.
In addition to your traditional flowering containers, how about changing up your containers?
My granddaughter, Lily, is handling her watering duties very seriously. I just think her little painted toenails are so cute!
We planted this container filled with herbs and gave it to my oldest daughter for her birthday. Chives, parsley, rosemary and thyme will handle our winters just fine and fresh herbs are just a few steps away from her kitchen.
My newest addiction is growing vegetables and flowers together in containers.
Petunias grow among parsley, garlic and leaf lettuce in front of my vegetable garden.
I have almost more fun growing vegetables in containers then I do in my vegetable gardens.
There are many types of vegetable that do well in containers, including leaf lettuce and garlic. For more ideas of how to grow vegetables and flowers together, click here.
**I also made a video about growing a summer vegetable and flower container. You can view it here.
Well, I think that I have given you a fair amount of task to do in your garden.
What type of gardening tasks are you doing in your garden this month? I would really love to hear about it.
I will post another “To-Do” List next month!
What Is Growing In My Vegetable Garden…
azplantlady, Vegetable GardeningEarlier this week, I shared with you the four vegetables that I am growing for the first time this year. I will be sure to share with you how they do as the season progresses.
In addition to my experimenting with new vegetables, I am also growing some favorite cool-season vegetables…
My favorite cool-season vegetable crop is leaf lettuce. I love nothing better then being able to step outside to snip off a few leaves to make a dinner salad.
Once you have tasted fresh lettuce from the garden, there is no going back. Bagged lettuce is a poor replacement.
About 1/3 of my three vegetable gardens are taken up with beautiful leaf lettuce. I like to grow different varieties of leaf lettuce including Romaine, Buttercrunch, Great Lakes and Black Seeded Simpson lettuce.
I usually grow lettuce from seed because it is so easy. It needs temps below 80 degrees to germinate, so October is a good time to plant it.
**Don’t plant all your lettuce at once. Stagger your planting dates by 2 – 3 weeks, so that when your first crop of lettuce is finished (bolting), then you will have more coming up. Because lettuce can be planted throughout the fall, winter and early spring, you can enjoy lettuce until April, if you stagger your planting dates. This is what experienced vegetable gardeners do to prolong their harvest.
Isn’t this cauliflower beautiful? I grew this one two years ago and made the mistake of not planting any last winter. I’ll never make that mistake again.
I love cauliflower and cut the crown into small 1/4 inch pieces that we sprinkle over our salad – it looks like crumbled cheese and my kids like it.
Cauliflower can be hard to grow from seed, so I use transplants.
**Stagger the planting of your cauliflower as well, so that it does not all ripen at once. For example: I plant 3 cauliflower transplants every 2 weeks until the end of November.
I do not like cooked spinach. But, I do like putting it in salads or on a sandwich.
I have grown spinach from seed and from transplants. It lasts all winter and into spring.
Carrots are a mainstay of any cool-season garden. Because they are a root vegetable, they need to be planted from seed.
**My first year vegetable gardening, I planted all of my carrots at once and was rewarded with an ENORMOUS harvest. We couldn’t eat that many carrots. So, don’t plant all your carrots at once. I recommend planting some every month through February, so you will always have some to enjoy, fresh from the garden
This is the only photo I have of radishes in my garden. I must remember to take one when they are a bit more developed.
Radishes are the easiest vegetable to grow from seed. They come up fast – 3 days after planting the seeds, which makes them perfect for kids to grow.
**Stagger your planting of radishes, just as I recommended for carrots for a continual harvest.
I have a confession to make…
I seem to have problems growing broccoli. I’m not sure why and after each disappointing season, I resolve NOT to grow it again. But, I am trying again this year.
The photo above, is not my broccoli – it my mother’s 😉
**I have only a few broccoli planted now and will plant more through November, for a longer harvest.
I always plant garlic in October. I haven’t gotten to it yet, but plan to next week.
Last spring, I was happy with my larger then expected garlic harvest.
The last vegetable on my list is onions, which I will plant from onion sets this month as well.
I promise to keep you updated with how my garden grows throughout the season.
I would love to hear about what you are planting and/or what your favorite vegetables to grow are.
Fall Decorating Via The Produce Aisle…
vegetablesHave you decorated your home for the fall holidays yet? I decided to do a little something different for this fall. Instead of spending a lot of money on fake pumpkins and other decorations that I would later need to find storage space for – I went a more ‘natural’ route with a little help from the produce aisle.
Of course, you can find the expected pumpkins and gourds. BUT, my goal was to find other types of fruits and vegetables to use as well.
Here are the results of my shopping trip and the display I made. It is all natural and while there are a few gourds and pumpkins – there are also a few other produce items that are not often found in a fall centerpiece.
Here are some of what I came home with – acorn squash, artichokes, green apples, red onions, oranges, limes, a Kabocha squash, red pears and miniature pumpkins to go along with my large heirloom pumpkin.
Before creating my main centerpiece, I decided to see how many smaller arrangements I could make from my fruits and vegetables.
So, I pulled out a variety of serving dishes and vases and got started…
I placed a green/orange acorn squash, two gourds, an artichoke, a red pear, a white miniature pumpkin and a single lime in my sweet grass basket that I purchased in South Carolina, earlier this year.
I really like how all of these colors look like the changing leaves of fall (of which, we have very little in the desert 😉
A combination of red onions, limes and miniature pumpkins look great in the wooden bread bowl that my husband made for me.
The tablecloth was my grandmother’s and has seen countless wedding receptions and dinner parties while she lived. She gave it to me before she died years ago and sadly, it doesn’t see a lot of action in my house.
This may look like a smaller green pumpkin, but you would be wrong. It is actually a Kabocha squash that I found in the produce aisle of my local supermarket. I just love it’s small size and great color.
Did you know that pumpkins are considered a squash? It makes sense then, that other types of squash, like the acorn squash, above, would look great in fall displays.
I think red pears are just beautiful, don’t you?
A long bread basket, houses two acorn squash, a artichoke and two limes and red pears.
A fall display doesn’t have to be fancy. I love the simplicity of this long white serving plate with the miniature pumpkins. A green dish towel provides great color contrast.
I like this arrangement too.
When my mother-in-law was preparing to move from her house to an apartment, she gave me this large white bowl as well as the long white serving plate. They make the colors of fruit and vegetables really ‘pop’, like the two acorn squash, red onion, artichoke, small gourd and limes, above.
Gather together three pillar candles at differing heights and group fruits and vegetables underneath for a lovely centerpiece.
I used plain glass vases to put miniature pumpkins in.
To create my main fall centerpiece, I grabbed some candles from the mantle over the fireplace to add to the display for a little height.
I placed my heirloom pumpkin onto a cake plate to raise it above the other fruits and vegetables.
I grabbed a few pinecones that I had picked up over the summer during out trip to the mountains.
I also used a few dried gourds that I had grown in my garden a few years ago.
As you can see, there is no right or wrong way to arrange the produce. Just place things where you like them – I prefer larger fruits and vegetables toward the back and smaller ones in front.
Some of the produce will last longer then others. Switch out the apples, oranges, limes and pears every week.
In addition to creating a beautiful centerpiece, using produce for decorating is natural, you can eat much of it and you don’t have to find room to store it when the fall holidays are over – I can’t tell you how many boxes of Christmas decorations I have stored away, so it is nice to not have to worry about storing my fall decorations.
So what do you think?
Will you be inspired to create your own fall display the next time you push your cart through the produce aisle?
What fruit and/or vegetables would you like to use?
Experimenting in the Vegetable Garden
ArizonaThe past two weekends have been busy ones in my household, or should I say, gardens.
The beginning of October signals great planting weather for all types of plants and vegetables. As a result, I have been busy planting cool season vegetables in my edible gardens as well as sprucing up my container plantings.
Introducing my granddaughter to the wonders of plants at our local nursery.
The past two weekends involved visits to the nursery to peruse the vegetables as well as a few other types of plants.
It is very hard for this horticulturist to NOT get carried away with buying plants. I try very hard to stick to my list of plants but I often fail and come home with another plant or two.
In addition to my regular cool-season vegetables, I decided to introduce four other vegetables this year…
My edible gardens
Kale (I may try making Kale ‘chips’ and also using the younger leaves in salads).
Swiss chard (I plan to use the young leaves in salads).
Artichoke(I’m not sure if I will harvest the artichokes or let them continue to grow, since artichokes make great ornamental plants too).
The last vegetable I will be trying this year is celery. Now, celery is said to be fussy and hard to grow in the Phoenix area. But, part of the fun of gardening is experimenting. So, I bought 2 celery transplants, just to see what will happen.
Of course, I have many other types of vegetables in the garden. Most have been planted, but I still have some still to plant.
Later this week, I will show you what else I have planted in the garden.
Do you grow vegetables? If not, it is easy to do and you don’t even need a plot of land. You can grow vegetables in pots if you like.
**Last week, I took you along on my shopping trip to the produce section of my local supermarket in my quest to create a natural, fall centerpiece. I promise to show you what I came home with and what I created with vegetables and fruit in my next post.
Create A Fall Centerpiece From The Produce Aisle
Citrus, DIY, vegetablesIs you home decorated for fall yet? I am still working on getting my house ready for the fall holidays.
Normally, I am content to buy a single pumpkin and set it in the middle of my dining room table. But, after seeing my mother’s beautiful fall centerpiece (above), I decided to try to do something a little more creative…
So, I decided to challenge myself to see what I could come up with for my own unique fall centerpiece by taking a visit to the produce section of my local supermarket. I was determined to look beyond the normal fall offerings of pumpkins and Indian corn to see if I could be inspired.
Surprisingly, I found quite a few vegetables and fruits that would look nice in a fall centerpiece. So, armed with my cell phone camera, I started taking photos of some of my favorites…
Acorn Squash
Now, I don’t like to eat squash at all. I still remember hiding the cooked squash in my napkin that my grandmother would try to get us to eat.
Spaghetti Squash
BUT, squash looks great when used as a fall decoration.
Butternut Squash
In fact, I have even seen Butternut squash decorated as a ‘Jack-O-Lantern’ with a ghost face colored in using black markers.
Artichoke
Okay, artichokes are another vegetable that I don’t like. But, they look great in arrangements, so I bought one.
Pomegranates
Finally, I found something that I do like to eat AND decorate with – pomegranates. I love their deep color, don’t you?
Oranges
Limes
Let’s not forget citrus, which is always beautiful no matter how you use it – whether in a bowl in the center of the table or as part of a larger arrangement.
Heirloom Tomatoes
I admit that heirloom tomatoes aren’t the first thing that comes to mind when creating a fall centerpiece. But, their deep and rich colors would accent any centerpiece. Tomatoes won’t last as long as the other produce I have profiled, so use for a few days and then eat them.
Mangoes
How about mangoes?
Apples
Apples are great for decorating the tabletop. I like to use them at Christmas time as well.
Red Pears
I don’t think I have ever noticed all of the different types of produce that my grocery store had before now.
I did come away with a few things that I will attempt to create a centerpiece out of. I promise to share it with you later.
In the meantime, I did find myself captivated by the unusual pumpkin offerings at the store…
Aren’t they beautiful?
I selected one for my centerpiece. When I got home, I excitedly showed it to my kids, who to my surprise, were not happy about it. They asked, “Is this the pumpkin we are going to carve?”
I assured them that this pumpkin is for decoration only and will hopefully last until Thanksgiving.
I did promise them a ‘regular’ pumpkin for carving later on.
So, when you head to the supermarket this weekend, take a closer look at the produce aisle and see what you can use to create your own ‘natural’ fall centerpiece.
Is It Fall Yet?
AZ Plant Lady House Call: Citrus, Herbs, Sun and Bare Walls
CitrusOftentimes when I am called to help a homeowner with their landscape, they pose a problem and/or a question about a certain area in their landscape.
I will share a few with, you now and then, in the hopes that I can help those of you who may have a similar situation.
Okay, let’s first look at this resident’s sunny area…
Wanted to create a Southern European garden theme
As you can see, there is a young citrus tree growing in this corner bed.
The resident, who was from Europe, wanted to create a Southern European garden theme in her backyard. However, in this area, she disliked the appearance of the bare wall around her citrus tree. She wanted to have a retaining wall installed and raise the level of the bed and plant an assortment of herbs, which would cover part of the bare expanse of the wall.
The problem, is that you cannot raise the level of soil or you will suffocate the roots of the citrus tree. Plants need the oxygen that is present in the soil. Most of the oxygen is found in the upper levels of soil. Adding more soil would decrease the amount of oxygen where the plant roots currently are located.
Taking out the citrus tree and replanting it into a raised bed was not an option in this case.
So, what would you do in this area?
Recommendation: Add three tall (3 feet or higher), colorful, glazed pots and place them up against the wall – one in the corner and the other two on either side. Select pots in bright colors such as blue or orange, which will add a punch of color to the landscape AND plant an assortment of herbs in the pots.
Herbs are quite tough and can handle being in containers better then other flowering plants during the summer months and on through winter.
As the citrus tree grows and shades this spot more, the resident can switch out the sun-loving herbs for container plants that enjoy shady conditions.
So, what do you think of this solution? Do you have an area like this where you want to add color up against a bare wall?
I hope you enjoyed my first “AZ Plant Lady House Call”. I will be posting more in the future in the hopes that I can help you with an issue you may be facing in your own garden.
AZ Plant Lady House Call: What’s Wrong With My Bougainvillea?
September in Review: Reunions, Sweets, On-Air, New Plants and DIY Projects
az plant lady familyHave you ever paused to think about the events of the previous month?
I seldom do, but the other day I was going through my recent photos and was surprised at how busy the past month of September was.
Here are a few snapshots from September…
My daughter, Rachele, graduated from her Navy Seabee School and was able to come home for 2 weeks after being gone for 5 months.
The newest addition to our family, Penny is continuing to learn what is okay to chew and what is NOT okay to chew on.
I did quite a few different gardening projects for my contributions to the Birds & Blooms blog…
Freezing mint into ice cubes.
Making natural air fresheners.
Starting lettuce seeds indoors using recycled plastic containers.
Many of the events this month, were celebrations…
My friend and I gave a baby shower to the youth pastor and his wife at our church. I made the cupcakes and she made the cookies.
My nephews, Dean & Danny, turned 3-years-old and the party was held at our house.
I made some new discoveries while doing landscape consults…
I love this Adenium that a client of mine had. This plant is native to Africa, but she obtained this plant from a nursery in Tucson. I think I may have to get one for my patio.
I was asked to consult on the landscape of a fellow blogger, Diana Elizabeth, who is a fabulous photographer by the way. I loved this unusual combination of Mexican Honeysuckle, Pink ‘Katie’ Ruellia and Liriope along her front walk.
After spending some quality time at home with her dad, fixing her 1970 VW Bug, my daughter left for combat school in Mississippi. Soon she will be permanently stationed in Southern California.
While my son, Kai, playing football in the backyard isn’t an unusual event – it was extra special this month because he has finally recovered from his hip surgery in early June and has ditched his wheelchair and walker.
I made my first television appearance, showcasing fuss-free plants for fall. I was nervous, but in the end, I enjoyed it.
Last Saturday, I was asked by Wendy, the ‘Cupcake Queen’ if ‘AZ Plant Lady’ would make an appearance at our local cupcake shop. So, I showed up with my husband and granddaughter in tow and we all enjoyed the delicious sampling of Gigi’s delicious cupcakes.
The month of September ended with a visit to our local nursery to buy some vegetable transplants for my edible gardens. My granddaughter, Lily wasn’t too excited about the vegetables. Instead, she wanted to stop and smell every flower she saw 🙂
Well, that is September in a nutshell. This month promises to be a busy month in the garden. Did you know that October is the best time of year to add most ornamental trees and shrubs to your garden?
So, get up and go outside where the weather is finally cooling down and start planting.
How to Plant a Tree – Part 1
What’s Wrong With This Landscape: The Answer
Southwest gardenWelcome to the second edition of “AZ Plant Lady Drive By: What’s Wrong With My Landscape”.
Where you able to figure out what was wrong with the landscape, below?
I got some great answers and they were all right, BUT only one person noticed one problem that others hadn’t.
Here are a few of the answers I received on Facebook:
“Huge needle sharp plants next to a walkway.”
“The century plants (agave) need more sun.”
“Agaves planted too close to walkway, tree planted too close to house, poor pruning of Bush between houses. Looks like the Bush was trimmed with a chain saw. The mixture of desert and green landscaping is a bit much.”
These were great comments and were correct, but there was one other problem that only one of my readers found. Here is her comment:
“Those agaves are going to cause a lot of trouble. They will multiply and take over the tiny area they are planted in.”
1. First of all, you should not plant prickly agave near areas where people walk – like along the driveway or an entryway. Getting pricked by an agave hurts – I have had this happen countless times to me while in the field and once or twice at home.
2. The choice of agave in this landscape is a poor one. The agave in this landscape are called Agave americana and are perhaps the most commonly found agave that I see in landscapes.
While these agave are attractive, they do have a characteristic that makes them high-maintenance – they produce lots of baby agave (also called volunteers or pups).
These volunteers are prolific and take a lot of time to cut them out. The agave group, above, started out as one Agave americana that then reproduced. The majority of agave pups were removed, but six still remain.
This homeowner has kept up with removing most of the volunteers – but it is hard work.
Removing the volunteers means getting up close to these prickly agave and it isn’t easy to remove them. You have to get your shovel down into the soil a few inches to cut off the volunteer from the parent plant.
Homeowners usually allow the volunteers to grow, which over time, creates a somewhat unattractive mass of agave. OR they remove them and plant them elsewhere in their landscape, which just increases the problem because those replanted agave babies will start making their own babies.
Now, I think Agave americana are beautiful (as does the little hummingbird perched on this one). But, I wouldn’t plant one in my garden.
So, is there a solution for homeowners like me who love how agave look, but don’t want lots of babies to take care of?
Yes!
There are many different species of agave that don’t produce volunteers, or not too many.
Here are a few of my favorites that will make a good substitution for Agave americana:
Cow’s Horn Agave (Agave bovicornuta) is a beautiful agave and does not produce any volunteers.
They will grow approximately 4 feet wide and tall. Plant in an area that receives filtered sun or afternoon shade. This agave is hardy to zone 9.
You can see why this agave is called ‘Octopus Agave’ (Agave vilmorniana). It does mimic that tentacles of an octopus.
This agave will not produce volunteers either. It does best in filtered shade or in an area that will receive afternoon shade. Hardy to zone 9.
Weber’s Agave (Agave weberi) is my favorite large agave. I am using several in a new landscape area that I designed alongside a golf course.
This agave grow 5 feet tall and 6 – 10 feet wide. I does great in full sun. It does produce the occasional volunteer, but not many. Hardy to zone 7.
I hope you have enjoyed this edition of “AZ Plant Lady Drive By”. Thank you all for your comments. I’ll keep my eyes and camera ready for other “landscape no-no’s” to show you.
My goal is not to poke fun at those homeowners who have made mistakes. I want to help you to avoid making the same mistakes in your own landscape.
**IF YOU HAVE A PHOTO OF A ‘LANDSCAPE NO-NO’, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SEND IT TO ME AT arizonaplantlady(at)gmail(dot)com
AZ Plant Lady Drive By: What’s Wrong With This Landscape?
AZ Plant Lady Drive By: What’s Wrong With This Landscape?
AZ Plant LadyA few weeks ago, I introduced a new feature called “AZ Plant Lady Drive By”, where I show a photo of a landscape that I have driven by that has something wrong.
My goal is to help you avoid making the same mistake in your own landscape.
The response to my last one was overwhelming, so here is a new one for you to see if you can tell what is wrong.
Are you ready?
As you can see, the landscape is well maintained. But, there is one problem.
Leave a comment, with your guess about what is wrong with this landscape and I will post the answer in my next post.
The Best Palo Verde Tree Variety
AZ Plant Lady, Landscape Design, TreesI don’t have a favorite tree….I actually have quite a few favorites. But, if I had to pick one that I like most of all, it would be the ‘Desert Museum’ Palo Verde (Parkinsonia x ‘Desert Museum’).
Remarkable Hybrid Origins of the ‘Desert Museum’ Palo Verde
This Palo Verde is natural hybrid, resulting from 3 other Palo Verde tree species – Mexican Palo Verde (Parkinsonia mexicans), Blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonia florida) and Little Leaf Palo Verde (Parkinsonia microphylla) trees.
I have grown this tree in commercial settings as well as in my own landscape with great results.
Best Qualities of the ‘Desert Museum’ Palo Verde (Parkinsonia x ‘Desert Museum’)
1. Drought Tolerance
The ‘Desert Museum’ Palo Verde is renowned for its exceptional drought tolerance. This hardy tree thrives in arid desert conditions, making it a perfect choice for water-efficient landscaping.
2. Striking Aesthetic Appeal
With its vibrant yellow flowers that burst into bloom during the spring, the ‘Desert Museum’ Palo Verde is a visual delight. Its green bark adds to its aesthetic charm, making it an iconic feature in any desert landscape.
3. Low Maintenance
This desert tree requires minimal maintenance, making it an excellent choice for homeowners and landscapers looking for easy-care options. Its adaptability to harsh desert environments means less fuss and more enjoyment.
4. Fast Growth
The ‘Desert Museum’ Palo Verde is thornless and known for its relatively fast growth rate. It quickly establishes itself, providing shade and beauty to your landscape in a shorter time compared to many other trees.
5. Long Blooming Season
With a lengthy blooming season extending from late spring through early summer, this Palo Verde tree provides an extended period of vibrant yellow blossoms, attracting pollinators and adding life to your garden.
6. Wildlife Attraction
This tree attracts various wildlife, including birds and pollinators, making it an excellent choice for creating a biodiverse and vibrant ecosystem in your yard.
7. Low Water Requirements
Ideal for water-conscious gardeners, the ‘Desert Museum’ Palo Verde has low water requirements once established, reducing the need for irrigation and conserving precious water resources.
8. Heat Tolerance
It thrives in scorching desert heat, maintaining its vitality even during the hottest summer months, ensuring a consistent and appealing appearance throughout the year.
9. Pest and Disease Resistance
This Palo Verde variety is relatively resistant to common pests and diseases, reducing the need for chemical interventions and promoting an eco-friendlier garden environment.
10. Versatile Landscaping
Its versatility allows it to be used in various landscaping settings, including as a shade tree, focal point, or as part of a xeriscape design, adding both beauty and functionality to your outdoor space. ‘Desert Museum’ Palo Verdes do great in full sun and areas with reflected heat such as a parking lot or in a west-facing exposure.
I love how beautiful flowers in spring, when they bloom. I also think they are pretty when they blanket the ground.
If you are somewhat of a neat and tidy gardener, then you may not enjoy the flowering season as much as I do.
Don’t waste your money on a large-size tree. Because they grow fairly quickly, a 15-gallon is a good size to start out with. Once planted in the ground, a 15-gallon will grow more quickly then a larger-size container. The reason is that smaller trees are younger and handle transplant stress better. So save yourself money and go with the smaller tree.
My Desert Museum Palo Verde and an Unfortunate Event