Have you ever embarked upon an unexpected adventure?
I recently did.
It all started with an email from the folks at Troy-Bilt who asked me to partner with them and review their outdoor power products in return for my honest opinion.
I had heard of Troy-Bilt company before and knew that they made high-quality gardening equipment. But, I was curious about why they were contacting me.
It turns out that I was asked to be one of their six garden bloggers known as the ‘Saturday6’.
The ‘Saturday6’ is a group of six garden bloggers brought together by Troy-Bilt to share their gardening knowledge via their gardening newsletter, how-to videos and by reviewing Troy-Bilt equipment.
Troy-Bilt brought all of us together for an event-filled weekend in Scottsdale, AZ.
Five members of the ‘Saturday6’ flew in from destinations like Minnesota, Florida, Massachusetts, Tennessee and North Carolina. I, however, just hopped into my truck and drove the 30 minutes to the hotel.
Our adventure started with a tour of the Desert Botanic Gardens in Phoenix.
Although, I have visited the gardens numerous times, it was quite nice to have a guided tour and see the gardens through the eyes of those who are unfamiliar with desert plants.
It was so nice to experience the gardens with fellow plant lovers (dare I say ‘plant fanatics?). We bonded over our shared love of plants and stopped constantly to take photos.
The evening hours were spent enjoying a delicious dinner where we soon found ourselves immersed in our own ‘special’ language that all gardeners share.
I loved hearing about Dave’s Tennessee vegetable garden and how we enjoyed growing many of the same things. Dave Townsend from Growing the Home Garden shared about his Tennessee vegetable garden and I found that we enjoyed growing many of the same things.
Steve Asbell of The Rainforest Garden had written for many of the same publications that I had. What I didn’t know was that he is an incredibly talented illustrator and is currently writing a book.
Foreign concepts such as ‘winter sowing’ were explained to me by Amy of Get Busy Gardening who gardens in Minnesota. Because she lives in very different climate from mine, it was fun to hear about some of the different ways we do things in the garden.
I was very blessed to spend time with Helen Yoest from Gardening With Confidence who is a ‘wiz’ at social media and has a new book. She was very helpful in helping me to improve my mediocre social media skills.
Matt Mattus of Growing With Plants told me about the 30-year old Troy-Bilt rototiller that he uses on his 100-year old family farm in central Massachusetts. He has a huge greenhouse where he grows tropical plants including South African bulbs.
Our first morning together was spent at a golf course, where we tested the many Troy-Bilt products and learned more about the company.
The equipment laid out for us to try out, including both push and riding lawn mowers.
Troy-Bilt had their regional trainers on hand to show us how everything worked.
Helen learns the finer points of driving this small-sized riding lawn mower, which fits through a standard garden gate, making it a great option for the smaller landscape.
The riding lawnmowers were the most popular piece of equipment we tested.
Steve tries out the push mowers.
The push mowers were fun to try as well.
Next, it was time to try out the leaf blower, which is a very popular tool here in the desert southwest.
You might wonder why I’m wearing a rain coat on a sunny day? You’ll see why later…
I am tough on gardening equipment and if it is confusing to use or does not work well – I don’t endorse it. The hand-held leaf blower was easy to hold and a breeze to pull-start.
Dave learns about the features of Troy-Bilt string trimmers and how you can switch attachments like a cultivator, pole chainsaw, blower, etc.
I like digging dirt…especially with this small-sized rototiller. I could use this to make another vegetable garden.
Matt liked the larger rototiller.
Amy feeds branches into the chipper.
In addition to testing the equipment, we also had some fun…
Lawnmower races, anyone?
Our testing was finished and we paused to take a group photo.
As we went indoors to learn more about the equipment and the company, the skies began to darken…
Then the skies opened up and it began to hail, a lot…
It looks like snow, doesn’t it?
Watching ‘crazy’ golfers trying to finish their game through the hail and thunder.
I don’t think my fellow bloggers expected a cold, wintery day in the desert.
After our training, we spent another evening together, enjoying dinner with the Troy-Bilt team. It was fun to swap stories about our gardens with their challenges and successes.
Spring training is ‘big’ in Arizona. So, I was excited that the next day’s events included a spring training game between the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Cubs.
We enjoyed bratwurst, hamburgers, peanuts and Cracker Jacks in the Budweiser tent.
You would think that we would be focused on the baseball game, but you’d be wrong.
The camaraderie we built was evident as we spent the entire time just talking. Occasionally, we were distracted by a home run, but didn’t keep track of who was winning.
At the end of our event-filled weekend, I was even more excited to be a part of the ‘Saturday6’ and share what I know about gardening as well as having the opportunity to test Troy-Bilt products.
I must admit that I’m in love with this small Neighborhood Rider.
I wonder if I can convince my husband to give up our push lawn mower?
First Roses of the Season
azplantladyI love roses, don’t you?
Believe it or not, I used to have 40 different varieties of hybrid tea roses in my garden when I lived in Phoenix.
Now, I am perfectly happy with my 3 David Austin shrub roses.
Technically, they aren’t my roses.
They belong to my kids.
The beautiful pink rose, above, is Abraham Darby, which belongs to my daughter, Ruthie.
We planted these roses 3 years ago.
You can read about our planting adventure here, “Three Little Roses – Ready for a New Home” and “Three Little Roses -Time to Plant” complete with rose planting guidelines and pictures of my kids when they were much younger – where does the time go?
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Hope your week is off to a good start!
I must admit that I am really missing my daughter, Rachele, who is entering her second week of basic training in the Navy.
Why Adding Trash to Pots is a Good Idea
AZ Plant LadyIn my last post, “Pots, Trash and Goodbyes“, I talked about how I bought some new glazed pots for my front entry.
You would expect that planting pots is pretty straight forward. But, what many of you didn’t expect was the ‘trash’ that I put in the bottom of my containers.
recyclable trash
You can see that the trash at the bottom of this pot consists of mostly recyclable trash such as milk cartons, soda and pasta bottles.
So why on earth would someone put trash in the bottom of a pot?
Here is a clue…
Have you bought potting mix lately?
It is expensive AND many pots are so large, that plant’s roots don’t reach down to the bottom.
So, why waste all that expensive, unused soil at the bottom?
Because this pot was to be filled with shallow-rooted annuals and perennials – I filled the bottom third of the pot with empty plastic containers.
I not only have saved myself money, but my pot also weighs a lot less then if I had filled the entire pot with soil.
If you are planting shrubs, trees or other deep-rooted plants, then you need a lot of soil for the roots to grow into – so, don’t use this trick for these types of plants.
The next time you plant containers, be sure to raid your recycle bin first for ‘trash’.
**You can also use foam packing peanuts in place of empty plastic containers.
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Thank you all for your kind words of support as my daughter, Rachele, left for basic training yesterday.
We got a 1-minute phone call, telling us she was okay and that we would receive a letter in one week and a phone call in three.
My sister-in-law attended her swearing in ceremony in downtown Phoenix just before she boarded a plane for basic training.
She got her hair cut ahead of time.
Rachele didn’t want her dad and I to go because she said it would be too hard for her not to be sad and cry. So, I was happy that my sister-in-law, who worked nearby, was able to go and support her and take photos for us all to see.
We are all starting to write her letters and the ones that the kids wrote are so sweet and just break my heart because they miss her already.
Pots, Trash and Goodbyes…
ContainersLast week, I decided to get rid my older pots that I have in my front entry.
Years ago, I received these plants from a client who decided that she wanted fancier pots. So, I took them home, painted them bright colors and installed them by my front entry.
While they have served me well for the past 13 years, they weren’t very big, which limited what I could plant in them.
For quite some time, I have wanted to get some nice, large glazed pots. I realized that it was finally time to practice what I preach to my clients…
“Choosing colorful, glazed pots is a great way to add color to the landscape.”
So, my husband and I went out searching for three pots for our front entry.
I was thrilled to find all three at our first stop – Home Depot. The price was good and they even gave us 10% off for a small chip we noticed. No one will see the chip since it will be on the back side.
I had my plants all selected and was ready to go.
My son, Kai, offered to help. So I told him to raid the recycle trash can and get an empty milk carton, soda/water bottles and empty jars.
Kai looked at me like I was a little crazy, but he did as I asked.
He then put them into my new containers…
plastic containers
Can you guess why I had my containers filled with ‘trash’?
I’ll let you know why you’ll want to start collecting plastic containers for your next potting project in my next post…
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Today, my daughter, Rachele, is on a plane to Chicago. She has joined the Navy.
I am so proud and happy for her!
But, I must admit that part of my heart has left with her.
I remember being sad when I held her by the hand and took her to her first day of preschool. She had her pretty dress on and her curly hair was short and cute. I stood outside her classroom for over a half hour, just watching her through the window.
Then I went home and cried.
I have done my best as her mom and it’s time for her to stretch her wings and make her way into the world.
This family photo was taken yesterday, just before Rachele left.
I just wish it didn’t have to hurt to let her go…
Why Adding Trash to Pots is a Good Idea
Potting Demonstration
AZ Plant LadyWith warming temperatures, many of us begin to think about changing out our cool-season annual flowers for plants that can take the heat of summer.
Last week, I gave a potting demonstration for attendees of a local home tour.
Potting demonstration
The pots were then to be raffled off.
I planned on creating two succulent pots and one using a combination of perennials and annual flowers.
My daughter, Rachele, came with me to help carry the bags of soil, pots, plants, etc.
It was also an opportunity to spend time together before she left for the Navy.
There were to be two different potting demonstrations. I created one succulent pot ahead of time…
This container has pink-flowering Crown of Thorns, tall Lady’s Slipper, Variegated Elephant’s Food and a gray-colored cactus.
I like to create container plantings with a tall plant for vertical interest. The Crown of Thorns provides striking floral color. The Elephant’s Food will trail over the edge of the pot as it grows, which adds texture and softens the container’s lines.
Lastly, the gray-colored cactus (I admit that I don’t know what kind it is), adds great color contrast with its gray/blue color.
Soon, it was time for the first demonstration. My daughter took photos of me talking. The lighting is terrible because I was in the shade and behind me was the sun, but you can still see what I was doing.
Looking down at my notes. Can you tell I use my hands when I talk?
Planting the orange Calendula.
Adding Purple Verbena and filling the spaces with Celosia.
I just need a bit more Celosia in the front, don’t you think?
For this container, the tall vertical interest comes from Mexican Feather Grass. The bright color is from the Calendula. The trailing plant is Purple Verbena and gray Lavender provides the color contrast.
I used Celosia to fill in the empty spaces. I was pretty happy with how it turned out.
When planning on what plant combinations will look good in a container, I simply arrange the plants, while they are still in their containers at the nursery.
Now it was time for planting the second succulent pot.
First, adding the Elephant’s Food.
Ever wonder how to plant a cactus without getting pricked?
An old towel, folded into quarters (4 layers thick) works great. I covered the top of the Golden Barrel Cactus with the towel as I turned it over to plant. The towel came off easily once I was finished.
Newspaper is also helpful in planting cactus.
Almost done…
Finished!
The Blue Elf Aloe provides the height for this planting combination. Elephant’s Food will grow to trail over the side. The Golden Barrel cactus adds color contrast with its round shape and yellow spines. Ice plant with brightly-colored red flowers adds a needed splash of color.
The pots each went to good homes and raised money for future community projects.
Do you like growing plants in containers?
Or maybe, you haven’t tried before.
Well, it’s not difficult. Come back for a visit in a couple of days and I’ll share with you my container guidelines.
My Little Helper…
Horticulturist, UncategorizedSpring for a horticulturist, is much the same as tax season for tax professional.
With the warming temperatures, I am very busy with landscape consults. While I enjoy meeting and helping clients with their landscape needs, it does create the problem of less time to be able to do other things that need to get done.
But, in the case of writing – I have been able to get my work done, all with the help of a very special little lady…
My granddaughter, Lily, loves to sit on my lap with her cup of Cheerios while I write.
We have come great conversations (mostly one-sided). I talk to her about what I am writing and she does point to pictures of flowers.
Maybe someday, she’ll be inspired to grow her own garden?
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This week is a sad one for our family. My second-oldest daughter, Rachele, is leaving for the Navy on Sunday.
Rachele, my mother, my oldest daughter (Brittney) and me visiting Las Vegas for her 21st birthday last January.
While I am so proud of her and know that she will do very well – I am still going to miss her so much!
She will be in basic training (just outside of Chicago) for several weeks. Then she will go to school to learn to become an equipment operator (a Navy SeaBee).
We had a ‘goodbye’ celebration for her yesterday at our house. Over 100 people showed up. It was so neat to see how much she means to so many different people.
This week, we are experiencing what I like to call “the last times”. Today, it was going to a movie with the kids and Rachele.
I hope you’ll bear with me over the next couple of weeks, if I share parts of her military journey with you 🙂
Six Trees, a Boy Scout and a Horticulturist
The ‘Saturday6’ and a Fun-Filled Weekend
az plant lady familyHave you ever embarked upon an unexpected adventure?
I recently did.
It all started with an email from the folks at Troy-Bilt who asked me to partner with them and review their outdoor power products in return for my honest opinion.
I had heard of Troy-Bilt company before and knew that they made high-quality gardening equipment. But, I was curious about why they were contacting me.
It turns out that I was asked to be one of their six garden bloggers known as the ‘Saturday6’.
The ‘Saturday6’ is a group of six garden bloggers brought together by Troy-Bilt to share their gardening knowledge via their gardening newsletter, how-to videos and by reviewing Troy-Bilt equipment.
Troy-Bilt brought all of us together for an event-filled weekend in Scottsdale, AZ.
Five members of the ‘Saturday6’ flew in from destinations like Minnesota, Florida, Massachusetts, Tennessee and North Carolina. I, however, just hopped into my truck and drove the 30 minutes to the hotel.
Our adventure started with a tour of the Desert Botanic Gardens in Phoenix.
Although, I have visited the gardens numerous times, it was quite nice to have a guided tour and see the gardens through the eyes of those who are unfamiliar with desert plants.
It was so nice to experience the gardens with fellow plant lovers (dare I say ‘plant fanatics?). We bonded over our shared love of plants and stopped constantly to take photos.
The evening hours were spent enjoying a delicious dinner where we soon found ourselves immersed in our own ‘special’ language that all gardeners share.
I loved hearing about Dave’s Tennessee vegetable garden and how we enjoyed growing many of the same things. Dave Townsend from Growing the Home Garden shared about his Tennessee vegetable garden and I found that we enjoyed growing many of the same things.
Steve Asbell of The Rainforest Garden had written for many of the same publications that I had. What I didn’t know was that he is an incredibly talented illustrator and is currently writing a book.
Foreign concepts such as ‘winter sowing’ were explained to me by Amy of Get Busy Gardening who gardens in Minnesota. Because she lives in very different climate from mine, it was fun to hear about some of the different ways we do things in the garden.
I was very blessed to spend time with Helen Yoest from Gardening With Confidence who is a ‘wiz’ at social media and has a new book. She was very helpful in helping me to improve my mediocre social media skills.
Matt Mattus of Growing With Plants told me about the 30-year old Troy-Bilt rototiller that he uses on his 100-year old family farm in central Massachusetts. He has a huge greenhouse where he grows tropical plants including South African bulbs.
Our first morning together was spent at a golf course, where we tested the many Troy-Bilt products and learned more about the company.
The equipment laid out for us to try out, including both push and riding lawn mowers.
Troy-Bilt had their regional trainers on hand to show us how everything worked.
Helen learns the finer points of driving this small-sized riding lawn mower, which fits through a standard garden gate, making it a great option for the smaller landscape.
The riding lawnmowers were the most popular piece of equipment we tested.
Steve tries out the push mowers.
The push mowers were fun to try as well.
Next, it was time to try out the leaf blower, which is a very popular tool here in the desert southwest.
You might wonder why I’m wearing a rain coat on a sunny day? You’ll see why later…
I am tough on gardening equipment and if it is confusing to use or does not work well – I don’t endorse it. The hand-held leaf blower was easy to hold and a breeze to pull-start.
Dave learns about the features of Troy-Bilt string trimmers and how you can switch attachments like a cultivator, pole chainsaw, blower, etc.
I like digging dirt…especially with this small-sized rototiller. I could use this to make another vegetable garden.
Matt liked the larger rototiller.
Amy feeds branches into the chipper.
In addition to testing the equipment, we also had some fun…
Lawnmower races, anyone? Our testing was finished and we paused to take a group photo.
As we went indoors to learn more about the equipment and the company, the skies began to darken…
Then the skies opened up and it began to hail, a lot…
It looks like snow, doesn’t it?
Watching ‘crazy’ golfers trying to finish their game through the hail and thunder.
I don’t think my fellow bloggers expected a cold, wintery day in the desert.
After our training, we spent another evening together, enjoying dinner with the Troy-Bilt team. It was fun to swap stories about our gardens with their challenges and successes.
Spring training is ‘big’ in Arizona. So, I was excited that the next day’s events included a spring training game between the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Cubs.
We enjoyed bratwurst, hamburgers, peanuts and Cracker Jacks in the Budweiser tent.
You would think that we would be focused on the baseball game, but you’d be wrong.
The camaraderie we built was evident as we spent the entire time just talking. Occasionally, we were distracted by a home run, but didn’t keep track of who was winning.
At the end of our event-filled weekend, I was even more excited to be a part of the ‘Saturday6’ and share what I know about gardening as well as having the opportunity to test Troy-Bilt products.
I must admit that I’m in love with this small Neighborhood Rider.
I wonder if I can convince my husband to give up our push lawn mower?
Overwatered Cactus: What’s Wrong With This Picture?
desert gardeningSigns of Trouble: Overwatered Saguaro Cactus
Last week, I was finishing up a landscape consult with a client. I see that the saguaro cactus growing in his neighbor’s yard is a fat overwatered cactus.
At first glance, you may have trouble seeing what is wrong.
You might think that it is a little on the ‘fat’ side and you would be right.
But look closer…
overwatered cactus
Cracking the Issue: Identifying Overwatered Cactus
Do you see the two horizontal cracks?
There is one toward the top and one near the bottom of the photo.
These cracks are signs of an overwatered cactus.
Proper Irrigation for an Overwatered Cactus: The Drip Emitter Dilemma
At the base of the saguaro are 4 drip emitters.
Drip emitters around a cactus can be a good thing. Here is the trick — ONLY when the irrigation line is used specifically for the cactus.
Cactus do like a good drink of water once a month during dry, summer months and a dedicated drip-line can provide that. When the summer rains arrive, turn off off the water irrigation. In fall, winter and spring, your saguaro does not need any supplemental water.
*Keep in mind that they survive on natural rainfall out in the desert.
Clearly the saguaro above is demonstrating overwatering. From the size of the saguaro and the cracks, that the drip irrigation is being turned on too often.
Seeking Solutions: Saguaro Care Tips
The other 2 Saguaro cacti on the property are also overwatered. They are too ‘fat’. Saguaros are beautiful, but they can be challenging when planted in suburban communities.
The Desert Botanical Garden has an excellent article on how to grow Saguaro cacti, including how much, if any, water they need.
I told my client about his neighbor’s ‘fat’ Saguaro cacti and he said that he would mention it to them 🙂
Pink Flowering False ‘Shamrocks’
AZ Plant LadyIsn’t this a pretty flowering shamrock?
Okay, it’s not really a shamrock. It does belong to a family of plants known as ‘false shamrocks’.
Since I can’t grow real shamrocks in my desert garden, I just like to pretend that my pink- flowering one is the real deal.
This plant that masquerades as a shamrock in my vegetable garden is actually Pink Wood Sorrel, (Oxalis crassipes ‘Rosea’).
I received this lovely plant from a fellow blogger, who gardens in Oregon.
I saw this beautiful flowering plant on one of her and she kindly sent me some a few years ago that she had divided from her plant.
Would this plant grow in my desert garden, I wondered?
Well, it not only grew…
It has thrived!
Hardy to zones 5 – 10, it flowers in spring and fall. During the hot summer, it goes dormant but quickly grows back.
Because it has done so well, I have divided it and place it in other partly shady spots in my vegetable gardens.
I planted it in my vegetable garden where it would do well in enriched soil and receive regular water.
I love the tiny flowers that close at night.
Unlike other species of Oxalis, Pink Wood Sorrel is not invasive.
Even when not in flower, I love how pretty this plant is.
I enjoy growing some plant species that might seem out of place in the desert climate. You just have to adjust the growing conditions a bit. A partly shady corner of the vegetable garden works just perfectly for my false ‘shamrock’.
Overwintered Pepper Plant
Overwintered Pepper Plant
Vegetable GardeningThere are few types of vegetables that don’t always survive winter in my zone 9a garden without protection when temperatures dip below freezing.
In the past, I have protected my San Marzano tomato plants with success by covering them completely with frost cloth.
This year, I decided to protect my bell pepper plants. The reason was because they were producing so well up until December and I didn’t want to have to wait a long time for new peppers.
I believe I’ve told you before that patience isn’t my strong suit.
Of course, this was the winter when we broke records with temps in the low 20’s for five days in a row. I wasn’t sure that my peppers would survive, even with protection.
The upper leaves did suffer frost damage and had to be cut back.
I wasn’t sure if the base would form new leaves. I have been checking every week now that the temperatures are warming up.
Guess what I saw last week?
Bell Pepper plant planted among garlic and nasturtiums.
There are new leaves growing from my pepper plant! I can hardly believe that it made it through the coldest winter we have had in over 30 years.
How about you?
What warm-season vegetables have you been able to over-winter?
Colorful Flowers With a Fancy Name
AZ Plant LadyOne of my favorite plants is described as having ‘chartreuse-colored’ flowers.
Just saying the word, ‘chartreuse’ sounds fancy, doesn’t it?
So what color is chartreuse anyway?
Well, I looked up the definition and found this definition from Wikepedia:
– “a color halfway between green and yellow that resembles a French liqueur called Chartreuse.”
The only reason that I know what color chartreuse is, is because of the flowers produced by this favorite plant of mine…
Colorful Flowers
They are pretty, aren’t they?
What I find quite funny about this plant is that while the color of its flowers have a fancy French name – the common name of this plant is somewhat derogatory.
Beautiful Colorful Flowers of Euphorbia biglandulosa
This succulent plant with the fancy-colored flowers is known as a ‘gopher plant’.
In late winter and early spring, chartreuse-colored flowers appear in zone 9a, providing a welcome splash of color.
As the flowers age, they take on a different appearance that I like as well…
They do great in full sun or light shade. Gopher plants don’t need any special care. Just provide well-drained soil and supplemental water. The only thing to be careful of is not too overwater them – no more then once a week during the warm months.
Once they are done flowering, prune back the old stems. Gopher plants (Euphorbia biglandulosa), grow approximately 2 ft. wide and 1 ft. high.
I like planting them nearby boulders or in groups of three.
I often recommend this plant to clients, but I don’t call it ‘gopher plant’ because let’s face it; would you want to add a plant called that without having seen it first?
Instead, I refer to it as “an attractive succulent with chartreuse-colored” flowers.
Which would you prefer to have in your garden; a gopher plant OR a succulent with chartreuse-colored flowers?