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Do you love strawberries? I do! In fact it’s my

Do you love strawberries? I do! In fact it’s my favorite type of fruit. ⠀
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My hometown, in Southern California, was surrounded by strawberry fields. When you drove on Highway 101 through Ventura County, you could smell their delicious fragrance.⠀
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What’s even better than smelling the strawberries is being able to stop by the small produce markets right next to the fields and buy large flats of strawberries.⠀
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I don’t have any strawberry fields nearby me anymore, so I buy my strawberries elsewhere. How about you? Where do you buy your strawberries? ⠀
#strawberries #strawberryfields #produce #farmersmarket #producemarkets #fruit #californiastrawberries #venturacounty #azplantlady

Today, we’re finishing up our ‘Drought Toleran

Today, we’re finishing up our ‘Drought Tolerant Garden: 10 Ways to Save Water’ series with tips 7-10. ⠀
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7. Decrease the amount of grass in your landscape. A lawn uses a large amount of water - an average of 55 inches a year. If you opt to take out or even reduce your lawn space, there are countless ways to create a beautiful garden that needs little to no supplemental water.⠀
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8. Use porous materials in your landscape such as gravel or sand-set step stones instead of concrete. Rain water is able to seep through these porous materials, thereby watering nearby plants.⠀
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9. Install a ‘smart’ irrigation controller and/or drip irrigation system for plants that require supplemental water. ‘Smart’ irrigation controllers use real time weather data that only waters your plants when they need it.⠀
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10. Harvest rain water. There are a variety of ways to harvest rain water including creating rain gardens and using cisterns or rain barrels. ⠀
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Are you using any of these water saving tips in your garden? What ones will you adopt into your gardening routine?⠀
#droughttolerantgarden #droughttolerantlandscape #watersavingtips #dripirrigationsystem #smartirrigation #harvestrainwater #azplantlady #landscapeconsultant #desertgarden #gardenexpert

A beautiful, drought-tolerant garden can be had by

A beautiful, drought-tolerant garden can be had by following, ‘Drought Tolerant Garden: 10 Easy Ways to Save Water’, in your own landscape. Yesterday we covered tips 1-3. Today we’ll cover 4-6.⠀
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4. Group plants with similar watering requirements together. A drought-tolerant garden will have higher water use plants grouped together toward the house where they can be watered easily. Toward the outer areas of the landscape, more drought-tolerant plants are planted next to each other.⠀
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5. Use compost when adding new plants. In the planting hole, mix 1 part compost to 1 part native soil. The compost will help the soil to hold onto the water for a longer length of time while not allowing it to become waterlogged. Compost also adds nutrients to the soil.⠀
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6. Allow grass to grow longer. By letting the grass grow to a height of 3 inches, it will shade the roots thereby decreasing the amount of evaporation. In addition, it will also help weeds from growing.⠀
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Did you already know some of these tips beforehand? What ones are you using in your garden?⠀
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Come back tomorrow for ’10 Ways to Save Water’, tips 7-10.⠀
#watersavingtips #droughttolerantgarden #azplantlady #gardentips #landscapeconsultant #agave #saguaro #wildflowers #yucca #desertgarden

No matter if you live in California where many are

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. Over the next few days, we will share with you, ‘Drought Tolerant Garden: 10 Ways to Save Water’. Be thinking about what tips you you want to add to your gardening routine.⠀
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1. Water early in the morning. By watering in the cooler period of the morning, there is less evaporation occurring.⠀
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2. Mulch around your plants. By adding a layer of mulch, you help limit the amount of water lost to the atmosphere.⠀
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3. Use native plants when possible. Native plants are specially adapted to survive on natural rainfall amounts. In times of drought, they may need some supplemental water, but not as much as those that are not adapted to your local climate.⠀
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That's it for today. Check-in tomorrow for more ways to save water in your garden.⠀
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Are you currently using tips 1, 2, or 3 in your gardens?⠀
#droughttolerantgarden #watersavingtips ⠀
#azplantlady #landscapedesigner #desertgardening #nativeplants #mulch #desertflowers #desertshrub

Do you live in an area that has been affected by d

Do you live in an area that has been affected by drought? ⠀
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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 might surprise you.⠀
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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 like these taken at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.
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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. ⠀
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Do you have a drought-tolerant garden?⠀
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#agave #mesquite #salvia #azplantlady #droughttolerantlandscape #landscapedesign #desertgarden #droughttolerantgarden #landscapeconsultant #greenspaces #desertbotanicalgarden

Have you ever come across any ”landscape no-no’s”?⠀
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I want to challenge you to guess what the problem is in the top photo. The plant in the middle of is ’Torch Glow’ Bougainvillea. The same bougainvillea is in the bottom photo.⠀
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The answer is that the ’Torch Glow’ Bougainvillea will become too large to be planted in such a small area. This bougainvillea grows very fast and can reach heights of 8 feet tall and 4 feet wide.⠀
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So, if you are going to plant a ’Torch Glow’ Bougainvillea, make sure you give it plenty of growing space! What do you think of this variety of bougainvillea?⠀
#torchglowbougainvillea #bougainvillea #droughttolerantshrubs #colorfulshrubs #desertlandscape #desertgarden #azplantlady #landscapeconsultant #planttips #landscapedesigner

As many of you know, I'm on a houseplant journey a

As many of you know, I'm on a houseplant journey and am ready to be a ’plant parent’.⠀
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I read the fabulous NEW book, ”Houseplant Party” by Lisa Steinkopf. I received a free copy to review. Lisa breaks down how to grow houseplants into simple steps and lists her favorites.⠀
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She also shows us how to create fun projects that will highlight the houseplants in your home. One project I may do is to create wooden frames so I can hang houseplants on my walls. I’m enjoying exploring new things and am excited about expanding my houseplant collection. Are you with me?⠀
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For those of you with houseplants, what tips can you share with the rest of us? Please share!⠀
#houseplantparty #houseplants #lisasteinkopf #freshair #plants #plantparent #planttips #houseplanttips #azplantlady

What's the naughtiest thing your pet has ever done

What's the naughtiest thing your pet has ever done?

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