Have you ever had the experience of receiving an unexpected self-planted bouquet?
I’ve been blessed to have gotten bouquets throughout my life from my wonderful husband, my children, and in the past – from a boyfriend or two.
Blooming Definitions: Exploring the Concept of Bouquets
But recently, I was presented with a bouquet from an unlikely source.
If you look up the definition of the word, ‘bouquet’, it states “an attractively arranged bunch of flowers, especially one presented as a gift or carried at a ceremony.”
Nature’s Gift: The Unplanned Bouquet in My Garden
This spring, I was delighted to see that my garden had presented me with an unexpected bunch of flowers – in other words, a bouquet.
This area in my front garden has a lovely Sandpaper Verbena(Glandularia rigida), which is a ground cover with vibrant purple flowers. It blooms spring through fall and thrives in full sun.
I planted the Sandpaper Verbena, however, I didn’t add the other flowers in this area.
The Unexpected Garden Companions: Blackfoot Daisy and Angelita Daisy
Last year, I noticed the white flowers of Blackfoot Daisy(Melampodium leucanthum) growing up in the middle of the Verbena. It came from a seed from a nearby plant that alighted in this area and grew in the presence of irrigation.
I liked the look and as the plants were doing well together, I left them to their own devices.
Angelita Daisy (Tetraneuris acaulis)
Well evidently, someone else wanted to join the party. Enter, Angelita Daisy(Tetraneuris acaulis) that came up on its own. I have several throughout the landscape and they do self-seed sometimes.
I absolutely adore colorful plants and I must say, I am so happy with this bouquet growing in my garden. As long as they play nice and one doesn’t try to take over the other, they can remain.
Who knows who will show up in my living bouquet next year?
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Sandpaper-Verbena-Blackfoot-Daisy-Angelita-Daisy-001.jpg6971024arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2020-05-21 07:00:242023-09-27 07:41:57Garden Surprise: A Self-Planted Bouquet
One of the many blessings of living in the desert is that you can garden all year. That means that you can have beautiful color all year, even in the desert winter (above).
Embracing Winter Color in Desert Landscaping
Drive down the street during the summer, and you will see flowering plants in the common areas and gracing the front yards of everywhere you look. Texas Sage, Bougainvillea, Lantana, and Tecoma species dot the landscape as shown in the photo above.
Why, then, do people not include plants that will provide color in the winter? You can take the same drive as you did in the summer and see nothing but green blobs and nothing else (below). The landscape below is an unfortunate victim of ‘poodle’ pruning. We are so fortunate to live in an area with relatively mild winters, so why not take advantage of that fact in your garden?
I mean, who thinks that this looks nice? Countless times, when I am meeting with clients, they ask, “My landscape is so boring. What can I do to make it look better?” The majority of the time, I hear this from winter residents. Their landscape is a riot of color in the summer when they are gone. But, in the winter when they are there, they have green blobs and little else.
Adding Winter Color to Your Landscape
The landscape (above) has potential. The solution to a somewhat dull landscape is easy. Add plants that bloom in the cool-season to the landscape.
When I create a landscape design for a brand new landscape, I make sure to include a variety of plants that flower at a different time of the year. This ensures year-round color. If you have an established landscape, add a few winter-flowering plants. That is all it takes.
Top List of Plants for Stunning Winter Color
For beautiful winter color, I recommend trying the following:
Damianita (Chrysactinia mexicana) – Late Winter and Fall Blooms
Damianita (Chrysactinia mexicana) Flowers late winter to spring and again in fall
Valentine Bush (Eremophila maculata ‘Valentine’) – Winter to Mid-Spring Blooms
Valentine Bush (Eremophila maculata ‘Valentine’) Flowers winter into mid-spring
Angelita Daisy (Tetraneuris acaulis) syn. Hymenoxys acaulis Blooms off and on throughout the year
Add Winter Color to Any Climate
As you can tell, there are countless plants that you can use for winter color. If you are only a winter-resident, you may choose to primarily have plants that flower in winter. As for me, I love lots of color year-round. My favorites are Purple Lilac Vine, Firecracker Penstemon, Valentine, and Angelita Daisy.
Whether you live in the Tropics or Canada, this same principle is true for any climate you live in – make sure your garden provides color for you when you are there.
What are your favorite winter-bloomers?
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Gardeners have been well aware of the enduring allure of white flowers and white flowering plants and the exquisite beauty they bestow upon the garden. For generations, the pristine purity and timeless elegance of white blossoms have captivated horticultural enthusiasts.
These flowers serve as a symbol of purity and grace, enhancing the visual appeal of any landscape. With their ability to seamlessly complement a wide range of colors and architectural elements, white flowers have earned their place as timeless classics in the world of gardening.
The Beauty of White Flowers
Gardeners have long known about white flowers plants and the beauty that they bring to the garden.
The color white is seen by many as a bright, clean color that makes surrounding colors ‘pop’ visually. Others like how white flowers seem to glow in the evening and early morning hours in the landscape.
Part 2: A List of White Flowering Plants for the Southwestern Landscape
Thankfully, there are several white flowering plants that do very well in the Southwestern landscape. In Part 1, I showed you four of my favorites, which you can view here.
Today, let’s continue on our white, floral journey…
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
White Evening Primrose (Oenothera caespitosa)
White Evening Primrose (Oenothera caespitosa)
The arrival of spring transforms the low-growing green foliage of White Evening Primrose with the appearance of beautiful white flowers. What makes these flowers somewhat unique is that as the flowers fade, they turn pink.
White Evening Primrose looks best when used in a landscape with a ‘natural’ theme or among wildflowers.
The flowers appear in spring and summer on 10″ high foliage. Hardy to zone 8 gardens, this small perennial is native to Southwestern deserts.
White Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua ‘White’)
Beautiful White Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua ‘White’)
This is a shrubby perennial that is in my own landscape. While the most common color of Globe Mallow is orange, it does come in a variety of other colors including red, pink and white – all of which I have.
The white form of Globe Mallow shares the same characteristics of the orange one – it thrives in full sun and can even handle hot, reflected sun. The foliage is gray and looks best when cut back to 1 ft. high and wide after flowering in spring.
I pair white Globe Mallow alongside my pink ones for a unique, desert cottage garden look.
See what I mean about white flowers helping other colors to stand out visually?
Hardy to zone 6, Globe Mallow grows to 3 ft. tall and wide. It does best in full sun and well-drained soil.
To learn more about this beautiful desert native, click here.
Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum)
The white Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum)
The quaint Blackfoot Daisy is another perennial that looks great in a natural desert-themed landscape. This ground cover produces sunny, white daisies in spring and fall in desert climates – it flowers during the summer in cooler locations.
Hardy to zone 5, Blackfoot Daisy can handle extreme cold when planted in full sun. I like to plant it near boulders where it can grow around the base for a nicely designed touch. It grows to 1 ft. high and 24 inches wide.
I have several in my front garden and I love their beauty and low-maintenance. They need very little maintenance other than light pruning with my Felco Hand Pruners in late spring to remove dead growth.
Little Leaf Cordia (Cordia parvifolia)
Green shrub and white flower Little Leaf Cordia (Cordia parvifolia)
This white flowering shrub is not used often enough in the Southwestern landscape in my opinion. It has beautiful flowers, needs little pruning if given enough room to grow, is extremely drought tolerant and evergreen.
Little leaf cordia can grow 4 – 8 ft. tall and up to 10 ft. wide. Unfortunately, some people don’t allow enough room for it to grow and shear it into a ‘ball’.
You can go 2 – 3 years or more between prunings. It’s best when left alone to bear its attractive, papery white flowers spring into fall.
Hardy to zone 8, little leaf cordia does great in full sun and well-drained soil.
During a visit to a nursery some time ago, I noticed a white flowering variety of the more commonplace purple ‘Katie’ ruellia and I immediately decided that I liked the white color better.
‘White Katie’ ruellia grows to 8 inches tall and 1 1/2 ft. wide in zone 8 gardens and warmer. It looks great when planted in groups of 3 or more. You can plant it alongside the purple variety for fun color contrast. It does suffer frost damage when temps dip below freezing but recover quickly in spring.
This white flowering perennial does best in morning sun or filtered shade in desert gardens.
I hope you have enjoyed these white flowering plants and decide to add them to your garden!
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Living in the desert southwest has many advantages, including being able to have a landscape filled with blooming plants all winter long when gardens throughout much of the country are brown or covered in a layer of snow.
Over the weekend, I stepped out into my garden to see how my plants were doing and took photos of those that were flowering.
**I’ve provided links to earlier blog posts where you can learn more about these plants and see if they deserve a home in your landscape.
First, were the globe mallow, which are just beginning to produce their colorful blooms. While the most common type produces orange flowers, they do come in other colors as well. I have red, pink, and white ones in my garden. You can learn more about this plant in an earlier blog post.
Despite its small size, angelita daisy is a small powerhouse in the landscape that blooms off and on all year long. They thrive in full sun and look great when grouped next to boulders. During my walk through the garden, I discovered that this one has a volunteer Parry’s penstemon (Penstemon parryi) growing next to it. I’ll leave it alone as they will look great together.
Firecracker Penstemon: A Hummingbird’s Delight
Firecracker Penstemon (Penstemon eatonii)
This perennial delights hummingbirds with its red-orange blooms that appear in January and last well into spring. There are many different kinds of penstemon, which thrive in drought-tolerant gardens and firecracker penstemon is by far, my favorite.
Blackfoot Daisy: Delicate Beauty in the Desert
Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum)
The delicate flowers of this ground cover don’t look like they can survive the intense heat of the desert garden, but blackfoot daisy thrives all year long with little fuss. I have mine growing alongside boulders and at the base of cactuses. I haven’t been able to determine exactly when they are supposed to bloom because mine always seem to be flowering.
Purple/White Trailing Lantana: An Unusual Winter Blooming Desert Flower
Purple/White Trailing Lantana (Lantana montevidensis ‘Purple’ and ‘Alba’)
This groundcover form of lantana is a popular staple in the drought-tolerant landscape, but you seldom see it with two different colors. In winter, it is usually touched by some frost damage, but our weather has been unusually warm, so it is still flowering. Normally, you see all white or all purple, but not both together.
While there is a variety called ‘Lavender Swirl’; it can be hard to find and somewhat expensive. I’ve replicated the same look in my garden, which I share in this earlier blog post.
‘Sparky’ Tecoma: A Head Start on Spring Blooms
‘Sparky’ Tecoma
Here is the newest addition to the front garden. It shouldn’t be blooming this time of year, but again, with the mild winter, it is getting a head start on spring. ‘Sparky’ tecoma is a new plant that is a cross between yellow bells and orange bells. It is a winter blooming desert flower. The flowers are apricot in color with deep maroon centers. This shrub was created by an ASU professor, who named it after the school’s mascot. I am very excited to see it reveal its lovely flowers on either side of our large front window.
Do you have any plants that bloom in winter? Inside or outside, please share what is happening in your garden this month.
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https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Blackfoot-Daisy-1.jpg7871600arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2014-03-24 16:29:002021-01-14 12:06:15One Tough Little Daisy for the Desert Garden
Some daughter-in-law’s don’t have much in common with their father-in-law.
In my case, when I married my husband 25 years ago, I wasn’t sure if I would have any shared interests with my father-in-law…..he was a dentist (I was deathly afraid of dentists), he ran 3 miles a day (I got a ‘stitch’ in my side if I tried running to the corner), he was very orderly and meticulous (I am neither of those things) and he was soft spoken (while I can be a bit loud).
I knew he loved me and I him, but sometimes conversation would lag because besides the kids and family, there wasn’t much else to talk about.
That is until I started to become interested in plants and landscaping. You see, my father-in-law always had well-designed landscapes filled with beautiful plants. As I decided to pursue a degree in Urban Horticulture, he was very supportive.
Even better, we now had lots to talk about. Our visits would often include visits into each others garden.
I would show him my newest plant acquisition and he would in turn, ask me questions about a few of his plant problems.
Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora)
A few years later, he and my mother-in-law made the trip up to my newest job location, took me out to lunch and asked me to show them around the landscape areas I was in charge of.
Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum)
When he retired, he asked me to design the landscape for their new home. He had some ideas of what he wanted and then let me go at it.
Damianita (Chrysactinia mexicana)
I enjoyed working closely with him, in coming up with a design and the plants that he liked.
Purple Prickly Pear (Opuntia violaceae)
While I enjoyed visiting and seeing his landscape mature, I didn’t always agree with the way he like to prune his shrubs…
His style gardening was orderly and meticulous, like he was.
We would sometimes tease each other because our styles were vastly different.
‘Torch Glow’ Bougainvillea
But no matter our landscaping styles, we still enjoyed going out into the garden together.
Last October, my father-in-law was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Glandularia-gooddingii-3.jpg622622arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2011-09-12 11:41:002021-02-13 02:25:18Shared Love for Gardening….
What a wonderful, busy weekend we had. I always enjoy the coming of Easter and what it signifies – rebirth.
When I first started this blog, I promised myself that I would not create a post solely about my family – I didn’t want to bore anyone and although my family is wonderful, we aren’t terribly interesting.
And so, I will keep my promise and show you a garden, sandwiched between two separate family Easter celebrations. That way, you can skip over the family photos and just look at the garden if you like.
You can see my two youngest with their cousin, planning their strategy on how to get the golden egg in the middle of the field.
Saturday morning found me with the kids at the Sun Lakes Annual Easter Egg Hunt. It is a fun event for the kids and they always look forward to it. I love to watch the joy on their faces as they anticipate the hunt and plan their strategy. I don’t particularly like having to get up really early on a Saturday though.
Easter celebrations
They both did pretty well and got quite a few eggs, but alas….the golden egg was found by someone else.
After the hunt for eggs was over, we settled ourselves to watch the Easter parade, which consists of golf carts decorated for Easter.
I will not show all of the entries, but I will show you the one that the kids selected as the best one.
After the parade was over, we went back to my in-law’s home. I am very fortunate that I have very wonderful in-law’s – (and they occasionally read my blog 😉 My favorite thing about their home is their landscape. It is a wonderful mixture of succulents, shrubs and perennials.
I was fortunate to have been asked by my father-in-law to design their front and back landscape when they had their home built. Prickly Pear Cacti, Agave, Golden Barrel Cactus, Pygmy Date Palm, Palo Brea Tree, Baja Ruellia, Katie Ruellia, Damianita and Firecracker Penstemon are all part of the front garden.
My father-in-law has a green thumb, especially when it comes to growing annuals, like these geraniums.
Our gardening styles differ in that he is more of a formal gardener. His plants are carefully pruned and his garden is the ‘cleanest’ garden I have ever seen. I am a more carefree gardener and prefer more naturally shaped plants and I do not mind loose leaves in the garden.
Last fall, my father-in-law asked me to re-design the corners of the backyard. The new Firecracker Penstemon and Blackfoot Daisy are growing in nicely. The original Desert Spoon (Dasylirion wheeleri), were kept in the background as they offer texture and a great color contrast.
After a wonderful Easter lunch of my mother-in-law’s lasagna and the ice-box cake that I made, I was ready to go home and take a nap, which I did.
The next morning, we went to church and then prepared to go to my mother and sister’s home on Double S Farms. My brother and his wife, my cousin and her family were to join us all there for Easter lunch and another Easter egg hunt. As my son put it, you can never have enough Easter egg hunts.
My two oldest daughters.
I had a great time catching up with my cousin and her daughters.
We had a great lunch and then it was time for the hunt. Tradition in our family holds that the men of the family hide the eggs.
The vegetable garden at Double S Farms made a great place to hid eggs, along with the fruit trees and the chicken coop.
Little & Littlest Farmers got a head start on the Easter egg hunt with assistance from their mother, Chicken Farmer. Little Farmer, figured that since he was hunting for eggs with candy that his Halloween pumpkin would work just fine.
Easter celebrations
I think this is the cutest Easter bunny I have ever seen 🙂
There were a lot of places to hide eggs, but the kids soon found them all.
Including my youngest daughter, who was so happy because she absolutely LOVES chocolate candy.
Well, I hope I have not bored you with our exploits over Easter weekend, but we had a wonderful time being outdoors enjoying the springtime weather and being with family. I do hope that you all had a very blessed Easter.
My next post will be a guest post by my sister, Chicken Farmer. You don’t want to miss it….
Do you ever wonder what plants look good together? Below are pictures of some of my favorite plant combinations along with some general guidelines that I follow when designing a garden. Keep in mind that planting similar plants together which require similar water needs makes it easier to maintain a landscape.
Color Harmony in Plant Combinations
Sometimes red and pink colors always complement each other. Introducing yellow flowering plants provide a high color contrast that brings out the red and pink colors. Above is a golf course landscape that I planted with Valentine shrub (Eremophila ‘Valentine’), Parry’s penstemon (Penstemon parryi) and desert marigold (Baileya multiradiata) against the backdrop of foothill palo verde trees.
Parry’s agave (Agave parryi) with purple trailing lantana (Lantana montevidensis)
Succulent and Perennial Pairings
Also, succulents paired with perennials almost always complement each other with their contrasting shades of green and textures. Other recommended succulent and perennial pairings include desert spoon (Dasylirion wheeleri) alongside black dalea (Dalea frutescens), prickly pear species with penstemon or try octopus agave(Agave vilmoriniana) with purple or white trailing lantana.
Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii ‘Red’)
Emphasizing Colors with a White Flower Contrast
Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum)
I use plants with white flowers as a backdrop for plants with red, pink and purple flowers; I like the way the white flowers emphasize the other colors.
Using the Color Wheel for Plant Combinations
‘Rio Bravo’ Sage (Leucophyllum langmaniae) & Red Bird-of-Paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima)
Most of the time the pairing of purple flowering plants with those that have orange flowers always looks great. When deciding what colors look good when paired together, it helps to look at a color wheel. In general, the colors that are opposite each other look great when paired together because their colors contrast so well. Other orange, purple plant combinations to try are cape honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis) with (Leucophyllum species), or Mexican honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera) with purple lantana.
The Power of Yellow Flowering Plants
Angelita daisy (Tetraneuris acaulis) and parry’s penstemon (Penstemon parryi)
Also, I believe that any garden looks better with some yellow flowering plants. As I mentioned earlier, the color yellow makes the other plants look better, (think of the color wheel). I have had clients that have said they do not like yellow until I show them how much better their other plants look when we introduce just a few yellow flowering plants to their landscape and they quickly change their mind.
Yellow Bells (Tecoma stans stans)
Large Shrub Plant Combinations
Bougainvillea ‘Barbara Karst’
I often recommend the following for those who are looking for large shrub combinations. Okay, I realize that many people either love or hate bougainvillea. Personally, I love them. I have two bougainvillea and since I don’t have a swimming pool, so I am not bothered by their litter. Their beautiful and vibrant colors are amazing.
Timing Matters in Plant Pairings
I pair my bougainvillea with yellow bell shrubs. Their colors contrast nicely, and they screen out the back wall of my garden. I give them plenty of room to grow, and they produce beautiful flowers spring through fall. If you do have a swimming pool and don’t like bougainvillea, how about trying orange jubilee (Tecoma hybrid ‘Orange Jubilee’) and Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens) together?
Weber’s agave (Agave weberi) and purple trailing lantana
I have just one more tip – if you want to pair flowering plants together to enjoy the contrasting colors, make sure that they bloom at the same time of year. It is so easy to visit the plant nursery and see the pretty photos of flowers on the different plants and pick what ones you think will look great together only to discover later that one flower in the fall while the other blooms in spring and so you never see their flowers at the same time.
So, visit your local nursery and try some of the suggested plant combinations or see what beautiful plant pairings you come up with for your garden.
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