Is your garden looking a bit lackluster and in need of more color than green? While colorful flowering plants can help, it is hard to find a plant that will flower all year long.
*Some of you may know that I am the garden blogger forBirds & Blooms magazine. I have been going through some recent blog posts that I have written for them and thought that I would share some of my favorites with you.
As part of a two-part series, I shared some creative ways to add color to the landscape without relying on plants alone. This is especially helpful during the winter months when not many plants are in flower.
Most of the photographs in these posts were taken during a recent trip to Southeastern Arizona including Bisbee, Tombstone, and Tucson.
I hope that you are inspired to use a few of these colorful ideas in your own landscape!
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/logo-1.png121239arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2014-08-20 13:30:002022-06-12 04:19:3310 Ways to Add Color to Your Garden Without Plants
I don’t think that the truck runs anymore, but it certainly functions as both garden art and a planter.
Tomorrow, I have two different unique planters to show you and both are planted on two wheels.
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/old-pickup-truck-planter.jpg6721024arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2014-07-26 14:30:002021-01-07 10:08:43Unique Containers: Day 3 – A Rusty Bed
Have you ever visited a place that took you a long time to get to?
I’m not talking about how long it takes to travel there but the length of time that you had wanted to visit a place before you finally got there.
I have lived in Arizona for 28 years and during that time have visited the southwestern, western, northwestern, northern, northeastern, eastern and southern areas of our beautiful state.
However, I am embarrassed to say that I have never visited the southeastern part of Arizona. I had wanted to visit Bisbee, AZ for years. So, my husband and I decided to take a trip to Bisbee for our 28th wedding anniversary.
So, we packed our bags and headed out. Our route took us through Tucson and then toward Tombstone, AZ where we had some fun adventures including viewing the “World’s Largest Rosebush”.
You can read about our Tombstone adventures, here.
After leaving Tombstone, we soon arrived in Bisbee.
Bisbee is an old copper mining town.
It has been often described as an old mining town with a European flair.
Bisbee is situated within the Mule Mountains and built into the hillsides.
100 year old buildings have been converted into art galleries, hotels, restaurants and shops.
Bisbee’s existence is due to the now-closed, open-pit copper mine.
As you drive into the historic section of Bisbee, you can view the enormous open pit where they mined for years.
*To get an idea of the scale, look at the buildings to the left of the mine.
It is obvious, after spending a few minutes in Bisbee, that it is a community with many artists.
Concrete walls throughout the town displayed a variety of murals.
This mural was just outside our 100-year old hotel, Canyon Rose Suites, which I highly recommend.
I liked this garden mural of potted succulents along the Cochise County Cooperative Extension Office, which had gardening tips up in the window.
As you walked past some of the art galleries, you could see examples of unique art, like the colorful doorway, across the street.
I walked across the street to see what was used to create this unique doorway…
It was a collection of colorful, plastic shopping bags and recycled bottles.
*Plastic bags are banned in Bisbee and stores charge you 5 cents for paper bags. So, it’s easier to bring your own recyclable shopping bag with you.
We didn’t buy anything for our kids, although I was tempted to buy this ‘zombie miner’ shirt for my son.
I enjoyed seeing the old buildings – some were a bit quirky like this storefront covered in bottle caps.
We passed by this interesting figure made from recycled materials. His body is made from an old propane tank, his legs are made from rebar inserted into coils, the arms are made of rebar with plastic forks stuck to the ends and his head is an old bucket with washers for his eyes.
An empty lot along the main street had some unique pieces of artwork as well with an outdoor living room depicted.
As you can see, it is wise to expect the unexpected when walking through the historical sections of Bisbee.
One evening, we were walking along the main road after dinner, when I noticed something strange on the mountainside…
Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting a skull and crossbones. The hotel across the street, had a special light that shone onto the mountainside across the street.
*The next night the skull and crossbones had been replaced by the ‘bat signal’ from Batman fame.
The residents of Bisbee are very friendly and the city proudly marches to beat of its own drummer.
I saw this bumper sticker that I think described Bisbee pretty well.
Because Bisbee is built up on a mountainside, there are a lot of stairways, which have led to an annual event known as “The Bisbee Great Stair Climb” where participants climb 1,000 stairs, distributed throughout different stairways.
Each stairway is clearly designated throughout the city and the number of stairs in each stairway is indicated for tourists who want to try climbing the stairs for themselves.
Here is another one.
This one leads up to the city park and is 127 steps.
This one was the most colorfully painted.
*My husband dared me to climb one of the longest stairways. Click here to see which stairway he dared me to try and if I tried to scale the seemingly endless steps.
Of course, a vital part of a vacation is enjoying good food. We had lunch at the ‘Screaming Banshee’, which served delicious basil pesto breadsticks and great pizza.
We also enjoyed eating at Bisbee’s Table and Santiago’s Mexican restaurants.
Walking through Bisbee is enjoyable, but bring comfortable shoes because you are either walking up or downhill.
Because Bisbee is 5,500 feet up in altitude, we got a good workout walking, which is a good thing because we ate a lot of great food!
As you can see, we had a great time AND I haven’t even shown you the gardens yet!
Come back next time when I show some cute bungalow gardens, roses, cacti, hidden gardens and more 🙂
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Screenshot-2014-05-27-11.48.23-1.jpg748825arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2014-05-28 13:05:002022-11-10 00:18:37On The Road to Bisbee…
Have you seen the Chihuly art display at the Desert Botanical Garden?
What did you think?
Do you love seeing his beautiful artwork displayed in the garden?
Or, are you of the opinion that it detracts from the plants and their more subtle beauty?
For those of you not familiar with Dale Chihuly, he is a famous, glass artist whose work is displayed throughout museum and botanical gardens throughout the world.
Chihuly glass displayed on the ceiling of the lobby at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.
I have many friends who are huge fans of seeing Chihuly’s art displayed throughout the garden.
There are others though, who feel that the art overshadows the surrounding plants.
My three youngest kids and granddaughter. Note the flowering Aloe Vera and the orange Chihuly art in the background.
Last month, my husband and I took our kids & granddaughter to the Desert Botanical Garden.
While they thought that the glass artwork was ‘cool’, the kids were more excited about visiting the Butterfly Pavilion and in my granddaughter’s case – smelling all the flowers.
I am a strong proponent for including color in the garden, usually by adding plants with variegated foliage and/or flowering plants.
Of course, a brightly-colored wall or container is also a great way to introduce color to the garden.
My personal opinion is that art in the garden should be complementary and not overshadow the plants. In most areas, I feel that the Desert Botanical Garden got the right balance, but there were a couple of areas where I felt the art overwhelmed their surroundings.
While walking through the garden, I did enjoy seeing unexpected sightings of the glass, artfully displayed alongside some of the plants.
For many visitors, the Chihuly exhibit is the highlight of their visit to the garden.
I must admit that while I did admire the art, the horticulturist in me tends to focus more on the plants.
But, that didn’t stop me from having my picture taken next to some of the beautiful art 🙂
I would love to hear your thoughts on the Chihuly exhibit at the Desert Botanic Garden (or any other garden).
**If you want to see the Chihuly Exhibit, you’d better hurry – the last day is May 18th.
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Chihuly-Art-Desert-Botanical-Garden-001-1.jpg11001600arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2014-04-19 20:44:002022-11-10 07:31:20Chihuly Art in the Desert Garden
A couple of weeks ago, we all traveled up to the quaint town of Prescott, AZ. One of the best things that I like about going there is that they have some very good antique shops.
To be honest, I hadn’t planned on buying anything. I was just going to browse – but you probably know how that goes….
Two different items caught my eye and I thought that they would be perfect for my garden.
Okay, maybe it isn’t obvious what I am going to do with these two antique pieces.
My plan is to use the old watering can as a planter in my vegetable garden. I plan to add annual flowers that will spill out the top.
All I need to do is to add some holes for drainage on the bottom and put a drip emitter on top for water.
I really like this wire basket. According to the the seller, it is a wire basket that held wine bottles.
Well, I don’t drink much wine, so I think I will use it in my vegetable garden later this year.
Don’t you think it would make a great trellis for sugar snap peas?
I will simply place the basket in my vegetable garden and plant the seeds around it. Once they sprout, they will have a great place to grow upward. Later, when the plants are finished for the season, I will simply take the basket out.
How about you?
Have you discovered any antiques or items that you can use in your garden?
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/3895.jpg460640arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2012-07-01 20:20:002021-02-06 10:34:38Antique ‘Junk’ for the Garden
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.