Tag Archive for: Houzz

Drought Tolerant & Beautiful: Texas Olive (Cordia)

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Do you like plants that flower throughout most of the year?

How about a plant with evergreen foliage in zone 9-11 gardens throughout the year?

Would you prefer a plant that requires very little pruning?

Texas Olive (Cordia)

If you answered “yes” to these questions, then Texas Olive may deserve a spot in your garden.

This beautiful southwestern native deserves a spot in our ‘Drought Tolerant & Fuss Free’ category.

Texas Olive (Cordia)

Despite its common name, this is not an olive tree. However, depending on your preference, it can be trained into a small tree or a large shrub.

With all of its outstanding qualities mentioned earlier, it deserves to be seen more often in the landscape.

My favorite characteristics are its large, dark green leaves and white flowers that decorate the landscape.

Want to learn more about Texas olive and how you can use it in your landscape?

Check out my latest plant profile for Houzz.  

Great Design Plant: Cordia Boissieri

You can check out my other plant profiles here if you want more ideas for great plants to add to your drought-tolerant landscape.

Sow Wildflower Seed in Fall for a Gorgeous Spring Display

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Wildflowers , California bluebells and red flax

California bluebells and red flax

Cultivating Wildflowers: Nature’s Colorful Display

The Beauty of Spring Wildflowers

One of spring’s many joys are the fields of wildflowers that we often see growing along the side of the road.  It is one of the many miracles of nature how such lovely flowers can grow in the wild without any help from people.

I find it kind of ironic that if we want to grow these flowers of the wild in our own garden we  have to give them a little assistance to get them going.  But, the preparation is fairly simple and the rewards are definitely well worth the effort.

Wildflowers , Arroyo lupine with white gaura

Arroyo lupine with white gaura

Planting for a Spring Show

To achieve a breathtaking spring wildflower display, it’s crucial to plan ahead. When it comes to wildflowers, autumn emerges as the ideal time for sowing seeds that will later burst into vibrant spring blooms. This strategic timing allows the seeds to establish strong root systems during the cooler months, ensuring they’re well-prepared to flourish when spring’s gentle warmth and longer days arrive.

So, as summer transitions into fall, seize the opportunity to sow the seeds of nature’s beauty in your garden, and you’ll be rewarded with a picturesque wildflower spectacle come springtime.

Wildflowers in a field

Lessons from a First Wildflower Garden

I’ve planted wildflower gardens throughout my career, but I’ll never forget my first one.  It was on a golf course and I sowed quite a bit of wildflower seed in that small area – and I mean a LOT of seed.  The wildflowers were growing so thickly together and probably would have looked nicer if I had used less seed and/or thinned them out a little once they started to grow.  But, I loved that little wildflower garden.

Embrace Wildflowers in Your Garden

If you have a fondness for wildflowers and the enchanting beauty they bring, consider carving out a dedicated space within your garden to cultivate your own captivating wildflower haven. By allocating a portion of your garden to these lovely, untamed blooms, you not only embrace the allure of the wild but also foster a unique and vibrant ecosystem right in your backyard.

With some thoughtful planning and care, you can create a harmonious blend of native or adapted wildflowers that not only adds natural charm but also supports local pollinators and wildlife. So, why not embark on the journey of nurturing your personal wildflower oasis and experience the wonders of nature’s artistry up close?

purple lupines and Wildflowers

**Do you have a favorite wildflower?

Flowering Plants That Can Take the Heat and Cold

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In my humble opinion, the actual test for many plants is how they perform during extremes.  If a plant looks great in the blistering heat of summer as well as when temps dip below freezing in winter then it deserves a prime spot in the landscape.

Cold and Heat Tolerant Plants, Pink Fairy Duster (Calliandra eriophylla)

Pink Fairy Duster (Calliandra eriophylla)

Thankfully, there are quite a few drought-tolerant, flowering plants that do well with both the heat and cold for those of us who want a beautiful, fuss-free landscape filled with colorful plants.

I shared 10 of my favorite cold and heat tolerant, flowering plants in my latest article for Houzz.  

Hopefully, you will find some new favorites to try in your own garden.

 

A Look Behind and In Front of the Television Camera

Fall Blooms for the Southwest Garden

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The beginning of fall is only a few weeks away as the long summer winds down.  Fall is a wonderful time in the garden and is the best time of year for adding new plants, allowing them a chance to grow before the heat of next summer arrives.

Fall Blooms for the Southwest Garden

Turpentine bush (Ericameria laricifolia) in bloom

When deciding what plants to add to your garden, many people concentrate on incorporating plants that bloom in spring and summer, but there are a number of attractive plants that bloom in fall.

Pink muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris)

Fall Blooms, Pink muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris)

Using plants with overlapping bloom periods ensure year-round beauty for your landscape.

Damianita (Chrysactinia mexicana)

Damianita (Chrysactinia mexicana)

Many plants that flower in fall also flower at other times of year as well such as damianita(Chrysactinia mexicana), Mexican honeysuckle(Justicia spicigera) and autumn sage(Salvia greggii).

Early October is a great time to start adding new plants, so now is a great time to decide what type of fall-blooming plants to add.

I recently shared 10 of my favorite, drought tolerant fall bloomers in my latest article for Houzz.  I hope you’ll include some of these in your landscape where they will help to decorate your fall landscape.

 

Do you have a favorite fall-blooming plant?

What to Do In The Southwest Garden – September

Drought Tolerant and Beautiful: Bear Grass

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Do you like the look of ornamental grasses? One of my favorite plants has the appearance of ornamental grass but isn’t.  

ornamental grasses

Bear grass (Nolina microcarpa) has lovely, evergreen foliage that mimics the look of grasses.  But, my favorite part is the curlicue ends of the leaves.

ornamental grass

ornamental grass

Aren’t they neat?

Like the other drought-tolerant and beautiful plants that I profile, bear grass thrives in hot, dry locations with little attention. Another bonus is that they easily handle 100+ temperatures in summer and can also survive winter temps down to -10 degrees F.

Want to learn more?  Check out my latest plant profile on Houzz.

Oleander Leaf Scorch Strikes Again…

 

Drought Tolerant and Beautiful: Whirling Butterfly Gaura

Do you like flowering perennials?  

I do.  I enjoy their soft texture, flowers, and the pollinators that come to enjoy their flowers.  

Today, I’d like to share with you one of my favorite perennials that I have growing in my garden.

Gaura lindheimeri

Gaura lindheimeri is a drought-tolerant perennial that produces small, delicate flowers that resemble butterflies floating in the air.  

Available in white and pink colors, they are grown as a perennial or used as an annual in colder climates.  This is one of the few plants that you can find growing in a desert garden and in more temperate climates such as the Midwest and Northeast.  

This lovely perennial deserves to be seen more in the garden and I’d love to share more about gaura with you and why you’ll want to add it to your landscape in my latest Houzz article.  

Great Design Plant: Gaura Lindheimeri

Reading The Leaves: Diagnosing Common Plant Ailments

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Did you know that you can often tell what is wrong with a plant by looking at its leaves?

It’s true.

Diagnosing Common Plant Ailments

Photo: Manganese deficiency

‘Reading the leaves’ to diagnose common plant ailments isn’t hard to do if you know what symptoms to look for.

Problems such as iron or nitrogen deficiency are fairly easy to identify as is salt and sunburn damage.

Read on to learn how to diagnose these problems in your plants in my latest Houzz article:  

What’s Wrong With My Plant? Leaves Often Hold the Clues

Replace Thirsty Flowering Annuals with Succulents in Containers

Beautiful Agave: How to Grow and Use It In Your Landscape

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Queen butterfly and a Victoria agave

Queen butterfly and a Victoria agave

Do you like succulents?

I do.  I must admit that I am not a huge fan of cacti in my own garden – I have only two.  But, I do have a number of agave, which are without a doubt, my favorite succulent.

What’s not to love about agave?

They are drought-tolerant, fuss-free and with over  200 species to choose from, the possibilities in the landscape are almost endless.

From species 18 inches in size to large size species over 6 feet tall and a variety of colors and leaf shapes to choose from, it’s a wonder that I don’t have more agave in my landscape.

Would you like to include agave in your landscape?

Learn more about this versatile agave and how to use it in your landscape in my latest article for Houzz.


Do you have agave growing in your garden?  What species is your favorite?

Decorate the Landscape With Versatile Agave

 
 

Blue Palo Verde Decorates the Landscape

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Do you like palo verde trees?

Blue palo verde (Parkinsonia florida)

I must confess that I fell in love with these iconic desert trees with their green trunks and yellow flowers when I moved to Arizona 28 years ago.

Some people may resent the mess that the fallen flowers leave behind in late spring, but I don’t mind – they look like a carpet of yellow.

Blue palo verde (Parkinsonia florida) is on my ‘fuss-free‘ list of trees that add beauty to the arid landscape.

How about you?  Do you like blue palo verde trees?

Want to learn more about this desert beauty?  Check out my latest plant profile for Houzz.com:

Great Design Plant: Parkinsonia Flor Paints the Desert Green and Yellow

How to Tell If a Plant is Drought Tolerant

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When you visit a nursery, do you wonder which plants are drought tolerant as opposed to those who will wilt if not given enough water?

There are a few different traits that many drought-tolerant plants share.  For example, did you know that small leaves and gray foliage can be signs that a plant may be drought-tolerant?  

I recently shared several traits to look for when shopping for drought-tolerant plants for Houzz.com

I hope this article will help you to create a beautiful, drought-tolerant garden!

How to Spot a Drought-Tolerant Plant