Tag: gardening

  • The 7 Landscape Challenges Most Common in Phoenix AZ

    As a landscape designer in the east valley of Phoenix, I’ve heard many different reasons a client is unhappy with their landscaping. The Arizona low desert is a unique environment unlike almost anywhere else in the world and presents unique challenges. Here are some of the most common landscaping issues homeowners have in this difficult…

  • What’s Blooming in the Desert: Barometer Bushes

    These last few weeks of ample rainfall have set off the Texas sage. These shrubs that blend into the background most of the year suddenly look like thickly frosted cakes on the side of the highway. A bloom as intense as the one we’re having now is a nice way to showcase the different forms…

  • Quick Guide to Star jasmine in phoenix

    Some plants that are well known in other parts of the country are unfortunately not an option in the Arizona low desert. Plants like wisteria, hostas, and viburnum will be rarely found in the valley if at all, because the summer intensity and incompatible soil prevent them from growing well in Phoenix. But some beloved…

  • Gardenias and Other Acid-Loving Plants in the Low Desert Garden

    Some plants are well adapted to the unique and harsh conditions of the Sonoran desert. The saguaro cactus is so comfortable here that it grows almost nowhere else in the world. Though many plants are able to adapt to the Phoenix area, other plants brought in from different climates might not be able to hack…

  • Identifying and Dealing with Hotspots in the Desert Garden

    Phoenix is an urban environment in a hot desert. Because of concrete roads, sidewalks, and walls, the city environment has more extreme microclimates than the desert surrounding it.  The desert outside of Phoenix is actually better for plants than the city in some ways. Heat is trapped by the inversion layer that settles over Phoenix…

  • Summer Threats to Plants in the Low Desert Part 2: How Much Sun?

    The harshest learning curve in desert gardening is probably the realization that beloved full-sun plants from other parts of the world like lavenders and roses just can’t handle afternoon sun during the summer months here in the low desert. Plants limping through June, July, and August suffer from sunburn, dieback, and attacks from pests when…

  • Summer Challenges of landscaping in the low desert

    introduction to hot weather thinking Put very simply, the key is “Right Plant, Right Place”. The start of my career in horticulture came when I was hired at a plant nursery down the street in Fountain Hills AZ. I was a nursery tech and customer service employee primarily, because without plants and customers there is…

  • Flowers to Look forward to – march

    Flowers to Look forward to – march

    Spring in Arizona transforms the landscape. Flowers of all kinds are blooming – some plants for the only time all year. Make time for the botanical garden, a drive to the desert, or a visit to the arboretum this March to catch some of these flowers in bloom.  Native PENSTEMON Penstemon parryi is our stalwart neon…

  • Seasonality and February blooms

    Seasonality and February blooms

    The first spring flowers are here-  Or rather the late winter flowers are here.  This time of year is a little awkward in terms of seasonal color in the garden. All the warm weather flowers are quiet and the spring flowers haven’t quite woken up yet. We still have a few option though. The seasonality…

  • Mailbox question: how to keep pots from drying out

    Mailbox question: how to keep pots from drying out

    Mailbox Question: Planting in the low desert has a steep learning curve for people who are more familiar with temperate climates. Obviously dealing with desert plants and our rocky soil and intense summer sun is going to be tricky when starting out; but setting up some annuals like petunias over the winter seems much more…