Tag: landscaping
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Tips for landscape curb appeal
February is a month that tends to make a boring garden look its worst. The common reliable landscape shrubs like oleander, bougainvillea, and lantana are barely blooming if at all. Texas sage is deeply asleep so any gaps in the landscaping are very obvious. The good news is this is a great month to install…
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Arabian Lilac
Vitex trifolia ‘Purpurea’ is an interesting small tree that could be used more often in the Phoenix area. Drought tolerant and fast growing, the arabian lilac looks nice in a wide range of situations. It has white bark and noticeably purple undersides to light green leaves. The leaves smell peppery when crushed. The visual effect…
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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…
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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…
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Blue and purple flowers for spring
The desert is full of cheerful yellow color every spring due to the abundance of brittlebush, palo verde, and countless other daisies and ornamentals. These warm colors are great but they don’t fit every situation or garden, and sometimes we want contrast. These shrubs and annuals bloom during spring and potentially longer. Arizona bluebells –…
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Landscaping summer prep consults in Phoenix area
Did you lose plants last year or are you worried about your landscape this year for the hot season? Now scheduling $200 consultation including irrigation check + plant and soil health evaluation. A certified plant nursery professional gives advice on getting your plants through the summer heat. Improper watering and fertilizer application can cause plants…
Paige Maloney | Arizona Landscape Designer 