July is the ideal month to add a shade or fruit tree, a berry plant, summer flowering shrubs and perennials to your landscape. Plants root quickly in the warm summer soil. With the arrival of monsoon rains, plants thrive even more. The increased humidity and shade from a cloud floating overhead are … [Read more...] about Essential July Garden To-Do List
Ken Lain
Enjoying Pretty Plants with Daisy Flowers
A favorite flower of days gone by would have to be a daisy, Bellis perennis. This happy-face flower with radiating white petals around a yellow center is still identifiable even to non-gardeners. Daisies are so tough in the mountain garden, but too much white is boring and plain. We developed many … [Read more...] about Enjoying Pretty Plants with Daisy Flowers
Mosquitoes, Flies, Spiders are No Match for These Plants
When it comes to the inevitable face-off between you and bugs, keeping them away from your immediate vicinity is a top priority. There are pesticides and bug traps, but plants can reduce the need for so many chemicals around the patio. Plants are in the business of repelling insects as a natural … [Read more...] about Mosquitoes, Flies, Spiders are No Match for These Plants
Featuring the Most Beautiful Mountain Flowers in the Garden
Some flowers capture the imagination like no other. Their sheer beauty makes them iconic, transporting gardeners in the remembrance of garden weddings, tropical destinations and secret forests. These flowers may seem exotic, but many can be grown right here in the mountains of Arizona. Here are the … [Read more...] about Featuring the Most Beautiful Mountain Flowers in the Garden
Nine Garden Tasks for Better Gardens This Spring
Spring weather signals the start of specific gardening tasks that are essential to maintaining a vital, healthy garden. I’m a “list” type of gardener and the following is my springtime procedural list in order of personal priority. 1) Finish pruning everything in the yard, including roses, … [Read more...] about Nine Garden Tasks for Better Gardens This Spring
Winter is the Time to Start Spring Wildflowers
Few plants in the garden deliver a more natural appearance than wildflowers. Although real success depends on timing, adhere to these simple tips, tricks and techniques, and you can paint a swath of color across your springtime landscape. A pure wildflower seed needs the freeze-thaw cycle of late … [Read more...] about Winter is the Time to Start Spring Wildflowers
January is the Time to Prepare Garden Soils
Gardeners know the better the soil, the larger the harvest, the brighter the flowers, the easier the gardening. Once you’ve tried digging the first planting hole in a mountain garden, you figure it out. Our native soils are HARD! Successful gardens always come down to soil quality. Skimp on spring … [Read more...] about January is the Time to Prepare Garden Soils
Five Gardening Tips to End 2020 Strong
The days grow short as we move into the end of the 2020 gardening season. This is the time when gardeners like to relax, sip some tea while warming our feet by the fire, and reflect on our gardening successes and near misses of the past season. But, gardening activity doesn’t come to a complete … [Read more...] about Five Gardening Tips to End 2020 Strong
Examining the Top Evergreen Trees for Mountain Landscapes
This is the season when decorated evergreens dominate living rooms and sparkle in the winter landscape. The list provided grows best outdoors and is often used as a living tree through holiday celebrations, then planted in the yard when the festivities are over. Here is a list of the top seven … [Read more...] about Examining the Top Evergreen Trees for Mountain Landscapes
Choosing Autumn’s Top Ten Colored Shrubs
Mountain landscapes are famous for their autumn colors. This month’s column is merely a list of the best-colored plants you’ll find to plant in your backyard. Of course, there are more choices, especially if you include ornamental grasses and the mountain flowers that bloom through the end of the … [Read more...] about Choosing Autumn’s Top Ten Colored Shrubs
