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Top Ten Sedums Recommended as Groundcover Plants

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Sedum is basically like cacti without all the thorns.

Most gardeners remember their grandmother’s tall Autumn Joy growing in the hottest parts of the garden. Their joyous cousins spread and creep with the same sizzling blooms that make Sedum the ideal plant for gardeners that want less water and responsibility but still want the same beauty of a cottage garden.

Sedum is basically like cacti without all the thorns. There are close to 500 species known as Sedum or Stonecrops. Although all Sedums flower, they’re usually grown for their foliage, which comes in exciting shades of green, blue, gold and reds not found in most other plants. They store moisture in their leaves and grow well in arid mountain locations.

My Top 10 Sedums grown as stunning groundcovers are:

#1 Angelina Sedum

This gold leaf sedum is tinged in bronze when the weather turns cold. Dainty gold flowers appear through summer. The 5-inch plant mats and covers in dry locations, rock gardens, containers and hanging baskets, and its color contrasts nicely with dark foliage plants.

#2 Blue Spruce Sedum

The name comes from the blue foliage resembling evergreen shrubs. This fast-growing plant produces a blanket of small yellow flowers throughout summer. It grows perfectly as a transition between low-sprawling evergreens, such as juniper and yews. It grows to ankle height and enjoys the hottest, windiest spots in the garden.

#3 Cascade Sedum

This perennial species blooms with yellow flowers in the midsummer heat. The leaves are green but show a red tinge in full sun. Individual plants spread several feet in irregular patterns from the crown. The variety is striking in light shade, growing 4 inches tall.

#4 Coral Reef Sedum

Also called a “Chinese Sedum,” the Coral Reef Sedum is one of the few with warm golden foliage. Growing just 2 inches tall, the light-colored foliage looks fantastic next to darker-colored sedums. Miniature white and pink flowers appear in July and August. Aggressive greenery creeps and spreads down embankments and rock gardens but looks equally handsome planted at the edge of a container.

#5 Japanese Sedum

The Japanese Sedum has silver leaves with distinctive red edges and hot-pink flowers that appear in Autumn. The plant is perfect for brightening the dark corners of a landscape. Many gardeners refer to this beauty as the “October Sedum.” It stands just 3 inches tall and grows anywhere in the garden, especially in the summer heat.

#6 Mongolian Sedum

This excellent groundcover plant blooms in late summer in shades of pink. Stunning leaves are blue and often trimmed in late autumn before it hibernates underground for winter. It is super tough in dry, crusty soil and grows just 5 inches tall, making it the perfect Sedum for rock gardens.

#7 Murale Sedum

Attractive to butterflies, this is a sedum cultivar with bronze foliage and pink flowers that bloom in early summer. It has a similar growth habit as the rest of the species but is a slightly smaller plant overall. Growing just under ankle high, it creeps through rocks as a groundcover. The species was found in Siberia, so you know it’s cold hardy for mountain gardens.

#8 Purple Emperor Sedum

This has plum foliage and pink blooms that are striking when planted with other sedums. Growing a foot tall, it grows well when filling pockets in rock gardens and sunny border gardens. It grows in full sun but blooms a ridiculously long time when planted in shade gardens.

#9 Siberian Sedum

This groundcover plant has deep green leaves and golden yellow flowers that bloom in late summer. The 4-inch foliage turns an attractive bronze in autumn. It’s a reliable, fast-growing plant used to fill spaces in rock gardens or chinks in stone walls as well as blanket sunny areas. This Sedum was found in Siberia, so you know it thrives where lesser Sedums fail.

#10 White Sedum

Named for its white flowers, this plant’s green foliage turns reddish in autumn. It blooms in summer and is an excellent ground cover for thin, poor soils or rock embankments. Drought conditions may turn the foliage pinkish, but this species has excellent tolerance for dry conditions. It loves blistering hot sun and grows 3-5 inches tall. Its white outshines the rest in light shade.

Until next month, I’ll be helping gardeners grow more fragrant gardens here at Watters Garden Center. QCBN

By Ken Lain

Ken Lain can be found throughout the week at Watters Garden Center, 1815 Iron Springs Road in Prescott, or contacted through his website at WattersGardenCenter.com or Top10Plants.com.

Identifying Best Smelling Plants for Outdoor Gardens

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Here is a list of the best plants for easy fragrance through your gardens.

Arizona is famous for outdoor activities. When all this activity brings the party to your deck, patio or pool’s edge, the fragrance of the garden should be positive and uplifting to the friends that gather. This is the perfect place to add sweetly scented plants for ambiance. Forget the candles and citronella. The right plants remind us why the mountains of Arizona are meant to be enjoyed outdoors.

The fragrance of many plants intensified at night are yet another reason to relax under the stars. Enjoy the aromas of the sweetest-smelling plants at the garden center today.

What’s the first thing we do when we see a flower? Most of us smell it, of course. Children primarily identify the sight of a blossom with fragrance. While we can occasionally be surprised, disappointed or repulsed by a plant’s odor, its scent is essential to gardens.

Using fragrant plants in the landscape is not a new concept. The botanical reason for plant fragrance is simple. Humans identify hundreds of odors. Many trigger solid reactions and emotions. Smells attract pollinators to the flowers. White or pastel blossoms seem to have more potent scents. This trait is probably to help them compete with their more brightly colored cousins.

The fragrance is not limited to flowers. Heavenly aromas are found in other parts of the plant’s foliage, seeds and bark. Herbs are perfect examples.

Viburnum by the front entrance to your home invites guests to take a moment to stop and smell the flowers. Remember, our prevailing Southwest mountain wind directs the aroma. You want to place fragrant plants where they can be appreciated.

Best Planting Locations

  • Container Gardens on Rolling Caddies – create your own portable plant aromatherapy using rolling plant caddies under your containers. Move them where you want.
  • Open the Window – any window that allows a breeze to enter your home is enhanced by the fragrance of plants.
  • Porches, Patios, Decks – anywhere you have seating is a great place to enjoy fragrant plants, especially evening blooming plants like jasmine and moonflower. A solitary bench in the garden is an excellent place to escape.
  • Trellis to Climb – bring the fragrance up to nose level. Arbors, especially over garden gates and pergolas, bring the aroma to you.
  • Walkways and Entry – passers-by enjoy the aroma of blooms. Scented leaves release their scent when brushed as you walk by.

Here is a list of the best plants for easy fragrance through your gardens.

Annual flowers bloom in riotous waves of fragrant colors. The best flowers are Alyssum, Marigold, Nasturtium, Pansy, Petunia, Poppy, Primrose, Stock and Viola.

Evergreens are famous in the mountains of Arizona for their pitchy pine scent. Many have incredible flowers with a fragrance that outdoes most. Evergreens with aromas are Azalea, Cypress, Deador Cedar, Desert Broom, Holly, Euonymus, Juniper, Lavender, Pine, Rosemary, Silver Berry, Spanish Broom and Waxleaf Privet.

Herbs – Most herbs are fragrant. Sage and rosemary are undeniably fragrant. Creeping thyme is used as a ground cover in stepping stone walkways simply because it smells good when stepped on. Almost the entire family of herbs is fragrant: Basil, Bay, Catmint, Chamomile, Lavender, Mint, Oregano, Scented Geranium, and Thyme.

Perennials at the top of the fragrant list would have to be Astilbe, Candytuft, Daylily, Dianthus, Hosta, Iris, Lilies, Lily-of-the-Valley, Peony, Phlox, Primrose, Russian Sage, Sedum, Sweet Woodruff and Verbena.

Shrubs are more fragrant for one reason only: their size. The most fragrant of all would be Butterfly Bush, Cotoneaster, Daphne, Forsythia, Gardenia, Lilac, Manzanita, Mock Orange, Osmanthus, Roses, Viburnum, Big Sage Bush and Silverberry.

Trees come in all scents and flavors. The most notable local trees for uplifting aromas are Crabapple, Flowering Cherry, Crape Myrtle, Chitalpa, Fruit Trees, Serviceberry, Pine and Spruce.

Vines are ideal for climbing up arches, pergolas, fences and deck posts for a fragrance that reaches any location. Have them climb or spread out as a ground cover. Here are the top picks: Akebia, Clematis, Climbing Roses, Honeysuckle, Jasmine, Lady Banks Rose, Sweet pea and Wisteria.

Until next month, I’ll be helping gardeners grow more fragrant gardens here at Watters Garden Center. QCBN

By Ken Lain

Ken Lain can be found throughout the week at Watters Garden Center, 1815 Iron Springs Road in Prescott or contacted through his website at WattersGardenCenter.com or Top10Plants.com.

Prescott Food Forest Gala Marks a Major Victory for Gardening Education Programs

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There has never been a more important time than now to learn or expand your ability to grow food.

On Tuesday Feb. 21, at The Club at Prescott Lakes, we hosted a Victory Garden Gala to raise awareness and funds to support the Gardeners Of Destiny (GOD) gardening education training program at B Organic Farm, Chino Valley.

The evening was a total success. More than 125 people from all sectors of our community came to support our mission to empower people to grow food for health and self-sustainability.

I am grateful for the support from our sponsors, donors, friends and neighbors. I want to thank Ed Walsh and Bob Knudson from Lamb Cadillac for their generous primary sponsorship and also Grayden Guilford and Pinnacle Bank for their gold sponsorship. Your donations allowed us to accelerate our plans and efforts!

A special note of appreciation to Ken Lain and Watters Garden Center for their sponsorship and donation of a fruit tree orchard as part of our live auction. Ken was also the keynote speaker, sharing his first-hand experience seeing the shift toward edible growing and backyard gardening to fight inflation and to ensure healthy food consumption. His expertise and insights were enjoyed by all.

I was honored that Prescott City Councilman Steve Sischka attended as a sponsor with Olsen’s for Healthy Pets, as well as Dan Olsen, who offered a beautiful blessing before dinner. I am proud that my wife, Lisa, was a sponsor with Silver Sands Recovery. Special thanks to Quad Cities Business News, Toby Ebarb with Legacy Roofing, Mark Womack with Womack Construction and Brian Wirick of Sterling North Homes for their sponsorships. Vickie Johnston from H20 Health not only sponsored the event, but contributed a whole house water filtration system for our live auction. I have gratitude for the Barley Hound and the Vivili Group for donating a private culinary experience for eight at the Barley Hound, with a personalized chef’s dinner.

I want to thank many local individuals and businesses for donating items, experiences and art for our silent auction and raffle items. We truly live in a giving and supportive community. All told, we raised close to $30,000 and netted close to $20,000. This provides the needed resources to grow and expand our efforts.

The evening started with a soulful musical performance by the very talented Kenny James. The food, prepared by Chef Matt at The Club at Prescott Lakes, was delicious. They also donated a private chef’s dinner for six and a round of golf.

I was proud to present the 2nd Annual “Arline’s Angel Award” (in memory of my mom), which is presented to someone who reflects the giving nature my mom had. We awarded Stephane Leon, a local schoolteacher and the designer of our logos, website and the evening’s program guide, as this year’s recipient. Most importantly, she is the director of the Gardeners Of Destiny training program, which just completed the eight-week winter greenhouse growing course and was well received.

In that regard, we are offering a Summer Growing course starting Sat., April 29 for eight weeks. If you would like to participate, we have a few spots left. For more information, please visit prescottfoodforest.com. To apply for a full scholarship, you need to commit to a minimum of 10 hours of volunteering at B Organic Farm. Everyone seems to love this win/win deal.

Finally, I am thankful for our team of volunteers that worked tirelessly to help plan and execute the outcome we achieved. Specifically, I want to thank Ann Herrington, Susan Rubio, Rhonda Clark, Debra Ott, LeRoy Miller, Wendy Lancy, and Betty and Bob Knudson for their time, effort and heart to make this event a Big Victory to continue our education and growing food programs.

There has never been a more important time than now to learn or expand your ability to grow food. You are welcome to join us as a volunteer, student or donor for our scholarship drive. Together, we are making a difference and positively impacting our community by teaching gardening skills and building new friendships with like-minded people. Yes, this is a place for people to grow together, so let’s get growing! QCBN

By John Murphy

John Murphy is a realtor and founder of Make 100 Healthy. He can be reached at 928-899-1341.

Are Fruit Trees a Good Investment?

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Watters has the most extensive local selection and ready to set fruit and grow.

You used to need a lot of land to grow fruit trees. Dwarf and semi-dwarf fruit trees have allowed growing them in just about any yard. Most standard-sized fruit trees mature at a height and width of between 18-25 feet. Not only will this require a big chunk of your yard, but it also makes them tall to prune and spray without using a ladder.

Even with smaller trees, growing fruit is a long-term investment. Fruits can take anywhere from two to 10 years to bear fruit. If you plan to be harvesting for years to come, it pays to do some upfront planning.

Choosing a Size
The terms dwarf and semi-dwarf can be confusing. Dwarf fruit trees reach a height and width of about eight to 10 feet. At this height, they can be tended and harvested without a ladder. Pruning keeps them even smaller. Unfortunately, dwarf fruit trees tend to be short-lived.

Semi-dwarf fruit trees are a little larger, with most topping at 12 to 16 feet tall and wide. Maintenance and harvest require a ladder, but the average yield is eight to 12 bushels, about twice what you expect from a dwarf tree and far longer living.

There is not much space difference between the two types of trees, and both should start producing fruit within five years. With just a bit more work, the yields are far greater on semi-dwarf trees. With actual dwarf trees, you will have all your fruit within arm’s reach.

For those of you thinking that even eight to 10 feet is more space than you have or can sacrifice, don’t give up. Fruit trees can be grown in containers as well. The yield is not as heavy, but every bit as delicious.

Which Fruit Trees Need Pollinators?
Most fruit trees produce better fruits if two or more trees are planted nearby. Just don’t put your house or barn between the two trees. Anywhere in the landscape will do.

Although the trees need to be the same type of fruit, they should not be the same variety. You can plant two different kinds of apples and they will cross-pollinate with each other, as long as they bloom simultaneously. Most fruit tree catalogs and plant labels give you suggestions for excellent pollinators. We have several local charts here at Watters Garden Center that will help.

If you only want one tree, your best options are peach, apricot, nectarine and sour cherry. These are self-pollinating or self-fruitful and pollinate themselves with help from bees. One notable exception is a Stella Sweet Cherry, which is also self-fruitful.

A second option is a multi-grafted tree, where three or more varieties of fruit are grafted onto one trunk. Another name for this fruit tree is a “Fruit Cocktail Tree.”

Some Like it Cold
Fruit trees need a certain number of hours when the temperature drops below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Without this chilling period during their dormancy, they set little fruit the following spring. We have locally proven varieties available here at the garden center.

Which Fruit Trees are Low Maintenance?
All fruit trees require some care and the right Fruit Tree Food. Most require annual pruning. However, some can get by with minimal supervision once established. At the top of the list of low-maintenance trees are cherries. These require pruning only when branches are damaged or crossed.

Stone fruits like peaches, apricots, plums and nectarines are also easy to maintain. Some pruning is required to keep the trees open to light and may need fruit thinning in early summer for a larger harvest.

Apples and pears are the best mountain producers. Because apples and pears are the last fruit trees to blossom in spring, it reduces the likelihood of frost damage. This one trait puts them in the number one producer spot.

Pruning fruit trees is a vast topic and varies with the tree type. But starting with the right tree for your location and getting it off to a healthy start is a solid first step toward your first fruit harvest.

If you’re thinking fruit this spring, now is the time to plant. Plant before they leaf. Late winter and early spring are the ideal planting window for fruit trees. Watters has the most extensive local selection and ready to set fruit and grow.

Until next week, I’ll be helping gardeners plant the perfect fruit tree here at Watters Garden Center. QCBN

By Ken Lain

Ken Lain can be found throughout the week at Watters Garden Center, 1815 Iron Springs Rd in Prescott, or contacted through his website at WattersGardenCenter.com or Top10FruitTrees.com.

Spring 2023 Free Garden Classes taught at Watters Garden Center

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Free Garden Class offered every Saturday @ 9:30 am in the fresh air at Watters Garden Center, 1815 Iron Springs Road in Prescott.

January 14 @ 9:30 am: Happy, Healthy Houseplants with Professional Style

You’ll learn the top plants grown indoors and how to care for them. Learn best practices for watering, light placement, and how to treat and prevent pests and problems.

January 21  @ 9:30 am: Top Local Landscapes with Flare

Students learn the best local companion plants—flowers, evergreens, and more–for maximum seasonal color, and the right places to place them for gardening success.

January 28  @ 9:30 am: Why January is the Month to Plant Wildflowers

Late winter is the ideal window to start wildflower seed outdoors, but you can’t just chuck them in the landscape and expect success. You’ll know the best seed, soils, food, and techniques that bring on the color this spring.

Top Evergreen Shrubs of Winter

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Here are the Top 15 most popular evergreen shrubs planted through winter.

Autumn colors are spectacular. The colors and textures are unique to the four seasons of the Mountain West. As we lose the last autumn leaves, the landscape can feel naked and bare. Deciduous plants, which lose their leaves through winter, often expose you to prying eyes, vehicle glare, and a yard that feels empty. Evergreens take center stage for the next few months, and you can feel when the landscape doesn’t have the right mix of evergreen trees and shrubs.

Not to worry, you will find the best selection of winter evergreens at your garden center now, and it’s an excellent time to plant one of your own.

Here are the Top 15 most popular evergreen shrubs planted through winter.

Blue Star Juniper– This is strictly a foliage plant. If you like the look of a blue spruce tree but lack the space for something that big, merely scale down and grow a Blue Star Juniper. With its short blue needles, it looks terrific when planted next to shrubs with golden foliage.

Boxwood – is a small, rounded evergreen that forms tufts of growth resembling clouds if left unpruned. This slow-growing dwarf form is ideal for edging borders along pathways or around flower beds. Well-suited for topiary and containers and resistant to boxwood leaf miners.

Euonymous – is the most popular of the hedge plants. Although its bright year-round foliage appears almost festive, this plant is tough as they come. An ideal hedge can be sheared or left to grow into a natural form dense enough to make an excellent visual and sound barrier. For long hedgerows, a combination of the two varieties creates a more exciting entity.

Gilt Edge Silverberry – A splendid Arizona native, this shrub sports a combination of golden-yellow margins on bright green foliage that provides incredible year-round landscape interest. It’s superb as a hedge or low screen that tolerates heat and wind and requires little maintenance. Tiny, fragrant, silvery flowers followed by ornamental red fruit. Impervious to both javelina and deer.

Heavenly Bamboo – is evergreen with bright red highlights through winter. Bamboo-shaped foliage is graced with clusters of white flowers in spring that form red berries as summer heat arrives. Think versatility with this 3-foot-tall plant, as it is happy in any amount of sun, most soils, and tolerates any amount of cold or heat.

Holly – is a broadleaf evergreen that usually grows 6’ to 8’ tall. The holly leaves develop a darker color that contrasts nicely against the bright red berries. Perfect for north-facing borders, screens, hedges and for foundation plantings. Easy to grow and impervious to mountain wildlife.

Indian Hawthorn – This easy-to-grow evergreen produces vast clusters of fragrant, pearl-pink flowers. Perfect for planting along driveways and parking medians where reflected heat is an issue for many other plants. This spring-blooming evergreen loves Arizona heat!

Mint Julip Juniper – is perfect for large hedges, privacy screens and specimen plantings. It is so tolerant of salt, it can be used near sidewalks, driveways and roadways. It is rarely damaged by animals, such as deer, javelina, elk and packrats.

Mugho Pine – with its dense, symmetrical growth and compact, rounded form, this dwarf pine is perfect for confined spaces. Stunning green foliage takes on a golden hue during colder months. Its slow habit makes this evergreen an ideal specimen in smaller gardens or massed to make a bold statement in more significant landscapes.

Oregon Grape Holly – is the perfect mountain evergreen often mistaken for holly. Solar yellow flowers cover the entire plant in spring, followed by a summer berry that is attractive and edible. Heading into winter, the leaves turn a mixed cranberry and orange color that remains until spring blooms. This plant loves sun, heat, wind and requires less water than many natives.

Privet – has the same look as photinia but may be a better choice for a residential landscape. Growing to only six feet high, it forms a thick, dark green hedge. The waxy leaves retain moisture within the plant’s structure. The result is a lower maintenance hedge with lower water needs and fewer bug problems than its red-tipped counterpart.

Red Cluster Berry Cotoneaster – has white flowers in spring, evolving to red berries that remain on the plant through winter. It is a welcome food source for feathered friends hanging around after welcoming in the new year. Growing 10’ tall and wide, it loves the sun and is easy to grow.

Spreading Yew – has rich green needles that border on black. The 4’ to 6’ spread is used as a hedge, screen or border in a shaded or dapple sunspace. Scarlet berries show off against all the wintergreen and are highly attractive to birds.

Winter Heaths – first-time growers of these alpine evergreens are impressed by their long blooming period. Winter heaths, Erica darleyensis, live up to their name, putting out flowers in the most unlikely season: winter. If the climate and conditions are suitable, they flower from late winter right through spring.

Yucca – Massed together, yuccas form an impressive display during their bloom period. Garland’s Gold and Golden Sword are bold choices with or without remarkable flowers.

Until next month, I’ll be helping local gardeners plant the best evergreens here at Watters Garden Center. QCBN

By Ken Lain

Ken Lain can be found at Watters Garden Center throughout the week, 1815 W. Iron Springs Road in Prescott, or contacted through his websites at WattersGardenCenter.com or Top10Shrubs.com.

Watters Garden Center to host Frontier Rotary Grapes-4-Good Benefit on September 25

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The event features a gorgeous evening of wine and live music, 12 different wines, and artisan beers available for tasting.

Wine Flows and spirits lift as the gardens come alive at Watters Garden Center hosts Prescott Frontier Rotary’s 16th benefit. On September 25, 5–8 pm, the garden center transforms into “A Garden Party,” with all proceeds going directly to Rotary community causes. Grapes-4-Good received an outpouring of support last year raising more than $95,000.  The top auction items this year are trips to Austria and Italy. See Pinterest Board of past Grapes-4-Good events.

The event features a gorgeous evening of wine and live music, 12 different wines, and artisan beers available for tasting. Delicious hors d’oeuvres catered by El Gato Azul, and live auction for things like condos in Austria or Italy, and exclusive golf outings, all in the lush, vibrant setting of northern Arizona’s most beautiful garden center. Tickets are $60 and purchased at Watters Garden Center, Prescott True Value, Olsen’s For Healthy Animals, and Online at PrescottFrontierRotary.com.

Prescott Frontier Rotary meets every Tuesday @ noon at the Prescott Resort, providing community leaders an opportunity to serve and benefit the entire community. Rotarians promote high ethical standards, fellowship, and goodwill globally.

Watters Garden Center is a locally owned garden center that believes small businesses enrich their community that improves our world. Watters specializes in providing the expertise and products that get things growing in the mountains of Arizona, keeping the garden safe, natural, and organic.

‘Grapes-4-Good,’ September 25, 5 to 8 pm, supporting education, strong business ethics, better communities, ending polio, and improved leadership skills at the high school and college levels. Top Tier Sponsors: Pinnacle Bank and Lamb Chevrolet.

Privacy Trees That Screen Fast

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When you’re ready to choose the trees for your living wall of green, read through these popular choices of local screening plants that fill in fast.

Now is the time to plant privacy screens for maximum growth and seclusion in spring. Without strategically placed evergreens in the yard, it can feel as if prying eyes are looking right into your home. Not only does your privacy seemingly disappear, but that neighbor’s debris pile can be on display!

Enable enjoyable hot tub sessions without prying eyes from that too-close-for-comfort neighbor. The solution to these unwanted invasions is not rocket science. Simply plant a wall of living trees and shrubs to block an undesirable view and create the privacy you desire!

Here is an excellent example of an “evergreen and gold” hedge of Golden Euonymous. Now is the ideal planting season for fast-growing trees and shrubs to maximum autumn roots critical for a lush wall next spring.

To successfully add evergreens to a landscape, several essential steps are worthy of your time and energy. The most crucial requirement for trees to thrive is drainage. Blend one shovel full of Watters Premium Mulch into every three shovels full of native earth to pack around each root. Feed new plants with 7-4-4 All Purpose Plant Food right after planting. The cottonseed meal in this natural food promotes robust root formation while maintaining good foliage color. Finally, deep soak each plant with a solution of Root & Grow. This specially designed compost tea encourages new roots that grow deep and strong.

Best Evergreen Trees Used as Screens and Accents

When you’re ready to choose the trees for your living wall of green, read through these popular choices of local screening plants that fill in fast.

Arizona Cypress
My favorite native evergreen screener is the Arizona cypress. It is like a giant alligator juniper in size and color but grows faster and fills in more thoroughly than other screening plants. Growing to more than 20 feet tall and 12 feet wide in just a few years, you can see why this is the number one choice for a planted screen.

Colorado Spruce
Very cold-hardy, this spruce is the perfectly symmetrical Christmas tree shape. Excellent choice for a front yard holiday tree or as a semi-formal accent in a large yard. It makes a pretty evergreen background against contrasting foliage colors, flowering shrubs or highlighting autumn leaves. Line up several for a windbreak or to quickly diffuse lights and sounds along busy streets.

Deodar Cedar
This is the largest screening plant, growing to more than 50 feet tall and 20 feet wide. It is one of the fastest-growing of the screens, growing two to three feet every year. This cedar thrives on low water use, drought conditions, and drip irrigation, as is the case with most upright evergreens. Make sure to give it plenty of growing space because, with its long, swooping branches of Arizona Blue foliage, this tree is going to need it!

Juniper

Let’s look at the juniper family. Spartan, Blue Point and Wichita are on the extensive list of junipers available at Watters Garden Center now. Juniper forests surround us, so be assured junipers are naturals to add to a landscape. Whichever color and height you like, all grow well in this part of the world.

Austrian Pine
This handsome evergreen tree has a densely branched conical form when young that becomes umbrella-shaped with age. The needles are long and dark green and the tree tolerates poor soils and harsh, drying winds. It’s a great conifer for windbreaks or used as large landscape specimens.

There are many more choices, such as the larger evergreen shrubs and deciduous trees like aspens. We’ll discuss those varieties another time.

Book Just Published
“The Secret Garden: Plants as a Natural Screen” is an all-local garden book with deeper detail about screening plants. Free copies are available for download at WattersGardenCenter.com under the tab LEARN.

Until the next issue, I’ll be helping local gardeners plant privacy here at Watters Garden Center. QCBN

By Ken Lain

Ken Lain can be found throughout the week at Watters Garden Center, 1815 Iron Springs Road in Prescott, or contacted through his website at WattersGardenCenter.com or Top10EvergreenTrees.com.

Exploring the Perfect Ground Cover for Desert Landscapes

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Here is the definitive list for local groundcovers grown in the brutal sun or dense shade.

Ground cover plants are beneficial in so many ways. The foliage provides visual interest across hills, between boulders and down slopes. They also reduce yard maintenance by fighting erosion and suppressing weeds.

Here is the definitive list for local groundcovers grown in the brutal sun or dense shade. Many offer an evergreen solution to bare landscape plots.

Creeping Juniper

Juniperus horizontalis performs best in full (six or more hours) of sun. Creeping junipers resist drought once established. Not only are they low-maintenance shrubs, but they also save work by holding back the soil on erosion-prone hillsides, thanks to their sturdy root systems.

Creeping Phlox

This plant has needle-like foliage that makes it drought-hardy in sunny gardens but is most valued for its thick mat of flowers. Red, pink, white, blue, rose, lavender, even purple are all possible flower colors for this early-spring bloomer. Plants spread over time. If the excess is unwanted in the original garden area, divide them and spread the wealth to another plot in the yard.

Creeping Rosemary

Imagine growing Rosemary that tumbles over a wall or spreads across a dry rock lawn. This tough little gem is the perfect plant for garden walls, pots, banks or a dry, sunny patch of ground in the garden. It is a superb ground cover for hot, dry locations. Its habit is low and mounds just 12 inches tall, and spreads vigorously. Deep blue flowers arise in great masses that are both deer and pest-resistant.

Cotoneaster

This plant is ideally suited to flow over embankments and raised beds. It’s an outstanding ground cover with dense foot-tall branches covered with shiny evergreen leaves. The foliage is tinged in purple through autumn, which enhances the profusion of cranberry-type berries. Give this low water user plenty of room because she spreads over six feet wide by one foot tall. Cotoneaster is good on banks and used to cover large open areas of rock in hot sunny locations. Plant with confidence, this cute evergreen rarely gets bugs, while rabbits, deer and other vermin don’t like the taste.

English Ivy

English Ivy is the only evergreen vine that stays green in shady gardens. Large, lustrous foliage stays waxed green through winter, forming a lush blanketing ground cover under large shrubs and trees. It quickly climbs walls, pillars, arbors and fences without support. One of the best uses is dangling from the edges of hanging pots and baskets or cascading off the edges of tall urns planted with upright fillers. It’s also anim Moonshadow Euonymus,

Euonymus fortunei, is a broadleaf evergreen shrub with trademark bright variegated leaves. The bicolored pattern can be thought of as an inside-out version of the more popular Euonymus fortunei Emerald ’n Gold. The green is in the middle of the leaf and the brighter color is on the edges. The best colors are in full sun and grow knee-high by four-feet wide.

Sedum

Angelina Stonecrop has several varieties from which to choose. The entire group of plants is considered “succulents.” One of the most widely grown upright sedums is Autumn Joy, growing to 18 inches. To grow something different, try Chocolate Drop for its deliciously dark leaves. Most sedums resist drought.

Vinca

This plant is most often seen with blue flowers; the Alba cultivar of Vinca minor offers white blooms. Because this flowering vine can take dry shade, it’s a problem solver. Many plants don’t like such conditions. It is super easy to grow and is javelina-, rabbit- and deer- resistant.

Virginia Creeper is an Arizona native vine specially selected to dress up those miles of stockade fence. A mountain vine with rich green foliage turns fire engine red through October with blue fruit accents. When spaced at eight-foot intervals, this fast-growing vine covers a boring fence within a season. Plant red walls of beauty that are absolutely deer and javelina proof.

Until next month, I’ll be helping gardeners here at Watters Garden Center. QCBN

By Ken Lain

Ken Lain can be found throughout the week at Watters Garden Center, 1815 Iron Springs Road in Prescott, or contacted through his website at WattersGardenCenter.com or Top10Vines.com

Moves from Big Cities are Changing Local Gardening

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We are at the leading edge of a new trend by those ditching big-city living in favor of less densely populated areas.

We have experienced some interesting trends over the past year as more people are attracted to plants and gardening. Hashtags like #PlantParenthood are common. Fast-forward to 2022, and the magnetic draw to gardening has grown stronger.

Many folks who visit the garden center this spring are seeking their first experience with plants. I’ve asked these new gardeners what compels them to the garden. They say the current economic and health scare turned them into wannabe gardeners ready to try their hands at growing food.

In research for this article, a quote from WebMD caught my attention: “Take advantage of the gym growing right outside your front door.” Now, Watters Garden Center never thought we were in competition with local fitness centers, but it’s a natural transition. People who say gyms closed by a COVID-19 scare have sparked a robust interest in the health benefits the garden provides with fresh air and physical activity.

The WebMD article, “Get Fit in the Garden,” reads: “Gardening is a good way to whittle down your waistline. Thirty minutes of garden exercise (for a 180-pound person) burns calories from activities like planting seedlings – 162 calories, weeding -182 calories and general gardening – 202 calories.”

An article on GardeningKnowHow.com entitled “Garden Fitness: Learn About Exercise In The Garden” states, “Gardening contributes to healthy living. Approximately 300 calories an hour are burned just by gardening. You burn calories and have a beautiful landscape to show for it.”

When practiced regularly, gardening may help lower blood pressure and cholesterol level, and may help prevent diabetes, heart disease, depression and osteoporosis.

A New Trend: Migration Back to Rural Areas

We are at the leading edge of a new trend by those ditching big-city living in favor of less densely populated areas. There is an intensified desire for garden knowledge that comes with this migration. As we’ve seen this spring, the importance of herbs, vegetables, fruits and farm-related products is a recurring trend. We may even revisit the strategies for homesteading in the coming season! This is an excellent opportunity for renewed interest in and expansion of the Yavapai 4-H and FFA programs. The 4-H Pledge may well be attractive to the next generation.

Dr. Maya Shetreat-Klien, M.D., shares these fascinating thoughts in her recent article, “The Dirt Cure.” “Our connection to plants, the soil and nature has been with us since the beginning of our existence. It is part of our DNA. During stressful times, gardening and getting our hands in the soil can be just what’s needed. What I have learned is that ultimately, it all begins with dirt. Dirt means exposure to microbes, eating fresh food from healthy soil and spending time in nature.

“Instead of letting children get dirty, we have sanitized them. We’ve sanitized their bodies with antibiotics and hand sanitizer, their homes and schools with bleach, their food with pesticides, and their very lives by living more indoors. This is a problem because the bio-terrain inside our bodies is connected intricately to the eco-terrain outside our bodies.”

Dr. Shetreat-Klien goes on to say, “We are part of a super-organism that includes microbes around and inside us, the food we eat and the elements of nature: sun, soil, water, air and plants. Whether through their presence or absence, these elements are in constant conversation with our bodies’ guts, immune systems and brains. Most of us don’t think about soil or think of it as irrelevant to modern life. But we couldn’t be more wrong. Soil plays a profound role in our health and happiness. Indeed, the health of our inner terrain, the internal environment of our bodies, reflects the health of our outer terrain, i.e., the world around us.”

The doctor details many fascinating benefits of “playing in the dirt” in topics like better nutrition, fewer allergies, more phytonutrients, better focus and memory, antidepressant effects, clean food and water, less stress, better sleep, reduced inflammation and more!

Until the next issue, I’ll be helping locals garden healthier here at Watters Garden Center. QCBN

 By Ken Lain

Ken Lain can be found throughout the week at Watters Garden Center, 1815 W. Iron Springs Road in Prescott or contacted through his website at WattersGardenCenter.com or Top10Plants.com.