Three Tips to Keep Plants Alive!

1. Treat them like people with different temperature preferences.

Like us, plants have different preferences. My granddaughter, Lily, enjoys cold. Her smiley eyes and happy cheeks are a total giveaway as she plays in Michigan snow. I prefer bubble baths with flickering candles. Twinkle lights from a chandelier and turning compost in a 90 degree garden. That's me! Which do you prefer?

Now, ask this same question about your veggies, flowers and shrubs. Find out if a plant prefers cold or heat before you select and place it. Each plant will be most active and cheerful in the season of it's preference. Use plants that prefer cold in Arizona's cool season and/or situate them in the coolest parts of your yard. Select plants that thrive in heat during Arizona's warm season and/or situate them in the sunniest parts of your landscape. Peek at these guides: Veggie Selection. Flower Planting. Desert Adapted Trees & Shrubs Guide from a local grower.

2. Know where the sun doesn't shine.

Walk your landscape at different times of day, throughout the year, to find sun/shade patterns. Look for trees, gates, walls or high points on your home which cast dark shadows. Make note of sunny spots as well.

I planted both sets of veggies on the same day but the Swiss Chard and Broccoli, in the top photo, grew about ten-times larger than the same veggies in the bottom photo. Why? The bottom set got three-hours of sun daily. Those in the top photo got six-hours sun daily.

Since most Arizona veggies require a minimum 6-hours of sun everyday to fully mature, you definitely want to choose a known sunny location for planting veggies (unless you're growing for a doll's tea party).

3. Observe after planting.

Don't think you've got a black thumb if a plant begins to struggle. Instead, re-check it's sun and temperature preferences.

Again. Two photos, same day. Top photo: purple Angelonia with a few miserable blooms. Why? Simple answer: This location is getting more sun than Angelonia prefers. It's burning.

Meanwhile, eighteen feet to the left... This Angelonia is thriving! Why? Same front yard. Same water. The only difference is that a nearby tree provides dappled shade every afternoon, protecting it from our intense summer sun.

To rescue the struggling Angelonia, I'll water it; carefully dig it up and transplant it to an environment that makes it happier.

Same story with these purple pansies. Top photo (3-hours sun). Bottom photo (adequate 6-hours sun). What a difference!

YOU MAY BE A WONDERFUL GARDENER WAITING  TO DISCOVER
the preferences of the plants you love. Don't lose hope. Ask questions before you buy. Choose the right plant and select the right location.

Happy gardening!

Four Steps to Begin your Gardenscape

Red Salvia splendens attracts hummingbirds
year-round in AZ. (Part sun/protect from frost.)

Step 1. Choose a starting point.

On a small budget, you can transform a desolate landscape into an enjoyable garden space in stages. First, choose a starting point that will reward you with immediate gratification. I chose a barren patch of dirt leading to my front door since it was the most traveled and would offer an encouraging welcome every day. This served as my starting point and I agreed to tackle the rest of the yard in small bites later.

Purple Angelonia angustifolia blooms year-round. (Part sun/
protect from frost and late-afternoon summer sun.)

Step 2. Identify your garden style.

Contemporary, southwest, Santa Fe, English, art deco, Mediterranean, formal, bohemian or cottage to name a few. Identify your design style; then trust it to unite the additional spaces in your yard as you design them slowly over time. As a desert gardener I enjoy  low-water-use plants, but traditional xeriscape and sleek contemporary layout isn't my favorite for my own personal space. I enjoy flowers, old red brick, layering and recycled objects, so I define my gardening style as "Whimsical Cottage Eclectic".

Step 3. Choose a destination point.

A destination point can be physical or simply visual. A bistro set luring friends to sit in the shade and catch up. An obelisk, birdbath, fountain or tree at the end of a narrow path. I like to plan destination points from inside the house so the garden view becomes an extension of my home decor. Your destination point should be enticing and add meaning, interest or purpose to the space.

Turkey Ranch Lettuce Wrap made with cool season veggies from the garden.
Ingredients: 2 Romaine lettuce leaves, 1/8th sliced red bell pepper, 1 chive, 4oz sliced turkey, 3 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese, dollop of ranch dressing. Rinse lettuce & dry. Top with remaining ingredients.

Step 4. Limit your palette.

Give yourself some boundaries by limiting your design palette. Select several colors, a focal shape and specific design materials. So things didn't get too wildly eclectic I limited myself to using only the colors red, purple and green in my plant material. I chose the circle as my focal shape to accentuate an existing tree's thick, curvy branch which arches over the entire area. I also broke up the narrow, rectangular space with half-circle curves in the path, a circle of found river rock outlining a planting bed and a round tabletop. My design materials were clay (reflected in the red brick and terra cotta pots and tile), metal and natural concrete.

Your design could easily transform into an entirely different look if you simply changed the focal color to white. Your focal shape to square. And your design materials to wood and stone. See how easy it is to begin your gardenscape plan?