Real Gardens, Real People Tour

I toured seven gardens today on the Real Gardens, Real People tour sponsored by the Master Gardening program at University of Arizona.  It was a beautiful day and north Scottsdale has some amazing views!  Here are a few plants I saw that would be good additions to any desert landscape:

Echinopsis sp.:  the blooms on this cactus are spectacular.  Blooms come in a variety of colors.  I would recommend you locate this cactus in a well-viewed area of your garden as it is a show stopper.

Tiny Tangerine Bulbine, Bulbine frutescens:
This plant is unique and dainty.  I saw it planted singularly as well as in clusters and it looks lovely either way.  Plant along a walkway so it is visible.  I love it!

Jerusalem Sage, Phlomis fructicosa
This was in a few of today's featured gardens.  The texture of the leaves is soft and soothing to the eye.  A nice alternative to the more popular sage varieties.













Other plants that caught my eye: 
Bergaalwyn Aloe, Aloe Marlothii 'Berger'
Aeonium, Aeonium undulatum
Forest Cabbage Tree, Cordyline banksii
African Mallow
Star Jasmine, Trachelospermum jasminoides
Pine Needle Milkweed, Asclepias linaria   

New Beginnings

March is the month to turn over your garden - pull out the cool season veggies and plant the warm season seeds.  As I take out my beautiful chard, plentiful snap peas, kale, onions and cabbage, I initially feel sad to see them go.  After a couple days, however, I am so excited about the new possibilities that I am over the past and lovin' the present!  Here is to the beginning of a fantastic spring and summer!

Flowers are sprouting and blooming - including freesia, clover, lilies, poppies, daffodils and Bells of Ireland.   Sunflowers, hollyhock, bee balm and zinnia seeds are in the ground.

Last summer, I planted two Thompson Seedless Green Grapes vines.  I am looking forward to clusters of this golden fruit!  This year I will add two more vines, but of the red variety. Let's hope the birds don't find the grapes in my backyard corner.  My little guy, Nick, is so excited for endless grapes!!

Cucumbers are the first to sprout.  My son, Jack, loves cukes and pickles so this bed has his name on it.

Two artichoke bulbs appeared today.  This is a huge artichoke plant so I hope to enjoy many, many fruits this year.  

Spring Pots

In order to have your pots full of blooms year round, you need to plan ahead.  I am getting better at "pot management" (sounds illegal) and this spring, my approach seems to be working.  Here are some of my pots:

Front Porch Welcome Pot:
Nasturtium, vinca (can be a perennial in AZ), pink geranium (behind egg sign) and a yellow snapdragon that is a surprise return from last spring.  I planted the nasturtium seeds in early fall when the vinca was still going strong.

More Front Porch Pots:

Left Pot:  Red geranium, pink petunias, nasturtiums, two daffodils, and an Asiatic lily that will bloom closer to summer.  I will put a smaller sunflower variety and/or zinnia in this pot shortly for the hot summer months ahead.

Right Pot:  The pink flower is mainly clover I was given from my old neighbor, Jodi.  It is a perennial that is very hardy and spreads.  There is an orange lily sprouting in the middle of the clover that will keep this pot colorful in the summer.

Pool Deck Pot:
This yellow nasturtium is one of my favorites.  Typically, they are orange or pink so the yellow is a sweet alternative.  Narcissus just finished blooming so I left their stems for a tall, green background.  I have a mystery plant in the back left corner (maybe a daisy?), some pink vinca in the middle and purple allysum down below.  I have thrown so many seeds in this full-sun exposure pot over the past year that I am never quite sure what will appear next.  Pink and white cleone seeds from my mom's garden in NJ are in here - let's hope they pop soon!

Side Porch Pot:
The centerpiece of this pot is purple mustard.  I saw this gorgeous veggie on an edible garden tour and loved it.  More narcissus remants and a Oriental Star Gazer lily growing in the right lower corner.  I also have a dahlia in here from my aunt Terri in NJ.







Vegetable Garden Pot:  This pot contains basil, freesia and calendula.  I also recently planted some hyacinth bean vine seeds to grow up the post behind it and along my grapevine supports.  This pot gets full afternoon sun which is scorching in the summer so I will have to put something super durable in here soon.  Sunflowers!  An orange Mexican sunflower will add color and some shade for the vegetable bed located directly in front of this pot. 

 

Plant your pots full to the brim.  They can handle more than one or two plants at a time.   Grow up, down and in the middle.  Mix vegetables, herbs and ornamentals as long as they share watering needs.  Grow plants from seed to save money as annual transplants can get costly if you have large pots.  

Happy Potting!

Watch Where You Step!

As I walked around my yard today, I was careful to not step on volunteer plants.  I have little surprises everywhere!  I love volunteer plants and don't dare move them.  If they are happy in a small crack or under a tree, I leave them alone.  Here are my finds of the day:

 Vinca under a palm tree

 Mother of Millions (Kalanchoe daigremontiana) under my fountain, between pots

 Mystery plant in between bricks on patio

Purple mustard greens in brick crevices

If you compost you too will be sure to have volunteers once you spread your soil in your garden.  Birds, the wind and water can also transport seeds or plants all over your yard.  Nature at its best!

Lesson Learned: Artichoke

Last fall, I moved my artichoke from a pot to my square foot garden.  Little did I believe (although I read) this plant would grow so big.  Check this out:

If you look closely, the plant is in the back corner square of this 4x4 garden.  It's growth has now shaded all 3 adjacent squares so nothing can grow in them.  Moving it again is going to be a big job as these roots are sure to be deep.  I will have to wait until after its bud production later this spring.

The artichoke is a perennial that can grow up to 6 feet in diameter, and 3-4 feet in height.   It needs so much space that it is often used as a landscape plant as opposed to placing it in a garden.  They grow best in sun, in a rich, loose, well-drained soil.

Be sure to consider the FULL growth potential of your plant when choosing its location.  Moving plants is always an option (and one I fully encourage), but it is stressful on a plant to be moved.  If planting veggies in a square foot kit, place your sprawling, high growth veggies on the corners and encourage them to sprawl outward.  Leave a few feet around the perimeter of your square foot garden for growth of plants.  Last summer, I planted squash on a corner and it grew outward about 4 feet!  Tomatoes are tall and will shade adjacent plants so plan accordingly.


Good luck and let's hope this artichoke provides me with some yummy buds!