Southwest Gardener
Be a successful desert gardener. Find everything you need to know to create and maintain a beautiful, carefree desert landscape in our weekly newsletter.
The desert wildflower that conquered the world๐ป, a "sneaky" shrub ๐ธ, & more ๐ต๐
Hi, Desert Gardener! It seems that everyone loves sunflowers, a beloved, iconic flower symbolic of summer and happiness. (Growing sunflowers is also a multi-billion dollar industry.) Sunflowers and their thousands of hybrids are so adaptable that they've naturalized on every inhabited continent and in all 50 states. But few people realize that the sunflowers they're growing originated from an annual wildflower native to the desert southwest. Itโs not an exaggeration to say this useful,...
Fun butterfly facts ๐ฆ , water-saving freebies๐ง, prevent storm damage โ๏ธ, & more ๐ต๐
Hi, Desert Gardener! While we didn't get any rain from Tropical Storm Lorena, I know some of you have! We at least have had a nice cool down and some clouds. I noticed some of my plants perked up immediately even without rain -- greens looked greener and flowers bloomed more profusely. Have you noticed that, too? But don't get lulled into thinking that heat is behind us. (Last year, the first 13 days of October were over 100.) ๐ต ๐ต ๐ต You may recall that a few weeks ago I accidentally left my...
What to do in September, got caterpillars?(don't do this!) ๐=๐ฆ , & more ๐ต๐
Hi, Desert Gardener! It will soon be September, which might have you feeling that fall has arrived, but it's definitely not fall in the desert southwest yet. Many gardening references state that September is a good time to plant trees, shrubs, perennials, and winter annuals. But I disagree... The past few Septembers have been brutally hot. ๐ฅต Last year, Tucson had 16 days of 100+ heat. (October, with 13 days over 100, brought little relief.) Thatโs two months of heat stress for new plants. So...
Underutilized source of free water ๐ง, beautiful "trash tree" (don't plant!) ๐๐ผ, & more ๐ต๐
Hi, Desert Gardener! A few mornings ago I was surprised to see that it had rained in my backyard but not in my front. Hmm. ๐ค Once I was fully awake, I realized I had left a soaker hose run overnight in the back. Yikes! It's not all bad news, my trees got their deepest watering of the year and look very happy. But I've since put a timer on my spigot. (Here's the $10 timer I'm using.) Please learn from my embarrassing gardening mistake and get a timer if you manually water your plants. You...
Does potting soil brand matter? ๐ชด, picking prickly pears โค๏ธ, citrus fertilizing ๐ , & more ๐ต๐
Hi, Desert Gardener! The Southwest Gardener Newsletter just celebrated it's one year anniversary! It's been thrilling for me to watch the website and newsletter grow. I write them because I love learning about desert gardening and sharing what I've learned with others. My fondest hope it that I can help a few people along the way enjoy their gardens more and stress less over dealing with harsh desert conditions. If you know anyone that might enjoy or benefit from this newsletter, could you...
Throw your succulents some shade ๐ต๐, desert plant immortalized in art ๐จ๐๏ธ, & more
Hi, Desert Gardener! Today's featured plant, sacred datura, is a desert native that was traditionally used to treat wounds and snake and insect bites. But its main use was as a mind-altering substance. It was used in religious ceremonies and in rites of passage by shaman to transcend reality and enter other worlds. It is still used recreationally. (This is not recommended since it has a long list of side effects.) I'm not even going to talk about the heat... ๐ฅต What you'll find in this week's...
All about Texas rangers ๐, fertilizing palms ๐ด, desert heat warning ๐ฅต & more ๐ต๐
Hi, Desert Gardener! It's August, which means we're nearly half-way through the monsoon. And a new month brings new gardening tasks. Compared to July, there is more to do in the garden this month. One of my favorite things about this time of year is seeing Texas rangers (also called Texas sage) in bloom. I'm suddenly seeing explosions of purple flowers all around town. So I thought it would be a good time to focus on these beautiful, resilient desert shrubs. One of the biggest problems with...
"Barbie doll pink" vine ๐ , shocking invasives ๐ฎ, cool or creepy? ๐ & more ๐ต๐
Hi, Desert Gardener! We've been having a very pleasant spell of relatively "cool" weather (only in the 90s) and a few days with some rain. Amazing how a little relief makes plants so much happier. A few of my plants look the best they have all summer. I hope you had some relief where you live as well. I recently noticed two clumps of fountain grass growing in my neighborhood's common areas. In several states, including Arizona, it's an invasive species. I eventually convinced our community's...
The "popcorn" plant ๐ฟ, gravel vs wood chips - which is best? ๐ค, & more๐ต๐
Hi, Desert Gardener! I hope you are having a great week and enjoying your summer! This has been a mixed week for me. I've been doing the "happy dance" since we finally got significant rainfall throughout Tucson and Pima County -- over 2" in some places! My pond and rain barrel are full, my plants look happy, and I can take a break from watering. Plants LOVE the rain! It's so much better for them than tap water. (Here's why.) It looks like the dreaded "non-soon" will be a monsoon after all....
Weirdly wonderful plant ๐, the scourge of spurge, am vs pm watering โฒ๏ธ, & more๐ต๐
Hi, Desert Gardener! If you're like me, you're watering like crazy in this heat. There's an ongoing debate amongst gardeners as to the best time of day to water. So I've written about this (see below) to help you decide whether there are any tweaks you should make to your watering schedule. I love stumbling upon someone giving away free plants! This week's featured plant is one that I picked up from a box sitting by a curb labeled "free pups." I finally got around to ID'ing it and was...
Be a successful desert gardener. Find everything you need to know to create and maintain a beautiful, carefree desert landscape in our weekly newsletter.