Be a successful desert gardener. Find everything you need to know to create and maintain a beautiful, carefree desert landscape in our weekly newsletter.
Rocks in your pots? βοΈ, "had to have it" β€οΈ, fixing a "lollipop" shrub π, & more ππ΅
Published 12 days agoΒ β’Β 2 min read
Hi, Desert Gardener,
Have you ever bought a plant because you "had to have it" but it was the wrong time of year to plant it? Well, I just did that. Oops. I've been pining for a tall slipper plant and found one at a great price. But I know that succulents should be planted in the spring when the warm soil encourages their root development.
So... I left it in the nursery pot and plunked the whole thing into a large decorative container. And that's where it will stay until it warms up. In the meantime, it looks beautiful and is no longer at risk for blowing over (it's tall!)
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Speaking of planting in containers, one of the most persistent garden myths is that you should put rocks, plastic bottles, pool noodles, or anything else you can find in the bottom of pots for drainage and/or to take up space so that you don't "waste" potting soil. This week I cover why that is a bad idea and workarounds you can do instead.
In this week's newsletter, we cover:
Featured plant: Tall slipper plant
Rocks in your pots? What to do instead
Fixing a "lollipop" shrub
Upcoming gardening events
and more!
Tall Slipper Plant: Lady Slipper Look-Alike
The first time I saw this rarely-grown succulent, I wondered, βIs that a lady slipper on steroids?β This dramatic Sonoran Desert native thrives in every light condition from full sun to full shade and can grow to be an impressive 8 feet tall!
"Our new house has a chuparosa that has been ignored & trimmed into a "lollipop" shape. We've been watering it and it shows signs of new growth. Any suggestions on how to prune it?"
Chuparosa naturally has a wild, informal growth pattern and is not a good candidate for trying to train into a more formal shape. Fortunately, chuparosa is a shrub that benefits from a hard prune every few years. Giving it a hard prune in the spring is all you need to do to give your plant a fresh start and help it revert to its natural form.
Rocks in Your Pots? Donβt Do It!
One common gardening mistake that many gardeners make is putting fillers β rocks, styrofoam peanuts, plastic bottles β in the bottom of pots. Learn why it's counterproductive, plus some cool workarounds to save money on potting soil.
There's always more to learn about gardening! Here are some of the upcoming highlights. * Indoor Pest Management @ Green Things * Growing Corn @ Pima County Master Gardeners * DIY Desert Garden Design @ Tucson Botanical Garden
Not in Tucson? Look for online classes denoted with this icon. π» You can participate in these no matter where you garden.
January Gardening Guide
January is the second coldest month, but there are still plenty of things to be done in the desert garden. Hereβs a look at what you can plant this month, how to adjust your watering schedule for winter, how to care for holiday plants, and more.
Be a successful desert gardener. Find everything you need to know to create and maintain a beautiful, carefree desert landscape in our weekly newsletter.
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