Desert Container Garden Designs
Desert Container Garden Design – Summer Success in Yellow
Every Pot Has a Story – Summer Success in Yellow The photo above is in the backyard of one of my very first clients in Oro Valley, let’s call him Mr. N. He had a dozen or so containers, I don’t recall any were above 12” in diameter. He had a sitting wall, filled with…
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Euonymus in Silver and Gold
A Potted Desert Recipe
Perfect Plant for Year-Round Pots in the Desert If you have been around me much at all, you have heard me talk about Euonymus shrubs. With 175 species, there are many to choose from but here in our desert pots, I stick to my favorite two. The “Silver King” Euonymus and the “Golden” Euonymus. Cold…
Read MoreEasy-Care Arrangements for Desert Pots
Easy-Care Desert Container Gardens “Don’t Let Your Pots Stay Empty!” The extreme temperatures create a more challenging scenario in our desert climate. With the lack of rainfall, the intense sun and heat, we must know what to plant, when and where. We don’t always want to be wedded to our gardens all year long. Watering,…
Read MoreVolunteers in Our Garden – A Love Affair
We’ve all had them. Plants that sprout up in places we never planted them. It’s not so hard to figure out — grass in the flower patch, dandelions in the lawn, clover in the vegetable garden. Most likely, in these cases, the plants would be called weeds. Weeds – my definition of a weed is…
Read MoreFlower Beds in your Garden
Flower beds are great for all planting seasons no matter where you live. But here in the desert, we can enjoy beautiful beds 365 days a year! In my practice, beds fall under contained gardens. They can be a planting in the ground , a raised bed or a jumbo planter. If it’s in a…
Read MoreColoring a Shady Entry for Your Holiday Potted Garden
Do you have a front door that is crying for some easy-care color? This pot arrangement might just do the trick, especially for your holiday potted garden. For instant gratification, the nurseries should be spilling over with Cyclamen, Geraniums and Bacopa in the greenhouse. Choose a pot that is at least 18” in diameter.…
Read MoreGetting Potted for the Holidays (potted GARDENS that is!!)
Life in the Desert is grand. Having the benefit of year-round gardening, we can plant as little or as much as we want. As the holidays are upon us, with a bit of imagination, we can add to our home’s celebration by sprucing up our container gardens to our heart’s content. Another excuse to ‘play’…
Read MoreUsing Color in Your Desert Potted Garden
Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder… sometimes Color is the most prominent element in garden design and typically for DIY gardeners, the first one considered. Color does two things without us even realizing it. 1. Color draws us into a garden getting us out of the house onto our patio. 2. Color…
Read MoreDesigning with a King in Your Potted Garden
This summer I have been showing off the “Silver King” Euonymus, a member of the Boxleaf family and very container-friendly and perfect for your potted garden. If you missed the previous column on the “King”, click here to check it out. Designing for the “King” with a Court of Odd Fellows Too many colors in…
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