Plant Profiles for Desert Container Gardens
Petunias in Desert Pots – Great for the Fall thru Spring Season
A love ‘em or hate ‘em relationship We love them for their mounding beauty in pots. They can be a showpiece on their own or a magnificent addition to a large combination planter. We hate them for their leggy, sticky habit as they age, and their old-growth gets brown, making a mess of our hands…
Read MoreViolas – A Desert Cool Season Annual
Violas in my book, are true winter annuals, as opposed to what I call “Shoulder Season” annuals such as Snapdragons and Petunias that can handle the desert’s heat that stretches into autumn’s months where the thermometer seems to stall out in the upper 80’s and ’90s. Some years, longer than others. (For more on “Shoulder…
Read MoreCanna – A Summer Giant in your Desert Container Garden
Canna – A Spectacular Addition to your Potted Desert Summer Garden Through my years of desert container gardening, I often have gone into various phases of plant selection, especially in my tall plants that give the pots their backbone. There were years of Butterfly Iris, Mexican Bird of Paradise, Mexican Lime Trees and other plants…
Read MoreCalendula – A Staple in the Desert Container Garden
Calendula for your winter garden in the desert Calendula (Calendula officinalis) is normally grown as an annual in any climate. The difference within the climates is in its growing period. It is a short-lived perennial with a lifespan of around two years, but it is usually grown as an annual flower in both garden beds…
Read MoreOrnamental Kale – Who knew a vegetable could look like a rose?
Ornamental Kale in Your Potted Desert Garden Ornamental Kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) is a wonderful plant for your winter garden. Hardy in most desert freezes, it becomes a star performer and can be given center stage in a container with a combination planting or with a potful of different varieties and colors of Kale.…
Read MoreAlyssum – Did you know it is critter resistant?
Alyssum in Your Desert Potted Garden Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) Did you know that something as simple as Sweet Alyssum will keep Javelina’s noses out of your pots? I did not know this, but when we planted Alyssum in two pots outside a front yard gate in Tucson’s foothills, we found those pots were not…
Read More“Silver King” Euonymus Profile
“Silver King” can take any role in your all-season desert pots To best survive the summer furnace in your desert container garden, I harp about the size of our desert garden pots. To support our illustrious hot garden plant of the month, your pot should be at least 24” wide. This width and similar depth will provide the structural support as well…
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