If you have not realized it by now, I love potted desert gardens. They are so versatile in there uses, flexible in their placement and plantings and the bottom line – you don’t have to dig in the ground!!… Marylee Pangman, Potted Desert Expert
Please Heed My First Tip!
Plant winter flowers late this month
Whether we have low temperatures in early October or how tired your garden might be, hold off planting your winter annuals until late October or early November. My rule is to wait until the forecast for nighttime temperatures is below 55°, and low desert regions might wait a long time for that rule. Still, you can plant “Shoulder Season” flowers anytime and wait for the nurseries to have thriving Pansies, Violas, and Kale along with other winter flowers before planting them.
Stay on top of your garden tasks to keep your potted desert garden thriving 365 days a year with October’s list!
Don’t Build Walls – Create outdoor ‘rooms’ with potted desert gardens
Many patios are like bowling alleys. Many yards have no delineated areas. Some homeowners will build ramadas, patios, gazeboes, and outdoor kitchens. All of these add to your property’s hardscape and, in our desert homes – the HEAT!!
I realized years ago that you can create magic out of these scenarios with pots.
In my first Tucson home, we had a long walkway down the side of the house to the backyard. Not wanting to waste any space and lucky enough to be shaded by the neighbor’s oleanders, we created sitting areas down this path. A trellis made out of the concrete reinforcing metal screening and pots with vines (including a Tombstone Rose, Jasmine, and Tangerine Beauty CrossVine) created an angled trellis that separated the side garden room from the sun-drenched backyard.
One of my restaurant client’s patios faced a parking lot. We created side-by-side concrete planters filled with Robelini Palms and Mexican Lime trees, underplanted with cascading flowers and herbs – to be used by the chef.
Red Geraniums accompanied by grey Dusty Miller and Red Yucca make this an easy care driveway screen
Above is a fantastic idea of a roundabout driveway with a drop-off if you don’t make the corner! The contractor put up a standard double railing to warn the drivers, but it looked pretty industrial. The planters are 48″ wireframe hayracks with coco-fiber liners. Then we welded on decorative braces to assist in the planters’ stability.
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o you see, there are many ways you can use pots to serve a function in your home. They allow you to work with a smaller budget and to have tremendous flexibility as we gardeners change our minds – as we tend to do. 🙂
Happy Potting!
Marylee
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