September brings more mornings with temperatures in the low seventies and a nice breeze to your desert garden. What a relief! This always entices me to do some work outside – not only in the garden but also in my swinging hammock chair on my iPad. Nice!!!
On one of these mornings, I thought about how we really don’t use our desert patios as much as we could. I think we get so caught up in the heat and “It’s just too hot!” and then the winter cold which does happen now and then. We don’t have a habit developed to go out and just be.
I created this list of ideas as your temperatures allow you to venture outside, at least in the early morning hours:
Idea #1: Drink your morning beverage outside and contemplate even cooler days to come. What are your plans? Is there anything different you want to do in your pots this winter?
How about an “at home” holiday?
Don’t have a place that is comfy and cozy to do this? Take a weekend to relax, turn off the phones, spend time in the pool or curl up with a good book – what you might do if you were at a resort. With a little imagination, creativity and a couple of comfortable chairs, you can create a wonderful cozy seating area without bricks and mortar to enjoy on your ‘staycation.”
But before you go outside, get some healthy air inside! This is Idea #2. There are many reasons to open the windows – first and foremost – it feels and smells good!! Here are some other reasons to get those windows open!
- It will help rid your home of toxic fumes.
- It’s free – turn off your air conditioning for a couple hours and let your home soak up those cool breezes.
- Your indoor plants will love you for it!
- You will hear the birds and other sounds of nature.
- Experts say that opening windows will improve your overall health.
And while we are talking about feeling good, consider Idea #3
Reducing some of the clutter that might have accumulated in your yard over the past year(s). If you are not using some pots – donate them to a community or school garden. Old soil and fertilizer, broken tools, things you have collected over time and are tired of or you just don’t want/need them anymore – find new homes for them by donating them and toss what is of no value. I promise you that if you clean out the clutter, it will have many of the same effects as opening your windows!
Finally. Idea #4 – consider adding a new accent pot or piece of art to your favorite area. A new, cooler season might inspire you to treat yourself to something bright and cheery.
Trust me – it will continue to cool down so that you want to spend more time outside. Now is the time to dream a little and make some fun decisions about what’s next for your garden.
Additional Tips for Your September Desert Garden
Capture Rainwater-
And use it to water plants under your covered areas. Micro nutrients in the rain are great for potted plants!
Speaking of rain, too often desert homeowners make the mistake in thinking that a monsoon storm means they can cut back on irrigation or hand watering for their pots, gardens and other plants.
Desert Rain – Points to consider:
- It has to rain at least one (1) inch in order to saturate the root ball of your plants (get yourself a rain gauge so you know how much rain your yard has received)
- Pots under a Ramada, tree or overhang do not receive enough. if any rain.
- A deep soaking rain (more than 1 inch) received over a long time period (several hours) will only replace one day’s worth of pot watering.
- Pots in full sun with flowers and other ‘soft’ plants are accustomed to daily watering.
- A missed watering can cause your plants to get stressed and this invites problems including pest invasion and disease.
- If you have not received much rain, water your potted cacti/succulents now ~ Deeply!
What to Plant when your pots are just ugly:
Nurseries will have a fresh selection of annuals to replace those that have petered out. Zinnias, Marigolds, Vinca, and even Snapdragons, Dianthus and Petunias are all good choices that will carry your through October and the later three, all the way through winter with the right care.
Rose September Cut Back:
This applies to all Hybrid Teas, Mini’s and Floribunda’s.
- Remove the top 1/3 of your roses and dead canes
- Selectively prune your climbers doing a lesser cut back.
- Clean up all the dead/fallen leaves, old mulch and debris.
- Reapply bark mulch around the roses.
Fertilize Citrus:
- Check to see if you have fertilizer for your citrus trees.
- Fertilize citrus according to the instructions on the package this month.
- Water in deeply.