Desert Gardening – Patience required

Initial October Planting white pot #1

If you have followed my winter garden this year, you know I have been frustrated. In the fall, we put five large pots into our 18-foot raised bed, making it easier for me to tend them. I devised a splendid plan (in my mind, at least!) and installed the pots and plants in late October.…

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February in Your Desert Container Garden

Kale with Red Cyclmen in a Desert Winter Potted Garden The Potted Desert

How do you remember our winter so far this year? Cold nights and cool days? Flowers and vegetables have been slow to grow? Only a few drops of rain if any? And, the snow we had a week ago? Do not let a warm week in February allow you to think that winter is over.…

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Shades of Purple for your Winter Desert Pots

A Winter KISS Design for Full Sun in Your Desert Pots (KISS – Keep It Super Simple!) Plant this pot design from the back to front (as pictured) or start with the Osteos in the center for an all-around pot. Why I Love These Plants Osteospermums, Petunias, Pansies and Lobelia provide bold color for your…

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March in Your Potted Garden with Warnings!

Winter Violas Orange Calendula..The Potted Desert

March Diligence Will Pay Off 3 Reasons to Hold Off Planting Summer Flowers 1. It’s always too cold in March to plant summer flowers. In the next couple of weeks in desert communities, nights will be in the 40s, plus or minus 5 degrees depending on your elevation and micro-climates. Summer annuals need a solid…

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November in Your Desert Container Garden

Winter Annuals with Pots that bloom color themselves create a beautiful focal point in your Desert Potted Garden

Happy November!  November is marvelous in our desert container gardens. New winter flowers, fresh air, warm days and cool nights. Be sure to get out on your patio and enjoy the time. Print this and put it on your refrigerator to remind you of your November Potted Garden Tasks! Plant Your Winter Potted Garden Now!…

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Violas – A Desert Cool Season Annual

Winter Violas in a Blue Pot by The Potted Desert

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…

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A Super Simple Winter Desert Container Design

Simple Winter Pot with Kale and Calendula The Potted Desert

Plant your desert pots with the KISS method Keep It Super Simple! Our center stage of this KISS pot is Calendula. You already have a Calendula plant description article in your premium content folders. Here is the LINK, so you don’t have to go searching. https://potteddesert.com/calendula/ I chose Calendula for this KISS design because it…

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Calendula – A Staple in the Desert Container Garden

Calendula with Burgundy Snaps by the Potted Desert

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…

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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…

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