4 Ways to Prepare for Cooler Temperatures in Your Desert Garden
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.
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The ‘Silver King’ has eye-catching, silvery white edges with glossy green leaves that add uniquecolor and texture to your landscape. 
Potted with Strawberry Fields Gomphrena, Deep Red Pentas, Red ‘Pacifica’ Vinca, and Orange ‘Profustion’ Zinnia.
Looking for a gorgeous, colorful flower pot for the long summer? Plant a healthy combination of heat-loving plants and enjoy it all summer long.
It’s getting hot, but it can be sweltering if you’re a rose bush. Although roses grow beautifully in the desert, this heat takes its toll. Don’t expect your roses to bloom in the middle of the summer and remember to cut the amount of fertilizer in half from June through August. This practice allows your rose bushes to rest during the heat of the summer.
We have had a hot start to the southwest U.S. desert this spring. Many of you might be saying, “What spring?” The entire southwest has been running 10 degrees above normal jumping us into an early period of the 90’s. I have heard too many people already complaining about the heat.
Because the desert summer sun is so intense, even your sun-loving plants prefer a little shade. Place pots under a lightly leafed tree such as a Mesquite tree for that dappled light.
As you would expect, the key to success in your hot desert pots is water; consistent, plentiful water. If you water your pots with irrigation, set it to come on about 4:00 am and water before the lines heat up in the sun.
If you do lose some plants to the heat, don’t leave the dead or dying plants in the pot. All that does is make you feel bad. It also can keep telling you to do more work and replace the plants. My motto has always been, Better Dirt Than Dead.
Pictured here is a blank slate of a common, albeit boring fence in a desert backyard. It borders a grassy area adjacent to a rocked space that is the view from the back door and kitchen crying for the ‘right something’ to be added.
will not only provide you with an easier solution other than cactus but will give you that desired living color focal point in your desert landscape all summer long.
We see Bougainvillea all over our desert landscapes. With a larger number of patio homes, these large plants are often too unwieldy to support in the patio landscape. Desert Dwellers often ask about planting Bougainvillea in pots so they can enjoy them year-round in hot climates. However, Bougainvillea are seriously particular, so follow these tips to increase your chances of success!
