http://www.garden.org/regional/report/current/5 en-us http://www.garden.org/regional/report/arch/2955 It's your choice: Sharpen your elbows in preparation for wading through competitive shoppers hunting bargains on Black Friday, or relax in your garden, potting shed, or favorite nursery while concocting homegrown gifts for folks on your list. Assuming...
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Resources

• Illustrating Butterflies of the Desert Southwest
• Thrift Store Finds for the Garden

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Reminders

• Maintain Moisture in Garden Soil
• Save Carbon
• Continue Transplanting Natives
• Monitor Forecasts
• Fertilize Vegetables

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]]> http://www.garden.org/regional/report/arch/2931 This is the third and final report on choosing plants for Chiricahua Mountains area landscapes. However, the basic concept of planting within microclimates may help you better understand choosing and siting plants wherever you live and garden. First,...
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Resources

• High Desert Gardening & Landscaping Conference
• Southeast Arizona Native Grass Mix

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Reminders

• Reduce Watering
• Plant Bulbs
• Transplant Perennials
• Plant an Edible Flower Bed
• Add Some Pungency

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]]> http://www.garden.org/regional/report/arch/2929 This is Part 2 of my report on choosing landscape plants for the Chiricahua Mountains region at Arizona's southern border. Wherever you might live and garden, copying Mother Nature is an entertaining, instructive, and practical method to create...
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Resources

• Edible and Medicinal Desert Plants Guided Walk
• Southeastern Arizona plants

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Reminders

• Continue Sowing Wildflower Seeds
• Grow a Culinary Herb Bed
• Cover a Wall with Flowering Vines
• Continue Planting Vegetable Gardens
• Transplant Trees

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]]> http://www.garden.org/regional/report/arch/2916 A gardener from the Chiricahua Mountains, in southern Arizona near the Mexican border, inquired recently what plants would survive in her landscape, as well as protect other plants from hungry critters. Always ready to seize any excuse for a weekend...
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Resources

• Water Harvesting Designs that Work
• White Prairie Clover

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Reminders

• Initiate Reblooming of Holiday Plants
• Sow Wildflower Seeds
• Continue Adding Landscape Plants
• Plant Spring Bulbs
• Care for Turf

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]]> http://www.garden.org/regional/report/arch/2900 A reader's comment to a previous report questioned lantana's suitability for desert landscapes because of its reported invasiveness. I asked Ed Northam, invasive weed expert with the University of Arizona, for input and he had the following response on...
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Resources

• Fall Plant Sale
• Choose Transplants Without Blooms

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Reminders

• Improve Garden Soil
• Plant Vegetables
• Add Trees and other Landscape Plants
• Plant Herbs
• Inspect Agaves

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]]> http://www.garden.org/regional/report/arch/2892 Believe it or not, the low desert's premier planting season is almost upon us. Transplanting in late September/early October provides a lengthy seven-month period for root systems to establish before intense heat returns. This month, many public gardens...
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Resources

• Jojoba
• Avoid Tree Staking

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Reminders

• Maintain Houseplants
• Monitor Water Needs
• Buy Seeds
• Correcting Iron Deficiency
• Trim and Feed Roses

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]]> http://www.garden.org/regional/report/arch/2882 Ornamental clumping grasses add movement, texture, form, and color to the landscape. Savvy gardeners use them to picturesque effect, although grasses don't seem to be as commonly planted in the Phoenix area as their many atttributes warrant. On a recent...
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Resources

• Mexican Thread Grass
• Revegetate with Seed Mixes

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Reminders

• Plan for Rainwater Harvest
• Create a Shopping List
• Ready Vegetable Garden Beds
• Feed Citrus
• Aerate Lawns

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]]> http://www.garden.org/regional/report/arch/2872 There are many ways to harvest rainwater in the landscape, including directing water to planting areas using swales and dry streambeds or collecting and storing rain in cisterns and barrels. A simpler way to take advantage of rainwater is to allow soil...
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Resources

• Grow Native! Fall Plant Sale
• Canyon Penstemon

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Reminders

• Go Green in the Garden
• Plant Palms
• Clean Up Storm Damage
• Sow Summer Squash
• Water Citrus

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]]> http://www.garden.org/regional/report/arch/2860 When desert summer sun blazes overhead, thermometers read 105+ degrees, and humid air seems thick enough to carve and stack like bricks, sitting in the garden becomes more endurance test than relaxing activity. Don't fight it. Instead, start planning an...
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Resources

• Golden Dyssodia
• How Much to Water

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Reminders

• Check Your Sun Exposure
• Replenish Mulch
• Sow Sunflowers
• Control Weeds
• Eliminate Breeding Areas for Skeeters

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]]> http://www.garden.org/regional/report/arch/2844 Sometimes when I'm at my desk working, I get the feeling that I'm being watched. Usually, it's not paranoia; I am indeed being observed, by a collared lizard who makes his home in my front yard. He periodically clambers up the window screen and peers...
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Resources

• Amphibians and Reptiles
• Reuse Concrete

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Reminders

• Irrigate Efficiently
• Thin Desert Trees as Needed
• Aerate Bermuda Lawns
• Control Spider Mites
• Deadhead Flowers

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]]> http://www.garden.org/regional/report/arch/2808 Sustainable landscapes were the topic of my June 19 report, and here I'd like to offer some recommendations for plants that meet the guidelines for such a landscape. Basically, sustainable (also called enduring) landscapes can survive on rainfall after...
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Resources

• Rainlog
• Visit Public Gardens During Off-Season

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Reminders

• Sow Native Seeds
• Hose Off Cochineal Scale
• Water Veggies Carefully
• Transplant Palm Trees
• Cull Split Citrus

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