National Gardening Association

February 14, 2008
Southwestern Deserts
By Cathy Cromell,
Phoenix, AZ

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In My Garden

Cool Temps Create Cool Colors

When winter temperatures drop, some desert-adapted plants respond to the stress by changing colors. Years ago, I had admired a fellow gardener's prickly pear, which featured long, black, needle-like spines that stood out distinctly against blue pads....
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Resources

Favorite or New Plant

Prickly Pear 'Baby Rita' prickly pear ( Opuntia basalaris 'Baby Rita') is positively cute. Small, chubby pads...

Clever Gardening Technique

Visit Nurseries and Botanic Gardens During cold weather, visit nurseries and public gardens to see firsthand how color variations may...

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Regional Reminders

Manage Irrigation Carefully
Monitor Weather
Set Out Tomatoes
Continue Bare-Root Planting
Continue Sowing Cool-Season Veggies

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National News

From NGA Editors

New Apricot Zinnia

Zinnias are one of the easiest annual flowers to grow in the garden, and they come in many sizes, shapes, and colors -- from pure white to deep red. Now gardeners have a beautiful new apricot...

A Solution for Heavy Containers

Container gardening continues to be hugely popular, and many gardeners love to experiment with large containers, mixing and matching edibles, flowers, and even small shrubs. However, large...

The Best Daisies

The Shasta daisy ( Leucanthemum x superbum ) is a carefree, widely adapted perennial flower that gardeners across the country can grow. The flowers reach 5 inches in diameter with yellow centers...

Kudzu Contributes to Air Pollution

As if there weren't enough reasons to dislike this ubiquitous Southern weed that is migrating northward with global warming, now it appears kudzu emits gases that contribute to air pollution....

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February 14, 2008 Southwestern Deserts By Cathy Cromell, Phoenix, AZ