I love May in the Phoenix area (it's easy to do).  Days are warm, but not brutal, and mornings, evenings, and nights are absolutely magical.  Here in my little garden, we've not yet hit 100 F, although it's coming for sure.  That being said, days are…

Spring has finally arrived and I have been spending countless hours each day enjoying the garden.  This year I am not even a grumpy weed puller I am so happy to just be able to finally get out there.  Compared to last year the garden is a bit over a month behind on its growth because of the cold spring temperatures.  However, I am not going to complain because my garden has finally started to explode with color and I am enjoying every minute of it.

The Primrose…

My latest post visit

 http://sensiblegardening.com/self-sustaining-gardening/

The best part about late winter/early spring is starting your summer garden now by planting seeds indoors. It's a great feeling knowing how your plants started, but also the tremendous amount of money you save by starting your…

I don't know about you, but I grow plants in part because I like to nurture things. …

Your Phytopod is a solar capture device-- the ultimate solar fridge!

Harvesting your greens correctly can make your Phytopod more productive.  Once your Phytopod is covered in green, you want to keep it that way.  Each leaf is an antenna and so it is important to always leave nice big leaves on the plants when harvesting greens. They will…

I was woken this morning by the postman banging on my door. When I opened the door and saw what a size of a box he had.....I was flumaxed!!

I bought a strawberry bush and two blueberry bushes (different varieties) over the weekend.  I'm very excited because this is my first time growing edibles in my garden.  They're very small now but, they are producing fruit.  I already have strawberries growing as well as about 10 blueberries.  I look forward to eating directly from home where I know what went into the growth and development of my plants.  …

Hello everyone.

Thought I would take a moment and introduce myself. I specialize in orchids for which I have been growing for 23 years now. I have had groups on yahoo and facebook to educate people on all aspects of orchids and their growth and care for years.

I recently started to dwell in other area's of gardening with bromiliads, cacti, succulents, and ferns. I have a large corner lot that is mainly all grass except for the brim around the house and need to create…

Growing vegetables can be a relaxing hobby that rewards you with fresh grown vegetables at a fraction of the cost of buying them at the store. Even better, growing them at home can allow you to be certain that the vegetables are not exposed to potentially harmful chemicals. While growing vegetables is not difficult, here are some things to keep in mind to make certain you will have a good harvest.



Choose Carefully



When deciding what to grow, stick with the basics and…

Most people are surprised by the sight of plants growing out of the side of a Phytopod.  We all know that weeds and other flighty seeds can germinate and flourish in the cracks of a wall or on a rooftop. Well, many of the lettuces and greens we eat in salads these days are what we used to call weeds in the days when mass production and herbicides had hegemony.  Growing vertical is a capability of almost all plants however! The rules are that roots will grow down and shoots and leaves will…

I know...how could our lives get any busier. Right? It's hard to remember every single thing we need to, or want to do.

Besides, who pays that much attention to what's going on in the yard in the dead of winter, when it's cold and miserable out there. It can be a nuisance to trudge outside, into the cold…

I know I've talked a lot recently about house plants. I guess it's because I'm surrounded by them because we have to bring so many of our plants in for the winter.

I know you've seen the house plants for sale at the home improvement stores. Some of them can get pretty pricey, but if you're getting a really…

I try to be organized but it sometimes seems little gremlins are shuffeling stuff in the garage.  I had to buy a new Florian folding limb saw because my old one has gone missing.  A vinyl shoe organizer is mounted to the wall near the exit door.  It holds most of my garden hand tools: not nearly enough room for…

A great garden design will have permanent pathways, and stepping stones…for walking and stepping. If garden beds, flower and vegetable, are…

Centranthus ruber, or Jupiter’s Beard, is one of the beautiful plants I discovered about 3 years ago, after moving west. I’d never heard of it before, but I began to see it in gardens all around.

Centranthus - Jupiter's…

When it's freezing cold outside and the snow is blowing and I know there is still 4 long months until I can really "garden" again, I start looking through pictures of last years garden. It's really fun to compare them with the pictures of our garden the year before, to see how things have progressed. The grape vines…

Garden Cress (or Pepper grass) taste like Watercress, with a peppery bite to it. It's a very easy to grow annual herb. It can be grown in the garden or in containers on the deck or patio or even in the kitchen window.

To grow cress in the garden, plant the seeds as early as possible in the spring, planting…

Okay, I'm hooked on Clematis. They have such beautiful flowers and they bloom for such a long time. I have them all over the yard and I look forward to them maturing and adding so much color to my garden.

There are so many different vines that have beautiful blossoms though, like Wisteria, Trumpet Vine,…