When Lisa and I were just married and struggling to keep fresh food on the table, a saint of a neighbor came to our rescue. Harry lived across the street and his entire backyard was filled with edible plants. His passion was vegetables and he purposely grew extra to share with family, neighbors and the local food bank. Fresh tomatoes, peppers, squash and other bounties from his garden were delivered to our door. Believe me, we consumed every piece of fruit he gave us! He was a lifesaver. A … [Read more...] about Six Healthy Reasons to Grow More Food This Spring
Ken Lain
Planting Fresh Fruit for a Healthier You
Early spring brings a sense of rejuvenation, vitality and renewal. Gardeners witness the revitalization from the fresh leaves and flowers in the gardens. The season also generates activity in plants that produce edibles, especially those fruit trees that flourish in the higher elevations of Arizona. But there is more to fruit trees than just a bountiful harvest; they bring seasonal changes of colors and textures that provide fascinating diversity in our landscapes. Fruit Trees Spring fruit … [Read more...] about Planting Fresh Fruit for a Healthier You
Growing Edible Plants
It’s the start of a new year, with new plant deliveries already arriving for the season. This is a rather interesting list of plants used to dress up and decorate the garden - and they are surprisingly tasty. Indigenous people have known many of these plants since the beginning. Here is a listing of some edible perennials that may surprise you and favorites for the backyard. All are available at Watters Garden Center or are being shipped in a few weeks. Bamboo Panda bears enjoy munching … [Read more...] about Growing Edible Plants
Five Amazing Privacy, Seclusion Trees that Screen
Now is the time to plant privacy screens for maximum growth and seclusion in spring. Without strategically placed evergreens in the yard, it can feel as if prying eyes are looking right into your home. Not only does your privacy seemingly disappear, but that neighbor’s debris pile can be on display! Enable enjoyable hot tub sessions without prying eyes from that too-close-for-comfort neighbor. The solution to these unwanted invasions is not rocket science. Simply plant a wall of living trees … [Read more...] about Five Amazing Privacy, Seclusion Trees that Screen
Eleven Fall Tips for Better Gardens
Autumn gardening is a great time to look back on garden successes and disappointments. There’s still plenty of time to do some garden maintenance. Fall gardening takes advantage of cooler temperatures and fewer weeds and insects. Putting the garden to bed is not as hectic as waking it up in the spring. You’ll have time to really see how your plants are doing. Here are some tasks to do now, to make next year’s garden brighter and better. Enrich garden beds with Watters Barnyard Manure. … [Read more...] about Eleven Fall Tips for Better Gardens
Insider Secrets Your Landscaper Won’t Share
Whether it’s having hardscape features installed, performing chores or selecting plants for the yard, it’s helpful to understand the insider secrets landscapers won’t share. Thinking like a professional saves lots of money, time and frustration. Best of all, unlocking these pro tips will help transform your plantings from a mere collection of plants into a sophisticated landscape design. Hardscaping is everything non-living, like irrigation, raised beds, ponds and retaining walls. Hardscape … [Read more...] about Insider Secrets Your Landscaper Won’t Share
Enjoy a Brighter Fall Garden in Five September Steps
August is the hottest month in the gardens. Vegetable and flower gardeners delight in the bounty the heat and monsoon rain offers. Others long for the calm, cool autumn nights for which Arizona is so famous. September is a transition month with some critical garden needs at hand. Keeping up with fall maintenance assures both the health of your garden in spring and a shorter maintenance list later. September starts a season of change with the most pleasant mountain weather. The hot summer days … [Read more...] about Enjoy a Brighter Fall Garden in Five September Steps
Best Landscape Trees for All Four Seasons
Trees are where your landscape value is. Plant them right, and your home value grows; get trees wrong, and they take over, lift patios and driveways, hide beautiful architecture, and more. Think of trees and the four seasons. Begin with trees that announce spring by blooming, then have trees that offer summer shade, autumn reds and gold, ending with visual interest through winter. The goal is not simply to collect specimens in the yard, but rather to have at least one model tree per season that … [Read more...] about Best Landscape Trees for All Four Seasons
Essential July Garden To-Do List
July is the ideal month to add a shade or fruit tree, a berry plant, summer flowering shrubs and perennials to your landscape. Plants root quickly in the warm summer soil. With the arrival of monsoon rains, plants thrive even more. The increased humidity and shade from a cloud floating overhead are a relief to you and your plants. Heat Loving Perennial This is the best time to add summer-blooming perennials to garden containers and flowerbeds. Perennials are those flowers that come back … [Read more...] about Essential July Garden To-Do List
Enjoying Pretty Plants with Daisy Flowers
A favorite flower of days gone by would have to be a daisy, Bellis perennis. This happy-face flower with radiating white petals around a yellow center is still identifiable even to non-gardeners. Daisies are so tough in the mountain garden, but too much white is boring and plain. We developed many daisy-like bloomers that offer far more color, and that are brighter and even easier to grow than their daisy cousin. Each of the following companion flowers thrives like a wild daisy. Each has a … [Read more...] about Enjoying Pretty Plants with Daisy Flowers