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
Watters Garden Center Prescott
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
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
Mosquitoes, Flies, Spiders are No Match for These Plants
When it comes to the inevitable face-off between you and bugs, keeping them away from your immediate vicinity is a top priority. There are pesticides and bug traps, but plants can reduce the need for so many chemicals around the patio. Plants are in the business of repelling insects as a natural way of defending themselves. They also need insects to perform cross-pollination so they can survive. It is an arms race between plants and insects, each trying to survive and prosper. We rounded … [Read more...] about Mosquitoes, Flies, Spiders are No Match for These Plants
Featuring the Most Beautiful Mountain Flowers in the Garden
Some flowers capture the imagination like no other. Their sheer beauty makes them iconic, transporting gardeners in the remembrance of garden weddings, tropical destinations and secret forests. These flowers may seem exotic, but many can be grown right here in the mountains of Arizona. Here are the most beautiful flowers you can grow in local gardens starting in April. Bearded Iris is as tough and low maintenance as it is exquisite. Deep violets to solar yellow and everything between, these … [Read more...] about Featuring the Most Beautiful Mountain Flowers in the Garden
January is the Time to Prepare Garden Soils
Gardeners know the better the soil, the larger the harvest, the brighter the flowers, the easier the gardening. Once you’ve tried digging the first planting hole in a mountain garden, you figure it out. Our native soils are HARD! Successful gardens always come down to soil quality. Skimp on spring preparation to “soften” the ground, and a garden’s production drops close to zero. January is my month to amend garden beds, turn the soil, and let the garden rest before planting begins March 1. … [Read more...] about January is the Time to Prepare Garden Soils