Garden & Landscape

Tomatoes continue to rate among the top summer plants in gardens. As large as they are, they’re challenging to grow in small containers. Here are five insider tips to growing better tomatoes in containers.

We don’t all have room for a mighty Maple or the outstretched branches of a native Sycamore in our backyard. After reading this article, you will know about the fantastic few smaller trees that outshine the rest in today’s modern yard. Whether you are looking for shade or spring’s bright colors, these beauties grow to a maximum of 25 feet and require minimal maintenance to look great. Insider tip: If you have a small yard, focus on vertical space—select plants with an upright growing habit. Also, garden in hanging baskets raised beds, and containers to maximize your ground space.

The seals on today’s ultra-efficient homes keep outside air from penetrating their interiors, thus recirculating inside air without added freshness. A three-month-old air filter cleans only so many particles before choking on its own dust. We won’t mention formaldehyde-ridden foreign products brought into the home for the holidays. In the past, toxins weren’t an environmental problem because fresh air was ever-present. Now that we’ve made our homes nearly airtight, the freshness that indoor plants provide is more vital than ever.

We have more than 50 glazed containers decorating the patios in the front and back yards. Many are super impressive, but even more need the gardener’s touch to keep that decorative style through the seasons to come. Here’s my go-to list of autumn plants that outshine the rest though the end of the year.

Some flowers are just bigger, brighter, and showier than others. We have each of the four Prescott seasons covered for flowers that show off in late winter right through the end of the year. These are the biggest and boldest of them all that deliver years of enjoyment.

I believe butterflies, some of the most beautiful, magnificent, and interesting creatures in any garden, are God’s gift to gardeners. Fortunately, butterfly numbers are increasing in our landscapes, primarily because they’re losing their natural habitats. The building of homes, roads, and farms in Arizona all contribute to the increased butterfly populations in cultivated gardens. Creating a butterfly garden is an easy way to attract more butterflies for our enjoyment while improving their environment.

The mountains of Arizona are famous for easy-care roses. Thanks to the dry air and alkaline soils, we grow a better, brighter, more fragrant rose without the disease and insect issues that plague gardens in high-humidity states. Every garden deserves at least one rose bush, whether in the ground, a raised bed, or a container.

When you think of small evergreen shrubs, do you have an image in your mind of small, rather uninteresting lumps of green dotting a landscape? Well, you shouldn’t. There are plenty of lush bushes that are also quite colorful. It’s just a matter of knowing which grows best in the mountains of Arizona. Here is my list of unique, short, showy, evergreen shrubs with ample color that will enhance your home.

A chill is in the air, so the furnace or fireplace has been back to its warming work. This is a trying time of transition for many houseplants because the heated air causes the humidity in your home to drop.