Desert Plants and Desert Native Bees – A Potent Pollination Pairing!
Desert native bees are an elemental link in the Sonoran Desert’s web of life, providing vital pollination services for water-wise native plants and others. This article empowers readers to understand, identify, and nurture desert native bees in gardens and wild spaces, to the benefit of all desert dwellers.
Plant of the Month: 5 Plants That Can Take the Southwest Heat
It’s no surprise that the biggest challenge to growing plants in our region is the intense heat and dryness of summer, which is a stressful environment for plants. Thankfully, there are several plants that thrive in a hot, dry climate. Here are a few of Southwest Gardening’s Noelle Johnson’s favorite plants… Read More
Plant of the Month: Desert Ruellia
Vibrant purple color, lush green foliage, and a long bloom period combine in the form of desert ruellia (Ruellia peninsularis). This Southwestern native thrives in full sun and shrugs off the intense heat in summer. The arrival of spring is greeted by a large flush of purple flowers, which contrast… Read More
PHXWaterSmart’s free landscape workshop: Rain Gardens
City of Phoenix Water Customers: Learn how to design an earth-friendly yard using simple earthworks and low-water-use plants To register for this free workshop, please visit phoenix.gov/wrc. Walk-ins are accepted as long as space permits.
Plant of the Month: Chuparosa | Plants for Birds – Part 2
The Hummingbird’s Choice Award goes to … Chuparosa! If Arizona’s hummingbirds could vote on a state flower, it would be Chuparosa (Justicia californica). A mainstay of most wildlife gardens, this long-suffering desert beauty asks little and gives much. It can be grown long and lanky, spindly branches vining into trees… Read More
Don’t Just Stand There … Plant Something!
Want to improve your quality of life? Plant Something. Seriously. How is a plant or tree possibly going to make life better, you ask? By lowering your heart rate, providing beauty and shade, improving your property value, lowering your energy costs, cleaning the air and water, and creating a more… Read More
Plant of the Month: Globe Mallow
Globe mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), both drought tolerant and beautiful, brings a unique “cottage-garden” feel to the desert plant palette along with some surprises. In spring a flush of colorful flowers are produced that will cause people to stop in their tracks. After that, globe mallow will bloom off and on… Read More
Landscaping with Nature – Xeriscape
What is Xeriscape? Landscapes in urban backyards or around a rural home generally accommodate fruit or ornamental trees, shrubs, and flowers that serve a variety of purposes: food, shade, screen, color, or wildlife habitat. With the right plant choices and placement, pleasing and functional landscapes can be achieved that will… Read More
PLANT OF THE MONTH: FLOWERING TREES
Have you ever experienced the agony of sitting in a car that has been baking in an asphalt parking lot? If so, you understand the main value of trees in the desert; they provide much-needed SHADE! Trees benefit our environment in so many ways. They moderate our climate, provide wildlife habitat, improve air quality, and help conserve water by storing… Read More
PLANT OF THE MONTH: SLIPPER FLOWER
Plant Description Slipper Flower (Euphorbia lomelii or sometimes sold under the old name of Pedilanthus macrocarpus) has succulent light green stems that grow upright from a woody root crown. The jointed stems are mostly unbranched, ¾ inch thick and up to 3 feet tall. The plant can eventually spread to… Read More
