Gardening

PLANTING

We started to plant our flowers and herbs for the year. It's so nice to be outside in the cooler weather!

FRESH TOMATOES

There is nothing like a fresh tomato picked from the garden. I planted 2 heirloom tomato plants last October. The plants have grown well and we have been eating them almost every day.
Today I used many of them to make a batch of tomato sauce to go with some fresh pasta.
The recipe for my tomato sauce is on my recipe page.

WINTER GARDEN

Just a few pictures of our garden now that the weather is so cool, even chilly in the evenings.......
We are going to have a bumper crop of oranges this winter. The oranges are quite large this year.

GARDEN IN JUNE

The days are getting hotter and hotter. I have pulled out most of my annuals as they have faded in the heat. A few plants still look nice.....my snail vine, my succulents and herbs as well as my annual purple flower.
The Japanese privet tree looks beautiful when it is in bloom with tiny white flowers. However, it's starting to fade as well as it drops its tiny flowers.

SWISS CHARD

Swiss chard is a green, leafy vegetable. The leaf stalks are usually white, yellow or red. They are highly nutritious making it a popular component of healthy diets.
Chard has been used in cooking for centuries. I use it in pasta recipes, shepherd's pie and just as a side vegetable cooked with garlic and shallots.

GARDEN PLANTS

I planted my flowers and vegetables a month ago. they are doing quite well. I have tomatoes, peppers, Swiss chard and herbs in my raised vegetable bed. This time of year in Arizona is so beautiful!

BOUGAINVILLEA

Bougainvillea is a thorny ornamental vine or bush with flower-like spring leaves near its flowers.
The colorful, showy part of the bougainvillea is not actually the flower. These are colorful Bracts which surround the true flowers.
The plant is native to South America and is named for a French explorer.
There is a wide range of colors. I took some photos of different ones in my neighborhood....

JAPANESE EGGPLANT

Japanese eggplants are long and slender with an oblong shape. Its glossy skin has a purple-black hue and is thin enough that you don't need to peel before using. The flavor is mile and because it is nearly seedless, it doesn't have that bitter quality found in the varieties. Mine is doing very well in a large pot.

PLANT STAND

I recently purchased a new plant stand for the patio just outside my kitchen door. It's very handy for many herbs and I also have a variety of succulents on the shelves....very pretty as well!

ORCHIDS

Orchids are a diverse and widespread family of flowering plants with colorful and often fragrant blooms. There is evidence that orchids are one of the largest and oldest families of plants in the world.
Most orchids are grown for their beautiful flowers, but the seedpods of the Vanilla orchid provide the popular flavoring.
My neighbor just left for a two-month vacation and gave me some picked orchids. She told me that they should last a fairly long time in water......

IRISES

The iris is a plant with very showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for rainbow, which is also the name for the Greek goddess of the rainbow, Iris.
Bearded irises have bushy "beards" on the lower petals of the blossoms.
Last fall, I bought some iris rhizomes from the American Iris Society. I was so happy to see them in bloom this spring. Have a look, they are very beautiful.......

CROCUS

Crocus are a flowering plant in the iris family that grow from corms. I planted some in a pot in the fall to see how they would do. They are blooming now and are a true sign of spring!

Originally Crocus sativus were grown and harvested for saffron in the Mediterranean on the island of Crete. This species has up to four flowers each with three crimson stigmas. The stigmas, called threads, are collected and dried to be used as the seasoning and colouring in food.

FALL PLANTING

The cooler weather means we can get out in our garden and start our fall planting. We started preparing the garden with very good compost. Then I planted flowers, herbs and the vegetable garden The vegetables that do well for me are tomatoes, Swiss chard, broccoli, eggplant, peppers and lettuce!

HANGING STRAWBERRY BASKET

When I was in Toronto this past summer, I went to one of my favorite shops, the Cheese Boutique. Outside the shop, I saw this hanging basket and I thought, what a wonderful idea!
Strawberry baskets take advantage of small spaces and the hanging strawberry plants are not only attractive but a food crop. They are also resistant to insects and soil borne diseases.
I have just planted mine....hope it will look as good as the first picture of the one at the Cheese Boutique!

SKYFLOWER

Skyflower, or Duranta erecta is a species of flowering shrub in the verbena family. I planted this shrub last fall and it is doing beautifully. The leaves are light green and the flowers are light blue, produced in tiny clusters located on axillary stems. They bloom about all year long. the fruit is small and yellow. Such a pretty bush!

SPRING FLOWERS

This is a beautiful time of year in the garden. Some flowers that I planted last fall are blooming wonderfully..... geraniums with lobelia and sweet peas.
The Lady Bank's rose has its white blossoms popping every day and my beautiful roses in my front garden are gorgeous!
A year ago, I planted a new lavender plant and it is looking beautiful....enjoy.

LEMONS

Lemons need to be picked at this time of year. Bright yellow, tart and tangy, lemons are a versatile element of today's healthy diet.
I recently squeezed many and froze the juice in little baggies. There are many uses for lemon juice from salad dressings, steamed vegetables, soups and fish.

CYCLAMEN

I have previously mentioned that I love cyclamen. It is a native of the Mediterranean and North Africa. Cyclamen is most often seen for sale throughout the fall and winter. When we had a cold spell this past winter, I covered my cyclamen and now they are absolutely gorgeous! Even the foliage is attractive with silver marbling on the tops of the leaves.

ROSE PRUNING

It's that time of year again to prune my roses. They need pruning to stay healthy and promote larger blooms once the warmer weather arrives. It is a time to remove dead wood, shape the plant and improve air circulation.
You can see my before and after photos.......

ORANGES

Arizona is one of only four citrus-producing states in the nation. (Texas, Florida and southern California are the others.) We have only one orange tree in our backyard. It is an Arizona Sweet....it produces many more oranges that we can eat. I usually squeeze them for fresh orange juice at breakfast. This year the crop seems more abundant than ever. We had an orange-picking party yesterday. Friends came for lunch and then took their bags and filled them up..... we still have so many!

BULBS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Today I planted my holiday bulbs. Every year at this time I plant amaryllis and paperwhites so that they bloom for the holidays.
Amaryllis are spectacular. The bulbs will produce 2-3 stems and 4-6 flowers per stem. I planted the variety Apple Blossom..... pale pink and beautiful.
Paperwhites are a small member of the Narcissus family. For little flowers, they are very fragrant and so pretty.
It is so fun to watch them grow every day!

PLANTING FLOWERS AND VEGETABLES

October is the month to plant flowers and vegetables. It feels so good to be gardening again! The plants should get established now and be even more wonderful in the early spring.
In the vegetable garden, I have planted lettuce, broccoli, swiss chard, tomatoes and herbs. One of my favorite flowers for the winter is cyclamen. The flowers seem to be always in bloom and flower continuously until the heat of the summer.
Please enjoy the following photos....

COMPOST

I have been getting ready to plant - yeah, the summer heat is finally winding down!
The first thing I do is to spread some good compost over my gardens. Compost is organic matter that has decomposed and turned into a fertilized soil.
I bought many burlap bags of the fine compost at Singh Farms and spread the compost in all of my gardens. Now once the weather is cool, I will plant!

FRONT PLANTER

Not too long ago we decided to plant a large beautiful planter on our front wall with flowers. I now have it planted with some flowers that can withstand the summer heat in Arizona. I think I will make it a seasonal exhibit.... stay tuned to see what I plant in the fall.

PEQUIN PEPPER PLANTS

Pequin peppers are hot chile peppers used to spice up food. My husband loves these and has a couple of plants in the backyard. They produce 2 to 3 crops per year and yield hundreds of small peppers. The are often 13 - 40 times hotter than jalapenos so make sure you use gloves or wash your hands many times after handling.
They can be dried and crushed into soups, sauces and pastas or any dish where you want an extra kick.

BIRD BATHS

Although many birds can be seen splashing around in a bird bath or a puddle, the most important aspect of a bird bath is that it provides the birds with a safe source of clean drinking water. This is especially important here in Arizona in the summer months.
My bird bath is in a shady area and I refill it every day.

SUCCULENTS

Succulents are very popular now and I love them! They are plants with thick, fleshy water storage organs. Water is stored in their leaves, stems or roots. These plants have adapted to survive arid conditions and are perfect for Arizona.
They have striking forms, unusual colors and are easy to care for. I have several on a baker's rack in my back yard.

ATRIUMS

In architecture, an atrium in an open space located within a building. They provide light to the interior. My home has two atriums, one in the front hall and one that goes between the master bath and the guest bath. Many homeowners have had them removed wanting more space and feeling that they are old fashioned. I have hanging plants as well as potted plants in mine. I think they are charming!

TOMATO PLANTS

Cherry tomatoes grow very well in Arizona. Because they ripen quickly before the weather gets too hot, they are juicy and the skins are not too thick. I always grow these for salads, vegetable dishes and pastas.
I planted an heirloom tomato this spring. the foliage has grown so much but the tomatoes are still quite small...... will see what happens.

BOUGAINVILLEA

For my friends in the north, I wanted to show you my bougainvillea. This is a thorny, ornamental vine that can grow very tall. The actual flower of the plant is small and white, but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by three or six bracts with bright colors.... mine is bright magenta. The bracts are thin and papery.

ROSES

I thought I would share some more photos of my roses. The color of the one rose is a brilliant salmon... almost fluorescent!

IRISES

The iris is my very favorite flower. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow as there is a wide variety of colors found among the many species. Irises are perennial plants grown from rhizomes. They are planted in the fall in Arizona.

SNAIL VINE

The Snail Vine is a beautiful, fast growing perennial for desert areas. Its flowers are pale purple and their shape reminds of a snail. I have it growing up a trellis against a wall in my back garden.

LADY BANKS ROSE

This climbing rose has rich green foliage on slender branches. It is a vigorous climber with clusters of white flowers..... very pretty on a trellis, fence or wall.

LAVENDER

Lavender comes in many beautiful hues. It is a romantic flower that is easy to grow in Arizona..... just make sure the soil drains well. You can harvest the lavender and dry for bouquets and sachets.

FOUNTAIN

An outdoor water feature creates a tranquil and relaxing feeling in a garden. It can be a pond, fountain or container water feature depending on what you like and the space you have. The birds love my fountain and use it as a bath and a drinking fountain.
Even the hummingbirds will hover for a cool drink.

JOSEPH'S COAT CLIMBING ROSE

This is a wonderful rose for small areas. it has many blended colored blooms with a mix of yellow, orange, pink and red. Named after the biblical character Joseph and his coat of many colors, this rose type provides an array of colors throughout the season.

SWISS CHARD

Swiss chard does very well in Arizona. It is extremely good for you and full of antioxidants. I keep picking it and it keeps on coming. This is delicious in pastas, soups or cooked with bacon and shallots.

BROCCOLI

Time to pick this and make my broccoli casserole!

ROSES

Time to prune roses in Arizona....... blossoms will be larger and healthier in the spring.
I picked some pretty blooms before I did the pruning.

VEGETABLES

Gardening here in Arizona is so very different from gardening in cooler climates. Instead of planting seedlings after the danger of frost is over, we plant in October after the danger of heat is over. If we do get a cold spell where the temperatures drop, we just cover up our plants with frost blankets for a night or two.

We have enjoyed many salads with our different lettuces, arugula and cherry tomatoes. The broccoli is just starting to show itself.