Category: Flowers

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener While tall plants that thrill the senses might be where you start with a container garden, they aren’t the most critical bloom in the pot. Plants that flow, spill and erupt out of your…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener At the Lain casa flowers have been planted and are filling in quickly.  Take a look at the Pinterest Board to see this year’s gardens.  It’s nice to pass from the drab gardens of…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener The best outdoor potted plants.  Flowers that are hard to kill. What are the best low maintenance plants? Plants that survive winter. What plants are easy to grow outside? Plants for people with black…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener The mountains of Arizona have so many sunny days with moderate temperatures that people rarely need to wear more than light jackets.  Mild winters and dry hot summers, both with low humidity and irregular…

By Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener Spring weather signals the start of specific gardening tasks that are essential to maintaining a vital, healthy garden. I’m a list type of gardener, and the following is my springtime procedural list in order…

By Ken Lain, the mountain gardener Few perennial flowers compare to the bloom and fragrance of peonies in the spring garden.  Many new varieties arrived this week at the garden center; so exciting that they inspired this week’s column.  Peonies…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener Bright snapdragon blossoms bloom profusely throughout cool weather with intensely saturated colors more vivid than mountain wildflowers. Snapdragon’s botanical name, Antirrhinum, means “like a snout” and refers to the seed pod’s resemblance to a…

By Ken Lain, the mountain gardener Once you’ve tried digging the first planting hole in a mountain garden you learn that our native soils are HARD ! !  Skimp on spring soil preparation to “soften” the ground and a mountain…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, there are probably some dried up annuals and disease-ridden roses along the way. No one invests time and money in a flower garden with…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener Mulch is any material that is spread or laid over the surface of the soil as a covering. It is used to retain moisture in the soil, suppress weeds, keep the soil cool, and…