Page 16 – Watters Garden Center

10/27/202110/27/2021

7 Trees With Brilliant Fall Color + Bonus

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener

What trees have the prettiest fall colors?
Fall color trees zone 7.
What trees turn bright red in the fall?
Small trees with fall color.
What trees turn bright orange in the fall?
What trees turn what colors in the fall.
Which maple tree has the best fall color?

Japanese Maple Acer palmatum — *Japanese Maple*

Many mountain trees offer spectacular autumn colors, but glowing fall leaves light up only one of our four seasons. The best landscape trees shine in every growing season. Maples provide some of the best fall colors. Several are outstanding shade trees through summer, others a great source of sap for syrup, and the smallest flame maples have exceptional drought tolerance in a desert landscape. Tiny Trees for Tiny Yards don’t take up much space. Most offer stellar autumn foliage, and their fragrant spring flowers are an added bonus.

Don’t settle for foliage that is spectacular only in fall, when you could have trees with colorful spring flowers or fruit that feeds birds in summer. Here are 12 trees with both great autumn colors and have at least one other notable feature.

Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum, boasts colorful leaves through Autumn and other seasons. Most types grow 10-20′ feet, but ‘Crimson Queen’ Japanese maple is a dwarf type favored by lovers of weeping trees.

Bonus – The finely lobed leaves are beautiful up close. One of the most successful trees grown in large containers on shaded patios and decks.

Quaking Aspen, Populus tremuloides, is almost synonymous with Autumn in the Arizona mountains. The proclivity of its leaves to tremble at the slightest breeze is as famous as its golden color.

Bonus – listen and admire the sound is an added benefit. Quaking aspens also have an attractive, whitish-colored bark that offers year-round interest.

River Birch, Betula nigra, is a bright gold tree through Autumn. At 40′ feet tall, this tree adapts better than others to Caliche mountain soils.

Bonus – The best feature is the fascinating peeling bark, enjoyed winter, spring, summer, and fall.

Gleditsia triacanthos Locust Sunburst Honeylocust in Summer

Sunburst Honeylocust, Gleditsia triacanthos, produces glowing gold autumn foliage. The same gold hues erupt in spring, maturing to a dark green summer shade tree at 35′ feet tall.

Bonus – super tolerant of drought, a superior street tree that tolerates road salt and pollution better than others that is both thornless and seedless.

Sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua, revels in the mixture of reds, orange, purple, gold, yellow, and green. Sweetgum grows to 60′ feet tall with large leaves that make a good shade tree.

Bonus – The bark of this tree is attractive every season and very heat-hardy. The gumballs interest crafters for use in wreaths, kissing balls, and other projects.

Autumn Blaze Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum

Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum, are the royals of the fall foliage world in Prescott. Different types of maples display brilliant yellow, red, orange, or burgundy fall colors. The color of an individual tree can sometimes vary from year to year.

Bonus – sugar maples offer the unique benefit of sap that can be tapped and boiled down to a delicious syrup. Sugar maples are slow-growing hardwoods to 40′ feet with large leaves used as shade and street trees. Prescott Blaze Maple is the fastest growing of the mountain red maples.

Plum Purple leaf in desert Prunus cerasiferalandscape

Thundercloud Plum, Prunus cerasifera, is aptly named for its thunderous purple foliage consistent through summer. Growing the 20′ feet, it’s the perfect small tree for side yards, patios, and lining driveways and entrances.

Bonus – elegant pink flowers cover the tree in anticipation of spring, leading to blackish-blue fruit that attracts birds in late summer. Its fall color is an attractive greenish-bronze, making this a tree with excellent year-round interest.

Western Pin Oak, Ash, Redbud, and Crabapple are all famous for autumn mountain color but don’t forget fruit trees. All fruiting trees have stunning fall colors with the added bonus of picking fruits fresh from the tree every summer.

Until next issue, I’ll be helping locals choose the perfect autumn trees at Watters Garden Center.

Ken Lain can be found at Watters Garden Center throughout the week, 1815 W. Iron Springs Rd in Prescott, or contacted through his website at WattersGardenCenter.com or Top10Trees.com.

10/22/202110/22/2021

9 Outdoor Plants That Thrive Indoors

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener

What outside plants can be grown indoors?
Outdoor plants for a balcony. Best indoor plants.
Can outdoor plants survive indoors?
What indoor plants can go outside?
Top 10 indoor plants.

It’s a shame to lose your tender annual plants each winter. Many are actually warm weather perennials that grow all year if brought indoors. Shade tolerant plants make excellent houseplants since homes have less light. Other conditions to consider are cooler temperatures and indoor humidity. Tropical plants brought in as houseplants may need extra attention. Consider these 10 to shelter inside this winter.

Insider Tip – Start by acclimating to outdoor plants gradually. Bring them indoors while the windows are still open to bridge the change in conditions. How to bring garden plants indoors.

Begonias are becoming more popular with plant breeders, and many varieties make excellent indoor foliage plants. They can be challenging to grow indoors because they prefer high humidity but growing them on a pebble tray helps.

Water: Allow to dry between waterings.

Boxwood is a small potted evergreen that makes easy-going houseplants and engaging winter decorations. Turning the pot every few days will keep them growing evenly on all sides. Humidity is crucial to evergreen houseplants, and misting is necessary. Water when the soil feels dry and feed monthly with Watters Flower Power.

Water: Only when the soil feels dry.

Caladium do not like the cold, preferring temperatures in the 60-85 F range. If the leaves start to yellow and the plant is struggling, allow it to die back and rest until spring. Store it in a cool, dry spot and repot in March.

Water: Keep moist but not wet.

Coleus is everywhere these days. The old-fashioned varieties prefer shade, making them especially nice houseplants. If your plants are too large to bring indoors, coleus roots quickly from cuttings. They like to be warm but will tolerate cooler nights and temperatures down to about 55 degrees. Be sure to pinch off any flowers to keep the plants from going to seed.

Water: Keep soil moist and feed monthly.

Fuchsias look very tropical, but they actually enjoy cool temperatures in the 60–70-degree range. This plant benefits from a winter rest, so don’t expect a lot of flowers during winter. Bring the plants indoors before frost and trim them to about 6″ inches. Place it in a cool spot, 45-50 degrees, with low light. Perfect in an insulated garage or basement. In spring, move the plant back into a sunny place and resume regular water. New growth will start quickly. Repot with fresh Watters Potting Soil and begin feeding every other week with Flower Power.

Water: Water lightly when soil is dry

Geraniums like a bright south-facing window for repeat blooms all winter. Geraniums grown outdoors in containers make the best candidates because their roots will not be disturbed. Bring them in before frost and give the plants a light trim.

Water: Allow to dry out between waterings.

Herbs: Basil, Chives, Parsley, Lemon Grass, Rosemary. Many herbs do well indoors. Basil and parsley are best started as young plants. Chives are a particularly easy herb to grow indoors. Even when hit by frost, they rejuvenate quickly indoors. Lemongrass and rosemary can be potted and brought back and forth from the outdoor herb garden to the indoor windowsill. Trim and use your herbs to keep them bushy and full.

Water: Water sparingly once seedlings sprout.

Hot Peppers are tropical perennials and often kept growing and producing for years. Smaller hot peppers are the easiest to bring indoors, but any pepper is worth a try.

Water: Water sparingly.

Tropical Hibiscus adapt well indoors and may bloom all winter if kept in a sunny window with bright, direct light. You can trim the plants to shape them, but hibiscus grows slowly in winter, and you may not see much new growth. If you do not have a warm, sunny window, opt for a cool spot with average light and let them drop their leaves and go dormant.

Water: Water daily; keep well-drained.

Garden Alert! Watch for indoor gnats as the Autumn nights cool. Fungus Gnats migrate to your indoor houseplants for warmth while eating their roots. They only get worse in the depths of winter. Treat every plant in the room showing gnats with Watters Systemic Granules at the first sign of infestation.

Until next week, I’ll be helping locals grow better gardens here at Watters Garden Center.

Throughout the week, Ken Lain can be found at Watters Garden Center, 1815 W. Iron Springs Rd in Prescott, or contacted through his website at WattersGardenCenter.com or Top10Plants.com.

10/15/202110/15/2021

11 Fall Tips for Better Gardens

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener

Flowers to plant in fall for spring.
Preparing gardens for Autumn.
How to enrich a garden in fall?
When to clean up the garden.
What should I put on my garden in the fall?
How to clean up a perennial garden.
What to plant in fall vegetable garden.

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. Spread a 2-3″ inch layer evenly over any exposed soil. Earthworms, along with the winters freeze, thaw cycle, will work this nutrient-rich manure into the soil for you.
Collect dried seed from your flowers, vegetables, and herbs. Save these seeds for planting next year’s garden. You might even try to expand your skills and try winter sowing this fall.
Clean bird feeders to get them ready for use. The birds have done a great job of feasting on garden pests and serenading you this year. We are on the migratory path for birds. It amazes me how many different birds visit the feeders through the end of the year.
Gather herbs and flowers for drying. Leave some flowers for the birds, but get ahead start on your garden clean-up by cutting back plants like hydrangea, lavender, and yarrow and bringing them indoors. I can smell the herbal fragrance now.
Clean cold frames for winter use. You won’t want to do it when the temperature hovers below freezing. Cleaning it out in the fall makes it all the more likely you will put it to use in the spring.
Winterize your water garden. Get ready to turn off the pump and turn on the ice breaker. Don’t forget to cover the water garden with netting to keep falling leaves out and the blue herons from getting in.
Keep trees and shrubs well watered until the ground freezes. They may look dormant, but they’re still alive. If you have a mild, dry winter, continue watering throughout the season. This goes doubly for trees that were planted this year. A good rule of thumb is to irrigate your landscape with a deep soak at two-week intervals.
Cut back most perennials. Definitely cut back diseased perennials and remove all foliage and dispose of it somewhere other than your compost.
Clean, sand, and oil garden tools before storing them for the winter.

Feed the entire yard. This is especially true for young landscapes. Feed everything in the yard with Watters 7-4-4 All Purpose Plant Food. This brings out the fall flowers and autumn colors. More importantly, your evergreens will maintain their rich green colors through winter and provide better growth next spring.
Treat your evergreen pine and spruce with Plant Protector. This easy-to-use plant drench keeps the bugs out of your trees and larger evergreens for the year to come.

There, you have my personal list of autumn garden tasks. You have plenty of time, but the entire list should be complete before Thanksgiving.

Until next week, I’ll be helping locals grow better gardens here at Watters Garden Center.

Throughout the week, Ken Lain can be found at Watters Garden Center, 1815 W. Iron Springs Rd in Prescott, or contacted through his website at WattersGardenCenter.com or Top10Plants.com.

10/06/202110/06/2021

Insider Secrets Your Landscaper Won’t Share

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener

What is the first thing to do when landscaping?
Landscaping tips for beginners.
How can I make my landscaping look professional?
Landscaping tips for natural curb appeal.
Landscaping advice near me.

Readers Digest Condensed Version of this Article

Plants look best when planted together in odd numbers.

Add garden interest by planting smaller plants in front of taller ones.

Hardscaping is everything non-living, like irrigation and retaining walls.

Use a mower strip and mulching mower saves time.

Autumn feed your yard with 7-4-4 All Purpose Plant Food.

Protect trees and evergreens with Watters Plant Protector.

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 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 features are captivating, but not all are equally necessary. Some types of hardscapes are exceedingly expensive; it is essential to prioritize landscaping on a budget. Give priority to those projects critical to your enjoyment.

Everyone gets excited over the idea of having an elite terrace complete with an outdoor kitchen. You may not enjoy it much when baking in the sun though. A straightforward patio roofed with a covered pergola is often a better investment. It offers a permanent, shaded retreat for dining, chatting with friends, or simply enjoy the flower beds planted nearby.

Save time with these lawn-Care hacks

Lawn care can be a chore. Here are some hacks those in the know use to save considerable time by laying down a mowing strip and using a mulching mower.

After you lay down a mowing strip and see how much time it saves, you’ll kick yourself for not discovering this landscaper’s secret sooner. It consists of a row of pavers separating the grass from an adjacent area or structure. You run the wheels on one side of the mower on top of this strip, giving you a clean cut along the border. No need to go back later to edge and touch up.

Save additional time by using a mulching mower rather than mowing with a bag attachment. No more emptying those dirty grass clippings. The finely mulched grass acts as lawn fertilizer, saving the time required to buy more fertilizer.

Strike a Balance Between Monotony and Variety

Every homeowner prefers variety in a landscape. A way to add style to your design is to vary the viewer’s sightline rather than keeping everything flat on one plane. A landscape berm is the easiest, but so will intelligent plant selection. Grow a variety of different plants in terms of height. Provide transitions between them for a smooth flow.

Let’s say a row of landscape trees line the northern property line. To bring the viewer’s eye level down a notch, plant shrubs in front of them. Complete the three-tiered design with an edging of ground cover plants at the front.

A secret landscape designers swear by here at Watters Garden Center is planting a group of plants together in odd numbers and repeating this grouping elsewhere in the yard. This could be three Gold Star Potentilla grown together in a flower border at the driveway, complemented by a group of five more in a foundation bed. Each group achieves a more significant impact than a solitary shrub, while the repetition brings unity to the design, bringing different parts of the yard together.

Keep your plants healthy.

The best Autumn advice I can give you is to feed and care for the plants you do have. The most important feeding of the year is applied in the fall. Feed everything in the yard with Watters 7-4-4 All Purpose Plant Food for better autumn colors and healthier plants next spring. Second, treat your evergreen pine and spruce with Plant Protector. This easy-to-use plant drench keeps the bugs out of your trees and larger evergreens for the year to come.

Feed and Prevent at the same time or over several weekends. The two easy chores make for better gardening this fall and into next year.

Until next week, I’ll be helping locals design better landscapes here at Watters Garden Center.

Throughout the week, Ken Lain can be found at Watters Garden Center, 1815 W. Iron Springs Rd in Prescott, or contacted through his website at WattersGardenCenter.com or Top10Plants.com.

10/01/202110/01/2021

9 Houseplants that Make a Kitchen Statement

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener

Add color, purify the air, and pick fresh produce year-round.
Which indoor plant is good for the kitchen?
Tall plants for the kitchen.
Best plants for kitchen feng shui.
Indoor plants that don’t need sunlight.
What is the most beneficial houseplant?

Houseplants are a quick and easy way to spruce up your decor. When it comes to the kitchen, growing plants indoors has some practical applications. The right plants purify inside air, add splashes of color, and provide fresh produce.

These 9 houseplants are the ideal place to start in your kitchen.

Africian Violet Saintpaulia, in the Kitchen

African Violets – Saintpaulia, is the perfect houseplant substitute for those who enjoy cut flowers in the kitchen! Happy African Violets flower nearly year-round and come in a multitude of artistic colors. These compact houseplants want bright, indirect light and frequent watering, perfect for a windowsill.

Herbs – Growing herbs in the kitchen may seem like an obvious choice, but cooking with homegrown herbs is the best. They need a bright kitchen with lots of windows or bright lights for lush, full herbs to thrive. Easy herb varieties to grow indoors include cilantro, chives, mint, oregano, parsley, and thyme. 10 Ways to Use Rosemary Indoors.

Philodendron is another houseplant that looks great in hanging baskets. Similar to pothos, they are considered relatively drought-tolerant and can grow in virtually any room. A foliage plant that comes in a wide variety of shapes and colors. Its most notable trait is the ability to purify indoor air.

Pothos Epipremnum aureum over the kitchen table

Pothos – Epipremnum aureum, are indeed some of the easiest houseplants to care for. They adapt well to any condition and are considered drought-tolerant. Perfect for smaller kitchens with limited counter space, this plant is ideal as a hanging plant.

Rubber Tree Ficus elastica in a blue pot

Rubber Tree – Ficus elastica, is a significant statement plant in kitchens. A close relative of the Fiddle Leaf Fig, only easier to grow. Adaptable to any growing room with a window in it. They can get large but easily controlled with mild pruning to keep their size under control. Choose from several different varieties to match your tree to the design of your kitchen. 9 Most Popular Indoor Trees.

Snake Plant Sansevieria Mother-in-Laws Tongue in a kitchen

Snake Plant – Sansevieria, also known as Mother-in-Laws Tongue, are among the most popular houseplants. They come in various colors, shapes, and sizes and can grow in any room with a window.

Spider Plant – Chlorophytum, are among the easiest houseplants to care for. They make excellent hanging plants, and when happy flower and send offshoots prolifically. They prefer and bright room without exposure to direct sunlight.

Succulents, when you have a sunny windowsill in your kitchen, are a fabulous option. The term ‘succulent’ describes plants that store water in various parts of their leaves or stems. This makes them super-efficient water users with low maintenance needs. Watters offers literally hundreds of different succulents that come in stunning shapes, colors, and sizes. Aloe Vera, Cactus, Crassula, Echeveria, Haworthia, Kalanchoe, and Sedums are the most popular.

ZZ Plant Zamioculcas zamiifolia on a table

ZZ Plant – Zamioculcas zamiifolia, is also known as the Zanzibar Gem. As hardy as any cactus that thrives in low, to very bright conditions, ZZ plants make the list of Houseplants You Can’t Kill every year. These slow-growing plants are started by rhizomes and hardly need to be watered! Start here if you travel a lot, visit the grandkids often, or simply the forgetful gardener when watering your plants.

Choose Plants Based on Your Kitchen’s Conditions

When choosing houseplants to accent the room, your kitchen’s light and humidity are vital. Make sure that you select plants that thrive in your unique space!

Garden Alert! Help, I’m being eaten alive – Unwelcome bugs cause a lot of issues, with curling leaves being one of them. Holes in the leaves, speckling, yellowing, or pale leaves are other signs of pest problems. This week gardeners had problems with fungus gnats here at Watters Garden Center. Tiny black gnats buzz around the house, but the larvae live in the soil of your houseplants and eat the plant from the roots up. Watters Systemic Granules obliterate this pest in one dose.

Contemplating bringing your outside plants in? Make sure to treat each plant with the same Systemic Granules one week before moving your plants to the inside for winter.

Until next week, I’ll be helping locals choose the best kitchen plants here at Watters Garden Center.

Ken Lain can be found throughout the week at Watters Garden Center, 1815 W. Iron Springs Rd in Prescott, or contacted through his website at WattersGardenCenter.com or Top10Houseplants.com.

09/24/202109/24/2021

Enjoy a Brighter Fall Garden in 5 September Steps

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener

What should I do to my garden in the fall?
Fall vegetable gardening.
When should I start my fall garden cleanup?
Autumn gardening tips.
How do you enrich garden soil in Autumn?
Preparing the garden for fall.
What should I add to my garden soil in the fall

August is the hottest month in the gardens. Vegetable and flower gardeners relish in the bounty the heat and monsoon rain offers. Others long for the calm, cool Autumn nights 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 are behind us; spring wind has abated, with nothing but warm, bright days expected through November. Enjoy all the gardens have to offer. Albert Camus famously wrote, “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”

Here are the Top 5 Autumn tasks you should complete in the garden

#1 Fall Planting

Fall is for planting significantly larger shade trees like maple and aspen. The same is true for larger spruce, pine, and ornamental grass. You will find a large selection of evergreen spruce, pine, and pampas grass best planted in Autumn. As days cool, kale, lettuce, arugula, mustard greens, and spinach proliferate. Sow seeds directly into the garden, cover, and keep moist to encourage sprouting. Beets, radish, broccoli, and cabbage can be sown from seed, as well. You will find cool-season vegetables and organic herb starter plants at Watters Garden Center through October.

Woman Holding a Basket of Fresh picked vegetables

#2 Harvest and Clear Space

Harvest time is undoubtedly the most rewarding season for vegetable growers. While your lettuces and radishes may be passed, tomatoes and squashes are just getting started. Harvest is almost daily in Autumn for cucumbers, broccoli, carrots, and cabbages.

September can turn any landscape (edible or not) into a mess of falling, brown plants trying for one last round of blossoms. Remove brown spent leaves from your plant, including old flowers. The cooler temperatures often yield one last flush of fragrant growth. Go crazy, thin, and clean overgrown plants. Bare ground invites more weeds and pests to grow next spring. Cover bare patches in the garden with a 2-3″ inch layer of Watters Premium Mulch, a cover crop, even fall plantings helps to keep the ground covered.

#3 Preparing Mulch and Compost

If you haven’t created one already, a DIY compost pile is a simple weekend effort yielding superior returns. Add organic materials like rotted vegetables, plant scraps, and leaves to create a mulch pile used later as compost gold. Compost is often ready by spring, ready to spread and invigorating next year’s gardens.

#4 Weeds & Dead-Head

Weeds are most prolific in September; don’t let them go to seed. Weeds become well-established, aggressive, and seedy, making next spring’s garden laborious. Stay on top of your weeds, especially in the fall, for less work next year. If a portion of your yard is incredibly weedy, apply a generous application of Watters “Weed & Grass Stopper.” This weed preventer keeps weed seeds from germination. The strongest over-the-counter weed kill would have to be “Decimate” but Fertilome. A better replacement to Roundup, this concentrated weed killer truly decimates mountain weeds faster and without cancer-causing side effects.

Deadheading flowers is pinching the dried, spent flowers off your plant, so it reblooms and looks its best. Fall garden mums, aster, roses, marigolds, and more look their best through Autumn. Pinch off old, spent flowers to allow healthy new growth and buds to form. This one Fall task forces ever-bearing plants to keep producing flowers. And if you have an unruly perennial, pinching its flowers prevents it from seeding and out-competing other plants in the garden.

#5 Tree & Shrub Maintenance

Lots of growth happens in Autumn, especially at the root level. Yet another reason Fall is an ideal season to plant new fruit and shade trees and evergreen plants. Give plants a deep soak at a weekly interval. Heavily mulch around the new plant’s roots for more roots and stronger growth next spring. Apply a 3″ inch layer of composted mulch over the roots or your new Colorado Spruce, Blaze Maple of Fruit trees for impressive growth next year.

#1 Most Important Autumn Task – Feed everything in the yard before Halloween! Fall plants are storing up food much like bears do in winter. Encourage better Autumn growth and heartier hibernation by feeding everything in the yard with 7-4-4 All Purpose Plant Food. This local plant food is especially important for stressed plants and those new to the gardens.

Until next week, I’ll be helping locals plant better fall landscapes here at Watters Garden Center.

Ken Lain can be found throughout the week at Watters Garden Center, 1815 W. Iron Springs Rd in Prescott, or contacted through his website at WattersGardenCenter.com or Top10Plants.com

09/24/202109/24/2021

Meet Ken Lain

Ken Lain has been gardening for decades throughout the highlands of Arizona. He has grown thousands of plants in his own gardens and killed a good many along the way. He writes from experience and keeps skills honed by working with new homeowners through the family garden center, identifying plants and problems, and helping friends become confident gardeners.

Experience

Ken is the owner of Watters Garden Center, a retail nursery in Prescott, Arizona. He’s a longtime master gardener, certified nursery professional, and winner of the prestigious Revolutionary 100 by Garden Center Magazines.

Ken is a long-time member of the Garden Writers Association. His writing has been featured in newspapers and magazines nationwide, with interviews for National Public Radio, numerous articles, blogs, and columns.

He co-hosts The Mountain Gardener radio shows, on KQNA1130 am 95.5 & 99.9 fm Saturday’s 8 & 11 am & again Sunday @ 8 am and on BIG Talker Radio 97.1 fm on Saturdays @ 7 am & again on Sunday @ 8 am, with his garden bride of 27 years, Lisa Watters Lain. Their local garden advice is broadcast throughout Arizona with radio stations broadcasting from Prescott to the river country, all the way to the White Mountains. The Mountain Gardner is also available as a Podcast through our website and wherever podcasts are found.

His new book, “The Complete Guide to Mountain Fruit Trees” is a year-round resource based on hands-in-the-dirt experience, a wealth of skill-building tutorials, and fruit varieties specific to mountain gardening.

Ken’s first book, “Natives and the Low Maintenance Landscape Book” highlights some of his favorite easy-to-grow natives off-grid to most highland gardeners, and how to take care of these gardens without the hassle. Gardening with less weeds, less water and less care is within reach of local gardeners.

Ken Lain quote, “Gardening is universal across the ages. In an every busy, ever connected world, gardening is the ultimate luxury. Nature combines all the senses and never runs out of delights and surprises. Sure, there are disappointments, but there’s always next season. Gardening combines the generations allowing moments of togetherness, rest and a time to reconnect. There’s always something to look forward to and something to learn. I’ve never met another gardener who wasn’t enthusiastic and generous with their knowledge. That’s what I enjoy most – sharing my garden skills and woes with other garden zealots.”

09/16/202109/16/2021

8 1/2 Steps to DIY Landscapes

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener

What are the steps to landscape design?
How to landscape a front yard.
How do I design my own landscape?
Step by step landscaping.
Landscape steps on a slope.
How do you start landscaping from scratch?

Readers Digest Condensed Version of this Article

Layer flowerbeds from tall to small.

Add year-round interest to the landscape using the 20% rule.

Plant Perennial & Annual Flowers together for more accessible gardens.

Ornamental grass and evergreens add dimension and exciting textures.

Greenscape define the living plants in the yard.

Hardscaping is everything non-living, like irrigation and retaining walls.

Use Yavapai Friendly Plants to lower water use and maintenance.

Plant animal-resistant plants.

Feed landscapes with 7-4-4 All Purpose Plant Food before Halloween.

You moved to the area and bought a new home. The front yard package included a tree, three shrubs, and a boulder, and the back yard is a blank slate. The front yard is often dull at best, and the back is nothing but mud in the monsoon rains; where does anyone start?

There are so many variables to this question like budget, skills, your personal design tastes, how the space is used, and more. At Watters weekly garden class, we covered these 8 steps to better landscape design that answered the question. I hope at least one helps:)

Add Year-Round Interest

Here’s a can’t-miss tip for beautifying your yard: make sure you’re providing something of interest in each of the four seasons. I call it the 20% rule. 20% of your landscape plants should bloom spring, 20% in summer, 20% should have vivid autumn color, 20% should anchor your landscape as winter evergreens, with the last 20% going to whatever tickles the fancy of you as a gardener. The goal is to have flowering trees or shrubs throughout spring and summer, fall foliage in Autumn, and good evergreens in winter.

Flower Beds Layered from Tall to Small

Blend Perennial and Annual flowers together for less maintenance. Layer your flowers in three rows. The back row with taller plants, the middle row with the next tallest, and a front-row with your shortest bloomer. Use repetition, both in the planting bed and elsewhere in your yard, to provide unity. What exactly is a Perennial?

Continuity and Consistency

Many design tips focus on deciduous trees and shrubs. They forget evergreens and plants prized as much or more for their foliage as for their flowers. The deciduous specimens provide more color and variety, with evergreens offering continuity. Blend both into your yard for interest every month of the year.

Plant Perennials Color with Annual Highlights

Perennial flowers are fantastic for color that comes back year after year, but they bloom only so long. Often perennials bloom in May, then nothing until July. Incorporating annuals into a do-it-yourself landscape plan fill the laps, giving you continuous color through the gardens. Additional Garden Inspiration.

Hardscape

Don’t restrict your landscape to plants. Include hardscape features as well. Walls and fences make an essential design statement as they frame your property. Arbors are another important hardscape feature inviting you to different parts of the garden. Patios and decks provide transitions from indoors to outdoors. In designer terms, green scapes define the living plants in the yard, while hardscaping is everything non-living like irrigation, retaining walls, and ponds.

Textures & Form Simplified

No plant highlights the holiday more than front yard spruce decorated with twinkle lights. Evergreens rarely bloom but add exciting layers and interest to any landscape. Ornamental grass is another underutilize beauty. They flow harmoniously create movement throughout the garden in a myriad of colors. The autumn plumes are simply frosting to the yard’s textures.

The Low-Maintenance Landscape

You can have a stunning landscape without being a slave to weekly maintenance. Beautiful or not, you’ll resent the yard if it’s work. Plan your design for low maintenance. Here’s a list of Plants that Need Less Water.

Drought and Animal Resistant Plants

Many novices DIY designers start with high hopes in spring, only to have them dashed by summer heat and javelina that dig up your new garden. Drought-hardy plants use less water and have already been mentioned. Many plants naturally resist deer and rabbits in the garden as well.

Fall Feeding

The most important feeding of the year is Autumn. This is especially true for young landscapes. Feed everything in the yard with Watters 7-4-4 All Purpose Plant Food before Halloween. This brings out the fall flowers and autumn colors. More importantly, your evergreens will maintain their rich green colors through winter and provide better growth next spring. How to Feed Your Landscape.

If you have been waiting to plant, don’t. Autumn is an ideal time to plant, especially fall colored trees, large evergreens, and privacy shrubs.

Until next week, I’ll be helping locals design better landscapes here at Watters Garden Center.

Throughout the week, Ken Lain can be found at Watters Garden Center, 1815 W. Iron Springs Rd in Prescott, or contacted through his website at WattersGardenCenter.com or Top10Plants.com.

09/10/202109/10/2021

11 Ornamental Grasses for Better Fall Gardens

by Lisa Watters-Lain, Arizona’s garden gal

Can decorative grasses be planted in the fall?
Most popular ornamental grass.
Do ornamental grasses need to be cut back in Autumn?
Drought tolerant grasses.
What ornamental grasses stay green year round?
Ornamental grass that turns purple in the fall.
What is the prettiest ornamental grass?

Mountain gardens are famous for flamboyant Autumn grasses in the landscape. This is the season you’ll find the most exotic options for the gardens. From short spreading grass to big, bold pampas grass, this is their time to shine. Treat ornamental grasses like you would a tree or shrub; put them on the same irrigation and watch them thrive for years to come.

Whether grouped in clusters or planted singly as focal points, ornamental grasses add instant texture and form to the garden. The grasses listed here are beneficial for adding an autumn glow to the gardens. Many look great right through winter.

Blue Oat Grass – Helictotrichon sempervirens, forms a tidy porcupine-like clump in the garden. The beautiful blue colors show all season, with beige panicles through Autumn. Blue oat grass can remain evergreen through mild winters.

Feather Reed Grass – Calamagrostis acutiflora, loves spring and is one of the first ornamental grasses to shoot up from the garden in spring and plume. ‘Karl Foerster’ shows red plumes summer through fall, with ‘Overdam’ showing golden.

Flame Grass – Miscanthus sinensis, can be a very flashy addition in Autumn. Eye candy in the perennial garden with blazing red flowers all Fall. Sometimes referred to as Maiden Grass, every yard should have at least one.

Fountain Grass – Pennisetum alopecuroides, are some of the most reliable and attractive ornamentals you can grow. ‘Rubrum’ keeps its red color all season. ‘Moudry’ is another good choice for fall color, with green leaves as its flowers change to burgundy.

Japanese Forest Grass – Hakonechloa macra, looks genuine any time of year. The golden yellow colors show well against all the purple, rust, and reds in the fall garden. An easy-to-maintain grass with a weeping habit for extra drama.

Pheasant tail grass – Anemanthele lessoniana, is an open grass, ready to sway and flow in the slightest breeze. It’s also known as gossamer grass or New Zealand wind grass. In fall, the leaf blades become tinged with copper streaks that reflect the sun. The perfect grass for the lower mountain gardens below 5000′ elevation.

Pink Muhly Grass – Muhlenbergia capillaris, grows hip-high and very flashy. The foliage is covered in pink flower heads that catch every breeze, adding a cloud of soft pink to the garden summer through fall. Very tough, even on the windiest mountain hilltops.

Prairie Dropseed – Sporobolus heterolepis, has thin, airy leaves that weeps and flow in the garden. The leaves can turn almost pumpkin orange in fall.

Red Hood Sedge – Uncinia uncinata, is a well-behaved sedge. The plant is small, growing only about a foot in all directions, but it has a glowing bronze color all season and shows off all the more in Autumn. The perfect sedge for the lower mountain gardens below 5000′ elevation.

Red Switch Grass – Panicum virgatum, starts to change from green to red early in the growing season, and by fall, it’s on fire. ‘Shenandoah’ is the shortest, slowest growing, and showiest of all the red switch grasses.

Tall Moor Grass – Molinia caerulea, grows foliage 3 ft. tall, then shoots up delicate 6′ foot flower stalks. Its narrow width and tall flowers make it perfect for small gardens. The flowers turn aspen gold through Autumn.

You will find the best selection of ornamental grasses now through fall here at Watters Garden Center. Now is the best time to add new ornamentals to your own gardens.

Garden Tip – Autumn sparks the most critical feeding of the year for everything in the garden, especially fruit trees, shrubs, and the native evergreens in the landscape. Before Thanksgiving, spread Watters 7-4-4 All Purpose Plant Food around all your essential plants, especially lawns and the ornamental grasses in the yard. This promotes better rest through winter and sets the stage for more extensive growth in spring.

Until next week, I’ll be helping locals choose perfect grasses here at Watters Garden Center.

Throughout the week, Lisa Watters-Lain can be found at Watters Garden Center, 1815 W. Iron Springs Rd in Prescott, or contacted through her website at WattersGardenCenter.com or Top10Grasses.com.

09/03/202109/03/2021

Best Vegetables to Grow in a Fall Garden

Little boy look over a giant Cauliflower

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener

There are lots of vegetables that grow well through the cool autumn weather. Some plants need longer days and a bit warmer soil to really get started, but all produce through the end of the year. You can start seed in August by growing your starts in a cool shady spot in the garden. We also have seedling starts ready for transplant here at Watters Garden Center through October. Plant them in the garden as space as your summer plants fade.

Plant seeds deeper in the fall than in the spring. Typically, the ground is warmer, having just come off the hot summer months. By planting your seeds a little deeper than the package suggests, you’ll be able to get them down to where the soil is cool and moist.

Beets, Beta Vulgaris, are best grown from seed without disturbing their roots once sprouted. Although beets grow in the summer heat, they are often bitter and woody. Late summer to early fall is the best time to resume succession planting at two to three-week intervals. Beet bulbs keep growing in the garden until a deep freeze. Even the tops handle frost.

USDA Growing Zones: 2–11
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade

Broccoli, Brassica oleracea, grows best in cool weather. Fall planting has two big advantages over spring planting when it comes to broccoli. There is no risk of early spring frost that often stunts the growth of young broccoli plants, so plants get off to a strong start. As your florets form, the cool autumn air keeps them from bolting into flowers, giving you more time to harvest. Broccoli does take several weeks to mature, so transplant a quick-grower, like Waltham, for a timely fall harvest.

USDA Growing Zones: 3–10
- Sun Exposure: Full sun

Cabbage, Brassica oleracea, Autumn is the perfect growing weather for cabbage. While plants can grow in warmer weather, they need cooler temperatures to form a head. Cabbage needs anywhere from 90–120 days to mature, so a fall crop will be most likely if you transplant seedlings in mid-to-late summer. Most varietals in the cabbage family are hardy enough to handle light frost, so, with any protection, you can harvest them well into winter. Though they won’t continue to grow when it’s cold, they’ll retain their freshness and get even sweeter.

USDA Growing Zones: 1–9
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade

Carrots, Daucus carota, are not the quickest growers, but some smaller varieties, like Thumbelina and Paris Market, mature in just 50 days. Another option for growing traditional carrots is to sow them first in containers. Long window boxes with a depth of at least 6″ are great for getting your seeds started until you can plant them in your garden in early fall.

USDA Growing Zones: 3–10
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade

Cauliflower, Brassica oleracea, fall is typically a better time to grow cauliflower than in the spring, as the cool weather keeps the heads tight and tender. Cauliflower is a slow grower, often taking 2-3 months to mature. Plant them in early Autumn for best results. Pluck the cauliflower when its head reaches the desired size and its buds are still tight.

USDA Growing Zones: 2–11
- Sun Exposure: Full sun

Green Beans, Phaseolus vulgaris, are two different types of green beans typically fostered by gardeners. Pole beans need a long growing season, allowing the vines to reach a mature height before setting beans. On the other hand, Bush varieties produce in as little as 45 days, making them excellent candidates for a fall crop of beans. Bean plants are too tender to handle frost, so if an early frost threatens, toss a row cover over them until the temperatures climb again.

USDA Growing Zones: 2–10
- Sun Exposure: Full sun

Kale, Brassica oleracea, is probably the easiest cold crop to grow. The seeds quickly germinate in warm and cool soil. As Autumn turns to winter, kale leaves maintain their great leaf texture with a flavor that only sweeter and deepens with every cold night.

USDA Growing Zones: 7–9

Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade

Lettuce, Lactuca sativa, can be planted pretty much all season. Most varieties take less than 50 days to mature, so you can start planting the seed in mid-August and succession plant into the fall months. Due to shorter days and lower temperatures, the plants may grow slower than spring lants, but the flavor will be sweeter and crisp. Because lettuce has shallow roots, it will require some protection against frost. Suppose you plant your fall lettuce in pots. In that case, it’s effortless to move it indoors to protect it from freezing temperatures. Otherwise, you can cover it with burlap or another netting if frost is expected.

USDA Growing Zones: 4–9
- Sun Exposure: Partial shade

Peas, Pisum sativum, are another vegetable that loves to luxuriate in cool weather. Many short varieties are ready to harvest within 50 days. Peas germinate quicker while the soil is warm but needs more water and a little protection from the intense sun while they are young. When they are ready to start flowering and forming peas, the days and nights should be the perfect temperature in fall to keep them going.

USDA Growing Zones: 2–9

Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade

Radishes, Raphanus sativus, proliferate in cool, moist soil. Most of the problems associated with growing radishes in the spring, like a woody texture, hot or bitter taste, and small size, are alleviated by sowing them in the fall. Harvest radishes in late fall or early winter, or allow them to over-winter in the soil and harvest next spring.

USDA Growing Zones: 2–10
- Sun Exposure: Full sun

Spinach, Spinacia oleracea, often bolts in the summer heat. You are going to love growing spinach in the fall. Spinach only takes about 30 days to mature, even less if you like smaller tender leaves. You can get in several successions of spinach throughout the fall months. Spinach seeds are also perfect for winter sowing.

USDA Growing Zones: 2–9
- Sun Exposure: Full sun

Swiss Chard, Beta vulgaris, if you’ve already harvested your swiss chard as cut-and-come-again, you won’t need to reseed in Autumn. The plants have slowed down during the summer heat. With just a bit of cool air and water, they’ll ramp back into production come fall. They may even survive the winter but harvest them quickly in spring before they start to bolt to seed and get harsh and bitter.

USDA Growing Zones: 3–10
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade

Turnips, Brassica rapa, are root vegetables, meaning they need a long season (100 or more days) to mature. However, they grow the largest and most flavorful if they’re allowed to mature in the fall. Since they are grown for their roots and their tops are mountain hardy, frost doesn’t matter to this plant. They often taste sweeter after several cold nights. Turnips mature a little faster than their cousin, the rutabaga, and don’t improve if left in the soil too long, so succession plant and use as they mature.

USDA Growing Zones: 2–9
- Sun Exposure: Full sun