Tag: summer

by Lisa Watters-Lain, Arizona’s garden gal It’s frustrating to design a new flowerbed around your favorite perennial flowers, like delphiniums, Shasta daisies, and pincushion flower, only to see them peter out after three or four years. Here you have a…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener Echinacea The brightest flowers of the summer planting season wait until temperatures rise above 90 degrees to do “their thing.” Like sunbathers on a golden Lake Powell beach, summer-blooming varieties are planted when the…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener How big can a single flower blossom be? The rare corpse flower of Indonesia can be up to three feet across!  There are far more fragrant and more readily available giant flowers we can…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener Gardening may be one of America’s favorite hobbies, but it does have a downside:  Imagine investing dozens of hours and hundreds of dollars redecorating your bedroom, only to have it crumble to ashes in…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener Clockwise – Zinnia, Nierembergia, Verbena Readers Digest-type Condensed Version of this Article Annual flowers never have a chance to develop an extensive root system. Premium Mulch helps sustain most plants and keeps away the…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener These hot days of Summer, which officially starts this week, may be tempting us to sit back and simply enjoy what we planted in Spring. But this is the time when we must turn…

Enjoy Summer-Long Color With These Long-Blooming Favorites By Ken Lain, the mountain gardeners Beautiful spring days draw gardeners into their backyards for a soft launch away from isolation, cabin fever, and the joy of fresh air.  I am a flower…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener Every garden needs a few plants that can handle whatever abuse we throw their way. That’s not to say we should be needlessly tough on them, but let’s face it, there are times when…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener Every plant needs water, but drought-resistant varieties need only dainty sips once they’re established. They are perfect for low-rainfall areas, or low-energy gardeners. Native plants have the best chance of surviving dry summers or…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener Yes, cactus and succulents do beat the heat, and very welcome are the many new varieties of these garden work horses.  But there are many heat-tolerant plants that don’t look like they’ve been cultivated…