Tag: summer

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

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener Happy Anniversary to Lisa, the love of my life. It was July 25, 1987 that we said “I Do”. (“Old time” wedding photos will follow on the Watters Facebook and Instagram pages later in…

As we enjoy more time out of doors many of us realize that our landscapes could provide us with more privacy. This is a good time of year to plant the large evergreens typically used not only for privacy but…

Several studies of western gardens show that homeowners overwater their landscapes by 50 percent. My experiences at the garden center concur with that finding. I can say that 80% of my customers’ plant replacements are to replace plants killed by…

The most festive outdoor American holiday is this weekend! It’s a time spent with a backyard BBQ, friends, family, fireworks, parades, and more. The backyard needs to look its best, yet getting it ready for a special occasion can be…

Finally! The monsoons have arrived over most of the state. Before cheering when you hear “50% chance of rain”, you need to remember what that forecast really means in the mountains of Arizona: The weatherman is telling you that half…

Seasonal residents are back up to their mountain summer homes and gardens. It has been so nice in the deserts that they stayed an extra few weeks to enjoy spring at the lower elevations. Many of our summer-only neighbors try…

This is the best month to experience mature perennial specimens in bloom at your favorite garden center. The spring season is too early for most perennials to show off, but June brings the encouraging warmth essential to heat lovers like…

It is cool enough now that our gardens should shift from summer flowering plants that bloom only until Halloween to the fall varieties that will continue their bloom well past Thanksgiving. Fortunately, the first of the fall flowers were harvested…

For showy seasonal changes in the yard, fruit trees are hard to beat. In spring they exuberantly burst forth with an abundance of blossoms, offer cool shade on hot summer days, and their fabulous fall foliage helps to make autumn…