After two years of minimal summer rain, the monsoon season has returned – with a vengeance, judging by the flooding some areas have experienced in the last 10 days. We often talk in this space about being “water-wise” in our dry climate – things like using drip irrigation systems and selecting drought-resistant plants for your […]
One of my big summer treats is getting a chance to just hang out in my back yard and see how my garden is helping the birds, bees and butterflies. It gives me a warm feeling – and not just from the sun on my back. Seeing my pollinator-friendly garden being visited by my flying […]
Please mark your calendars for Friday, July 2 and start the Independence Day holiday weekend right by saving a life. That’s when Warner’s Nursery will be having its annual summer blood drive in the safe and super comfy Vitalant bus in our parking lot. This has been a long-standing tradition with us and we typically […]
With the last of the late spring frost warnings behind us (finger’s crossed), now is a great time to talk about the rewards of growing your own tomatoes and veggies as a part of your garden. The most obvious reason to grow your own food is taste. Yes, you can find lots of produce in […]
There’s nothing that quite captures the joy of growing your own food as that moment when you pick those first fresh tomatoes from your garden. They work on almost all the senses – the beautiful transformation from green plant to yellow flower to deep red fruit; the earthy smell of it; the satiny smooth skin […]
By definition, warm season vegetables are the ones that really can’t stand the cold – things like tomatoes and eggplants and melons. Because they are so susceptible to cool temperatures, they are typically planted outdoors only after the last frost of the spring. Which is a problem here in northern Arizona. By the time we […]
I was reading recently that the #1 hot trend in home improvement this year was “more outdoor living.” Now some of this was about how to make the outdoors more of a feature even when we are inside – like adding a sunroom or bigger windows so you can see your outdoor space more. […]
As our gardens start to shape up with new flowers and seedlings, one important step people sometimes skip is pruning their trees and shrubs. Part of this is a philosophy that says “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” Why bother to prune if there’s no immediate problem, like your tree is about to […]
Typically, I write to you about bulbs during the fall to remind you to plant the ones that are coming up right now – things like tulips, crocus, daffodils and irises. It’s always heartbreaking when we get people in the nursery around this time of year looking for tulip bulbs and we have to break […]
The foundation for all gardens is the soil we use to grow our flowers and food, and the sad truth is that soil in and around Flagstaff often isn’t up to the job. Our arid climate means that both rocks and plant materials break down very slowly, so soil doesn’t have a chance to develop. […]