Blog
July 17th, 2015
Our July landscaping tips are brought to you by the Arizona Landscape Contractors’ Association, Janet Waibel, and the Sustainable Landscape Management program. Tree and shrub pruning is best done on a schedule that suits the particular plant. Very little pruning should be done in the hottest month of the year such as July and August.…
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April 9th, 2015
My garden is beautiful this spring. The mild wet winter and the hard work that I put in this winter and early spring has really paid off. The ornamental garden is a riot of color and all the plants are healthy and growing vigorously. In the vegetable garden the tomatoes and peppers I planted in…
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February 18th, 2015
Although the calendar says it’s still winter, the plants in my garden have decided that spring is here. The early spring flowering shrubs and vines are in full bloom. The Lilac Vines, Carolina Jessamine, Salvia Trident, Valentine Emu Bush and Red Spike Ice Plants began flowering several weeks ago and are covered with flowers and…
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January 20th, 2015
Sonoran Gardens owner Chris Niccum was featured in an Arizona Daily Star article this past Sunday, January 17th. The article written by Elena Acoba titled “Xeriscape means dry, not dull” is on the subject of Xeriscaping and its importance. With the help of designer Shelly Ann Abbott of Landscape Design West LLC, Sonoran Gardens won…
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January 6th, 2015
I hate winter. I’m a ‘Desert Rat’ and I love the heat and hate the cold. Many of the plants in my garden are also ‘Desert Rats’. A few hours of temperatures below freezing can cause more stress and damage than a whole summer of 100 degrees plus. When temperatures are predicated to fall below…
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December 2nd, 2014
On Saturday, November 22, 2014, the Arizona Landscape Contractors Association held its 38th annual Excellence in Landscaping Awards Program and Banquet at Loew’s Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson. This program recognizes member companies who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to designing, installing and maintaining beautiful and sustainable landscapes in Arizona. Projects are submitted by member companies,…
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November 12th, 2014
For the first time in over 30 years I have a vegetable garden. Learning to grow vegetables in Southern Arizona is both fun and challenging. My previous experience with growing veggies was in Idaho (the place where they grow all the potatoes). Frankly growing veggies there was fairly easy and didn’t require a lot of…
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October 23rd, 2014
It seems like every time I look up in my garden something is flying around. Mostly hummingbirds and butterflies. There are three hummingbirds (a pair of Costa’s and an Anna’s) that call my garden home. They seem to be engaged in a never ending battle over control of the territory. I’m surprised that they haven’t…
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October 14th, 2014
As summer ends and fall begins it is a great time of year to add new plants into your garden. The cooler temperatures make it easier for new plants to establish, and there are still at least 6-8 weeks of the growing season left before cold weather and the potential for frost arrives. It also…
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September 15th, 2014
My gardens look fabulous. The plants in the front desert re-vegetated areas are all green and growing and many are in flower. The rear ornamental gardens are full of flowers and every plant appears to be healthy and vibrant and the vegetable garden is providing fresh produce every day. I must be the greatest gardener…
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