The Year-Round-Color Desert Flower Garden!! October 2, 2006
Posted by Karen Joy in Desert Gardening, Life in the Desert, Loving Nature!.7 comments
Well, it’s a good thing that “Fall,” when most of the planting is done in the desert, lasts a long time around here. It’s taken me a while to get my act together regarding my garden plans. But, the order is placed [well, it's mailed out, because Wild Seed of Tempe (602.276.3536) doesn't take online orders, nor even credit card orders over the phone].
I tried to get a mix of colors and blooming seasons, and have made a garden plan with the taller flowers towards the middle and back and loosely stair-stepping down, in four “layers” total, to the shortest varieties. My raised-bed garden area is 16′6″ by 6′4″, and in order to fit the most varieties of flowers, and to have more year-round color, I’ve divided it down the middle (of the 6′4″ length). Each “layer” also has 2-3 kinds of flowers in it, most of them blooming, more or less, during different seasons. If I can find an online garden planner (haven’t even looked yet), maybe I’ll post a plan pic here. My hand-drawn one looks pretty scribbly, and is not fit to scan.
All of the flowers here are native to Arizona, and grow in the wild at my elevation (roughly 1400′). My hope, having grown very little from seed before, is that if they grow on their own, then surely they’ll grow in my little plot of land, overlooking my inexperience!
So, here’s what I have planned, going from the shortest “layer” up to the tallest.
