30 second plant tip of the day on the Pink Dawn Chitalpa Tree:
Pink Dawn Chitalpa tree is a new beanless variety that blooms all summer long. Only grows to 12 feet tall
Huge clusters of 4″ flowers are deeper colored than any other vine. Taylor made for climbing quickly with colorful coverage that masks unattractive wire fences and outbuildings and attracting more butterflies.
Raspberry flowers are erupting into ever-bloom summer color. Flowers look as though garden fairies have dabbed each flower with lip stick so they blow kisses in the slightest mountain breeze.
This royal red flower shows off better in the landscape than other shrubs that boast red as their favorite color. Makes an interesting privacy screen between neighbors, or a driveway screen.
Berry beautiful and berry prolific, this ruby toned beauty produces a floriferous flurry of huge 4″ raspberry rosy flowers with a darker center
Watch this 30 second plant tip of the day on Bloomerang Lilac:
Enjoy classic lilac fragrance for months instead of weeks! This revolutionary new kind of lilac, blooms in spring and then again throughout the summer. It does go through a rest period in the heat of the summer, then flowers. This compact, mounded variety fits easily into any landscape, and is ideal as a foundation planting or as part of the mixed border. You can even include it into perennial beds.
30 second plant tip of the day on the Helmond Pillar Barberry:
Helmond Pillar Barberry, Berberis thunbergii – Let this pillar become the central column of a mixed border composition. Particularly good in pairs flanking a fountain, work of art or gateway. Bright foliage foundation plant for narrow spans of wall between windows or at doorways. Smaller stature is perfect for small city gardens needing big garden looks in limited space
30 Second Plant Tip of the day on Cora Vinca:
Cora Vinca is a new series of F1 hybrid Vinca (also known as periwinkles) bred by Goldsmith Seeds. The big, new, innovative, extraordinary, etc. thing about the Cora series is its resistance to Aerial Phytophthora. Phytophthora is a fungus that affects bedding plants and usually starts with a wilted stem that progresses to a wilted plant that dies with in 1-2 weeks of the first wilted stem. Phytophthora flourishes in cool (less that 75 degrees), wet conditions. Frequent, unnecessary overhead irrigation and heavy fertilization contribute to the disease. If you’ve had vinca die it was probably due to the phytophthora fungus.
Did you catch that landscapers? That means that Cora Vinca is less likely to die on you than other varieties of vinca. Cora loves the heat (like all vinca do) and has a more uniform habit that is less prone to stretching or looking leggy. It looks great all season and requires little or no maintenance.
Raspberry flowers have erupted and cover this knee high shrub. The herbal fragrance is perfect for containers, perennial border, courtyards, or anyplace you need some fresh color. Flowers look as though garden fairies have dabbed each flower with lipstick that blow kisses in the slightest breeze. Absolutely irresistible to hummingbirds and butterflies, yet Javalina & Rabbits find these pretty little plants utterly repugnant! A lot of plant for the garden dollar.
Here’s the 30 Second Plant Tip of the Day with Ken Lain, Watters Garden Center:
Golden Locust shade trees are proven as hardy street and shade trees, being fast-growing, heat and drought tolerant and well-suited for the demands of urban environments. Trees grow with an open, spreading canopy and have attractive, fine, somewhat weeping foliage. The ‘Sunburst’ variety grows to a thornless tree, a versatile small to medium-size and is distinctive for its color – bright yellow shoots turning later to yellow-green and yellow autumn colors.
I fertilized our home’s landscape just as this week’s rain hit; talk about perfect timing! Monsoonal conditions offer an ideal time for a summer feeding. So, if your summer plants have not bloomed yet, their growth seems slow, their colors pale, or if you just want bigger shade trees and healthier natives, you can remedy these issues. Just get that plant food into landscapes within the next 2-3 weeks!
Many gardeners have asked me, “What do you use to feed your landscape, Ken?” This is my reply, simple and to the point: I use a special formula created just for our mountain landscapes, and, WOW, do plants love the taste! It was three years in the making, and I know because I developed it. Its cleverly appropriate name is ‘All Purpose Plant Food’ 7-4-4. This all-natural food is perfect on every plant in every yard. Lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers, container gardens, and roses thrive on it. “All Purpose” is specific to our region, easy to use, difficult to make a mistake with, and a must for all our summer bloomers to look their best.
Here are some bits of advice when using fertilizer, whether synthetic or all natural:
With properly placed and thoroughly watered-in plant food, it won’t be long until our gardens are filled with blossoms!
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These are the summer days when homeowners are thankful for their shade trees. There is a direct correlation between leaf count of sheltering trees and the cost of cooling a home. Strategically placed trees can dramatically reduce the temperature of our homes. From a design perspective deciduous trees are placed on the south and west sides of a home or patio. From these placements they offer cool shade in the summer, and when they lose their foliage they allow the winter sun to warm those same structures.
Trees are the single most important investment of any landscape because they add value, comfort, and visual appeal to your home. Trees are once-in-a-lifetime investments for most homes as they can outlive their builders by hundreds of years. Mathematically it makes sense to reduce the number or size of your landscape shrubs, freeing up more of the budget to buy larger or better trees. Also, remember to upgrade the size of new trees for a mature look in a new landscape.
An ugly tree stays ugly for the life of that tree. So, do not settle for average sizes just to pinch a few pennies when it comes to your trees. Only put your money, sweat, and energy into perfect specimens. A broken branch from shipping is OK, but never accept trees with leaf spots, wilting, thin or wispy branches, or a root structure that is overgrown and root bound from being left in the pot too long. Each has a negative affect on any plant, but especially on trees. You do not want to spend your time nursing trees back to uncertain health.
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Shorter shade trees mature between 15-25′ and are useful as street trees, lining driveways, or as courtyard accents. They are recommended for smaller patio homes and for the backyards of town houses/ condos.
My favorite variety of this size tree is the Chocolate Mimosa. At first glance its beautiful chocolate bronze leaves appear to be large ferns. The scented clusters of powder-puff- pink blooms are attractive to butterflies and to humans. Stunning when gazed upon from an upper story deck, this fast grower also is the perfect ‘for sitting under’ front yard accent.
Wind becomes a factor for shade trees that mature at a height of 25 to 40 feet. Each has a nice structure with strong trunk and limbs that tolerate our unrelenting winds or winter snow without breaking. These moderate to fast growers adapt well to our heavy mountain soils, so allow them plenty of space to grow.
Right now in this category of trees there are so many great choices at garden centers that it’s hard to k
now where to begin browsing. I suggest that you start by looking at the raywood ash, sunburst locust, autumn blaze maple, and the purple robe locust.
See our very own Arizona native, the desert willow, in bloom from Skull Valley to Dewey. Autumn Gold gingko, Flamingo box elder, and the Chinese pistachio also make great mountain choices. I bet that I could write a book about mountain trees!
Until next week, I’ll see you in the garden center.
Most coreopsis are boring yellows and orange, but not this new Garnet colored bloomer. The rosy pink centers boarder on red and provide a dark contrast to the hot pink petals that rise up above the 10” mounding foliage. Tough to kill, durable, long blooming and comes back every year. What gardener could ask for more? Limited quantities for this fancy new perennial.
Summer brings Russian sage to center stage in local gardens. Sadly, it is so happy in mountain landscapes that this stunningly dramatic plant can get out of control or become difficult to maintain. That violet color also can seem overdone and overbearing in neighborhood after neighborhood. Don’t get me wrong, I love the easy care and bright look of Russian sage, but there are some new plants that are equally stunning and even less demanding.
Garnet Coreopsis is one of those brand new perennials that are burgeoning after this week’s rain. Most coreopsis come in variations of yellow and orange, but ‘Garnet’ is the superstar of the coreopsis world. Rising above a compact, 10 inch mounding foliage its blossoms’ rosy-pink centers border on red, providing a dark contrast to the hot-pink outer petals. This variety can’t be beat for durability and bloom. It’s a drought tolerant, fast growing perennial with prolific bi-colored blooms that will brighten landscapes without demanding additional care. Could you ask for more from a flower that comes back with prolific bloom every summer? It is useful as a companion plant to sages, and with less maintenance.
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It’s the start of the rainy season and weeds have begun their summer migration into our yards. So, once again we reach for those trusty weed preventers. Unlike glyphosates such as ‘KleenUp’, ‘Roundup’, and ‘Weed Beater Ultra’, weed preventers keep seeds from ever emerging. Preventer products dramatically cut back on weeds without affecting the desired plants in a landscape. However, timing is everything when using weed preventers, as they must be applied before weeds start to grow.
‘Weed Beater Complete’ is one of those magic products that accomplish several laborious gardening tasks in one application. This unique product provides both pre-emergent and post-emergent control of both grassy and broadleaf weeds, and works amazingly well on native weeds. Administered through a hand spreader like any granular fertilizer, the systemic action is absorbed through the leaves and carried down to the roots where it inhibits cell division and disrupts photosynthesis. Amazingly, it also prevents future weed seeds from emerging! It definitely is a time saver if you have weeds already up in the landscape and want to dramatically reduce weeds that will come up later in the yard.
The average yard will use about 2-3 bags of weed preventer. It’s the wise gardener that expends energy and money now to eliminate existing weeds and those that usually appear as the season progresses. You will be able to sit back and relax while thinking to yourself: “That Mountain Gardener’s advice is near genius, and I was utterly brilliant to follow it!”
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If your summer plants have not bloomed yet, or their growth seems slow and their colors pale, or if you just want bigger shade trees and healthier natives, this is the time for a summer feeding. Apply plant food in the landscape within the next 2-3 weeks. I fertilized my own landscape just as this week’s rain hit; talk about perfect timing!
Many gardeners ask me, “What do you use to feed your landscape, Ken?”
I use a special formula created just for our mountain landscapes, and, WOW, do plants love the taste! It was three years in the making, and I know because I developed it. Its cleverly appropriate name is ‘All Purpose Plant Food’ 7-4-4. This all-natural food is perfect on every plant in every yard. Lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers, container gardens, and roses thrive on it. “All Purpose” is specific to our region, easy to use, difficult to make a mistake with, and a must for all our summer bloomers to look their best.
Here are some bits of advice when using fertilizer, whether synthetic or all natural:
1) Don’t allow plant foods to remain on the foliage because those leaves can become spotted. Shake the leaves or hose off any excess that may settle on them.
2) After applying this summer meal to lawns and flowers, be sure to run the irrigation. Do not let granular foods remain in the hearts of agaves and yuccas, as this can cause serious damage to the plants.
3) The best placement of plant food is always at the outer edge of a plant’s drip line. If you’re not sure where to put your food, imagine that you are a tree, then fully extend your arms, and envision placing most of the plant food in the area from your elbow out to your fingertips. This comparable area under a plant is the location of most of the feeder roots, those fine root hairs designed to pick up food and water. It’s important to remember that roots directly under the trunk of a plant are unable to absorb plant food; they are there to hold up and support the plant.
With properly placed and thoroughly watered-in plant food, it won’t be long until our gardens are filled with blossoms!
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Gardening Class – Join us on Saturday to solve your local bug and weed problems, especially if you need face-to-face time rather than face-to-phone time. “Weeds & Bugs? No Problem!” is Saturday’s class topic. It focuses on how to solve some common gardening challenges. The class is free, is held in Watters’ greenhouse, and starts at 9:30 a.m., punctually.
With all the monsoon activity it is the perfect time to start or revive your lawn. On July 27 our class will be “Bringing Vibrant Green Lawns to Life”.
Until next week, I’ll see you in the garden center.
ardening class teaches high desert newcomers what to plant and whenAs Watters Garden Center Owner Ken Lain talked about plants that do well in mountain soil during a Saturday morning class in Prescott, he showed gardeners a flowering yellow rudebeckia and a fuschia pow-wow wildberry Echinacea, saying they thrive here.
About 40 people attended Lain’s free gardening class “Paradise Found for Newcomers” to learn which plants, tips, tricks and …more
Article published by Prescott Daily Courier on July 15, 2013
This very pretty plant has ruby-red new growth in spring that turns a clean glossy green in summer then back to ruby red in fall, and blooms for the next 3 months without ceasing. Butterflies and hummers love this head high shrub in the yard. And since it is deer resistant, you can plant it anywhere that you please.
If you haven’t fertilized your yard within the last few weeks, the start of the monsoon season is the time to feed for increased summer blooms. This is especially important for plants stressed by spider mites, from being wind whipped, or just plain ol’ yellow and sickly looking. It’s no secret that my favorite plant food is the one I created after years of 
mountain gardening. I call it Ken’s ‘All Purpose Plant Food’ 7-4-4. It is designed specifically for gardens in the mountains of Arizona and it works better in our area than the national brands. Simply sprinkle it throughout the yard and garden and the next rain will activate the nutrients. I just had the pros at the nursery fertilize every tree we have in stock. The trees were looking pale and obviously needed a nutritious pick-me-up. It’s been a week since they were fed my home grown organic food and they look better already.
To increase root growth and help stabilize stressed out plants there is an additional step to proper garden health. At the same time the ‘All Purpose Plant Food’ is applied, also administer a good strong dose of ‘Soil Activator’. It is easy to use and guaranteed to increase root mass in summer. This is very important for those newly planted in the garden, for the pale and sick, or for plants under attack by grubs, mites, and aphids. Increased root mass can only help plants’ development, especially in the herb and vegetable gardens. Soil Activator increases root mass while other plant food increases foliage and flower mass. This dynamic duo can bring just about any plant back to life.
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Have you noticed a spectacular orange-to-red flower blooming on lush green vines? These are trumpet vines, Campsis radicans, perennial bloomers that have brightened our area for a long time. The plant is rather unassuming most of the year but its sudden show of such large bright flowers is breathtaking. Right into fall the vine is covered with dozens of the four-inch wide, vase-shaped flowers. Hummingbirds will snack on the blossoms even after the entire plant turns its brilliant shades of autumn gold.
For the best color, trumpet vines like at least six hours of sun. However, good drainage is the key to exceptional growth and the brightest colors. When planted in a wide hole then filled in with heavily mulched native soil, a trumpet vine will thrive. Once established, this plant is a moderate to low water user.
Around town there are large specimens of trumpet vines that have grown to about 12 feet high by 12 feet wide. However, many of my customers easily keep this vine pruned to a lower height. When a trumpet vine is happy you can expect it to grow six feet or more in a year. If you have a yard with erosion issues, keep in mind that this plant is great at retaining soil.
Another vine that can address erosion control, provide privacy screening, or fence covers is the hardy kiwi vine. That’s right, the kiwi vine. Although this lush green vine really puts on edible kiwi fruits, I think the plant is valuable for the beauty of the vine, with leaves that look much like the outer skin of the kiwi fruit. This vine grows profusely when it has something to climb. Kiwi vines are self-fertile so you only need one to produce fruit, but the more vines you grow the more scrumptious fruits you’ll have to enjoy. Each plant easily will cover a six-foot high fence and will spread to a width of about eight feet.
When asked about vines for erosion control I always suggest the Virginia creeper. Although native to the state of Virginia, I have seen this vine growing wild throughout the Bradshaw mountain range. Its strong, steady growth can easily cover a hillside. In fall Virginia creepers have a striking red color that rivals that of maple and burning bush. It’s beautiful, drought hardy, and easy to grow; now, that’s some vine!
The additional cloud cover offered plants during the monsoon rains makes this the ideal time to plant vines. This goes for fruit vines like grapes and berries and for the tropical-looking trumpets and honeysuckles. The increased humidity with occasional afternoon rain nurtures a pronounced increase of planting successes. I have found that, unique to the mountains of Arizona, my summer plantings are more successful than vines planted in spring. Truly, it pays off to wait for the first rains of July.
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Gardening Class – “The most Successful Summer Bloomers” is the label of this Saturday’s class for local gardeners, especially those new to our area. If weeds and bugs have been issues in your garden, mark your calendar for the July 20th class. I will be the instructor for that session entitled, ”Weeds & Bugs in the Garden? NO PROBLEM!”. All of our classes are held on Saturdays, beginning promptly at 9: 30 a.m.. They are fun, and full of useful information. You will learn many of the tips and tricks for cultivating successful local gardens.
Until next week, I’ll see you in the garden center.
100 red grapes per bunch used for jelly, jams, preserves, wine, juice or fresh at the table, with absolutely NO seeds. This vigorous Prescott grape ripens early and grows great on a trellis, arbor, pergola and over shaded decks. Works well as a fruit bearing fence to enclose a kitchen garden. They love being planted during the monsoon season. Heck, you might enjoy grapes this year if planted soon.
The month of June is filled with brutal days for all plants. With a prevailing southwest wind, 0% humidity, and no precipitation, plants are utterly dependent on their gardeners. By the end of the month plants are exhibiting smaller leaves, small-sized fruit, and even some yellowing. We have set our irrigation frequencies so high that nutrients are flushed from the soil, illustrated by the white mineral deposits within the root zones. Then, traditionally by July 4th, the monsoon season moves in with its abundance of rains!
With the monsoons our humidity increases dramatically, clouds provide shade, and we enjoy the occasional afternoon rain. This is another planting season for mountain gardeners, especially for putting trees, shrubs, and large vines. Some of my most successful planting efforts have been during this rainy summer season.
A planting hole that is dug correctly and properly amended will result in a healthy, vigorous plant. Below is my 6-step planting technique that consistently works best for local gardens.
Step 1 - The bowl-shaped hole should be the same depth but three times wider as the plant’s root ball. Plants don’t need a deep hole; they thrive when able to stretch out just under the soil’s surface in search of food and water. Be sure to rid the hole of any rocks that are larger than a golf ball.
Step 2 - Check for good drainage by filling the newly dug hole with water. If after 12 hours the water has not completely drained away, dig a chimney-like hole in the bowl- shaped hole until you reach the next soil band and check the drainage again.
Step 3 - Improve the planting soil by amending it with composted mulch. NO manure is used for this planting; it is too strong for new plants. There are two types of soil in mountain gardens. One is hard clay, which does not drain well; the other is loose granite that water flows through as it flows through sand. Good mulch will keep clay soil loose and aerated, and retain water up around the root ball in loose granite.
The amount of mulch per plant should be equal to the size of the root ball. That is the quantity of mulch you will need to blend with native soil to fill in around each plant. Spread a layer of mulch as top dressing to insulate the plant and retain water around the newly forming roots. For granite soil you should add a 3-inch deep layer of additional mulch on top of the root ball.
Step 4 – Don’t bury the plant; the trunk should be kept out of the soil. The top of the root ball you see exposed at the garden center should remain exposed when transplanted into your garden.
Step 5 – Feed your new plantings with ‘All-Purpose Plant Food‘ 7-4-4. This natural food encourages strong root development, and is safe for pets, birds, and young family members. It works well, is easy to use, and has a large margin for error that other foods do not have. Just sprinkle the granules on top of the root ball and water well. This slow-release nutrient will feed newly forming roots a little each time you water. There is no easier way to nurture a strong root system.
Step 6 – ‘Root & Grow‘ promotes deeper roots. Tired of cheap rooting substitutes and manufactured short cuts, I developed this liquid rooting solution for our local gardens. A plant will push new roots into the surrounding soil when this liquid magic is added directly into the plant’s water. Use a 2-gallon watering can and add the recommended amount of solution to the water; then generously soak each plant once it is in the ground. Use this rooting tonic every two weeks until new foliage or flowers appear.
For exact planting details that include drawings and measurements, ask for my ‘Guide to Mile High Planting‘ the next time you visit the garden center. You also might like the useful companion piece ‘Mile High Watering Guide‘.
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Grapes are great examples of the importance of planting at the right time. Grape vines need warm soil before they start growing for the season, so they are one of the last to wake in spring. Plant during the warmer, more humid season, and grapes will quickly exhibit new growth.
Flame Seedless red grapes are melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Fruit clusters come with 100 red grapes per bunch, and with absolutely NO seeds they can be used for jelly, jam, preserves, wine, juice, or simply fresh at the table. This vigorous mountain grape ripens early and starts to set fruit when the monsoons arrive. It loves growing on a trellis, over an arbor, a pergola, and shaded decks. It really works well as a fruit-bearing fence to enclose a kitchen garden. Plant a large specimen early in the monsoon cycle and you just might be enjoying its fruit this fall.
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Until next week, I’ll see you at the garden center.
