Southwest Regional Reports

  • ocotillo in bloom
    Southwest Regional Reports

    Ocotillo Is a Native Shrub You Need to Grow

    Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens, Zones 7–11) is an unusually beautiful desert gem. This succulent shrub, often misidentified as a cactus, is impossible to miss when you are traveling through the desert.…

  • anise hyssop
    Southwest Regional Reports

    Beat the Heat with Shade-Tolerant Herbs and Veggies in the Southern Plains

    Growing cool-season crops in the Southern Plains can be tricky. Spring plantings often bolt (go to flower) from the heat before crops mature, while fall plantings are difficult to establish…

  • Jacaranda tree canopy
    Southwest Regional Reports

    Jacaranda Trees Signal Spring in the Southwest

    In midspring, the desert is dotted with jacaranda trees (Jacaranda mimosifolia, Zones 9–11) dripping with beautiful purple blooms. It always seems to take us by surprise when they start to…

  • Allen Chickering salvia
    Southwest Regional Reports

    Native Salvias for Southern California

    In spring, many of our wild spaces are in bloom, and many of those flowering plants are native salvias (Salvia spp. and cvs., Zones 5–11) that can be easily incorporated…

  • Desert Botanical Gardens
    Southwest Regional Reports

    Inspiration from Desert Botanical Garden

    If there’s one thing we love doing, it’s exploring new gardens. While in Phoenix, we took the opportunity to pop into the famous Desert Botanical Garden for a bit of…

  • Tarocco blood orange
    Southwest Regional Reports

    The Best Citrus Trees for Southern California

    Here in Southern California, many of us are fortunate enough to be surrounded by citrus trees. While many citrus trees are facing an unknown future with the spread of citrus…

  • summer and fall vegetable garden
    Southwest Regional Reports

    Choosing Where to Build Your Vegetable Garden in the Southern Plains

    Every climate type presents certain challenges to vegetable gardeners. Here are a few region-specific tips to keep in mind when siting a new vegetable garden in your Southern Plains garden.…

  • 4 Must-Have Plants for the Southwest
    Southwest Regional Reports

    4 Must-Have Plants for the Southwest

    As garden centers start to open their doors for the season (and we get ready to run into them with open arms), we decided to ask some regional experts what…

  • Southwest Regional Reports

    4 Must-Have Plants for the Southern Plains

    As garden centers start to open their doors for the season (and we get ready to run into them with open arms), we decided to ask some regional experts what…

  • Bismarck palm
    Southwest Regional Reports

    Focal-Point Palms for Southern California

    We are fortunate in Southern California to be able to feature a variety of striking palms in our gardens. Often used as solitary specimens, these grasslike plants are worth investigating…