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the yard seem cooler and more inviting in thesummer. Warm colors — red, orange and yellow —can add excitement to the landscape. Hot colorsappear to be closer than cool colors so put coolcolored flowers at the back of the garden to make itappear larger. Experiment with other colorcombinations.
Planting and Flowering Guide
Remember that the low desert provides gardenerswith two distinct growing seasons. Warm seasonflowers can be planted from approximatelyFebruary through May, for bloom through thesummer. Cool season flowers are planted in the falland bloom through May, or until temperatures heatup. This Guide provides a range of dates that offera high probability of success. However, yearlyweather conditions can vary considerably and thelow desert contains a myriad of microclimates. Usethese dates as general guides and adjust them asnecessary for your local conditions.
Soil
Most flowers prefer a nutrient-rich, well-drainedsoil (nobody likes wet feet). If this is your firstattempt or if your patch of hard rock fills you withdespair, you might want to concentrate on theflowers marked as “Wildflowers” or “Reseeds” inthis Guide. Many of these don’t require as rich asoil, preferring a more “native” environment.
Fertilizing
Flowers, like vegetables, are heavy “eaters” andwill require nitrogen for vegetative growth andphosphorous for healthy roots and reproduction,which includes flowers. However, too muchnitrogen may create a healthy, vigorous plant, withfew flowers. Phosphorous is not water soluble andthus can not move easily through the soil. It needsto be placed deep enough in the soil where theplant’s roots can easily take it up. Thus, it should bemixed into the soil in the root zone before planting,or dug into side trenches if required after the plantis established. If plants are in the ground, fertilizeris best applied to moist soil to help prevent burning.Because there are so many variables involved — thecondition of the soil, plant species, fertilizer type(dry, slow release, liquid), weather, your garden’smicroclimate — there is no magic formula forapplying fertilizer. Follow the directions on thelabel of the fertilizer you choose. Depending onyour conditions, you may need to add fertilizer asoften as every six weeks or so during the flowers’peak growing season. If you have nutrient-rich soilthat is well prepared before planting, additionalfertilizer may not be required. Consider keeping agarden journal, noting what kind of fertilizer youused, how much and when it was applied. Keep aneye on your plants. Do they look green andhealthy? Do buds and flowers form? Let your plantsand your “eye” determine what is needed.Flowers grown in containers need a regularschedule of fertilizer or a timed-release fertilizermixed in at planting time. Some Master Gardenersrecommend applying a diluted fertilizer with eachwatering in cooler weather. In hot weather, youmay need to water daily, so cut back on fertilizer toonce a week. This is only a guide. The size of thecontainer and the plants will determine fertilizerneeds.
Tips
Perennial flowers show to their best advantagewhen planted in groups of odd numbers (three,five, seven) in a drifting effect. Annuals look greatwhen massed together for maximum color effect,although they can also work well when grouped inodd numbers. Single plants of many varieties tendto look disorganized. Avoid straight rows for amore natural appearance. Take a look at how plantsgrow in nature — when’s the last time you saw astraight line? However, smaller, low growing plantscan work well as a continuous border along thefront of a bed with taller flowers behind in two orthree “layers.”“Deadheading” is the term used for removingspent blossoms. Cutting or pinching off the deadflowers on a weekly basis prolongs the bloomingperiod because the plant doesn’t expend its energyon seed production. Toss the dead flowers intoyour compost pile.White flowers show well at dusk. Use them nearpatios, entryways and entertainment areas wherethey can be shown to best advantage.
Many thanks to the following individuals who helpeddevelop and review this publication: Rita Jo Anthony,Roberta Gibson, Marlene Hooper, Terry Mikel, KentNewland, Erin O’Dell, Cathy Rymer, Cindy Smith, andAnnette Weaver.
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, James A.Christenson, Director, Cooperative Extension, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Arizona.The University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is an equal opportunity employer authorized to provide research, educational information andother services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to sex, race, religion, color, national origin, age, Vietnam Era Veteran’s status, ordisability.Any products, services, or organizations that are mentioned, shown, or indirectly implied in this publication do not imply endorsement by The University of Arizona.
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