A Desert Gardener's Companion

by Nelson, Kim

• ISBN13: 9781887896207
• ISBN10: 1887896201
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-04-01
• Publisher: Rio Nuevo Pub

Summary

For old hands or inexperienced newcomers, A Desert Gardener's Companion is the essential reference for creating and maintaining a bountiful and environmentally sensitive Southwestern gardens. Master Gardener Kim Nelson provides a wealth of information in an easy-to-use seasonal format, covering what to do week-by-week in the desert climates of Southern California, Arizona, southern Nevada, southern New Mexico, and West Texas. Nelson covers everything from planting agave americana to mulching melons to adding zinc chelates to desert soils: one hundred sixty specific topics in all. Delightful drawings by noted nature artist Paul Mirocha demonstrate proper planting and pruning techniques, suggest complimentary landscape groupings, and illustrate specific low water-use plants. No other single volume provides as much useful advice about selecting, planting, and caring for such a wide variety of plants and gardens as Nelson packs into A Desert Gardener's Companion. Her informative and entertaining prose reflects her years of successful, hands-on gardening experience in both Southern California and Arizona and her wealth of knowledge gained as chair of the Plant Clinic at the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension in Tucson.

Table of Contents

January
Checklist	2	(1)
Week 1
Mail order catalogs	3	(1)
Keeping a garden journal	4	(1)
Pruning trees and shrubs	5	(2)
Prunining deciduous trees	7	(3)
Water: How much and how often?	10	(2)
Week 2
Christmas trees	12	(1)
Poinsettias	13	(1)
Houseplant care	14	(2)
Houseplant pests	16	(1)
Fickle, unpredictable January weather	17	(1)
Week 3
Selecting and planting deciduous fruit trees	18	(2)
Bare-root roses	20	(4)
Week 4
Creating annual flower and vegetable beds	24	(2)
Fertilizing flower and vegetable gardens	26	(1)
Pruning grapes	27	(2)
Selection and care of garden tools	29	(2)
Week 5
Bumper crops from winter vegetable beds	31	(1)
The beauty of asparagus in the garden	32	(2)
Your garden's general checkup	34	(2)
Automatic irrigation systems	36	(2)
Feburary
Checklist	38	(1)
Week 6
Starting from seed for spring planting	39	(3)
Winter care of roses	42	(1)
Citrus inspection	43	(3)
Week 7
Planting new grapevines	46	(1)
Fertilizing deciduous fruit trees	47	(1)
Onion sets	48	(1)
Speaking of bulbs	49	(1)
Week 8
A basil primer	50	(1)
Xeriscaping	51	(5)
Week 9
Hardscape Ideas	56	(1)
Fertilization and irrigation: Roses, lawns, grapes	57	(2)
A quick bit of annual color	59	(1)
Planning future landscape projects	60	(2)
March
Checklist	62	(1)
Week 10
A jump-start on the vegetable bed	63	(1)
A citrus synopsis	64	(8)
Week 11
A sunflower house	72	(2)
Simple yet sophisticated common sunflower	74	(1)
The luxuriant splendor of Texas mountain laurel	75	(2)
Caring for pecan trees	77	(3)
Week 12
Thinning fruit trees	80	(1)
Propagating cacti and succulents	81	(4)
Fabulous figs	85	(1)
Week 13
Insects in the garden	86	(1)
Beneficial insects	87	(2)
Common pests	89	(3)
April
Checklist	92	(1)
Week 14
Finally frost free	93	(1)
The ants return	94	(1)
Intensive planting of warm-season vegetables	95	(3)
Ready to fertilize	98	(1)
Manure: Is it safe in the garden?	99	(1)
Week 15
Annuals flowers from seed	99	(5)
By the light of the silvery moon	104	(2)
Week 16
The Desert cottage garden	106	(5)
Growing gourds	111	(2)
Week 17
Creating a standard topiary	113	(2)
The drought-tolerant treasure called penstemon	115	(3)
May
Checklist	118	(1)
Week 18
Much to do in May	119	(2)
The sage garden	121	(2)
Week 19
Tomato troubles	123	(2)
Chile peppers	125	(1)
Week 20
The southwest herb garden	126	(9)
Week 21
Jerusalem sage	135	(1)
Soil mixes	136	(1)
Pests and more pests	137	(2)
Week 22
Container gardening	139	(5)
June
Checklist	144	(1)
Week 23
Accent plants in the garden	145	(2)
Hot! Hot! Hot!	147	(3)
Week 24
Creating a desert oasis with palms	150	(3)
The stately saguaro	153	(1)
Water: A constant desert issue	154	(1)
Week 25
Melons and beans	155	(1)
Persistent pests	155	(3)
Week 26
A summer planting frenzy	158	(3)
Euphorbias	161	(3)
July
Checklist	164	(1)
Week 27
A Native American vegetable garden	165	(3)
Week 28
Your garden during monsoon	168	(3)
Protecting plants from the summer sun	171	(1)
Summer pests and parasites	172	(2)
Week 29
Water harvesting	174	(2)
Texas root rot and other fungi	176	(3)
Dethatching Bermuda grass	179	(1)
Week 30
An indoor vegetable garden	180	(2)
Growing sprouts	182	(2)
General July chores	184	(2)
August
Checklist	186	(1)
Week 31
An indoor herb garden	187	(3)
Compositing: Making your own black gold	190	(3)
Tending the vegetable and herb beds	193	(1)
Week 32
The butterfly garden	194	(3)
Creosote	197	(1)
Week 33
Iris	198	(5)
Swarming ants and termites	203	(1)
Week 34
Palo verde trees	203	(3)
Late August activities	206	(2)
September
Checklist	208	(1)
Week 35
Beautiful bulbs for the desert	209	(4)
Rose rejuvenation	213	(2)
Week 36
Winter vegetable beds	215	(2)
Revisiting the herb garden	217	(2)
Back to landscaping	219	(1)
Poolside plantings	220	(2)
Week 37
Edible landscape plants	222	(3)
Poisonous plants	225	(2)
Week 38
Wildlife in the garden	227	(5)
The Hummingbird garden	232	(3)
Week 39
Mesquite	235	(2)
Sennas and Jojobas	237	(3)
Still more pests	240	(2)
October
Checklist	242	(1)
Week 40
`Dig-less' vegetable gardening	243	(2)
Those black nursery pots	245	(1)
Fall and winter color	246	(4)
Week 41
What to plant in October	250	(3)
Preparations for cooler weather	253	(1)
A green winter lawn	254	(2)
Week 42
Erosion control	256	(3)
Pomegranate	259	(4)
Week 43
Wildflowers	263	(4)
Ripening Citrus	267	(1)
Eucalyptus	268	(3)
Pruning Palm Trees	271	(1)
November
Checklist	272	(1)
Week 44
Amaryllis	273	(3)
Forcing bulbs	276	(3)
Week 45
Pressing flowers and foliage	279	(1)
Week 46
Preparing for first frost	280	(3)
Problem-Solving in the vegetable garden	283	(2)
Week 47
Sharing the bounty	285	(1)
Sweet potato houseplants	285	(2)
Bird feeders and bat houses	287	(1)
Week 48
Harvesting pecans	288	(1)
The asparagus bed	289	(1)
Botanical wreaths	289	(5)
December
Checklist	294	(1)
Week 49
Gifts for the gardener	295	(2)
Indoor holiday plant care	297	(2)
Catalogs for January perusal	299	(1)
Week 50
Gifts from your garden	300	(5)
December flowerbeds	305	(1)
Winter lawn care	306	(1)
Week 51
Winter weed control	307	(1)
Cold frames, hot beds, and greenhouses	308	(2)
Week 52
Pines in the desert landscape	310	(3)
Interplanting the rose bed	313	(3)
Cleaning up for the New Year	316	(2)
Botanical Nomenclature	318	(2)
Plant Index	320	(6)
Subject Index	326