Gardeners in Santa Cruz County, Arizona are able to take pleasure in having flowers year round! Annuals can be planted year round while wildflowers seedlings can be planted twice a year. Here are some quick tips by season of flowering trees, shrubs and perennials that do really well and will flourish as years go by.

Ensure your home’s garden looks great all year long. By just clicking on the link(s) below you will find tips and checklists providing outstanding gardening related content to help you with your home garden and related garden improvements.

Planting roses in a desert garden isn't really much different than planting them in a traditional garden.

First, dig the planting hole. Make sure it is larger (about twice the size) than the root system. I would place the soil taken from the hole and place it in a bucket, wheelbarrow or some other easy-to-access container. Next, mix compost, peat or other organic material with the soil removed from the hole. Regardless of what you've been told, do not add fertilizer to the mixture. Adding fertilizer now will delay the growth of the rose plant, and could also injure the roots. At the bottom of the hole, pile some of the soil mixture into a cone, with the peak of the cone at the center of the hole. You will use this cone to splay the roots out from the base of the plant. Once your hole is dug, remove the rose from the container, or, if bare-rooted, remove the bag covering the roots. Carefully check the roots for damage and remove any broken or injured roots with scissors or shears (make sure the cutters are sterilized. I use rubbing alcohol to sterilize mine, but you can also use a solution of 10% bleach and water.)