Category: Patios in desert gardens

What to do when its too hot to garden

Today’s forecast in Tucson is for a high temperature of 111 degrees Fahrenheit. Too hot to do more than water the plants in pots and sweep up leaves from yesterday’s winds. It’s like this almost everywhere in the Southwest. Even southeastern California is scorching. (The exceptions are the sky islands of Arizona and Nevada. More about them later.)

So what’s a gardener to do? For me the solution is clear: visit the shadiest public garden nearby preferably in the morning and preferably with a gardening friend.

Seeing the wide range of heat-tolerant plants thriving in the public garden is the summertime equivalent of perusing seed catalogs in winter. You and your friend can look. You can even take notes if you see something very special. But you cannot really do anything about planting in your hot, dry garden until the weather cools months from now. Then after the plant-viewing is done, stop at the cafe in the public garden for a light lunch in the shade. Perfect!

Escape to a public garden

So, here are a few public gardens I’ve visited during the sizzling hot summer months over the past 20+ years I’ve been writing Hot Gardens. Often, I confess, my goal in recent years is to go for a shady walk in an appealing urban space and have a fun lunch with friends. Plants are just an extra.

(For a list of all the gardens I’ve written about on Hot Gardens, go here.)

I’ll start with the obvious: Tucson Botanical Gardens. It was founded in 1964 in the back yard of a horticulturist, Harrison Yocum, so the trees in parts of this garden are 60 years old and the walk ways are shady. Two new additions to this garden are an expanded cactus and succulent garden and a whimsical installation of model trains and model historic buildings in what was once an ignored corner of the garden. Both USA Today and TripAdvisor recommend this public garden. I do, too.

Saguaros at Tucson Botanical Garden
Shady pathway Tucson Botanical Garden

The San Antonio Botanical Garden is 38 acres of surprises. Rather than focus on drought-tolerant plants, the goal of this public garden is to showcase the wide variety of plants and eco-systems in Texas. Among the things you will see is the dramatic Lucile Halsell Conservatory complex with its towering glass buildings. There are also old residences surrounded by historic plantings. And contemporary displays of plants. And a bird-watching station. And a culinary garden. And…, well, it’s Texas so there is more, much more.

working after retirement ebook and paperback

Plan your visit to the Phoenix Botanical Gardens at night! From June through September there are ‘Flashlight Nights’ that let you see the gardens after sundown. Each of these nights has special events and snacks for desserts, too. The exhibitions of plants and the indigenous people of the Southwest are favorites of mine. The trails through the Gardens aren’t consistently shady so nighttime visits are best. Check the website for dates and times.

patio space with desert plants at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden

When I lived in Los Angeles, my go-to public garden was not the large L.A. Arboretum, but the much smaller and shadier Descanso Gardens, tucked back in the hills above Glendale. Originally it was a commercial garden with camellias and roses grown for sale. Now camellias and roses make up only two parts of Descanso Gardens. There is also a Japanese Garden with a tea house, a lilac garden with blooms in Spring, a small drought-tolerant garden, an Oak woodland with soft-underfoot trails, a little train for children to ride, and an art exhibition near the original home on the property plus a cafe for lunch under the pergolas near the entrance. (And the glorious poppy, below, is just for a beauty of it.)

poppies at Descanso Gardens

Historically, plants have not always been the primary focus of gardens. The ancient gardens of the Roman, Persian and Chinese empires always placed the enclosing architecture, the water features and the buildings as the most important elements of that protected, outdoor space we call a garden. Plants were more like ornaments in those gardens. The Getty Villa in Malibu and the Chinese Garden at the Huntington Gardens are both examples of the ‘architecture-first’ gardens. And both these gardens are also noted for their art collections. So if you go to California this summer, visit either or both of these for a more-than-gardens experience. I recommend lunch at the Getty Villa overlooking the Roman garden, below, and Pacific Ocean. The food is good; the view is better. And it’s always cool!

outer peristile at Getty Villa in Malibu
garden fountain at Getty Villa

Now about Sky Islands

Sky Island is the common designation for locations over 5,000 feet in elevation in mountains that rise up steeply out of hot deserts. Up there it’s cool — 20 to 30 degrees cooler than the land down at the foot of the mountains. Both Mt. Lemmon near Tucson and Mt. Charleston near Las Vegas are sky islands. Hiking and camping are comfortable experiences during summer months when you are that high up. And you can simply ignore your garden for a while. Stay cool!

Read our 8 most popular newsletters

  1. Hot Days, White Nights, How Design a Moon Garden
  2. Australian Plants for a Desert Garden
  3. Cover up that naked wall
  4. Best and beautiful native shrubs for extreme heat
  5. Five fragrant plants for your garden
  6. Where to get free or cheap trees for your garden
  7. Four desert trees good for soil, 4 toxic ones
  8. Plants that bloom even in mid-summer scorching heat

Gardening gadgets and fun stuff for your garden

Last month I promised a post about gardening gadgets, so here it is. Full disclosure: I am not making any money from these suggestions. They are simply handy things–and some fun ones–to have for your garden and for gardening.

A full-function gardener’s apron. This isn’t exactly a gadget but an durable, easy care full size apron with lots of pockets and a kangaroo pouch gives you the protection you need plus places for all your compact garden tools, gloves, sun screen, clippings and fruit you have harvested. Cost: $20 and up.

Gardener’s sleeves. These are like long sleeve, fingerless gloves to protect your arms from scratches while you’re working in the garden. And now they come in really terrific, fun patterns. I’m surprised that some internet influencer or Paris fashion house hasn’t jumped on these for style alone!

Garden kneeler and seat. There are several styles shown on Google and Amazon that let you sit or kneel while you weed the flower beds or trim the shrubs. One even has an umbrella attachment — which I like a lot. I’m not going to show any of them; there are over 20 listed on Amazon plus more at Target and Walmart. Prices run from $3o up. (There are lower priced ones, but they look flimsy and flimsy is not good.)

Pruning shears for arthritic hands. Okay, you young gardeners don’t need these now, but us older ones appreciate the ergonomic design that German engineers put into these easy-to-use clippers/shears. Their claim is that they are 3 times easier to use.

An umbrella hat is exactly what it says. A medium size umbrella you can wear to protect yourself from the sun’s dangerous rays. The downside I see to this hat is that it is large enough to bump into shrubs and low tree branches while you’re wearing it. (But now having had 3 operations for skin cancer, I strongly suggest protecting your skin.)

Mini-electric chain saw. Yep. There is now a small chain saw that runs on a battery for use in trimming branches. I would love to have one of these. They are small and lightweight — less than 2 pounds. My little garden saw is so old, dull and rusted that it is useless. Prices for the better quality mini chain saw start around $150 and go up. TIP: Check customer reviews before you buy.

Robotic lawnmower. We’ve all seen the Husqvarna ads for their new lawnmower that is guided by satellite gps. (It looks like it could be a shiny, black Mars rover!) But Segway, the people who made those funny two wheel standing vehicles, also makes a robotic lawnmower. Not cheap, of course. The Segway starts at $1,000. Husqvarna has one low priced model but most are $1,000 to $4,000. Check the reviews before you buy.

An inflatable outdoor movie screen. Yes. You can hold movie parties in your back yard this summer with an inflatable screen and outdoor projector. The screen will set you back about $120 or so. Be sure to find out if the air pump runs silently and that the screen is stable if a breeze springs up during your viewing party. You don’t want your screen sailing off over the fence into your neighbor’s yard. Outdoor movie projectors start at as little as $100 but the top of the line projectors are closer to $300.

And, finally, Eat Pizza. My favorite from last month’s newsletter: an outdoor pizza oven to feed your guests before the movie starts.

working after retirement ebook and paperback

Read our 8 most popular newsletters

  1. Hot Days, White Nights, How Design a Moon Garden
  2. Australian Plants for a Desert Garden
  3. Cover up that naked wall
  4. Best and beautiful native shrubs for extreme heat
  5. Five fragrant plants for your garden
  6. Where to get free or cheap trees for your garden
  7. Four desert trees good for soil, 4 toxic ones
  8. Plants that bloom even in mid-summer scorching heat

How to Save a “Patio-of-Shame”

While it is 3 degrees fahrenheit in Chicago today, patio season is already here in Southern Arizona and coming soon to the rest of the Southwest. The days are warmer now, but before you invite a friend over for lunch in the sunshine or plan an early family dinner outdoors, take a long look at your patio. Is it a “patio-of-shame”–an utterly plain, bare concrete slab behind your home that you never got around to changing? Or did you update it a few years ago, but now that update looks tired and worn?

Well, whatever the condition of your current patio, here are a few ideas for lifting it out of the category of “patio-of-shame”. Prices online for these updates range from below $20 to amazingly, impossibly extravagant.

Start by Creating Shade

An unshaded patio is a Never-Used patio. But if your garden patio area is already a source of pride and covered with a roof or arbor you are now ahead of the game. No shame here. Not only will these architectural features shade your patio, they will keep direct sun off the side of your home and reduce air conditioning bills.  Custom-built arbors or pergolas can be very expensive; you could end up spending thousands of dollars for one. There are, however, arbor kits available at garden centers, home improvement stores, and online that cost considerably less. Even then, prices start in the $300 range and go way up into the thousands of dollars.

grape vine on arbor

One of the lovely features of a sturdy arbor is that it allows you to plant cooling, climbing vines, such as Grapes (Vitis vinifera), shown in this photo, or fast-growing Trumpet Vine. Both are lush green in summer and lose their leaves in winter to allow in warming sun when you need it.

Another popular shade-creating solution, and much less expensive than an arbor or pergola, is an awning that attaches to the side of your home. It can be rolled up during winter and rolled out in summer giving protective shade even when the temperature goes into triple digits. If you go this route be sure to ask how the fabric holds up to blazing sunlight and monsoon downpours.

Stepping down to an even less expensive way to add shade is to install a sun sail. Prices for these large pieces of material — usually canvas but also available in bamboo–start at around $100 plus the cost of installing poles and fixtures to attach the sun sail. The color selection for these sails seems endless so be daring, but ask if the fabric is fade-resistent.

Still another option, if you are doing this update on a budget, is to purchase a market umbrella for your patio table. Choose one that fits into a hole in the center of your table or an umbrella that cantilevers out over your table from a base set off to the side. Cantilever-style umbrellas can be dual-purpose because they are easily moved to cast shade on a chair or other outdoor furniture after you’ve finished eating. Interestingly enough, cantilever umbrellas are not as expensive as I thought; you can buy one for around $100. ProTip: string tiny, white Christmas lights inside the umbrella to give it a festive feel on mid-summer nights.

And this brings us to…

Patio furniture for every taste and budget

Rather than discuss patio furniture in detail, I’ll just say that there are more styles and colors and prices for outdoor furniture than you can shake a stick at! I even saw one of those cheap, super-practical plastic chairs, brand-new, for under $20 online.

If you do not want to buy new, you can find some good quality, second-hand outdoor furniture on the online want ads. Craig’s List, Next Door, and Facebook all have local marketplace listings. Avoid using second-hand pillows and furniture pads, however. You don’t know who or what has lounged around on them, soiling them, even if they look clean.

If you buy used patio furniture, paint it to make it new-for-you. There are a gazillion colors of outdoor furniture paint and even special paints for those ubiquitous plastic chairs. Because you can always change a color later if you change your mind or if the paint fades, take a risk with outdoor furniture paint and try a color or shade you would never use inside your home. Make it fun!

Okay, so now here you are, sitting in the shade on attractive outdoor furniture–maybe even with a big round dinner table in front of you. Maybe you want to celebrate your new patio update and someone says…

“Pizza anyone?”

While humans have been eating food cooked on a fire for hundreds of thousands of years, cooking in a outdoor kitchen is fairly new — and an installed full kitchen with refrigerator, oven, and grill, on a patio is an extravagance, no question about that. It could easily cost $5,000, $7,000 or more. Installing the wiring and plumbing are the largest costs.

But at the other end of the scale of outdoor cooking equipment is the simple-to-use iron hibachi. It’s small and cooks just fine using charcoal. I used one for years to grill burgers for my children on a balcony in Los Angeles. Prices range from about $50 and up.

My favorite invention, however, is the outdoor pizza grill. Unlike all those big, black or green “Dad-grills” powered by charcoal or gas, portable pizza grills are compact and some are even wood-fired just like pizza ovens in Italian restaurants. A delicious pepperoni and mushroom pizza cooked right from the freezer along with a green salad makes a tasty, easy family dinner and a welcome change from burgers or chicken. Pizza grills start at around $170 and some have multiple levels so they can be used for grilling chicken at the same time the pizza is cooking.

Now, if only some robot would clear the patio table after dinner and do the dishes as well. Which brings us to Part 2 of The Patio Series in my next Hot Gardens newsletter. It’s entitled The Gadgety Garden. See you there!

Read our 8 most popular newsletters

  1. Hot Days, White Nights, How Design a Moon Garden
  2. Australian Plants for a Desert Garden
  3. Cover up that naked wall
  4. Best and beautiful native shrubs for extreme heat
  5. Five fragrant plants for your garden
  6. Where to get free or cheap trees for your garden
  7. Four desert trees good for soil, 4 toxic ones
  8. Plants that bloom even in mid-summer scorching heat