The Tropical Paradise in October

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Here in the Phoenix, Arizona area, October begins the tourist season, and what I like to call "Chamber of Commerce" weather. In a word, it's gorgeous! So I am pleased to see The Tropical Paradise looking good at this time. Part of it is selection of plants (which I would like to take credit for) and part of it is just twenty years of failure. But it's the successes that show!

Don't forget that even though the weather is fine, fall is still on its way. Here the temperatures will stay in the 70s, but the plants think that winter is coming on. The reason that I mention that is to avoid deciduous plants if you want your garden to look good during "Chamber of Commerce" weather. Deciduous means any plant that loses its leaves in the fall. It includes not only trees, but many shrubs that look great in the summer, and are just sticks all winter long. If your property is large enough, deciduous plants don't look bad, but my space is too small for sticks!

And, at the risk of doing a rant, many of the plants are from Home Depot, Dollar Stores, all kinds of places. Yes, I've splurged the big bucks on exotic plants online, specifically Easy to Grow Bulbs, but the overall success of your plants does not depend on where they come from, it depends on where they go. Give them the right home and the right care, and they will thrive.


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