Brad's Tropical Paradise

Nothing says "cranky old guy" as much as telling people to stay off your lawn, or out of your garden. But us cranky old guys know that there are watering heads that can be kicked and broken, and small plants growing that can be stepped on and crushed. Fortunately, there is a way to say it without really saying it, and while increasing the beauty of your garden. Using agaves and cactus. Nothing says "don't walk here" like razor sharp plants. But it does take some care to do it right. People will tend to take the shortest route, even if it means walking across a garden. It's just human nature, that's just the way it is. In the photo you can see the line of sight from the sidewalk to the garage from the sidewalk. People aren't walking across a garden, or a lawn, to be rude, it just makes sense. So the first thing to do is to go sight the line where it would make sense to walk, and then block it. Now be careful here. Putting jagged plants next to...

It's Thanksgiving Day here at The Tropical Paradise in Glendale, Arizona (a suburb of Phoenix). I've lived here all of my adult life, but I grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and on a day like this I don't take this place for granted. It's in the mid-sixties (about 18 C), with a bright blue sky. What can I say, it's gorgeous here! Dang, I like it here!

There are two stages to a blooming bulb, such as a daffodil. First is the foliage stage, and then is the flowering stage. Pictured here is the beginning of the flowering stage, the flower bud. The previous stage, the foliage stage, began several months ago. This bulb has been in the ground for two years now. It will come back every year, here in the Phoenix, Arizona area, starting in September. And it will be in just the foliage stage until it begins to bloom, which is normally in December, January, and February. The point here is that you will see several months of foliage before you see any blooms. And since my emphasis here at The Tropical Paradise is foliage, that works out just fine for me. Once the plant blooms, the foliage begins to die back. By February the foliage starts to turn brown. The plant is not dying then, it is just going into "hibernation" for a while. So here is how to have beautiful daffodils: • Plant them in September. They will start to grow...

When you think of a tropical garden, you probably think of exotic, expensive plants. Maybe something flown in from far-away Borneo, or something, at great expense. But you can get a tropical look with the least expensive plants, such as the humble petunia. A tropical paradise is all about creating lush growth. Blooms are a bonus, but it's really not what a tropical look is all about. It's about foliage. So take a look at the foliage of the petunia. Even without the flowers, it has a wonderful, broad leaf, vining, tropical aspect. You can buy them for real cheap at any garden center in six or eight packs. Don't bother buying them any bigger. Planted with care, and given some water, they will grow like crazy. This is what you do, dig a hole, add some potting soil, some slow release dry fertilizer (I use Osmocote) and some moisture crystals (a tiny amount). Water well. Then go water some more. Then stand back. Petunias will grow here in the Phoenix area all through the...

Because palm trees all tend to look about the same, and are about the same size in pots, at the garden center, it's important to look at mature specimens. I was at the Sahuaro Ranch Park today and took this photo that shows a good contrast between a Canary Island date palm ( Phoenix canariensis ), which is at the center of the photo, and a date palm ( Phoenix dactylifera ), which is just to the right of it. The Canary Island Date palm, as you can see, has greener fronds. The regular date palm's fronds are more bluish. The scale of these trees is gigantic. If you're interested in a dense, green canopy, Canary Island Date palms are the way to go. And if anyone ever tells you that palm trees don't give shade, bring them over to Sahuaro Ranch and have them stand under a grove of Canary Island Date palms. They give a lot of shade, and really give a feeling of an oasis.

The Tropical Paradise is in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. This is the Sonoran Desert, and it can get very hot in the summer. But from October through March is some of the most glorious weather on planet earth. I call it "Chamber of Commerce weather". Temperatures are in the high sixties and mid-seventies, with bright sunshine. It's November, and this is the time of the year when winter visitors start arriving to get away from the snow and the cold back east. And if you're wondering if it's really true, that Phoenix is so nice, believe me, it is. Yes, it's about the same as Southern California, but Phoenix is much cleaner. The freeways are not a nightmare, and there is still a friendly feeling of "the old west". OK, now I sound like the Chamber of Commerce! One of the advantages to living here is that it doesn't rain much. Great for golf, or hiking, but not so good for plants. So I have an automatic watering system. I also do sel...

It's November 1st here at The Tropical Paradise of my backyard in Glendale, Arizona (a suburb of Phoenix). It's in the mid-seventies (about 23 C) and it really doesn't get much nicer anywhere on planet earth. The sky is amazingly blue and there is just a hint of breeze under sunny skies with, as usual, low humidity. I've lived through this type of weather for all of my adult life, but since I grew up in Minnesota, I still am amazed by it. I want to walk up to people who grew up and here and grab them by the shoulders - "do you have any idea how NICE this is?!" I've switched my watering system to come on every 72 hours, and will turn it completely off by the end of December through February. The flowers, such as freesia, iris, and amaryllis I will water by hand a couple of times during the winter, but we usually get gentle rain around Christmastime. Dang, I love it here!