Brad's Tropical Paradise

As a graphic designer, I am always learning about how people use things. That is, everything seems to be designed perfectly until people use it. So it's always a process of refinement. If you find that people are consistently needing your guidance to look at the correct things in your garden, your design is poor. Like all good design, people should immediately feel comfortable using it, and appreciate what you want them to see, not navigate hazards that you don't want them to trip over, or kick. The two most basic things that you need to include in your garden are: a place for people to sit, and a place for people to stand. Making people navigate stepping stones, and providing no place for them to walk comfortably just means that they will do the best that they can, probably walking where you don't want them to, accidentally stepping on things, etc. So design with people in mind. Here by the table is what I call the visual interest corner. I also call these types of

It's late March, and time to trim the palm trees. Actually, you can do it all summer, but it's just more comfortable to do it before it gets too hot. The only time you really aren't supposed to trim is during the winter, especially for miniature date palms, like I have here at The Tropical Paradise, as they can be sensitive to cold. But it's not going to be cold again anytime soon around here, so it's time to trim. And I trim as closely as possible. There are different opinions on this, but my trees are very healthy and grow back very quickly. So much so, in fact, that I have to go back in a few weeks and re-trim the stubs, which continue growing. It's not absolutely necessary for the health of the tree, I just think it looks better. By the way, if you see the leaves in the middle with a whiteish powder, don't be concerned. It's perfectly normal, and in fact it's the sign of a healthy tree. OK, I have a few more trees left to trim, so it'

As much as I like flowers, I really don't like to just see them die, which is, unfortunately, is all you are seeing once the flowers are cut. Tulips, however, won't grow here in the desert, so the next best thing is to buy them alive. But there is a trick to it. If you're smart, you will buy them as the blooms are just starting to appear, not in full bloom. They should look like the photo, which are some that a friend of mine got for me at Safeway yesterday. The flowers are already on the move, and will be in full bloom soon. Unfortunately, no, they can't live here permanently. But I can enjoy watching them bloom and grow. And it's as easy as dropping it in a nice decorative cache pot (no, you don't need to replant it or anything) and just watching it.

Iris do great here in the Phoenix, Arizona area, but they have one small problem - if they get too crowded, they stop blooming. So if you have a clump of iris's that refuse to flower, you have some work to do, digging the clumps up, separating, and replanting. So, while I have purchased iris bulbs (actually rhizomes) occasionally, the ones that I like best are the ones that have come from a neighbor's yard. And that's because, in addition to seeing beautiful blooms here, I know that my neighbor is seeing them, too. And the only cost is *sweat equity*. The first time I did this was back in the '90s for my next-door neighbor. She was an elderly widow, and for some reason trusted me to dig up all of her iris plants and subdivide. Of course, the payment to me when I do this is a lot of free bulbs. I've since done this for a lot of people, but some people just look at me suspiciously. You want to do what? The neighbor who supplied the bulbs for the plant in the p

It's March 18th and the iris here at The Tropical Paradise are doing great. I planted a lot of bulbs (actually they're called rhizomes) in the fall and after the rains of February, they really started to grow. They started blooming here in mid-March and it looks like they will continue to do so until it gets really hot, in May. How to plant Plant iris shallowly. I dig out a planting area, fill with potting soil, include some slow-release dry plant food and some polymer moisture crystals, and just sort of place the bulbs on the top of the planting soil, just enough so that the bulb doesn't show. I let the leaves stick up so I can where I planted them, but that's about it. When to plant If you want flowers by spring, you really need to get the bulbs in the ground by early fall. However, you can subdivide plants any time you want. I just did a subdivision yesterday, by just cutting through the edge of a clump, trimming the leaves down, and replanting. I don't

If you drive around Phoenix, Arizona, you won't see any freesia. You certainly won't see it in my front yard. That's because freesia, which does well here in the Phoenix, Arizona area, is a backyard plant. Please let me explain. Freesia is not a huge, showy flower. It's not terribly small, but it's on a scale that works well with human beings, not driveways and streets. It also requires constant care once it starts blooming. The freesia that I have here, which I got as bulbs years ago, have blooms that are too heavy for their stalks to hold. Which means that as soon as I see flower buds begin to form, I have to start tying the stalks to little bamboo stakes. And if the flowers get really tall, I have to do another stake. A labor of love, for sure, but not something that you want to have in your front yard. It's something to putter with while you have your morning coffee. In addition to staking, freesia need to be constantly cleaned. That is, the spent bl

The growth that appears at the base of your olive tree, technically called *suckers*, is perfectly normal. It's a sign of a healthy tree. And there are different opinions on what to do with this sucker growth. Some people let it turn into something that looks like a shrub and trim that neatly. Personally, I really like the sculptural quality of the base of the trunk of an olive tree, so I trim them away. This does take regular attention, and I have found an easy way to do it, using a simple hand chisel. If you don't wait too long, this is pretty easy to do. Just snip the sucker growth off at the base, then use the chisel, gently, to smooth the surface of the trunk. The little wounds heal very quickly, and you are left with that beautiful, gnarly look at the base of the tree. If you do this regularly, the base of the trunk gets more interesting all of the time. A little bit of trouble, but to me, it's worth it. Base of the trunk of an olive tree

I have two very old, and very beautiful, olive trees on my property. I love the dappled shade that they provide to the garden, the fact that they do very well here in the desert, and, well, just about everything about them. But I don't like olives. Every year a tree like this sets fruit, makes about a million olives, and drops them everywhere, making a mess. The fruits get squished underfoot and gets trampled all other place. But there is a solution: fruit stop. When I first moved into this house, I sprayed the olive trees myself. They have gotten bigger in twenty years so now I hire professionals. It costs me $60 per tree every year, which I consider a bargain, as I have made the mistake of failing to spray fruit stop a couple of years ago and it was a terrible mess. Here is what you need to do: When to spray Here in the Phoenix, Arizona area, spray in March. You can go get some fruit stop and Home Depot, mix it up yourself, and spray today. It's best if you can spray

I like visiting gardens. And I have a bad ankle. So the first thing that I look for is a place to sit. And the first thing I ask when visiting a garden is *where can I sit?* and even if the answer is *anywhere you like*, I am usually corrected by a *not there, that's for the cats, or that chair is dirty, or *that's reserved for the King of Ruratania* or something. So I stand at attention, awaiting instructions. I won't say anything to you there, but I will here on this blog. Don't tell your visitors where to sit. If you've designed your garden space correctly, they can't get it wrong. Have chairs and tables. Don't act like an usher in a movie theatre. It's actually kind of cool to see how visitors use the space. I've corrected many of my design mistakes this way, just by watching how people sit in the garden. Yes, you're excited about being a good host or hostess. But get out of the way. Let the garden speak for itself. If you feel that you

I have to admit that this little hand-held hedge trimmer works great on my cape honeysuckle. It's very small, as you can see, and it isn't one of those gigantic *makes a mess of everything* hedge trimmers which I hate so much. And, no, there's no cord. It's March 6th and the cape honeysuckle is done blooming for the season. It will start to bloom again when the weather cools down, in September or October, but in the meantime I will be using my new little hedge-trimmer to keep the plant in shape. When the buds appear, I will be sure to switch over to regular pruners. Cape honeysuckle does well in Phoenix. It has wonderful deep green tropical foliage, and isn't harmed by heat. And did I mention that it blooms in winter? I've had it for many years at The Tropical Paradise and my only complaint is that it does too well. These plants can take over an area and get very big, or, as in this case, they can be kept small. This plant, which is over 15 years old, I ha

If you've ever wondered what heaven on earth looks like, it's Glendale, Arizona (a suburb of Phoenix) in my backyard in March. If you live anywhere close to the 35th Parallel North, you should be seeing this. That is, if you are in Southern California, or the Mediterranean, or Southern Arizona, or anywhere on the globe along that parallel, your backyard should look like this. I've lived close to the 35th Parallel all of my adult life, from Santa Barbara to Phoenix, Arizona. And planet earth just doesn't get any better than this. In Europe, it's the Mediterranean. Along the Pacific Coast, it's Malibu. Some of the most wonderful places in the world are along the 35th Parallel. As of this writing, the temperature at 9:30 am is 61 degrees F (16 C). So, if you're wondering if it's as nice as it looks in the photo, it is. I am so glad to be here! Excuse me, I'm gonna go pour myself some more coffee, go back outside, and just breath the air.

Every once in a while I hear from someone who is converting their landscape to a tropical effect. Many times they are essentially working from *a blank slate*. And while, yes, you can do a tropical landscape in the desert, at first glance it hardly seems possible. The best place to start is to think *oasis*. So if you have a large property, don't try to create Disneyland, create an oasis. That is, start small. Isolate the area right nearby your patio and focus on that. Here is the best way to go: • Create some slopes. Whether you have to bring in dirt or move some around, get rid of the completely-flat, *pool-table* look. For me here at The Tropical Paradise, this happened (as most things have) accidentally. The entire backyard was covered with 1/2-inch gravel, which, when I found out I couldn't sell it, or even give it away, I piled up. Some of my plants are on the tops of slopes that are several feet above the basic ground level. • Amend the soil. In fact, don'

If you have cannas, like I do here at The Tropical Paradise, you know that they grow very fast. And these Canna Tropicannas, that I got from  +Easy to Grow Bulbs, Inc.  really look their best with the new growth. I cut down my cannas "to the nubs" a few days ago and am watching them come back very strong. Yeah, it looks sad for a few days, but, luckily, not that long. And the color is just spectacular. So, the secret to beautiful tropical foliage like this is to be brave and cut down the stalks to the nubs, and then try not to look at it too hard for a few days. We had a couple of very hard rains in the past few days, so there is no need for additional water. But remember that cannas like water, so if it's dry, be generous!