Brad's Tropical Paradise

The weather here in the Phoenix area is wonderful for tropical plants. It never snows here, and even the worst frosts really aren't all that bad. There's a lot of sunshine, and warmth, and well, just about everything. Except the soil is just awful. Now don't get me wrong, the soil is just fine for cactuses, agaves, and other desert-adapted plants. But it's much too alkaline for palm trees, and cycads. And that's why I say that my plants aren't really planted in Arizona, they're planted in holes in Arizona, filled with potting soil. And coffee grounds. Yes, coffee grounds. I've been adding in coffee grounds here for years and years. You can get it for free at coffee shops (especially the ones that charge waaayyyy too much for a cup of coffee), and you can get it from whenever you make coffee (I keep a plastic container next to my coffeemaker, and I dump the grounds there, not into the garbage). At first I just sprinkled the coffee grounds on top ...

If you have Arabian Jasmine (sometimes called Night Blooming Jasmine) in your garden, you know how wonderful it smells. Of course it doesn't just bloom at night, but that seems to be when it's the most noticeable. And you can bring that fragrance indoors! All you gotta do is to trim off some branches, being sure to find ones that have blooms that are about to open (they look round and puffy). Cut the branches long enough to reach into the bottom of a vase (or a plastic cup from Walmart, which is what I used), and trim off the bottom leaves (they would rot in the water). Then put it on a windowsill where it can catch a bit of a breeze. It will start to bloom right away, and smell great! As the blooms are spent, and fall off, float them on the water, where they will continue to be wonderfully fragrant. I did the trimming yesterday, and as you can see, the blooms are opening. This should last a few days. It costs nothing, and you had to trim the plant anyway. And did I me...

I like irises (iri?). They grow great here in the Phoenix, Arizona area, and are easy to plant and care for. If you're pondering it, and it's anytime from October to December, go for it. I like to buy bulbs mail-order. I've tried bulbs from everywhere from the Dollar Store to Home Depot, and it just seems like the cheap ones aren't worth the trouble. Because you do have to go to some trouble to plant a bulb. Here's what I do: Iris planting hole, close to the path. • Find a place that you can reach. Don't plant way out in the garden where you have to trudge through to attend to the plant. Plant it along an edge. That way you can clean spent blooms, tend to any leaves that become unsightly and just generally have the flowers close enough that you can enjoy them. I put out little markers and stand back and evaluate. From a design standpoint, flowers are a "walk up to it". Keep them close enough to the path so that people aren't tempted to...