Brad's Tropical Paradise

One of the best things that I ever did was to get artificial turf, almost fifteen years ago. Before then I tried to grow grass in a tiny area that got a lot of shade, and it was a mess, year after year. Now calm down there, I'm not selling anything - I just feel as if I wanna twang a sad guitar when I see people who have this kind of space and don't take advantage of it. I've seen waaaay too many backyards that are just a bunch of dirt, a few sprigs of dead grass, and various household pieces of junk that really should have been hauled away to the dump years ago. Or, what seems to me to be even worse, everything paved over reflecting the heat and making life in the backyard just about unbearable. I've had this artificial turf since 2006, and it still looks great. Obviously it doesn't need watering, or mowing, and all I do is to wander out every once in a while with a small battery-powered blower, and blow some of the leaves away. Artificial turf tends to look...

Leaks happen in any type of watering system. I have two systems here, one for general watering, and one for misting, and over the years they sometimes develop a leak. The lines are just plastic after all, and even the tiniest nick in a line that's under pressure can create a terrible leak underground. Yesterday afternoon the Woman in My Life discovered a very strange little hole in the garden. At first I thought that it might be the tunnel of some little creature, so I just covered it up, and stepped on it. But she went back to do more exploring, and found that the hole had been created by a high-pressure leak in my misting system. It was all wet and muddy, so I turned off the system for the night, and waited for it to dry out. Fixing something like this takes no small amount of contortion, as you need to squeeze yourself between the plants. I'm not as young as I used to be, and while I can still do it, I feel it in my back and knees. So when I fix it, I do a very solid ...

If you're wondering what trees and shrubs grow well where you live, it's easy to find out - just go to any nearby parking lot. Most businesses want their parking lots to look attractive, and you will definitely see trees and shrubs. And here's the best part - these trees and shrubs tend to thrive with neglect, and look spectacular with care. And don't worry if you don't know the name of a tree or shrub, just take a pic with your phone and show it to the person at the garden center. They'll recognize it, and may even scoff at how common it is. And it gets even better. If you want to see how the tree or shrub looks in different kinds of weather,  or in different seasons, just go back and look at it. And if you want to know how messy it is, or how much it sheds, well that's easy, too - just go there. This is a great trick that I've used a lot, but remember not to stand there staring at the trees and shrubs too long or someone there might get nervo...

I like rocks in my garden, and I like a touch of whimsy. Done correctly, it's wonderful, done incorrectly, it's a disaster. So here are a few thoughts. I have very few decorative rocks - most of them are meant to blend in with the garden, with ordinary color and texture. The exceptions are my petrified forest rocks, which are meant to be displayed, and are right up close so people can see them. On a regular basis I clean them a bit, and even put some furniture polish on them (not so much to make them shiny, but enough to brighten up the color just a bit). I found a little plastic lizard at the Dollar Store, and he seems to set them off nicely. If you just glance at him, he looks kinda real, but you don't have to look too closely to see that he's plastic. I'm not trying to fool anyone, I'm just adding some whimsy, and I very much dislike the overly cartoony stuff that you often see. Plants just look better framed with rocks, it just adds to the natur...

If you live in a climate where palm trees grow, from Los Angeles to Florida, or here in Phoenix, my only question to you is, "Why don't you have swaying palm trees that you can enjoy every day in your own backyard?" And I think I know the answer you would say to me, "Because they're too darned big, Brad, and I have a small suburban lot. I have no intention of looking at telephone poles while I sit in my backyard!" OK, calm down, I agree with you. The common palm trees that you see in places like Beverly Hills are much too big for an average yard. And that's why you have to think small. Let me make some suggestions. The plants I have here are miniatures. The palm tree that you see there next to the window is over fifteen years old, and if (God willing) I live for another twenty years it won't really get much taller. It's a dwarf date palm. And you can get them for cheap at any garden center. I have several planted around my property. But...

As you know, cycads grow differently from most plants. Instead of growing steadily all through a growing season, they send leaves up very quickly in a "flush", which only lasts a few days, and usually only happens once a year. And so as the weather warms up, you will find yourself going out every day to see if something is happening, looking down into the middle of the plant. At first, it's just about impossible to tell, but once the flush gets going, you will see new leaves fast! And if you're like me, you want to encourage your plants as much as possible during that time. I'm a big believer in positive thinking and encouragement, so as soon as you see signs of a flush, take a photo, and post it on Facebook, or Instagram, or wherever. You will find that there are a LOT of people out there who are happy to see the flush, and you'll get some good encouragement. Now go mix up some water-soluble fertilizer, you know, like Miracle-Gro, and dump it int...

I just love sitting outdoors. I think that I have a touch of claustrophobia, so I dislike being trapped inside all of the time, even if the indoors are very comfortable. I'm the kind of person who goes outside instead of sitting in a waiting room at the dentist. I don't need to go out into the wilderness, miles away, I just need a place outside with fresh air. If that sounds kinda like you, then you can create a tiny little tropical paradise in your backyard. No, it won't be designed to accommodate crowds of people, it won't be a place to play touch football, it will simply be a quiet place surrounded by plants. My backyard is very small, it's surrounded by block walls, and I've added plants. I have a nice tree, and I've also got a table with an umbrella. The chairs are simple and light and can easily be moved into the shade when it's hot, or the sun when it's cold. For many people, this use of the space is very puzzling. Most of the people...

I love living in the Phoenix, Arizona area. It never snows here, and if you're an early morning person, the weather, even in the summer, is wonderful. It's especially nice in the fall, winter and spring. But water is precious here. Phoenix gets very little rainfall, and the plants that the natural climate supports, while I consider attractive from a distance, like cactus, are not the sort of plants that I want to live with in my backyard. I want my backyard to be an oasis. It takes some precision work. I started, many years ago, with a simple drip system. Back in those days you would take a thin line of tubing, called "spaghetti tubing", and place it next to each plant. It was effective, but didn't last, as the tubing would always get clogged, or lost. But the drip system is still the basis of what I have today. Actually, you should call it a low-pressure system. It runs through half-inch tubing, which is buried right below the soil level, and there are ...