Spring has sprung!

It’s officially spring! The first day of spring was yesterday, and the garden just loved that recent downpour! The Indian hawthorns are awash with pink blooms, the westringia is full of delicate white and lavender blossoms and the roses have buds breaking all over!

The hydrangeas are slowing unraveling their deep green leaves and the lavender has awakened with their fragrant flowers. Citrus blossoms are starting to open too…is there a better scent in the world? Jasmine comes close; we will wait patiently for that!

Time to fertilize or add a layer of compost, just be careful with California natives as they do not like too many nutrients. Wait for the soil to warm up before you lay down some mulch, late April or early May here in SoCal. Enjoy the sun and cooler temperatures while it lasts!

Fragrant freesias!

Sweet little grape hyacinth welcome spring!

Leucospermum 'High Gold' ready to wow

Desert botanical spa day

Greetings from Scottsdale!

We scooted off to Scottsdale for a little bit of sun, and thoroughly enjoyed the high desert flora and fauna! We will feature some gorgeous plants, but for now let’s talk botanical beauty!

I had the pleasure of sneaking off to the spa at the Fairmont Princess to try their signature “Desert Botanical Facial.” I was quite excited to see what they had in store for me, because desert flowers don’t always rock my olfactory boat, and I was curious to see what they would come up with. Well, the facial ended up being a bit more of a signature facial tailored to my personal skin and I was treated to a honey cleansing balm, cherry peel and white tea antioxidant mask. These are not exactly the first botanicals that come to mind when thinking of the desert... although there are a remarkable amount of bees in the desert come to find out. (The Camellia sinensis plant where we get white tea is firmly rooted in Asia, definitely not in Scottsdale!).

Ok, well what do we do if we do want to soak in some Sonoran desert scents? Here is my own little guide to a quick pampering sesh that evokes the spirit of that beautiful and unique region.

-We are going to start with a soak with Antica Farmacista’s Desert Sage Bubble Bath, with notes of sage, rosemary, Verdelli lemon, lavender, orange blossom, sycamore and mesquite. We can practically see the sparking mountains and barrel cacti before our eyes!

-Next, we are going to indulge ourselves with Nopalera Cactus Flower Exfoliant, made with prickly pear, jojoba seed oil and a touch of salicylic acid with a delightful tangerine oil scent.

-For our last treat, we are going to hydrate and rejuvenate our skin with Naturopathic’s Aloe Vera Replenishing Gel Mask. Aloe vera and other species of aloe can grow almost anywhere and despite orginating from the Arabian Peninsula it thrives in the desert... and anywhere else you want to place it. It is an important pollinator for the Sonoran Desert..like those afore mentioned bees and especially cute, long-billed birds like the cactus wren!)

Now go enjoy the delightful scents and nutrients of those desert botanicals!

Show-stopping flowers on this Eremophila

The tranquil desert landscape is perfect for a spa day

Sharing is caring!

I was alerted by a fellow hortie today is National Seed Swap Day! What a great way to make some new friends and start some tried-and-true plants! Also, today two chapters of the California Rare Fruit Growers Society are hosting scion exchanges. What is a scion you ask? Why simply a cutting from a tree you want to graft onto root stock! Why are we doing this? Maybe we want to make a standard tree a dwarf size..maybe we want a rare cultivar that is not sold at my local nursery…maybe we want to save some money (always)!..or maybe just try something new! It is also a great way to extend the life of your trees. Lots of reasons to try grafting.

Here is how it’s done:

1. Find last years growth on a dormant plant. Shoots should be the thickness of a pencil and of course be clean, disease-free wood

2. Use clean, sharp pruners to cut the scion at an angle. 

3. Wrap the scion in a damp paper towel or moss. 

4. Keep the scion in a cool place, like a refrigerator, until you're ready to graft. 

I am ready to graft! What do I do next? (A few local nurseries that sell rootstock: Cummins Nursery, Briggs Tree Company, Mehrabyan Nursery, Raintree Nursery, Burnt Ridge Nursery, and Roots to Fruits Nursery)

1. Insert the cut end of the scion into a corresponding cut made on the rootstock, ensuring good contact, and securely bind the graft with tape or grafting wax to hold it in place. There are various techniques on how to to bind the two (whip and tongue, cleft graft, bark graft, or bud grafting) which will be used depending on the size of your scion and rootstock. You want those puppies secure and to grow into a nice shape.

2. A new plant with the desired characteristics of the scion will hopefully begin to grow! Congrats! You are a grafter!

This Nagami kumquat was grafted onto a dwarf tree rootstock to make it teensy and adorable. Peek-a-boo Giant Swallowtail trying to lay eggs on my tree! Not today!