As you know, I'm fascinated with growing less common AND useful plants.  

This is one of the 70-something herbs I've got going on in my little kitchen garden here in the high country of Prescott, Arizona.

And, while you might not know this plant by name, I bet you are still familiar with it.
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I have a kitchen garden that is pretty small but very well designed with 6 large raised beds and a rock garden along a fence - all of which allows me to grow 70-something different types of herbs (along with a couple of tomatoes, and fava beans).   

I keep thinking I need to put a post together with the whole list of what's growing in my tiny kitchen garden...

Today I wanted to do a quick spotlight on Feverfew.
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I grow many different plants in my small downtown garden here in Prescott.  And because of our high desert climate it can be interesting to learn what works, how to help each plant be at it's spectacular best, and at the same time make it a fun and manageable landscape.

Most of what I grow here would easily be characterized as water-wise, possibly native, cottage garden plants, and the vast majority as herbs.  Some are all four, but not always.

They always say:  know your climate (or your zone) when planning a garden.  In other words, pick plants that will have a high chance for success in your particular corner of the world.  I promise this will make it more successful and infinitely more enjoyable.

Those of you who are unable or unwilling to devote a lot of time and energy to your garden will thank me for introducing you to this week’s featured plant. Actually known as an herb that thrives on neglect, clary sage is a showy, fragrant, easy-to-grow favorite with abundant medicinal and herbal properties. 

​Let's get to it...

This time of year, when the abundance is fresh, I like to feature a few plants that I grow, and recommend for the Prescott high desert climate.  

Most of these would easily be characterized as water-wise, possibly native, cottage garden plants, and the vast majority as herbs.  Some are all four, but not always.

Today, I'm featuring a lovely and tough cottage garden plant that is water-wise, and is considered an herb offering various health and well-being benefits:  Monarda.  And in this case it's Monarda didyma.
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Let's get to it...

Summer is in full swing here in the high country of Northern Arizona.  And, for me that means that I'm between blooms on my clematis vines. 

The varieties that I'm growing put out a huge flush in late spring and since I pruned the vines, they should flower again in late summer or early fall.  I'm hopeful, and meanwhile I wanted to share a little bit about this wonderful plant along with images from my spring flush.

Clematis is a luxurious old-fashioned climber that is a showstopper in part-sun here in the high desert.
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Growing in most temperate parts of the world, Clematis is a showy and vigorous vine with over 400 wild varieties. 

The name comes from the classical Greek "klema", meaning vine or tendril, and it's a plant that has been collected and admired since the middle ages. 

There is a bit to know about what type you have (or want to grow) which affects how to care for and prune your vine for success.  Clematis varieties are grouped into one of three categories - spring bloomers, repeat bloomers, and summer or fall bloomers.   They generally do best in part sun, with their roots cool.  And they do best with something vertical to climb on, or can be left to tumble down from a raised location.  They are perennials and will bloom more actively after they are established for a couple seasons.
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Technically speaking, a wildflower is defined as a native plant that grows naturally in the wild, and is not a cultivar that is different from what nature created.  That's a pretty broad definition.  Most of us would most likely imagine wildflowers in a meadow or wooded area with a large variety of random native flowers growing in conditions that each plant has adapted to over eons.  

When we decide we want to create some of that wild meadow feeling in our own home gardens, it often turns into a battle to contain the wanderings of these wild-flowers as well as attempting to provide the right conditions for our favorite varieties.  It can require lots of water to keep the wildflowers looking fresh and not weedy or scrappy.  It can be an ongoing challenge to weed the volunteers that appear where they aren't welcome, as well as the true weeds and grasses that often creep into the mix over time.  

But, it doesn't have to be that difficult to enjoy a little bit of the meadow look at home. 

The trick is to choose plants that are native to your area/climate (and therefore require less water and just less fussing) and are likely to grow in a way that's suited to the amount of space you have and the tidiness that you prefer.  Don't get me wrong, any wildflower will always have a loose and unplanned look to it.  But then that's part of the true charm that appeals to us in the first place.

Over many years of experimenting in my Northern Arizona mountain garden, I've found a few superstars that strike that balance. 

One of them is the Evening Primrose (I recently did a blog post about Growing Mexican Evening Primrose) and the other that I wanted to explore today is commonly called Blanket Flower.

I love to have a garden that is relaxed and inviting - a cottage garden.  But since we live in the high desert of Arizona I am careful to grow plants that don't require too much water and can take the dry early summer and four season climate here.  

Every early spring, of course, even the Arizona low-land deserts are covered with native wildflowers and the show is quite spectacular.  But in a home garden on a small city sized lot, wildflowers can be challenging to incorporate without a scrappy or weedy look.  And often they require quite a bit of water to regularly flourish and reseed on their own.

Enter, the primrose (along with a few other plants I'll tell you about later).  

After much experimentation in my mountain garden here in Prescott, Arizona I have come to depend on this wildflower as a reliable and pretty plant to gives me that meadow feel I love without all the hassle.
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When someone mentions cactus, I bet most of you would first think of Prickly Pear.  It is one of the most distinctive desert plants, and grows in a wide range of locations, but is typically considered a hot desert dweller.

And for those of us who garden in the high country of Northern Arizona, some of you may not think of incorporating prickly pear initially.  While our climate is considered a high desert, it might be surprising to know that many prickly pear varieties will not only survive in our four season climate, but truly thrive.
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Optunia

There are many varieties of prickly pear, and it is found growing in southern Canada and all the way to southern South America.  In the Sonoran Desert region, which is a large part of central and southern Arizona, there are at least 18 species alone.  And there are hybrids as well.  I have seen references to even hundreds of cultivars around the world.

The cactus is named for the fruit that form after blooming and ripens in fall, and I guess some would say looks like a pear.  And the fruit is considered edible, as are in fact the pads of many varieties - much skill and work to properly prepare them goes along with a good recipe.

The whole process of watching the buds develop and burst into truly extravagant blooms, and then mature into fruit is really exciting to observe over the whole season.

I am  featuring an Engelman's Prickly Pear that is growing here at Juniper Hill Cottage.  One of my favorites.  Scroll down to learn more.

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