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This is a fun little bit of news to share. The local garden club here in Prescott is Alta Vista Garden Club, and they have been here in town since 1951. One of the many activities they do is recognizing local gardens each season of the year, which they call "Garden of Merit". And for autumn this year, my gardens here at Juniper Hill Cottage were selected! This is a group of very skilled and capable gardeners who care deeply about the local community and they work hard to provide value and resources to this area. I am grateful for this honor and hope you've seen the advertising around town recently as well as in the local paper. 
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September for us here in Prescott isn't really autumn at all yet. It's just "late summer"! It's time to relax and enjoy the garden and landscape. Everything is at it's best now (with any luck) and you've survived the worst of the heat of summer. This is the beginning of my favorite time of year. Time for some afternoon gatherings, a lot of porch sittin', and gazing at the garden and busy birds. Okay, well, yes... there are a few to do's which I've pulled together, but nothing too heavy.  June is all about water and pest management. By now we've entered that super dry and really warm part of our summer and everything is probably in the ground and settled but often the newer additions or seedlings end up struggling a bit with the intense sun and heat. Strategies include a solid watering plan, but don't forget that the right plant in the right place, and shade structures or layering of plants can help immensely. Overwatering can be just as bad as too little or too shallow as well. Keep reading for your June checklist and tips.  Spring in the high country is nothing if not confusing. Right? My tulips are still going strong and everything else is starting to leaf out now. That gorgeous, pristine green and bronze is just so magical. One day it's definitely spring, and then we wake up to 2 inches of snow and blowing, cold wind the next morning. But hang in there. The good news is that my April list isn't as crazy long as the March list was. That's assuming you ticked everything off for March! My big advise for April is essentially the same as March -- resist! Resist the urge to plant out tender annuals or young perennials that aren't cool season growers until we are past our last frost date. And for some it's hard to believe that is actually not until May (Mothers Day).  Winter will still be visiting here and there for the next couple of months. Nights are still at or below freezing often, and our last frost date is usually around Mothers Day in May. But March is here and we've got some serious checklists to start tackling! So, this is getting to be a long one, but some of what I've got listed is just a reminder from last month (to wrap it up). And everything you do now will pay off as the season progresses. We will have those warm t-shirt days and front porch happy hour evenings. But don't jump the gun and start putting out tender plants until May - if you can stand it!  Every summer we do a monthly garden feature, to share with you the success and inspiration of other local gardeners here in Prescott, Arizona. #gardensofprescott For August I'm featuring a garden in the Williamson Valley area, northwest of downtown.  This garden is in a much newer part of town, than the July Garden, but it has a wonderful organic and lived-in feeling to it; like the garden has been here for a very long time. Because it is located in an area with many old Oak trees, and was designed with meandering walks and small pockets of plantings and garden room destinations, it is friendly and inviting space to relax and entertain in the dappled light of the trees. ~ post continues below, click Read More ~ This is a new summer monthly feature for us. #gardensofprescott So, for the month of July, just to kick things off, I've decided to start with my own garden here at Juniper Hill Cottage - in downtown Prescott.  Although this is a standard sized downtown lot, we've packed a lot into the space including meandering walks, covered porches, patios and gazebos, tons of shade, and even a completely custom built kitchen garden where I am growing over 100 different herbs, almost entirely from seed. One of the biggest highlights that make it feel luxurious is the creation of many small garden "rooms" and extensive integration with the massive old trees we are fortunate to have (13 of them at last count) and some outstanding views. ~ post continues below, click read more ~ |
AuthorHey there. I'm Miriam ~ and I've been doing this my whole life. It's my passion. 
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