The Desert in Bloom

When are the desert wildflowers going to bloom, so we can time our trip to see them at their peak? Where are the best places to see them? Questions like these flood state and national parks, public gardens and tourism offices in the Southwest.

Mexican gold poppies.

Where and when to find the best spring wildflower displays

Mexican gold poppies with a saguaro cactus in the background.

Winecup (Callirhoe involucrata), a desert perennial.

About the author: Phoenix-based author Cathy Cromell has written for national and regional publications, including Better Homes and Gardens, Sunset Publishing, Phoenix Home & Garden magazine and the National Gardening Association. She is the author of Composting for Dummies, as well as books on desert gardening and landscaping.

Moving from her childhood home in northern Minnesota to the desert Southwest, she quickly learned that even in such radically different climates, the same gardening basics apply. Creating healthy soil and selecting plants adapted to the conditions are vital for growing healthy plants, no matter where you garden.

When are the desert wildflowers going to bloom, so we can time our trip to see them at their peak? Where are the best places to see them? Questions like these flood state and national parks, public gardens and tourism offices in the Southwest. I remember a caller from Japan who contacted our volunteer hotline in Phoenix a year in advance of his trip, confident that people who called themselves "Master Gardeners" could tell him exactly when to fly to Arizona for maximum photo ops. Unfortunately, we couldn't.

Mother Nature isn't in the trip-planning business. Predicting the timing — and extravagance — of her wildflower displays from year to year is impossible because the plants are dependent on specific combinations of rainfall and temperature. Spring-blooming wildflowers that paint the deserts with lavish color are annuals. They germinate from late September to early December when soil temperatures are appropriate and they receive a one-inch "triggering rain." After germination, seedlings require regularly spaced rainfalls totaling at least one inch per month through March for peak bloom. The deserts seldom receive such ample moisture, and optimal conditions occur only about once every 10 years.

Less spectacular — but still tourist-worthy — wildflowers may appear every three to four years, with some species thriving while others flag due to the wildly variable weather conditions that occur at different elevations and regions. Warm temperatures may induce flower stalks, for example, but if it's too warm, plants dry out and the flowers never develop.

As a general guideline for trip planning, wildflowers are at their flashiest for about two weeks between late February and mid-April, with early to mid-March the usual peak.

The following web sites cover prime locales for viewing the Southwest's spring wildflowers — or for simply enjoying their photos. I find it encouraging that many perennials, shrubs, trees and cacti bloom fairly reliably each spring. Although it may not be a banner year for annuals, there is always something blooming somewhere. Head out to explore with what the friendly staff at California's Anza-Borrego State Park call "a sense of discovery." Maybe you'll be the lucky one to chance upon a seldom-seen blossom.

Arizona

Arizona State Parks:
On the Ranger Cam 2012, you can see weekly updates — including flower photos — starting with low-elevation flowers in February, transitioning to cacti blooms in April and May. Posts from previous years are available as well. Parks located at higher elevations will begin posting for the first time in 2012, extending information into early summer. Also check AZ State Parks on Facebook and Twitter for updates or call the Wildflower Hotline at (602) 542-4988, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday.

Desert Botanical Garden:
Expect abundant blooms during March and April on the well-tended Harriet K. Maxwell Desert Wildflower Trail.

Wildflower Infosite:
A collaboration with 21 parks, gardens and recreational areas providing updates on what's blooming in the deserts of central, southern and western Arizona. The site is live only during peak bloom months of March and April.

Southern California

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park:
Join the e-mail list of their nonprofit partner, Anza-Borrego Foundation, to receive updates on wildflower sightings.

Joshua Tree National Park:
On the Wildflower Viewing page, you can download a PDF of weekly updates, organized by flower color, location and floral abundance on a scale of 1 to 10. A rating of 1 equals a few blooms; 10 means get out your camera!

Texas

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center:
Celebrate Wildflower Days™, March 12 to May 31. A warm winter and good rainfall in autumn and early spring combined to produce dinnerplate sized bluebonnet plants as of mid-February. The Center's senior director and botanist, Damon Waitt, expects the infamous flowers to flash their colors the last week of March or first week of April in Central Texas, earlier in South Texas. Peak bloom should be around April 15, trailing off through May. Look for their detailed forecast on the web site and Facebook.

What's in Bloom This Week includes photos and plant descriptions of current blooms at the Center. Check Facebook or Twitter for up-to-date reports.

Texas Department of Transportation:
Check the Wildflowers and Fall Foliage Map. More information: (800) 452-9292, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Sunday.

Southwest

Desert USA:
Review the Wildflower Reports for public postings for Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Texas.

—Cathy Cromell

A Force of Nature

At Gardener's Supply, we are encouraged to get out into the community and do some good. In support of that vision, the company matches employees' charitable donations, and offers one paid day a year of volunteer time.

Mary-Nell Bockman, performing in the newly restored Whallonsburg Grange Hall.

Volunteers from Gardener's Supply in Waterbury, VT.

About the writer: Debby Decker is Garden Center Supervisor at our Williston, VT, store. She enjoys gardening, especially in Grow Bags. "I love canning and preserving." For the last three years, Debby's bread-and-butter pickles have won first prize at the Champlain Valley Fair.

At Gardener's Supply, we are encouraged to get out into the community and do some good. In support of that vision, the company matches employees' charitable donations, and offers one paid day a year of volunteer time. Employees lend a hand in many ways: We donate blood, we collect food for the food shelf, we are mentors, we volunteer with youth groups, sports teams and more.

Each year, one employee-volunteer is honored with the Meg Smith Community Service Award, named for a former employee. It's meant to recognize someone who gives back to the community with enthusiasm and dedication. As recipient of the award in 2011, I had the honor of presenting the award to this year's winner, Mary-Nell Bockman.

Mary-Nell lives across the lake in New York State, but works here in Vermont. And in just a few years, she has made a big impact on both sides of the lake. When Mary-Nell moved to Whallonsburg, NY, in 2005, she envisioned the small town's dilapidated Grange Hall as a community arts center. Today, the 1915 Whallonsburg Grange Hall is all that and more.

It started when she joined a committee that arranged to buy the building from the town for $1. And then she was unstoppable. She organized fund-raisers, wrote grants, asked for donations, created posters and got other people engaged and excited.

Today the hall is the site of many events: musical performances, theater, film festivals, lectures and more. The kitchen was rebuilt so it can be used by local CSAs to teach residents about canning and preserving the food they grow. Once again, people are heard to say, "See you at the Grange!"

On this side of the lake, Mary-Nell led a team of employees to Waterbury, VT, a town that was devastated by Tropical Storm Irene. Within days of the storm, volunteers from Gardener's Supply brought tools, cleaning supplies, and 120 pairs of Gardener's Wellies.

The team joined more than 200 other volunteers from around the region, helping residents clean up from 4 feet of muddy water. Mary-Nell explained, "We were all there to dig in and clean up, house by house and block by block. I left at the end of the day, tired for sure, but lifted up by the experience and feeling proud and inspired. Together, we are a force of nature, too."

I am proud to work for Gardener's Supply. We are a different kind of company because of the people who work here. Like many other employees, Mary-Nell inspires us with her dedication, generosity and love of life.

—Debby Decker
Gardener's Supply

Get Out There

In the deep winter, I tend to retreat indoors for my gardening fix. I buy cut flowers or a new houseplant. I drink tea.

In the deep winter, I tend to retreat indoors for my gardening fix. I buy cut flowers or a new houseplant. I drink tea.

Here at work, I take a stroll to the greenhouse, where exotic orchids bloom all winter. One of my favorite quick fixes: I walk down to the research lab, where there are tomato seedlings to brush against. The distinctive tomato fragrance takes me right back to July.

Last weekend, I was lamenting the lack of snow here in the Champlain Valley. After last year's abundance, this year is a bust. But on my way to the composter, I was struck by what I found in the garden: a quiet beauty.

It reminds me that gardens are beautiful in all seasons.

I gotta get out more.

When warm weather returns, this sedum will turn bright yellow.

—David Grist
Gardener's Supply

Seedstarter Put to the Test

After thorough testing of the Fast Start™ Seedstarter, we are excited to finally send it out into the world. Because it's brand new, we are eager to hear what gardeners think.

Jen Osha Buysse, one of our product testers.

The Fast Start Seedstarter

The culmination of four years of research and testing, our new system represents a breakthrough in seedstarting. The new planting tray is made from a cornstarch-based material that offers the sturdiness of plastic yet breaks down in a landfill. What's more, the reservoir is dishwasher-safe and the capillary mat can be tossed in the washing machine.

More Information

• Introducing the Fast Start Seedstarter
• Coir: A New Way to Start Seeds
• Our 2011 Testing Program

Shop

• Fast Start Seedstarter
• Fast Start Success Kit: Includes seedstarter, planting mix, markers and fertilizer

 

After thorough testing of the Fast Start™ Seedstarter, we are excited to finally send it out into the world. Because it's brand new, we are eager to hear what gardeners think. To get things started, we assembled a team of testers from across the nation: Hawaii, Mississippi, South Carolina, Wyoming, Washington DC, Arizona, Massachusetts, and West Virginia. Their response to the Fast Start has been overwhelmingly positive.

Jen Osha and Nick Buysse, our testers from West Virginia, wrote, "our Green Magic Broccoli have already sprouted! Wow! We haven't had to spray or water at all. The soil has maintained the right moisture content. The instructions are clear and it’s easy to put together for people with different levels of experience."

We are fortunate to have a diverse group of gardeners like Jen, who is founder and president of Aurora Lights, an organization that works to raise awareness about the social and environmental impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining. Her goal: “to restore a sense of the sacred balance between the earth and the human community that will promote sustainable and thoughtful land stewardship." Aurora Lights also teaches gardening skills to promote self-sufficiency.

As product tester for Gardener's Supply, I give the Fast Start two thumbs up, but am thrilled to hear that our customers like using it, too.

—Deborah Miuccio
Gardener's Supply