My Garden Journal

	January 4th: Picked lots of citrus for juicing! Lemons, oranges & grapefruit for breakfast.
	January 6th: Pansies look beautiful (from late Sept. planting).
	January 7th: Red salvia is blooming (planted  mid-Aug. in partial sun and nursed through the hot days of summer with lots of water and care).
	January 8th: There are some green Roma tomatoes on the plant - fighting against the cold to survive. Picked  them today and put them in a paper bag indoors, after about 14 days  they turned red.
	January 9th: My African daisy ( white with purple centers) is re-blooming on the east side of the house. It looks lovely and full!
	January 10th: Alyssum looks great now, very full and pretty with white flowers edging the paths and flowerbeds!! (planted late Sept.)
	January 11th: Roses have definitely "finished up". I hate to prune them and lose those last few blooms, but I know it's for the best. Chrysanthemums, blue lobelia and petunias look nice. Yellow and orange marigolds still look nice in sunny areas (planted in Sept.). One fragrant,  little narcissus is blooming (white with yellow centers)!
	January 12th: Bougainvillea has been blooming strong since late September.
	January 14th: Very odd - but several sunflowers are blooming in my raised flower bed. The seeds were spilled, from their feeder, by the birds
	January 18th: Pink Cabbage is starting to get tall, but still looks charming! (They'll look ornamental for about 3 more weeks ~ then they start looking like a vegie.)
	January 28th: The Hollyhocks have popped up out of the ground with lots of low, green foliage (no blooms for a while, though).
	January 29th: If I want any flowers to bloom on my wisteria I had better begin feeding it phosphate now (but not nitrogen or potash which would focus on the leaves & roots).
	February 1st: The poinsettias (4" pots - planted along the front  walkway in late November) are still vibrant red and pretty.
	February 2nd: Pansies and Violas are filling out and look beautiful!
	February 3rd: Believe it or not, the red Simplicity shrub roses never stopped blooming. They look beautiful (west side of the house).
	February 5th: Drove to Flagstaff  to play in the snow. Gosh, my garden in Phoenix is beautiful and flowery right now in comparison. Flagstaff is a thick, white blanket of snow with Pine & Birch trees popping out like yarn ties on a quilt.
	February 6th: Dusty Miller looks pretty and "moody" gray.
	February 7th: Broccoli is mature now! I was told you could eat broccoli leaves - sautéed in butter with a little salt-n-pepper. Who knows, perhaps I'll try it?
	February 9th: African daisies are blooming bright yellow & orange all around town. I have a purple variety planted and it is loaded with buds. A few flowers have already burst open.
	February 10th: New little sprouts of Alyssum have popped up in the cracks between stepping stones and along my flowerbed borders. (The plant re-seeds itself every year and multiplies.)
	February 11th: My friends sunflowers are about a foot high now (no blooms yet). I'm inspired, I think I'll toss some seeds in the ground.
	February 12th: I've begun to notice cheerful colored poppies holding their heads up towards the sky! (Seeds planted in September-November.)
	February 13th: The citrus trees are absolutely loaded with oranges, lemons & grapefruit! Today I picked my first "blood orange". The flesh was purple inside! It was delicious.
	February 14th: The Snap pea vines are thick and sturdy, covered with white blossoms and fresh, plump pods. (Planted seeds in late November.)
	February 15th: My parsley has sprung back into action with curly, crunchy green stems!
	February 16th: Believe it or not, I have one little Roma tomato growing. It's too cold to turn green on it's own, so I'll pick it and put it inside in a paper bag. After a week or two it'll turn red.
	February 17th: The daffodils are blooming in my neighbors front yard (on the north side of their house).
	February 18th: My Simplicity shrub roses have only three blooms open today and no buds. They may be finished until the weather warms up.
	February 20th: The Hardenbergia vines are absolutely brimming with vibrant lilac colored blossoms!
	February 21st: The Trumpet Honeysuckle plants are providing  an abundance of little orange flowers. Hummingbirds are happily feeding on them as well as the red salvia which is still blooming, although not as profusely as it was in November & December!
	March 1st: I adore the bright, cheerful Poppies that are blooming in garden beds and borders now.
	March 3rd: I thought I might mention, there are several varieties of Cactus-type plants beginning to bloom, but you will have to learn about these on some other website. They're unique, lovely... and have giant needles.  Sorry about this. My garden is more of a how to grow desert-survivable plants and seeds  in a random eclectic, country cottage-garden type of setting. And to be desert-politically correct, I try not to waste water while I'm at it.
	March 5th: The yellow & orange marigold seeds that we planted in February are already blooming!
	March 6th:  The gray-green foliage of the Mexican Morning Glory is mounded with paper-thin, white flower blossoms.
	March 10th: Colorful, sweet-smelling sweet pea flowers are starting to bloom everywhere (lots of sun).
	March 11th: I transplanted the Poinsettias to a shadier place where they will get light water through the summer - we'll see how they do.)
	March 13th: English Lavender looks lovely ~ each stem has a  fragrant purple stack of tiny blossoms.
	March 12th: The Texas Mountain Laurel (a small evergreen tree) has begun blooming and will continue for about two weeks. It is full of lovely purple clustered flowers.
	March 14th: Ranunculas (which I think are the most beautiful flowers in the world) are blooming profusely in red, pink and yellow.
	March 15th: Yellow & orange African Daisies  have been blooming like crazy, in desert-scapes all over the valley. Gazanias have also begun to bloom in a variety of colors.
	March 17th: The lantana, verbena, oleander and bougainvillea's are full of blooms! Fuzzy little Fairy Duster blossoms in red, white & pink cover the bushes.
	March 18th: The snapdragons have grown so tall they've nearly hidden the birdbath! (planted last Sept.) Blue Hibiscus (which actually looks purple) is blooming profusely.
	March 19th:  The snail vines have grown up over the arches and are covered with curly purple flowers.
	March 20th: Today my daughters and I picked our first tomato. It was delicious. We grew it from a 4" potted plant purchased from the nursery. (Noted in 1997.)
	March 21st: Geraniums are still blooming beautifully. Iris are filling borders with delightful ornate blooms.
	March 22nd: Petunias are overflowing!  Lobelia, alyssum and pansy's look beautiful (planted last September)! The garden is gorgeous.
	March 23rd: Roses are blooming early this year ~ full and beautiful! Huge trees are covered with thousands of white and lavender orchids.
	March 24th: My wisteria bloomed for the first time ever, 2003!! (It's been six years. This winter I pruned the roots and fed it with a high bloom nutrient in winter.) This year, 2004,  the Wisteria had more lush lavender blossoms than I could count!  (I fertilized it with Triple Super phosphate in early February.) Potato Bush has lots of small purple flowers with little yellow centers.
	March 25th: There is one sunflower that is blooming (3 feet high), the rest are still concentrating on growing before blooming. Ranunculas are coming to the end of their blooming season - maybe another week...Cosmos and Larkspur are tall and budding. They will bloom soon! The grapevine leaves have begun to come out of their winter hibernation.
	March 26th: Strawberries are growing well. Hollyhocks are about 3 feet tall now with buds that will soon burst open. The early spring Poppies are almost finished with their blooming season.
	March 27th: Nasturtiums are filling out and blooming. Bachelor Button is about 4 feet tall and has stems with multiple, button-sized blooms. This week Cats Claw vine is covered with large yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers.
	March 28th: Bouquets for picking: Oleander flowers, snapdragons, blue salvia, roses, marigolds, chrysanthemum daisies, pansies & alyssum.
	March 29th: We feasted on delicious Snap Peas (planted mid-November). Petunias look glorius!
	March 30th: Strawberries - picked second batch! Sweet William and purple Statice are blooming. The Red Salvia is still flowering lightly (I probably should have pruned it again to give it a stronger shot at fresh blooms.)
	March 31st: Sweet pea flowers are still blooming (for almost a month)! Bougainvillea (only the dark pink variety) is beginning to bloom around town. April 1st: Roses are just beginning to bloom (this year later than last). April 3rd: Goodness gracious! I flew up to Oregon, for very good friend's wedding, and had to keep rubbing my eyes. There were vibrant yellow and red Tulips everywhere. (I kept thinking they were plastic). There were lilacs, cherry blossoms, pear blossoms, rhododendrons, azaleas, sweet peas, ferns and (this thing called) moss - in profusion. And greenness, in general, layered upon greenness and more greenness in front of and behind more flowers and things I can't identify. Beautiful... but I like Phoenix. It's warm. April 2nd: Nerembergia (white & purple) that I planted last year from 6-packs last year are ten times their size and blooming beautifully! April 6th: Roses are beginning to fill up with blooms. There are a few Bell Peppers ripening on last years plant. April 7th: Honeysuckle vine is absolutely dripping with fragrant white blossoms. At night the scent is almost overpowering ~ dreamy! April 8th: Today I picked a beautiful bouquet of Blue Salvia, Sweet William, Daisies and Roses. For foliage accents I included Dusty Miller, Sword Fern &  Spearmint. April 9th: Snapdragons and pansies look great ~ they're blooming profusely!  (planted more in Feb.) The herb garden looks wonderful and lush ~ with flowering chives, curled parsley, rosemary and tall basil. The spearmint is running rampant between stepping stones along a pathway. Stepping through them releases a wonderful fragrance (much better than the skunk-stink of beautiful Society Garlic which I unknowingly planted along the pathway in the beginning.) April10th: Rich red Sweet William (dianthus) and little white & yellow chrysanthemum daisies look great! (also planted in Feb.)  April 11th: Climbing rose, pruned to the shape of a heart, is blooming on the west side of the house. April 12th: Roses (sun & shade) have loads of unopened buds and handfuls of beautiful, fragrant blooms . (I'd be in heaven, if only the little finches could gobble up my garden's abundant supply of aphids.) Last years Blue Salvia looks absolutely lovely now (after a quiet rest Jan-March). Jacaranda Trees are in full bloom with clustered purple flowers and airy green foliage. April 13th: Surprisingly the Poinsettias I transplanted to a shady, dry spot on March 11th have a fresh display of soft, velvety red leaves. April 14th: I still notice Geraniums blooming vibrantly in lightly-shaded areas around town. Hollyhock have begun to bloom. Rose Bouquet April 15th: Oleanders are in full bloom - red, pink & white - against the east wall. The Natal Plum bushes have beautiful dark-green foliage and are dotted with pretty white star-shaped flowers now. April 25th: Nerembergia are still blooming in the shade and in the sun! April 27th: Roses still look nice!
	May 27th: Geraniums in the Mediterranean garden look beautiful!
	June 12th: It's time to cut back geraniums and plant something fast growing to shade them! They can't take the heat. (Or temporarily move them to a cooler location... like Flagstaff.)
	June 15th: The daylilies are blooming!
	June 20th: Planted lisanthius a few weeks ago. It's starting to fill out and has pretty "fairy-tale" blooms of pink, purple or white.
	June 26th: Daylilies (pictured at the top of the page) really put on an amazing show with a profusion of blooms  today!
	July 4th: Nerembergia have finally  finished blooming and gotten crackly.
	July 7th: Cut a few here & there for the table - small buds on "cherish" rose, jasmine, mint, ferns and lantana.
	July 8th: Basil grew like crazy this week!
	July 9th: The water lilies have begun blooming. (I don't remember the type, but it's got a beautiful soft yellow flower).
	July 12th: Only a few half hearted roses, now. It's getting too hot.
	July 13th: Daylilies continue to have a handful of blooms each day (I have hundreds planted).
	July 15th: VInca is still blooming well. I'm getting a few strawberries on Kara's plants. The purple gomphrenea is looking bright & growing well.
	July 16th: The water hyacinth has been blooming all week with beautiful purple stalks popping out of the pond.
	July 17th: The ruella has a handful of purple trumpet shaped blooms. (By the way, this plant attracts hummingbirds like crazy!)
	July 18th: Morning glory is beginning to pop up here and there.
	July 22nd: The zinnia's are still in full bloom.
	July 26th: Water lily blossomed again.
	July 27th: Planted salvia (blue & red) from 6-packs today. It's hot so I really had to nurse & baby it with regular water and deadheading. It gave me instant color today and survived the heat (see note on Aug. 27th & Sept. 9th.)
	July 28th: Since about July 7th, we've had a monsoon rain once a week ... or so. Had one today, too. This has helped keep my plants alive.
	August 1st: Daylilies are still blooming in flushes every other week or so. Sometimes I give them a deep watering and they seem to burst out with blooms a few days afterwards!
	August 2nd: Pink, red & white Oleanders are still sprinkled with a light show of flowers.
	August 3rd: Oleander tree has lots of  fragrant yellow trumpet-shaped flowers! (Attracts big, bumbly bees.)
	August 6th: Blue salvia is blooming.
	August 10th: My roses are just beginning to bloom again (after two months of being dry).
	August 17th: Monsoon storm today and yesterday.
	August 20th: Lantana is still blooming (all colors - purple, pink, yellow, white, deep reddish-pink).
	August 23rd: Another monsoon!
	August 25th: Water lily in the pond is still blooming once a week or so.
	August 26th: Peppermint looks very nice & bushy - it has been blooming with white flowers every so often.
	August 27th: Red & Blue salvia is beginning to fill out and have more blooms. It's still pretty hot outside though! (By hot, I mean 108 degrees, ugh.)
	August 28th: Daylilies are still blooming - light. Vincas still having lots of blooms.
	August 29th: Gomphrenea - blooming. Alyssum - starting to bloom finally (no blossoms all summer).
	August 30th: Roses in south sun - blooming now - light.
	September 1st: Planted more red & blue salvia today. The salvia I planted July 27th has really filled in!
	September 4th: The basil absolutely loves this weather and has grown over 2 feet high. Occasionally it has a stalk of white blooms. I love adding the scented greenery to bouquets for the table!
	September 5th: Daylilies have only one or two blooms per week now. Pink, purple & white lisanthius still looks nice (sort of like little summer tulips). It's blooms look pretty for several days before fading.
	September 6th: Vincas are so full that I have to clip stems full of flowers for little vases just to keep them looking orderly!
	September 7th:Temperatures are finally dropping a little. I can't wait till they hit 80 degrees so I can begin fall planting.
	September 8th: Bougainvillea is blooming lightly in shady areas and more in the sun.
	September 9th: The salvia I planted on July 27th has gotten 2 feet tall!! It's very beautiful with it's spikes of flowers. (Regular daily watering & a little sun relief because of the house nearby).
	September 11th: In 2001 we planted Sweet William (dianthus) on this day, for one of the men who died in the twin towers attack. His name was William.
	September 12th: Planted some zinnias (6-packs) in mid-August for a September 1st party. The blooms held and now the plants have really grown - more than doubled in size with lots of big new blooms.
	September 13th: Oleanders are blooming with a spattering of flowers in pretty colors.
	September 14th: Canna's are blooming all around town. Orange, Red... the foliage still looks very nice.
	September 17th: Miniature roses look great.
	September 18th: Marigolds are really full of blooms - yellow & orange.
	September 19th: Zinnias are still full of beautiful blooms for cutting - pink, yellow, orange, red and white.
	September 20th: Bird of Paradise bushes are full and bright, loaded with orange/yellow blooms!
	September 26th: The vine with red flowers, that spills over from my neighbors back yard is in full bloom today. I don't know what it is, but the hummingbirds are very attracted to it. October 13th: I had to cut the morning glory vines out this week (2000). As soon as the weather cools, they turn yellow and brown. October 15th: The Katie Ruella is still blooming - deep purple flowers. October 17th: It was 100 degrees today. October 18th: The marigolds are still putting out a strong display of yellow and orange. October 19th: The weather cooled today. It feels like California. A soft wind and a "chill". October 20th: I snipped Oleander blooms today for a giant table bouquet. Some people greatly dislike oleander, but I make the most of it. It's like the hydrangea of the west -grows profusely with lots of blooms and attracts the attention of people from other climates, but is hardly appreciated by the natives... October 21st: The blue salvia is bright and strong in the front garden planter - as is the alyssum. October 22nd: The roses just finished a week of blooms. They are barren today. October 23rd: My chrysanthemums are filling out with buds. I would expect them to start blooming in the next few weeks. October 24th: Lots of rain through the first week and a half of November. Katie Ruella
	November 1st: I planted lettuce and tomato plants. (Check December 27th - lettuce growing, tomato a little yellow, but growing still) 39 degrees is low temperature.
	November 3rd: This year the morning glory are still blooming, but will be through within the next week or two.
	November 4th: Planted more pansy's this week (they continued blooming thru May).
	November 8th: Planted more snapdragons (from 6-packs). Instant color, and they continued blooming. In April they are tall and beautiful!
	November 10th: This is definitely the last week of the blooming season for Katie Ruella.
	November 13th: Definitely a great time to plant little chrysanthemum daisies (yellow centers with tiny white petals). They make a wonderful border or grouping and are still looking good thru February and didn't fade away until April.
	November 14th: The roses are full into their second season of blooms. The weather has been (unseasonably) warm this year.
	November 26th: The front walk is now lined with beautiful red poinsettias and white alyssum.  I've added a few snapdragons to the mix (thinking ahead for spring color).
	December 4th: The pink (purple) cabbage looks lovely and crisp next to a bed of white and purple pansies.
	December 5th: Dusty miller outlines several of the flower beds. I just love the way it's silver-grey leaves define a space.
	December 7th: Last bloom for the roses planted on the north side of the house. (There are a few tiny little buds working their way out, but there just isn't enough sunlight over there right now to grow them very large.)
	December 15th: Geraniums are filling in and blooming.
	December 20th: Citrus trees are laden with oranges, grapefruit and lemons.
	December 22nd: The Narcissus began blooming at the beginning of this week. (I love the way that Arizona winters feel like spring to the Narcissus bulbs!)
	December 23rd: The red Simplicity shrub roses look absolutely phenomenal on the west side of the house. I've kept them fed with "super bloom" every 2 weeks for several months and they are absolutely laden with beautiful red blooms!
	December 25th: Red salvia looks lovely and Christmassy! And the blue salvia is bright and beautiful as well, still growing strong from a summer planting). The salvias that had a little protection from the scorching summer heat have done the best. Those w/o a taller plant nearby are very tiny and look as though they really struggled to stay alive.
	December 26th: Amazingly my lantana is still blooming beautifully! Bright, dark pink flowers.
	December 27th: Roses still look lovely, but seem to be coming to their absolute last session of blooms. (Except the Simplicity shrub roses on the West side of the house. I've fertilized them every two weeks since October and they are absolutely beautiful. Covered with rich, red blooms!) Petunias and pansies are growing and pansies especially, are covered with blooms!
	December 30th: Oh, good grief! Everything was doing beautifully and then - bam- a sudden frost. The bougainvillea, lantana, snail vine and sword ferns froze. (I should have kept the twinkle lights on and covered the plants with a sheet.)
	Always more to come. Please check back!  ... Of course the list should be much longer since there is so much in bloom on any given day, but sometimes I get so busy enjoying things that I forget to jot them down.

above photo: June 26th, the rain lilies put on an amazing show, opening their soft pink petals to the morning sun! These lilies are amazingly  easy to plant and are not fussy about their conditions! Simply dig a shallow hole and pop them into it! Their foliage is evergreen, so I leave them planted all year round. They bloom and multiply in either sun or shade with no-fuss & normal watering!