Is Utah In A Drought in 2021?

 By the looks of things, Utah is already in a drought heading into 2021.   Last year was an extremely dry year, with the hottest and driest August on record.  So far this winter, the snowpack is well below normal.     According to the United States Drought Monitor Map, most of the State of Utah is experiencing extreme to exceptional drought.  If the dry cycle continues into the spring and summer of 2021,  it is possible we will be required to restrict our landscape water usage.  Gardening friends, this means we might need to be prepared to water more efficiently and learn to adjust to limited watering schedules.   I'm going to move forward with all of my gardening plans and I encourage you to do the same.  I'll be posting more information on the current state of the drought in the near future.  Pray for snow!

Is It Too Late To Plant Spring Bulbs In November?

In Utah, we usually plant spring flowering bulbs in the fall - late September through October.  You are not too late if you plant them in November or December.  The problem can be that you will be planting in frozen ground or through the snow.  Been there, done that . . . and it can be a nightmare.  So, if the weather is still nice and the group has not frozen and you can still get spring bulbs from your local independent garden center, then you can plant them right up until the snow flies.  Also, if you can still get some garlic, it's not too late to get it in the ground.

Planting Spring-Flowering Bulbs In November

Lazy Fall Clean-Up . . . Leave It For The Birds!

I didn't get around to deadheading or cutting back one of my perennial beds this fall.  I have noticed a lot of birds hanging around in there . . .  in the now-dried-out seed heads of the echinacea, agastache, larkspur, lavender, jupiter's beard and veronica.  They also seem to enjoy gathering in the butterfly bush nearby.  So I have decided to leave it all for the spring - let the birds have it as a source of food and shelter this winter.
The Habitat Network is promoting this idea of providing habitat for wildlife in our backyards.  You can visit their website and take the pledge to be a lazy gardener!

Echinacea Seed Heads - food for the birds!

Roses Flower In The Fall Landscape!

When the cooler weather of September and October arrives, the roses go back into action.  Regular dead-heading (snipping off the spent flowers) will keep them blooming right up until the first hard freeze.  As the summer annuals and perennials are finishing up for the season, the roses don't stop.  There is nothing better than a fragrant bouquet of roses in October!

the roses are still blooming in October!

Fall Color In Mountains Of Utah!

The Wasatch Mountains are bursting with fall color right now.  If you get a chance to hike or drive in  the mountains of Northern Utah, you will see amazing trees with vibrant leaves.  Some of the wild  native trees and shrubs that paint our mountainsides and canyons are quaking aspens, rocky mountain maples, box elders, cottonwoods, water birch, scrub oak and three-leaf sumac.  I hope you find an opportunity to go to the high country this week - before it's over!

Fall Color in Utah Mountains

Quaking Aspens in Fall - Pure Gold!

Hiking in Utah in October

Top Seven Herbs To Grow In Utah - Herb Gardening For Beginners!

June is a great time to start an herb garden.  If you are a beginner gardener and you feel a little overwhelmed by all of the possibilities, herb gardening is a great place to start.  And, if you like to cook, you need an herb garden.  There are many herbs that will grow well in Utah - here is a list of seven of the easiest and most useful.  They are available as small plants at your local independent garden centers.  You can use these herbs in your kitchen this summer and throughout the year if you dry them!  Herb plants are beautiful;  incorporate them into your perennial beds.  They produce flowers that create food for bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

Basil - Ocimum basillicum:  Basil has been cultivated for over 5000 years.  It's possible that it originated in India but it has become a major component of the cuisines of Southern Europe and Southeast Asia.   There are many flavors and varieties.   I like to grow some Thai basil for Asian dishes and lots of Italian (Genovese sweet basil) for pesto, tomato sauce and eggplant parmesan.   Experiment with several varieties to see what you like.  Basil gets 1 to 2 feet tall and wide.
TWO THINGS to remember about basil.  No, THREE THINGS.
1.  Basil is an tender annual so you need to plant it every year.  It will not survive frost.  You can buy plants or grow it from seed.
2.  Snails and slugs love basil.  Keep them away.
3.  Snip off the flower buds of basil. Don't let it flower.  Basil goes bitter when it flowers.

Sweet Basil

Mint - Mentha:  Mint is a versatile herb!  It is used in marinades, desserts, Indian dishes, Greek dishes, sauces for lamb and as a flavoring for iced tea.  A sprig of mint in an icy gin and tonic on a warm evening is awesome. There are many varieties of mint available at the nurseries.  If you want to grow a few different mints to see which ones you like best, plant them in pots and taste test them all summer.  If you grow mint in the ground - !!Caution!!  Mint plants are perennial and they will spread aggressively under ground.  This is why it's best to grow mint in large pots.

mint grows in Utah

Chives - Allium shoenoprasum:  Chives are members of the edible Allium genus like garlic, onion, shallot, leeks and scallions.  Perennial and easy to grow, chive flowers are lovely and they will bloom all summer with deadheading.  They grow in clumps reaching about 10 or 12 inches tall and the purple flowers make wonderful garnish for food or additions to floral arrangements.  The green chive leaves are delicious on potatoes, soups and salads of all kinds.  Chopped chives garnish deviled eggs perfectly.

chives grow well in Utah!

Rosemary - Rosmarinus officinalis:  Rosemary is a Mediterranean herb.  It's cold hardiness is borderline in Utah.  However,  there is one variety called "arp" that will survive here.  If it is planted in a sunny spot and given some mulch in the fall, chances are excellent that you will have rosemary year after year.  It can get quite large (2 - 3 feet tall and wide), so plant it where it has room to grow.  Rosemary is great in marinades for grilling pork, chicken or beef.  It also goes into the Thanksgiving turkey stuffing.  It can be easily dried and used all year.

rosemary 'arp' will grow in Utah

Thyme - Thymus vulgaris:  The Ancient Egyptians used thyme for embalming and many cultures through the centuries used thyme to promote courage.  I like to use thyme in soup or with chicken.  There are lots of varieties of thyme - some creeping and some with different colors and flavors.  For cooking,  I like just the plain English Thyme.  It's low-growing (6 or 8 inches tall and 10 or 12 inches wide).  It is perennial but it sort of wears out after a few years so you might need to replace it.

thyme grows in Utah

Parsley - Petroselinum crispum:  Parsley is native to the Mediterranean region.  It is a biennial which means that it lives for two growing seasons.  The first year, parsley grows only foliage.  The second year, parsley grows some foliage and some tall thick stems that produce flowers and seeds.  Then the plant will die.  So they need to be replaced.  I like to plant one or two every year so there are always some plants at each stage of their life cycle.  Try the curly parsley and the Italian flat-leaf parsley.  Great for garnish, salad, soups, most Italian dishes and juicing.

parsley - easy to grow in Utah

Sage - Salvia officinalis:  This handsome mediterranean herb is a perennial and will survive our cold Utah winters.  It gets large (2 - 3 feet tall and wide!), but you can trim it back all summer long.  Just don't trim it in the fall.  Use fresh in soups and stews or cut and dry the leaves  to use in your Thanksgiving stuffing.  This plant loves sun and heat.  Great for the water wise perennial bed.

Sage grows in Utah!

Colorful Xeriscape Garden!

Here is an example of a water wise or xeriscape garden that is colorful and beautiful.  I see Catmint (Nepeta), Pineleaf Penstemon, Karl Foerster grass, Hardy Ice plant, Agastache rupestris, Bristlecone Pine and more.  One of the basics of xeriscaping is grouping plants with similar water needs together in order to manage water usage efficiently.  This garden is a great example of this and also the idea that we can conserve water and still have greenery and flowery color!!

colorful xeriscape in Utah

Ephedra viridis - Green Mormon Tea - Excellent Utah Native Plant For Xeriscape!

This Utah native shrub is a great choice for a water wise landscape - it requires no water other than what falls from the sky!  Green Mormon Tea, or Brigham Tea (Ephedra viridis) is a smallish green shrub found in the wild all over the West and Southwest.  The common name comes from the fact that the Mormon settlers of Utah used it to make tea.  Ephedra plants are available at local nurseries that carry native plants.  Plant in a hot sunny area of the xeric garden and please don't give it extra water or soil amendments or fertilizers.  Like many Utah native plants, Ephedra thrives in harsh conditions and will not survive if given too many nutrients or water.

Ephedra viridis - Green Mormon Tea - excellent xeriscape plant

Ephedra viridis - Green Mormon Tea;  Utah Native Plant

Spring Bulbs - Perfect Flowers For Cutting!

This is one of the reasons I grow spring bulbs - tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, etc.  Because I love to cut them and bring them into the house.  They are so beautiful and they smell divine!  Plant some spring bulbs next fall in your vegetable garden, herb garden, cutting garden or water wise perennial garden.
You'll be glad you did!

hyacinth and miniature narcissus

Any Day Now!!

One of my favorite harbingers of spring is the crocus.  These sweet flowers are among the first to bloom in March.  Crocus are planted in the fall (tiny bulbs) and they are available mostly in white, purple and yellow.  They don't last long but they cheerfully announce the arrival of warmer days and the beginning of the gardening season.

Crocus Flowers

A Garden Gift For A Gardener!

Here's another gift idea for a gardener - A GARDEN!  At High Country Gardens you can purchase flowering perennials that are grouped into pre-planned gardens.  They will ship the plants at the appropriate planting time for your region and climate.  They offer some super fun collections of plants;  fall blooming, hummingbird garden, heat-loving plants, butterfly garden, lavender collection, etc.  Perfect for someone who needs some help designing a new garden bed!

pre-planned garden from High Country Gardens

Top 10 Fall-Flowering Waterwise Perennials For Utah

Here is a list of 10 perennials that are water wise and fall-flowering.  They will provide color in your drought tolerant garden in late summer and fall.  Keep the spent flowers trimmed off (deadheading) and they will bloom right up until the first frost - sometime in October or early November.

Fall blooming Anemone

Mums

Plumbago

Gaura

Sedum

Zauschneria

Caryopteris

Buddleia

Hardy Hibiscus

Roses

Roses - Fall Bloomers In Utah!

I have talked about roses before - how they are heat and drought tolerant here in Utah.   They provide excellent old-fashioned color and fragrance to the landscape.  But I haven's talked about what a good choice they are for season extension and Autumn flowers.  If you deadhead (snip off the spent flowers) your roses regularly they will continue to bloom abundantly all through October and right up to the first freeze!

English Rose blooming in October!

Buddleia - Butterfly Bush - Waterwise Shrub For Xeriscape

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) is a woody shrub that is easy to grow in Utah.  It is native to Asia, Africa and parts of the Americas.  In summer and fall it has colorful (blue, purple, pink, red, magenta) and fragrant flowers that attract bees, hummingbirds and butterflies.  There are several varieties and they reach different heights - from 5 to 8 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide.  Butterfly Bush is very heat and drought tolerant so it only needs a good soaking every 7 or 10 days during July and August.  During the growing season it is good to deadhead (snip off the spent flowers) Butterfly Bush thoroughly every week to keep it blooming all summer and throughout the fall.  It is best to prune it in the early spring by cutting it as far down as you can - to 1 or 2 foot stems.  Believe it or not, it will grow back to full height by mid-summer.

Butterfly Bush blooming in Utah!

Caryopteris x clandonensis - Blue Mist Spirea - Waterwise Shrub for Autumn Flowers!

If you need a small shrub that can tolerate a very hot, sunny spot in the garden, Caryopteris x clandonensis is a great choice for you.  Also known as Blue Mist Spirea (even though it is not a spirea) or Bluebeard, Caryopteris is a very easy-to-grow shrub for the xeriscape garden.  It gets about 3 or 4 feet tall and 3 or 4 feet wide.  The foliage is greenish gray and in late summer and fall it is covered with bright blue flowers.  Bees and butterflies are crazy about it as it provides food for them late in the season when other flower sources have quite blooming.  Caryopteris is hardy in Utah and only needs a deep soaking during the hottest times of July and August - about once every 10 days.   Trim back the spent flowers in late fall or early spring.

Caryopteris x clandonensis - Blue Mist Spirea growing in Utah

fall blooming Caryopteris x clandonensis - shrub for xeriscape garden

Zauschneria garrettii (Hummingbird Trumpet) - Fall Blooming Perennial - Perfect For Xeriscape In Utah!

Zauschneria garrettii - Utah

 Zauschneria or Hummingbird Trumpet is an excellent low-growing perennial for water wise gardens.  It flowers in late summer and fall and provides food for hummingbirds and pollinators.  Native to the Intermountain West (It can even be found growing wild in Albion Basin, Alta, Utah) and California, Zauschneria does very well in the hot, dry climate of Utah and can withstand the extremes of summer and winter.  Once established, this plant doesn't need any extra water other than what falls out of the sky!  Plant it in your xeriscaped hummingbird garden for late season fiery color!  It is a great companion to Nepeta (catmint), Agastache (hyssop) and Russian Sage.

Zauschneria - Fall flowering perennial for xeriscape

Sedum - Waterwise Autumn Flowers!

Sedum is a large genus of succulent plants native to many places in the world.  Here in Utah, there are several varieties found in the wild - mostly small ground covers.  At local nurseries, there are many varieties of ground cover Sedums available as well as taller, fall-blooming perennial Sedums.  These are perfect plants for a xeriscaped garden as they only need extra water in July and August.  The tall Sedums have nice green or gray foliage all summer and then put on a show in September and October with their bright pink or red flowers.  They attract butterflies!

Sedum in Xeriscape

Sedum blooming in Utah

Hibiscus - A Great Fall Bloomer In Utah

There are several Hibiscus species that will grow in Utah and survive the winter.  One is the very common Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus).  This water wise shrub is grown easily in Northern Utah and there are many varieties with flowers mostly in white, pink, dark pink and blue.  Rose of Sharon blooms in late summer and fall providing excellent color in August, September and October.
There are also some smaller perennial Hibiscus (species too numerous to mention here.  Plant Delights catalogue has a good selection) that grow well in Utah and have huge flowers in September and October.  White or pink or red tropical-looking flowers that are 6 or 8 inches in diameter can be quite striking to see on a September day!!

Rose of Sharon Hibiscus - grows well in Utah

Rose of Sharon - Fall Flowers in Utah

Pink Double Rose of Sharon, blooming in Utah 

Hardy Hibiscus - growing in Utah

hardy Hibiscus flower in Utah

Miscanthus sinensis 'strictus' - Porcupine Grass

Late summer is approaching in Utah and the warm-season ornamental grasses are starting to put on their show.  They provide interest in the garden from late July all the way through the winter.  Here is a photo of a stunning tall Miscanthus sinensis 'strictus' - porcupine grass - with striped leaves.  In northern Utah, porcupine grass will reach 4 or 5 feet in height and 3 or 4 feet in width.  It needs water only once a week during the hottest times of summer.  Excellent for a water wise landscape!  Here is a link to another post about porcupine grass and zebra grass.

Porcupine Grass - Miscanthus sinensis 'strictus'

Where Can I Buy Waterwise and Xeric Plants In Utah? Deseret Nursery Perennial Farm

There are several great places to buy waterwise plants for your garden and landscape in the Salt Lake area.  One really excellent one is Deseret Nursery Perennial Farm, located at 5750 West California Avenue, Salt Lake City, Utah.   To get there go west on 1300 South until you pass 5600 West.  Look for the Nursery on the north side of the street.
Grown right there at the nursery, the plants at Deseret are all either moderate or low in their water needs.  You will find a great selection of ground covers, flowering perennials and ornamental grasses, all of which will grow well in our harsh Utah climate.
The prices are good and the plants are high quality, healthy and beautiful!  They also have an awesome website loaded with helpful information on waterwise landscaping and perennials.

View of the Wasatch Mountains from Deseret Nursery Perennial Farm, Salt Lake City, Utah

Thyme ground cover for sale at Deseret Nursery Perennial Farm, Salt Lake City, Utah

Waterwise plants for sale at Deseret Nursery Perennial Farm, Salt Lake City, Utah