When to Plant Sunflowers in Arizona for a Colorful, Happy Garden

Tag Archive for: sunflowers

I am sharing with you a few of my favorite close-up flower photographs this week.

Here is one that brightens up my garden summer and into early fall…

It is hard to find a flower that grows so large and that is easy to grow.

I plant mine from seed each spring and then plant a second crop in mid-summer.

Did you know that you can make a bird feeder and shade tomatoes using sunflowers?

Even though it’s really hot outside, my garden is full of brightly colored flowers like Arizona yellow bells, sage, and a single bougainvillea. These flowers can handle the summer heat.

Last year, we decided to create an edible garden along the side of our house.

This was a large underused area that we look out at from our kitchen, family room and bedrooms.

To get it ready for planting, we had our ghost gum eucalyptus tree removed. It was a beautiful tree, but was quickly outgrowing this area with its overhanging limbs.

Following this, some flowering shrubs along the back wall and side of the house had to be pulled out. The flowering shrubs along the side wall were kept because they are pretty and help break up the wall’s plain look.

This is what the side garden looks like today…

The centerpiece of the edible garden is the vegetable garden. Right now, it is filled with corn, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers and sunflowers.

In front, is my colorful container filled with a variety of herbs including basil, parsley, sage and thyme. I bought an inexpensive plastic container and spray painted it a bright blue. The container is connected to the drip system of the vegetable garden.

In the foreground (not pictured) is our new Arizona sweet orange tree. We planted it last year and are excited to have three oranges growing on it.

The first couple of years after planting a citrus tree, you are lucky to get any fruit at all. Three oranges may not seem like much to write home about.

In the first year after planting, citrus trees shouldn’t be fertilized because you want them to focus on root growth instead of upper growth while they don’t have a strong root system to rely on. Since it has been a year since we have planted it, we will fertilize this year.

In front of the vegetable garden are a pair of new peach trees.

I love peaches and have enjoyed the fruit from my mother’s peach trees for years. I finally decided that I wanted to grow my own.

We got 18 peaches this year, which is a lot considering that we planted them in January.

The green plant at the peach tree’s base is a gourd plant that will spread out quickly and cover the ground. This will be “living mulch” that keeps weeds away and gives my peach trees’ roots some shade.

Inside the vegetable garden, sunflower seeds are beginning to form. It is so fun to see the birds hanging upside down trying to get to the seeds.

It’s okay to let the birds eat the seeds, but if you want to keep them for yourself, just wrap a paper bag around the flower.

I think I will keep some flowers for myself and my husband and let the birds eat the seeds from a few sunflowers that aren’t covered.

There is a big zucchini plant in the background. Anyone who has grown zucchini before will tell you that it produces a lot of zucchini.

The slightly wilting plant in the foreground is a pumpkin plant. If you want a pumpkin for fall, then June is when you want to plant them.

It is normal for the leaves to wilt slightly during the heat of the day. They will return to normal later in the day.

Zucchini can hide underneath the large leaves of the zucchini plant. I’m going to use this one to make my chocolate chip zucchini bread. It’s delicious and your kids will never know there is zucchini in it .

I found the recipe on Pinterest and have already made it once. My family keeps bugging me to make more. Here is the link to the recipe, if you are interested – Chocolate Zucchini Bread

My tomatoes are flourishing in the natural shade provided by my sunflowers.

One of my cherry tomato plants has even decided to expand a bit outside of the garden.

Behind the vegetable garden are my two apple trees, planted this January. One is a Anna apple tree and the other is a Dorsett Golden. These apple trees do well in the desert, and they will make apples even if they are planted apart. This is because they will cross-pollinate each other, making more apples.

The apples won’t come out for a few years, but the spring flowers are beautiful.

Behind the apple trees are six blackberry bushes. We had a great time with the berries this year, and we hope to have even more next year as they get bigger.

Blackberries won’t produce the first year after planting because the berries appear on 1-year odd canes.

Did you know that there are now thornless varieties of blackberries available? I have one…. I only wish that the other five were thornless .

Well, that is what I have growing in my side edible garden.

Tomorrow, I’ll share what is growing in my original vegetable garden.

What do you have growing in your garden right now?

If you live in the desert and like to grow tomatoes, you know how important it is to give your plants shade in the summer.

Most vegetable gardeners bring out 100% shade cloth, which is great for keeping tomatoes cool and safe from the hot desert sun.

Personally, I don’t particularly like how shade cloth looks. As a gardener and landscape designer, I like it when gardens look nice, and that goes for vegetable gardens too.

This year, I didn’t want to use shade cloth on my tomato plants, so I chose to give them natural shade.

My tomatoes are surrounded by giant sunflowers on their east, west and southern sides. Sunflowers should be put on the west side if you can only do one. This will protect them from the hot afternoon sun.

Throughout the day, they experience filtered shade. My tomatoes look great without any signs of sunburn.

Sunflower seeds are easy to grow, and you can start planting them in March and keep doing so all summer long.

I put down a second crop of sunflowers between my first ones because sunflowers only live for a few months. I’m about to plant a third crop that will give my tomatoes shade all summer and into early fall.

Another good thing about planting sunflowers is that they give birds food and a place to live, and you can eat their tasty seeds.

Sunflowers are a long-lasting and cheap alternative to shade cloth that is another reason to use them for tomato plants instead of shade cloth.

How about you? What do you use to shade your tomatoes?

My mom had brunch with the whole family (except for my daughter Rachele, who is in the Navy) on Memorial Day to celebrate the start of summer.

As we drove up to the farm, we were greeted by the following sight…

My nephews along with my son, Kai, were selling lemonade made from the lemons from the backyard tree.

They had quite a few people buying a refreshing cup of lemonade, including my son-in-law, Jeff.

Kai and the boys were kept busy filling cups with lemonade. In addition, they also sold homemade jam made from the peach trees.

My daughter, Brittney and Lily (my granddaughter) came over too and Lily got her first taste of lemonade.

As we entered the house, we were greeted by delicious smells of eggs, sausage, fruit and cinnamon rolls.

I couldn’t wait to finish my meal so that my mom and I could go outside and look at what was growing in her garden.

She was most proud of her Russian gourds.

Okay, they really aren’t Russian, but my sister-in-law brought the seeds in Russia for my mother. You can buy the same gourd seed in the US.

But, we like calling them Russian gourds because it sounds more fun and exotic.

Her pattypan squash is also growing well, above. This summer squash is a lot like zucchini. My mom plans on cutting it into small pieces and adding to salads, much like you would cucumbers.

Her sunflowers provided much appreciated shade for the garden as well as seeds for the birds. My brother considered trying some of the seeds.

If you don’t want the birds to eat the seeds, you can put a paper grocery bag over the flowers.

Lots of zucchini were beginning to form. Vegetable gardening can be hard at first, but zucchini is a great vegetable to start with in the summer. They are easy to grow and there is something so satisfying when you bring a large one inside.

My 2-year old twin nephews took some time to play in the toy front end loader…

Then it was time to celebrate Kai’s birthday. He is now 11 years old.

A “Navy” hat from his big sister was his favorite gift. We bought it at the Naval base after seeing our daughter graduate.

His second-favorite gift was a huge squirt gun from his grandma.

Late May is also the time that we pick peaches from the trees.

In order for me to make peach jam at home, my mom and I went to get some peaches.

I love making peach jam and enjoying it throughout the year.

The peaches, above, were picked from my own peach tree. We planted it in January and I was quite surprised when it produced so many peaches. But, I certainly wasn’t complaining .

Of course, my own tree didn’t have enough peaches, so I used peaches from my mom’s trees to make up the difference.

They are so soft and easy to bruise that peaches should be used the same day they are picked if you can. I waited only one day and already had some soft spots on my peaches.

My mother taught me how to make peach jam a few summers ago. I blogged about it back then in “A Harvest Of Peaches and Jam”.

Thank you to everyone who left such nice comments on my last post about my daughter Rachele’s graduation from basic training in the Navy.

I was in a hurry last week to get ready to fly to Chicago for my daughter’s Navy graduation. While I was getting ready, I got an email from a blog reader that stopped me in my tracks and made me smile immensely.

When you blog, it is almost always a one-way conversation. Every once in a while, when I meet some of you in person, I find out that my “ramblings” speak to you and help you. So, this email just made my day (or should I say, my entire month).

Here is a small excerpt…

“Since we moved here from South Carolina three years ago, my son and I use your Pinterest page, Facebook page, and blog whenever we have questions about plants we have. My 14-year-old has had a lot of success with gardening because of this. He has vegetable gardens, herb gardens, and a hummingbird garden. Thanks for being willing to show not only your good growth but also your not-so-good growth (like your onions). – they weren’t failures, just small). This week, when my son Jacob pulled his onions, they were bigger than yours. He was so happy, as I think most boys would be. (I don’t know what it is about competition and boys…. ) He is currently awaiting his corn harvest. He put in two types to see how they differ: the Golden Cross Bantam (Hybrid) and another type I can’t think of right now (silver queen or something). )”.

I wrote her back and told her how much her email meant to me. After that, I asked her if it would be okay if I wrote a blog post about her son’s garden.

Jacob is 14 years old and in addition to being a great gardener, also likes birding.

Are you ready to see Jacob’s garden?

This is the hummingbird garden. I asked Jacob what plants he put in his garden and what kinds of hummingbirds he has seen there.

“There are many things I have added to my hummingbird garden.

Here is a list:

Kangaroo paw (orange red in color)

Ivy Geranium (to add color to garden not specifically for hummingbirds)

Black eyed Susan vine

Lantana (yellow and a new variety which is white with yellow on the outside of the flower)

A few rogue sunflowers

and a young Desert Willow sapling that I started from seed last year.

That is it so far but you never know what tomorrow will bring.

Four types of hummingbirds have come to my garden: Anna’s hummingbirds live there all year, Black-chinned hummingbirds stay all summer, and Rufous and Broad-tailed hummingbirds often stop by on their way to or from somewhere else. The hummingbird garden is situated near our kitchen window(s), I really enjoy sitting at the table watching them. Last year we actually got to enjoy watching a mama Anna Hummer feeding her babies. The house Finch and sometimes the red headed woodpecker visit too. The curved bill thrashers love to eat the bugs. ”.

He told me what kinds of vegetables he likes to grow because I was interested in learning more about his garden.

This is where I love to grow corn and tomatoes. The corn is one of my favorites because it’s something new for me to try. I am growing two types this year; Bantam corn and sweet corn. I will compare the two to see which harvests the most and grows better. There are so many new kinds of tomatoes this year that I have never grown before. I love trying them all! The Summer Set tomato, the Lemon Boy, the Roma, the Cherry tomato, the Big Beef, the Early Girl, and of course the Phoenix are all on my list. All have produced except the Phoenix, so far. I also planted Okra last year. The plant generated much, but I waited till they were to big and they were bitter. I kept the plants though because the flowers were very pleasing to the eye.

White Icicle Radishes were another vegetable I had fun growing. It was thought to be extinct, but I found a watermelon called Moon and Stars and am now growing it too. ”.

As many of you may know, it can be hard to grow some vegetables. I asked Jacob, if he struggled growing any type(s) of vegetables in his garden.

“Squash seems to be the hardest for me to grow here in Arizona. I haven’t been to successful but I keep trying. I have Zucchini and crook- necked squash growing this year, hopefully I will be a little more successful. ”.

I want to grow a number of vegetables in my garden for the first time. I can’t grow everything I want because I don’t have enough space I asked Jacob what he wanted to grow in his vegetable garden.

“I would love try Purple Bell Peppers. They would be fun to grow, and to eat.”

Yes, I like showing people how to garden and sometimes “how not to.” I was wondering if Jacob had any gardening tips he would like to share with you that he has learned over the years.

“My gardening tips are more of an encouragement. Never be afraid to try new things even here in the desert. Some things might be successful, some may not. Don’t give up even if your things don’t produce. Try again, they may in the next year. Gardening is about succeeding and failures and learning from them.

This year my mother found some pins that she shared with me, on Pinterest. , that I tried. Regrowing celery from the root, lettuce, and onions too. The celery flourished! The Romaine lettuce did well also, the yellow onion not quite as successful. It did produce an onion, just not a very large one. This was a fun gardening experiment, some I may retry once the summer heat has passed.

Praying Mantis hatched from a purchased egg case.

Another thing I’m doing this year is letting the plants go to seed so I can use the seeds for next year’s garden.

Gardening is about succeeding, failures, experimenting with new things, and learning from them.”

I’m impressed by both Jacob’s garden and how much he has learned since he first started it.

As he stated, don’t be afraid get out in the garden and try. Of course, you will have some failures (all gardeners do – I have had my share). But, you will also have successes that make failures pale in comparison. Gardening is a huge experiment, which makes life fun and exciting.

Jacob and his mom, Deb, wrote to me and then let me see their garden and hear their thoughts. I’m so grateful.

I love visiting other people’s gardens, particularly if they have fruit and vegetables growing in them. So, I was thrilled to be able to tour some “edible” gardens in my area earlier this month.

The Arcadia Edible Garden Tour is back for its second year. It is made up of a group of private gardens in the “Arcadia” neighborhood in east Phoenix. This is one of my favorite parts of the Phoenix metro area! I used to live here.

I bought my mom a ticket to go with me as a Mother’s Day present because she loves gardening almost as much as I do.

Our first stop was to see Jill’s Sweet Life Garden. I made sure to visit there first because I had been following her blog and couldn’t wait to see her gardens in person.

As we entered the garden, We headed straight for the raised vegetable beds.

I grow leaf lettuce with my mom, so we had to check out what kinds were being grown.

Getting ideas for my own garden was one of the things that made me excited about this garden tour.

Like, using regular wire mesh over the garden. You could use this to hold up shade cloth in the summer or frost cloth in the winter. It is much more attractive then PVC supports.

The trellis is made of rebar and wire mesh and provides an attractive support for vining vegetables.

As many of you know, I love to grow nasturtiums alongside my vegetables. They aren’t only pretty, they help to keep bad bugs away from my veggies.

This bed had a variety of nasturtium that I was anxious to try ‘Cherry Rose Jewel’ (I found seeds at Botanical Interests). I will definitely be planting these next year.

A huge trumpet vine was growing up a Phoenix date palm, which caught my eye while I was looking at the raised beds.

Talk about an unexpected support for a vine – I loved it.

I have been growing a special variety of corn in a half wine barrel.

Sweet Life Garden had cucumbers growing in a barrel with a beautiful trellis.

Baker’s Nursery had these wine barrel trellises available, but I’m not sure if they still do. You could certainly make your own.

In addition to cucumbers, sunflowers were also growing in a barrel. I may have to try this.

It’s fun to grow herbs in pots, but I like Jill’s better because she used half barrels. I think I need to get more for my garden.

Tomatoes were growing like crazy with some beautiful heirloom varieties ripening.

Wouldn’t this look beautiful on a sandwich or on a salad?

I believe it’s important to have seating areas spread out in the garden so that people can relax and enjoy the view.

Here is another example of the wire mesh being used as a trellis.

Malabar spinach is for people who are sad that they can’t grow leafy greens for their salads in the summer.

Okay, it’s not exactly a spinach but tastes great in salads and tastes like spinach when cooked.

It loves hot temperatures and needs a trellis for support. I have seeds, but will probably wait until next year to plant mine.

The seeds can be a little hard to find at your local nursery, but you can buy some through Amazon.com for under a $1 – just type in Malabar spinach in the search.

Why limit yourself to growing just vegetables?

It’s also fun to grow fruit on trees and shrubs, as the big peach tree and the apple tree with the spread braches show.

I especially enjoyed seeing the peach orchard. My peaches are almost ready for picking

I’ve been busy picking blackberries from my vines and have been thinking about putting in more next winter.

After seeing the berries at Sweet Life Garden, I will definitely add more to my own garden.

Do you know there is a type that doesn’t have thorns? I only have one thorny blackberry bush. Guess which kind I like best?.

It was time to wrap up our visit because there were more gardens to visit.

Did I mention that they have chickens too?

We liked seeing the variety of goods that Sweet Life Garden and other local vendors sold as we were leaving.

I had already eaten breakfast, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying a few samples.

The three-cheese black pepper bread came home with me.

We had a great time visiting Jill, at Sweet Life Garden.

But, our adventure didn’t end there. There were more gardens to visit. I will give you the highlights of the other gardens in my next post.

**You can find information about the Arcadia Edible Garden Tour on Jill’s blog, Sweet Life Garden. Be sure to order early next spring, when tickets are available.

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HOW to PLANT and GROW SUNFLOWERS plus HOW to ROAST SEEDS for EATING

FAQ

What is the best month to plant sunflowers?

Do sunflowers grow well in Phoenix?

How do you plant sunflowers in the desert?

Do I need to soak sunflower seeds before planting?

When is the best time to plant sunflowers in Arizona?

That said, the best time to plant sunflowers in Arizona is from February through July. During this time of the year, the soil is consistently warm to aid the growth of root systems. When it comes to growing sunflowers, you will get the best germination if you plant when the soil temperatures are consistently 70°F to 75°F. 2.

Do sunflowers grow in Arizona?

Thankfully, Arizona’s semi-arid and arid climates provide the ideal conditions for the sunflowers to thrive. Many people love to grow sunflowers due to their variety of uses. They are easy to grow and not too picky with growing conditions, making them ideal for gardeners of all levels.

When should you plant sunflower seeds?

It’s best to sow sunflower seeds directly into the garden (or outdoor containers) after the danger of spring frost has passed, anytime after soils have warmed to at least 50°F (10°C). In the northern half of the U.S. and in Canada, this will fall between April and mid-June. In the South, this will probably occur in mid-March or early April.

How do you grow wild sunflowers?

Drive along a freeway in certain parts of the country and you will see wild sunflowers growing in compacted dirt on the side of the road. Plant sunflower seeds about an inch deep in loose soil; the roots like to grow deep and wide. Sunflowers can grow in poor soil, but richer soil will produce larger blooms.