Outdoor Furniture Plus' Blog

If you live in an area out in the desert, you know the flora and weather is drastically different from tropical and temperate regions. Trying to plant a successful garden can be frustrating for any number of reasons, but the addition of an arid climate and nutrient-poor soil only magnify the difficulty. Don’t lose hope, though, intrepid green thumb. A lush oasis can be yours, even the in the middle of the desert.

Climate
A primary concern in desert areas is the weather. The Southwestern part of the United States is prone to a searing, dry heat during the daytime, with drastically cooler temperatures in the evenings. The temperature fluctuations from day to night are much more pronounced in desert areas over temperate areas. Hence, plants need to be hearty and adaptable. To that same end, deserts obviously receive much less rainfall, so water-conserving plants and succulents thrive over many other species.

Soil
The next major obstacle for desert gardeners is the soil content. Nutrient-poor, high in alkaline and salt, and often mixed with a high sand content, it’s simply a struggle getting the right mix of nutrients to your plants. Also, with sandy soil, it’s harder for plants with shallower roots to stay in place. The best way to micromanage your soil, if you will, is by controlling the environment, i.e. making your own. Planters are great for a variety of reasons. Not only can you decide what exactly goes into your soil and how much, you can control pH levels, and even how much sunlight, shade and water your plants will receive by moving your mobile gardens to wherever they are best suited. If you choose to leave your garden on the ground, make sure to invest in a fertilizer that’s chockfull of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, the main nutrients plants need to be healthy.

Pests
One of the few advantages to planting in arid regions is that there simply aren’t as much bugs or pests around to eat and destroy plants. That’s not to say that random critters won’t go in for the occasional nibble, but the use of harsh and toxic pesticides is usually not needed.

Plants
So what exactly can you plant in the desert? Some of the heartier vegetables include the following: broccoli, brussels sprouts, celery, lettuce, onions, peas, radishes and pumpkins. All of these and more can take both the daytime heat as well as the chilly nights.

Then there are some plants that will succeed in mixed to fully sand soil conditions. These include many types of grasses, gum trees, myrtle, grevillea, banksia and much more.

Living in even the hottest parts of the world does not mean having to forego your love of fresh vegetables, beautiful flowers and the enjoyment of getting your hands dirty. With a little perseverance and know-how, you can prove that not only does life find a way, but it can in fact flourish in even the harshest environments.

It’s one of those popular fixtures you see in gardens, like gazing balls, weather vanes and the occasional garden gnome. The sundial has become embedded in the world of gardening accessories, but it actually has a very long and interesting history. Though you’d look to your watch or a clock to tell the time these days, sundials used to inhabit a much more functional role as time-telling devices.

The basic way in which a sundial functions, (a horizontal sundial at any rate), is by the sun’s rays hitting a thin rod, which then casts a shadow onto a plate on which the hours of a clock have been inscribed. As the sun moves across the sky, the shadow from the rod moves along the inscribed numbers, thereby telling the time. In order for it to work accurately, a sundial must be pointed toward true north.

From there the operation of sundials gets much more complex. There are other sundials in which a line of light, rather than a shadow, points to the correct hour. Another aspect is the type of gnomon, or shadow-casting object. These can be fixed according to season, aligned differently according to the Earth’s axis. Then there are the planes on which the shadow is cast, which can take on a number of shapes, including a sphere, cylinder or cone. As you can see, it can be a very involved business.

The origins of the sundial go back to the very origin of mankind, when man would put a stick into the ground and make notches in the dirt in order to roughly tell the time of day. The earliest known sundial is recorded to date back from 5000 BC and can be found in the Knowth passage tomb in Ireland.

The ancient Egyptians and Babylonians were also keen on erecting sundials and small to large obelisks to tell time, dating back to around 3500 BC. One innovation of Egyptian design came about sometime around 1500 BC called the shadow clock. This portable timepiece would divide the day into ten sections, plus two twilight hours in the morning and evening. A long stemmed base would point east and west, while an elevated crossbar on the east would cast a shadow across the inscribed marks. At noon, the device was flipped around to record the afternoon hours.

Another interesting tidbit associated with the sundial is that it is common practice for them to come with inscribed mottoes. Oftentimes these take the form of a somber epigram, usually something to do with the passage of time and brevity of life, but other times these mottoes can be inspiring or even humorous.

So the next time you think about a sundial as just another piece of garden kitsch, think again. Though now but an anachronism in the era of digital clocks and watches, they once held an important place in history.

In conclusion, here are three sundial mottoes from somewhere in the annals of history:

“Do not kill time, for it will surely kill thee.” -Anonymous

“I count only the sunny hours.” -Anonymous

“I am a sundial and I make a botch, of what is done far better by a watch.” –Hillaire Belloc

We have a wide assortment of sundials for you to look at on our site.

Now that the holidays are over and the wintry permafrost has begun to lessen its hold on North America, it’s time for outdoor enthusiasts to begin planning their Spring and Summer gardens. You may have even done some planting over the autumn and winter months with bulbs and heartier plants. Depending on what time of year you want to cultivate your gardens, different plants and procedures are required.

This year, though, don’t fall into the trap of planting the same old things you do each year. Try some new varieties of flowers and shrubs in your planters and planter boxes. Let’s look at some of the more popular flowers from this year and last, and also at which plants will thrive during this time of the year.

Flowers are some of the most beautiful and fun plants to cultivate and work with on your planter bench, but it’s just simply not the optimal time of year for the majority of bright blooms. That being said, there are still plenty of vibrant choices available for early spring gardening. These plants differ in that they are low maintenance and can take a good deal of shade as well as a light frost, but look no less stunning than summer bloomers. Here are some cool weather alternatives:

Early Spring Diascia

Diascia is in the Scrophularlacease family, which includes the popular snapdragon. Better known as twinspur, Diascia produces tube-shaped flowers and features distinct, heart-shaped leaves. It has an open growth habit and tolerates cooler temperatures, shade and mild frost.

Some other popular early spring flowers include the following:

-Hydrangea arboescens

-Syringa

-Alcea Old Barnyard Mix

-Caryopteris “Longwood Blue”

-Echinacea “Coconut Lime”

-Muhlenbergia capillaris “Pink Muhly Grass”

-Passiflora “Sherry”

-Hosta “Aphrodite”

-Rosa “Zephirine Drouhin”

-Digitalis Giant Shirley Mix

-Asclepias tuberosa

-Acer palmatum “Oridono Nishiski”

One nice thing about using planter boxes for year-round gardening is that they are like a mobile plot of land. Not only can you move your plants indoors if it gets unbearably cold, but even throughout the warmer months you can move planters to area with more or less direct sunlight, away from wind, into covered areas, etc. By having such mobility, it’s much easier to keep plants healthy and growing no matter what the weather.

And once the weather gets nice enough for all types of plants, look out for some exciting new flower varieties to appear this year. These include:

Tiger Eye (Rudbeckia): large, daisy-like flowers with golden petals and dark brown central cones that grow up to 18 inches.

Pretty Much Picasso (Petunia): petunias are great for novice gardeners and this variety boasts pink and lavender trumpets with green edges.

Snow Princess (Alyssum): This long-lasting flower will bloom from May to past first frost. It resembles a big ball of snow, with an abundance of tightly packed white blossoms.

Zahara Starlight Rose (Zinnia): The white and red petals of this zinnia are lovely, and the plant thrives in a variety of climates, growing to about one foot high.

Jade Princess (Ornamental Millet): This interesting newcomer grows to about two feet in height, with light colored leaves, and brownish foxtail seed heads, reminiscent of a corn plant but much more striking.

Lemon Cream and Apricot Twist (Calendula): Unlike typical calendulas that don’t fare too well in extremely hot weather, the Lemon Cream and Apricot Twist flowers are more resilient, attract pollinators and offer creamy orange and yellow shades.

Trusty Rusty (Coleus): This especially bright, red and gold Coleus is a great center piece for outdoor pots and planters, growing to about two feet high by two feet wide.