Now in Mesa, Arizona. Sunset Western Garden’s zone 13.

Previous gardening adventures include:

Kansas City, MO

I spent four seasons in Kansas City. When I moved to KC, I automatically reached for my trusty Sunset Western Gardening book and realized it’s no good to me here. It’s zone 5B  in Kansas City, MO. That means a planting date of about May 15. July is our warmest month on average. Not sure what the yearly precipitation is but pretty sure that no one measures it in tenths of inches–definitely not like the West.

Reno, NV

Reno is not as different from Phoenix as I originally thought. It is a drier climate if you can believe that! No summer monsoons. Reno is considered high desert. I chronicled my gardening adventures in another blog, A Northern Nevada Garden. Technically, I still have that garden but other people take care of it for now.

Chandler, AZ

My first house and yard of my own was in Chandler, AZ. It was the land of bermuda grass when I moved in and it was the land of no bermuda when I moved out. I planted hundreds of plants in that yard. And I learned to love the desert.

Maryland

I learned a love of gardening growing up in Maryland. I spent some time with my grandmother one summer and helped her tend her garden. I remember being amazed by what she grew from tiny seeds. I was hooked.