Over the years I've unintentionally made a butterfly garden with many late summer to fall blooming plants. And in the process, happily experienced the many joys of stepping out the front door to a landscape of "floating flowers." I've listed over two dozen local butterflies I've been able to identify and the plants that attract them. Even planting a few butterfly nectar plants will attract these colorful insects to your garden.

It was with great delight and excitement I first noticed what appeared to be the first tip of the stem. Having watched agave blooms on a weekly basis at our botanic garden, I was elated to be able to watch it hourly, if I choose, but certainly, daily. I took photos of this marvelous plant nearly every day for the first 6 weeks, then several times a week until the it finished blooming. Each morning, I made sure to check its progress. Afterwards, I photographed it less frequently until the end, but watched it daily. From stem to first emergence to the end of flowering was a period of 10 weeks. Here’s a brief viewers guide to our New Mexican Agave's bloom cycle.

Longwood Gardens includes over 1075 acres of gardens, paths through forests, woodlands and meadow, around lakes and grand plazas, fountains and a through a series of glass houses that make up the four and a half acre conservatory complex. Longwood Gardens is composed of 27 separate outdoor garden areas, 20 gardens inside the conservatory complex and four designated fountain gardens. Longwood can boast more fountains than at any other place in America. It’s specialties are many, the most evident being the fountains, elegant European flair, the extensive conservatory complex, dramatic and varied horticultural displays in an environment that feels comfortably democratic in tone through the five Longwood Gardens seasons.

After one has been gardening for a few years, or perhaps, a number of years, green becomes beautiful. Green becomes beautiful at the moment when in thinking about a plant, the leaves become the main draw instead of some expectation of flowers. I briefly explore the world of leaves and the various foliage colors that give gardens clues to their use in the landscape.

In my garden, the summer flower show begins during the dog days of summer, in mid-July, continuing through the month of September. Now, at the moment the searing and oppressive heat of summer seems endless, I take relief knowing my garden is about to explode into a riot of mid-summer color. Together, non-natives and this selection of plants native to the Americas finishes off the flower season on a high level. . It doesn’t seem to matter if the summer is dry, or we are favored by summer rains, I’ve found these plants dependable no matter the weather.

In celebration of National Wildflower Week, May 1-7, 2017, I'm featuring seven wildflowers whose native range is west of the Mississippi that make splendid garden-worthy plants. Discover these plants and add a little bit of the wild to your garden.

The Tucson Botanic Gardens, known to the locals as a “tranquil oasis in the heart of Tucson”, tells the story of the people and place, while developing awareness and appreciation of their native surroundings. With a vision of creating an oasis, and a mission promoting, demonstrating and educating responsible use of regionally appropriate plants,Tucson Botanical Gardens strives to become America's best small public garden.

Yuccas, the under used and under appreciated genus of plants. Yuccas make terrific multi-purpose evergreen plants for the home landscape of the Texas High Plains with many species integrating well into many areas of the home landscape. The arborescent, or tree-like yuccas, are natural architectural focal points. And many of both cold hardy and non-hardy yuccas make great container specimens, when properly protected in the winter months inside.

A visit to the desert can help one understand and appreciate the great diversity and versatility of plants, matching their requirements for growth to their environment. Join me on my day trip of eleven of the plant alliances within Joshua Tree National Park.

Quietly nestled among the narrow, winding streets of East Alameda and Canyon Road not far from the Santa Fe River, a four acre garden displays some of the best features drawn from English and xeriscape garden styles. This is the garden of Elspeth Bobbs. Set among adobe buildings, her English Garden beautifully marries British gardening tradition with xeriscape principles in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Winter is a barren season, frequently bereft of even a single flower. When planning a garden, many gardeners design for spring and summer. Fall, though often neglected, shines the brightest and winter is just plain ignored. It is odd that less attention is paid to how it looks in the off season, winter being the one season gardeners can enjoy the garden without being absorbed in its maintenance. A garden designed and composed of plants for winter interest will shine throughout the year.

Plant breeders, growers and nurserymen have been hard at work these past several years hoping to match environmental conditions with gardener's choices for this coming gardening season. What are the trends they've prepared for? I describe several and offer some predictions of my own for 2015, as well as possible resolutions for the new year.