Spring Planting

Spring comes early to Las Vegas … at least we're hoping it does. We've noticed the trees budding and leafing out as we take our morning walks. The temps are a bit warmer and each day is minutes longer. We're getting itchy for a change and what better way to exploit our itch than to plant a garden. We surveyed all the local places for plant availability and price. We were opting for seedlings versus seeds. Walmart had all the regular flowers and veggies. Lowes and Home Depot were a bit more expansive in their offerings and the prices were good. The local Star Nursery has slightly higher prices, but the variety, quality and knowledgeable clerks sometimes make up for the price difference. We spread the wealth and bought stuff at each place.

We started with a large ceramic planter for the front entryway. It gets direct sun and lots of it. David ran a soaker from the sprinkler system to the big new pot. We bought bright purple and yellow violas, pansies and dianthus, all of which like full sun, and filled the planter.

Next, we chose three lavender plants for the side entry which we've just discovered has sprinkler heads. David fixed the ones that were broken and exposed those that were buried. After rock removal and a bit of soil work, the lavenders are in and looking fine.

Mary is working on the new backyard raised planters. She's keen on different varieties of peppers and tomatoes and likes to experiment with new things like kale and artichoke. Herbs are key on her grow list and she chose lemon balm, lemon thyme, basil, cilantro, mint … the list goes on. We'll be a well-herbed family and she plans to use them in her summer menus.

I took to the internet to figure out how to prune cacti and succulents. The universal answer … carefully! Armed with pruning sheers and long tongs, I trimmed back our prickly pear, removing several decayed and errant pads. I doubt it had ever been pruned. The aloe and yucca were also trimmed back and the front yard is looking much improved.

There's still much to be done in the landscaping department. David wants to build a deck with more planters. We'd like to add a couple of trees and some shrubs and perhaps some border plants along the back wall. There's no rush. Las Vegas has four planting seasons and we'll do a little bit each time we visit. In the meantime, it was great being outdoors and initiating the rites of Spring.

Let's hope Mother Nature doesn't decide to do winter again!