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Master Gardener Program

Desert Botanical Garden
Check out our calendar for events at the Desert Botancal Garden located at 1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, AZ 85008. They have great classes and tours for adults, kids and families.

January Garden Guide

Water: Less water is needed in the cooler winter weather. Water every 10 days - if it has not rained, do not overwater.

Frost: During January you will still need to watch for frost forecasts. Use old bedsheets or frost cloth to cover frost-tender plants.

Fruit and Nut Trees: Protect citrus trees from winter frost. Cover overnight with a sheet or blanket that reaches the ground and uncover after sunrise. Prune decidious fruit trees and grapes.

Lawn: Fertilize winter lawns everys three weeks.

Landscpae Plants: Prune non-native decidious shade trees. Transplant bare-root plants. Move living Christmas trees (eldarica pine or Aleppo pine) outside to a shaded, cool location for a few weeks and water daily. Transplant to a permanent locations. Water deeply once a month, Remove all weeds while young.

Herbs: Plant chamomile, cilantro, dill, garlic, chives, and thyme.

Vegetables: Prepare the soil for your spring planting.
You can plant carrots, chard, head and leaf lettuce, mustard, green onions, peas, potatoes, and spinach now.
You can transplant globe and Jerusalem artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and lettuce.

Annuals and Perennials: Plant seeds of begonia, black-eyed Susan, carnations, sweet William, geraniums, larkspur, nasturtiums, petunias, sweet alyssum and verbana.

Roses: Prune your roses and transplant bare-root roses.

May Garden Guide

Water: More water is needed in the warmer summer weather. Water twice weekly very deeply and in the morning - if it has not rained.

Fruit and Nut Trees: Do not prune citrus trees now except to remove dead or damaged wood. Plant citrus trees, it will be three years before fruit production no matter the size or age of a newly transplanted tree. Pecans need more wter than most shade trees and you will want to use nitrogen and zinc on them also. Water deciduous fruit trees deeply. Cover fruit trees to protect from birds.

Lawn: Plant Bermuda lawns in mid-to late May. Fertilize and apply one inch of water per week to the lawn. Once every two or three years - dethatch if necessary. For small lawns, use a dethatching rake and dethatch in two directions. When finished fertilize and water.

Landscpae Plants: Water plants enough to penetrate about the top 2 feet of soil. Deep infrequent watering is better than small daily waterings. Make sure you apply mulch around the base of your plants - this conserves moisture and prevents the growth of weeds. As the weather grows hot, it's time to plant palms. Do not plant too deeply as they will rot if there is not enough drainage. Prune palms when flower spathes show or wait until after the palm has finished flowering.

Herbs: Plant basil, and garlic chives. Mulch basil, fennerl, lemon grass, parsley, and peppermint to keep the roots cool. Water herbs deeply every 3-5 days. All patio pots that are more than 10 inches need to be watered at least twice a week. Now is the time to transplant basil, garlic chives, lemon grass, peppermint, peppers/chilies and spearmint. Make sure you wash all herbs in clean water before cooking..

Vegetables: Plant black-eyed peas, melons, okra and sunflowers. You will want to use a sahde cloth over tomatoes to keep insects away and to prevent curly top virus. The virus severly stunts and kills vegetable plants.

Roses: Fertilize established roses. Liquid fertilizers can be added at two week intervals.