Lilacs
It Takes More Than April Showers...
I have always loved lilacs. However, I couldn't grow them in Southern California. By that, I mean the lilac bushes would not flower. When I moved to Sedona, I discovered I had flowering lilac bushes the following April. I was so excited about this. I didn't plant these lilacs. They were there when we moved in.
You Need A Cold Winter For Great Blooms
I am not sure where I heard that lilacs need an excellent freeze to bloom. But that is not an issue in Sedona. We do not get days below freezing, but our weather is cold enough to allow the process to set for the next season's blooms.
Lilacs are very hardy. We had a really cold winter in 2022-23. I didn't do anything special to protect the lilac bushes. This year was very good for a strong fragrance and many blooms.
My lilac bushes get the entire morning and early afternoon sun. It is the perfect combination to keep the bushes healthy. They sit on the upslope of the yard, so they drain well.
Pruning is also a key to their health. I have three bushes side by side. In the beginning, I did have to cut back the bushes. I did only one bush a year. The next year it would not bloom. But now, these bushes are healthy and do not require much work to look beautiful.
I think I am pretty lucky to have such healthy bushes. Here are more plants in my backyard garden.
Another View of the Roses...
The plant on the left of the furniture dolly is my 47-year-old spider plant. I have moved it to every home we have owned. There is no plant more special...
I pulled out a beautiful flowering salvia to make more room for my rose bushes. About three times a day, I have to go out and spray the leaves for aphids. I have found that the aphids like new growth and gravitate to those areas.
More Roses
Healthy Iris
We had very wet snow in March and lost some big juniper limbs. The open area allowed the sunlight to shower the Iris bulbs. This is the best they have ever looked!
Sedona Snapdragons
I am constantly changing the flowers in this pot. I like color all year long. So every season, there are new fragrances and colors throughout my yard - front and back.
My Front Courtyard
I love blue pots, especially royal blue pots. They give my yard an extra pop of color.
This west-facing table is a great spot to enjoy a morning beverage in the summer because it is always cooler here.
Last of the Winter Flowers -(Pansies)
The weather has been so cool that my pansies, which I plant during the winter, are still here! As soon as it gets a little warmer, they will be gone. But they have never lasted into May.
Watch a video of a hummingbird taking a bath in our courtyard cactus fountain.
This is my entry into the May Challenge by Debe Maxwell, CRS
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