I’d never been a hat wearer.  But it seems the older I get, the smarter I get.  And now I wear hats when I garden…a requirement for working  in our desert gardens in the blazing hot Phoenix sun.  I can already hear that thermometer begin its steady climb…sigh…

Anyway…hats.  This Adventure Hat from Sunday Afternoon Hats is one of my favorites, perfect for a long day in the garden.  Yes, it looks kinda dorky.  But my tender Minnesota skin sizzles and reddens with even the slightest sun exposure, and this one does a great job of keeping the sun off my face and neck.  If you don’t like the flappy thing hanging down, you can Velcro it up off your neck.

It comes in a bunch of colors, so you can be fashion forward while planting those xeriscape plants.  Which I must do pretty soon or those babies will wilt to death.  But first…finishing up the article on turf management for summer…coming soon!

I’d always thought of Duluth Trading Company as my husband’s workwear store.  They’re known for their durable and tough workwear made from the same material that wraps around fire hoses.  And their “crouch without the ouch” ballroom jeans for men.  (It took me awhile to figure out why they call them “ballroom” jeans…they’re not for dancing!)

So imagine my surprise and delight when I received their “Garden Gear-Up” catalog in the mail the other day!   The cover sported a garden utility vest with enough pockets for loppers, scissors, blades, and our other desert garden tools…12 inall!  There’s a long-sleeved version, too, although I’m pretty sure that that would be overkill in our Phoenix desert landscapes.

There’s pants with knee pads built in and shorts and shirts and garden totes and and hats and gloves and shoes.  Oh my!  They even have a cool leather pruning sleeve so you can tackle the thorny, prickly stuff without looking like you got into it with a feral cat.

I haven’t purchased anything yet, but I”m definitely taking a closer look.  You can check out Duluth Trading Company’s garden gear, too.

Image Credit: AMWUA

Well, April 1 came and with it, a no-joke wind that could topple a small tree…especially a water-starved desert dweller!  We happened to be out at Boyce Thompson Arboretum (must go, must go!) enjoying the spring sights, but a couple of times that wind threatened to blow us off our feet!

The wind is right on time, actually.  April, May, and June are the hottest, driest, windiest months here in Greater Phoenix, making our plants the thirstiest.  They need more water!

For drip and sprinkler systems, this is the time to change the frequency of your watering.  (Remember, the AMOUNT you water should stay the same, but how FREQUENTLY you water should be adjusted seasonally.)

If you’re at all confused about watering xeriscape or other plants–as well as turf–in your desert garden, download the Landscape Watering by the Numbers booklet.  This is THE go-to resource for watering desert landscapes here in Phoenix.