Sonoran Wildflowers

Everyone has wondered where my wildflower pics are from the desert this past spring.  Don't worry, I took them.  My garden journal on plants has wrapped up, but it has taken up a lot of time and energy forcing me to post things at a later time.   This is the first of a series of shots from our visit to the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix back in early April.  It was a beautiful but extremely warm day.  My allergies were acting up with all the pollen in the air.

The Phoenix Botanical Gardens had such a lovely display of wildflowers and while it wasn't a spectacular show for us in the wild this year to the lack of rain, the Phoenix Botanical Gardens made sure we got our California Poppy fix:)  These flowers just glow with the intense sunlight. Our wildflower shows in the desert all depend on the weather.  It's natural and normal for some years to be a dud while during others, it's like going to a 4th of July fireworks festival.

 California poppies are the orange flowers.  Other wildflowers you'll see in these gardens are lupines, globe mallow, Parry's Penstemon, Pink Sand Verbena, the Blue Desert Bell, etc

There's a lot to see.  The best way to make your own garden is to throw mixed seeds around in flower beds with some water to get them going when spring arrives. They can grow crazy so do be aware that they will pop up around your landscape once you put them into your garden.  It's kinda hard to control wildflowers.....because they're wild:)

Native butterflies and hummingbirds love our display of wildflowers. I love how these will take over a rock bed and create a lush green hill of spectacular color.

Depending on the wildflower, your displays can last for a month or longer.

Many mix wet native soil with the seeds and throw it about their garden.  This keeps the seed from blowing away or from preventing a local bird a free lunch:) 

There are lots of seed packets out there.   But for success, plant in full sun for maximum display.

Wildflowers transform a landscape into a prairie type setting for a few months before returning to the cacti forest.

 The Desert Primrose.  This plant grows along the sand dunes of Yuma.

Stay tuned for more from the Phoenix Botanical Gardens tomorrow......