The year in a Tucson garden
A calendar for planting, pruning and storms
Five stretches, from the cool planting weeks to the monsoon. Dates move a little from year to year.
Step 1: October to November: plant
The soil is warm and the air is cool, so roots grow before winter. This is the main planting window for trees, shrubs, agave and yucca.
Step 2: December to February: rest and prune
Prune dead wood, and cover frost-tender plants on the coldest nights. Cut or deepen a basin now so it is ready for summer.
Step 3: March to April: bloom
Ocotillo and prickly pear flower. A second, shorter planting window opens for cactus before the heat.
Step 4: May to June: get ready
The hardest weeks for new plants. We check drip, clear basin inlets and top up gravel before the first storm.
Step 5: July to September: monsoon
Storms come in short, heavy bursts. Basins fill and drain, and you turn the drip down. Plant only what you can water.
A checklist
Walk your yard after the first big storm
Ten minutes in daylight, once the rain has stopped. Take photos and send them to us if anything looks off.
Look at the inlets
Is the rock pad under each downspout still in place, and is the inlet clear of leaves and silt?
Look at the basins
Did the water drain within a day? A basin that holds water for days needs a visit.
Look at the overflow
Did the extra water leave through the notch we cut, and go where we planned?
Look at the plants
Leaves on an ocotillo are a good sign. Soft, yellow cactus pads after a wet week are not.
Look at the drip
Turn the clock down while the soil is wet, and back up when the storms stop.
Send us the photos
Text us a photo and where it was taken. We tell you whether it can wait for the check-up.
Questions
Monsoon questions
Will a basin flood my house?
A basin is set away from the foundation and has an overflow that leads water somewhere we chose. We show you the slope at the visit. If your house already takes water, tell us first.
Do I water during the monsoon?
Less. Turn the drip down after storms soak the beds, and back up when a dry week passes. We leave a written schedule by season.
Can you fix a yard that floods?
Often we can shape it to hold and slow the water. A yard with a drainage problem at the house may also need a drainage specialist, and we tell you so at the visit.
Want us to look at your yard before the storms?
Book a monsoon check-up, or a site visit for a new garden.