Instructions
1. Mark off an area for your garden that gets more than six hours of sunlight per day and has excellent drainage and sandy soil.
2. Turn over the soil in the planting area with a garden shovel. If your soil does not contain a lot of sand, add a 3-inch layer of sand on top of the soil. Work the sand down into the existing soil using a garden rake. To determine if your soil is sandy or not, take a handful of moistened soil and roll it into a ball. Sandy soil will not form a ball; it will crumble, whereas clay sand will form a tight ball.
3. Place medium size stones around the perimeter of the desert garden. Leave a few inches of space between each rock. Purchase decorative stones at landscape or garden centers. Look for rocks with unusual shapes or colors to add visual interest to your garden.
4. Plant large cacti at the back of the garden. A barrel cacti is large enough to be the focal point for a desert garden. Always wear leather gloves when handling cacti. Place a throw rug around a barrel cactus to avoid getting cuts and scratches as you plant it.
5. Plant flowering desert plants around the large cacti, such as Dorri sage---sometimes called the desert sage---which will bloom with two-toned flowers and reach 18 inches tall. If you like desert wildflowers, the Mexican gold poppy will add a splash of yellow. A blooming desert wildflower that looks like it could grow out of a traditional garden is the is the desert lily. The desert lily resembles a traditional Easter lily. Any of these plants or a combination will add color to the garden.
6. Add a few agave soicta plants. This agave plant will stay relatively small and will make an attractive living border. Plant each agave soicta about 18 inches apart, 6 inches behind the rocks. You could also use the small aloe brevifolia for this same purpose. Alternate both of these plants for a border.
7. Lay a 2-inch layer of pebble-sized gravel around the plants. Choose a gravel color to complement your home or the flowers in your desert garden.
8. Water your desert garden with a garden hose right after planting. Hold the hose close to the ground above the plants' roots. You will not need to water a desert garden every day. Watering once a week---or less if it rains---is plenty for these types of plants.
Tags: desert garden, agave soicta, desert lily, large cacti, these plants, will form, with garden