ALL PHOTOS BY DAWN PISTURINO.
During the winter, I watched a video on somebody’s blog about gardening in pots. This sounded exciting and easy to do, so in March, when the weather was warm and beautiful, I bought a large pot, potting soil, and a beautiful tomato plant at Home Depot. Once I transplanted the tomato plant into the pot, I wrapped it with wire to keep the critters out and then with white plastic to protect it from the wind. My exuberance was a little premature because a couple weeks later the weather changed, the temperatures dropped, and the top of the plant withered from frost bite.
Not sure if the plant would make it or not, my husband named it Irene and began talking to it all the time and encouraging it to survive. I copied him and began fondling the leaves and turning the pot as needed to get maximum sunlight and to keep it better protected from the wind. The plant is thriving, and I get so excited every time I see a little green tomato starting to grow.
Oleanders are one of the few domesticated plants which thrive in the desert. They are hardy, drought-resistant plants which produce beautiful flowers throughout spring, summer, and fall. The green leaves are poisonous, so the critters don’t routinely eat them. The bushes grow very large and make a good wind break. Some people prune them so they look more like trees. They still have to be watered occasionally and will begin to turn brown if dehydrated. But they perk right up again when watered.
We got enough rain this winter, so the yucca plant is going to bloom. This doesn’t happen every year. Pretty soon, beautiful white flowers will appear in the center of the plant. The yucca is an indigenous desert plant that does not require watering. It makes a nice decorative plant for the yard.
Gardening can be difficult in the desert, but right now, things are thriving. It’s such a joy to watch nature bloom and grow!
Dawn Pisturino
May 2, 2022
Copyright 2022 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
Dawn Pisturino's Blog 
Gardening in the desert is a challenge. However, I love to talk with my little Norfolk Island Pine which I got at Christmas a couple of years ago. I call him Fred. He was 4 inches when he came into the house. He is now 4 feet tall and we can cuddle. (Well , maybe a prickly cuddle!)
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LOL! The talking does seem to help! Have a great day – and a big hello to Fred!
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It looks like you have a beautiful desert garden, Dawn. I’m glad your tomato plant survived. It’s so gratifying to see what we planted start to bloom. Spring is such a joyful time of year.
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I agree, Nancy! Your garden must be beautiful now with all of your flowers! Have a wonderful day!
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So glad Irene is going well. First pic has “Fried Green Tomatoes” written all over it! The oleanders here in Savannah get ridiculously huge, some tall as houses. Beautiful blooms.
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Yes, I thought about that movie, too! And I used to love eating fried green tomatoes when I was a child. I had no idea that oleanders could get that big! I value them here because they do provide greenery and flowers and something lovely to look at. Have a beautiful day, Neal!
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We’ve given up on vegetables. Between late and early frosts and all the critters, we put in a lot of work and get little harvest. Irrigation is restricted now, also. I’m just trying to keep our roses and first trees alive.
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Yes, it’s an experiment. When I’ve tried to grow vegetables in the past, the wind dried them up or the critters got them. It takes a lot of work just to protect them. Something already ate one of my little green tomatoes. I had a few cottonwood trees, but they all started to die after 20 years. I have one poplar tree and two elm trees that are thriving. My cherry tree, which is quite old now, got beaten up by the cattle when they passed through, but it’s still alive. My husband wants to plant orange trees and avocado trees, but we’re going to have a friend help us with that. They raised the water rates last year, so I try not to water as much. I might try some green peppers in a pot.
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We used to grow corn, but the raccoons picked the corn, pulled the husks off the ears of corn, eat the ends of the corn and threw the husked ears of corn on the ground. In the morning we would find dried up ears of corn scattered all over the ground. So wasteful.
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Lovely! It is a joy to nurture and watch things blossom and grow. 🌼 My veggie garden provided us with many salads the last few months. With the heat approaching, I need to plant some summer plants. Enjoy!
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I have no doubt, Michele, that you have a green thumb! Have a beautiful day!
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💚 So kind! Thank you. You too, Dawn.
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Well look at you Mother Nature!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 It is so exciting when you see your plants, flowers and trees begin to yawn with growth spurts! I too have yucca plants around my deck and three of them have already started to blossom. This is a first for me, because I usually only get one to bloom once a year and that is during the month of May. You have just reminded me that I have some pepper seeds to plant. This is a first, but we shall see right? 🤔
Have a marvelous time with your flora and enjoy the journey as they grow and flourish for you to enjoy my friend! Keep us posted on your progress!!! 🍅🍆💐🌶🌳
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It is exciting, isn’t it? Have a beautiful day, Kym!
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Thanks so much Dawn and you do the same my friend!!! 🤗🍅😍🌳🌞🦋💖
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What joy to know we can help things grow…save them from the elements and fry a delicious green tomato now and then too:) I really enjoyed this one, Dawn;)
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Thank you, Karima!
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Wow! Dear Dawn first, Congratulations! Awesome photos, I love it! Second, great post and thank’s for share. Have a lovely day! Keep well.
Elvira
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Thank you, Elvira!
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