Hi, i'm a newbie and looking to do a small container garden here in Scottsdale, Arizona. I have a East Facing patio that gets sun until about 1p and a North facing entry-landing (1st floor) that is partially under a stairwell and so half of it gets sun until about 2p or so.
i've started reading and asking my mother (in NM) about planting and gardening but wanted to get more advice and links to what i'd like to do.
Ideally i'd have this amazing container garden that is an oasis inthe desert, but what i'm really looking at is to make my patio a bit prettier and nice to sit and relax/read in duringthe cool springs/falls/winters and to make the entry-landing evoke calmness and let me know i'm "home".
since i cook, i'd like to grow some veggies and herbs, say tomatoes (er fruit, i guess), basil, thyme, rosemary.
and since i work fulltime and dance quite a bit, i'm generally away from home alot so i only have moderate time weekly to maintain them.
I'd like some shrubs, foliage, and flowers. apparently Sago Palms are quite popular here, but i'm not so fond of the Palm look. i like Geraniums. I think Lavender are quite pretty. Roses are nice; but Orchids are my fave flower. daisies are nice.
i have a a few questions:
I'm a bit confused about Full Sun, Part Sun, Part Shade, Shade. I understand that Full Sun is fully int he sun (obv), but does that mean all day or most of the day? Does an area that gets full sun until 1p and then is in shade qualify as part shade? or is part shade a place that is partly shady all day? i'm sure this is quite obv to many of you but to me, it's just a little confusing.
how do i know how big a container to get for my plants? I hear that Geraniums like cramped roots and so to get a container that's not too big. ok. But in general???
i plan to buy one plant each of a couple and use them as a "test-bed" as practice. any suggestions of what to try?
any comments, suggestions, links, faqs are highly welcome.
Also, are there gardening groups that get together and meet? i'd like to sit and hear what they have to say about sutff here in AZ.
And anyone in Scottsdale or Phoenix-metro area: what are the better, nicer nurseries that i should visit.
thanks all,
-goro-