Santa Fe in Bloom

16/09/2024

If you’re in Santa Fe, you’ve likely admired the stunning window boxes at The Inn of the Governors, created seasonally by McCumber Fine Gardens. Each summer, sweet alyssum spills over like soft, billowy clouds, stopping locals and tourists in their tracks. Just wait till they create the fall/winter boxes!

Look for an article on the inspiration of these windows boxes in the Oct. or November “Santa Fe in Bloom” column in the SFNM Home Magazine.

16/09/2024

03/09/2024

The end of summer and fall in Santa Fe is truly unparalleled with a landscape that is uniquely diverse. Late blooming jewel-toned perennials and grasses begin to fill the natural terrain with texture and vibrance. Even during droughts, the region presents a striking and rugged beauty, highlighting the resilience and stark elegance of its dry climate. For readers who may not be aware, the climate in Santa Fe is called semi-arid steppe, as classified by The Köppen climate classification system, and not “high desert” as many proclaim. It is an easy misnomer due to Santa Fe’s high elevation and desert-like landscape.

One of the best parts of our autumn scenery is the wildflowers that flourish from mid to late August through October. A standout among them is the aster, which predominantly blooms in vibrant bluish-purple (and occasionally white) and can be spotted virtually everywhere, from roadsides to abandoned fields to parking lots. Asters are also a popular choice for fall gardens, though the cultivated varieties may differ from the wild ones you encounter.

To read more about these colorful fall blooms, go to the Santa Fe New Mexican Home Magazine, “Santa Fe in Bloom.”

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Photos: David Phillips . Nature Abhors a Garden.

16/07/2024

Beautiful Shasta daisies at the Couse-Sharp Historic Site and Gardens, Taos, NM.

17/06/2024

These gorgeous Cylindropuntia imbricata, also known as tree cholla, walking stick cholla and cane cactus blooms were found in the side yard of a home on Camino Alire in Santa Fe.

Tree cholla is found in a wide range of environments, from the hot deserts of west Texas to the Colorado mountains above 6,000 feet. It does well in New Mexico and has stout, quite thick branches, bearing fairly short white or light brown spines, 10 to 30 per ar**le (occasionally fewer), that allow the green stem color (purplish in times of cold weather) to be clearly visible, and the plant reaches heights of 8 feet, with most stems quite high above the ground, supported by a strong central trunk.

It’s amazing the blooming treasures you can find just driving around the neighborhoods I. Santa Fe.

22/04/2024

Happy Earth Day- whether you celebrate large or small, honor all of Mother Earth’s beautiful offerings.

11/03/2024

Spring may be right around the corner but little signs of it started earlier this month. These wonderful early bulb plants are a welcome sight against dead leaves and grass-less garden beds… more to come as we get closer to April! Photos: , .

Shown: , ,

14/02/2024

Love for everyone, everywhere.