Cathy Cromell, Phoenix, Arizona
After moving to Phoenix, Cathy completed the Master Gardener course offered by the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Maricopa County Urban Horticulture Department. They offered her a position to create and manage Arizona Master Gardener Press (AMPG), which publishes books and materials specific to Southwestern gardening.

To date, the AMPG has published four books: Earth-Friendly Desert Gardening, Desert Landscaping for Beginners, Desert Gardening for Beginners and Success With School Gardens: How to Create a Learning Oasis in the Desert. The AMPG has won numerous awards including Best First Book by a New Publisher from the Arizona Book Publishing Association.

Cathy was also a writer for the latest edition of Better Homes and Gardens’ New Garden Book and contributing writer for Sunsets’ Gardening in the Southwest. As garden editor-at-large for Phoenix Home & Garden magazine, Cathy enjoys sharing gardening information, especially for new residents confused by desert conditions, in her monthly yard work column.
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Native Bees in the Garden
November 5, 2009
European honeybees and their kin, the Africanized "killer" bees, garner media attention, but many other fascinating native bees are hard at work in the landscape. Arizona authors Stephen L. Buchmann and Gary Paul Nabhan write in The Forgotten
Wildflower Sowing Season
October 22, 2009
Temperatures have been so unseasonably hot in Phoenix that it seems more like summer than fall's wildflower sowing season. Don't let that stop you. It's time to dig out those little envelopes and paper bags of seeds you saved last spring or buy some
Cactus Planting Tips
October 8, 2009
Autumn is a great time to add all sorts of plants to your low desert landscape because they have six or seven months to establish root systems before hot weather returns. Cacti can be transplanted now, and a few tricks make the task go more smoothly
Bulb Combos
September 24, 2009
Pastel shades of yellow, pink, lavender, blue, and white provide a respite from the intensity of desert sun and heat. Bulb combinations are one way to create this soothing color scheme. Rain lilies, also known as fairy lilies (Zephyranthes
Cool Off (or Warm Up) With Trees
September 10, 2009
Summer in the low desert is not a good time for digging a tree planting hole, in my opinion. It is better to lay low with a glass of lemonade and maybe a tiny hand-held fan if you can't find anyone willing to wave a palm frond over you. But summer is
Composting is Easy!
August 27, 2009
Garden beds containing nonnative flowers and vegetables need rich soil. You can purchase organic matter to incorporate into the garden, although making your own compost is satisfying and earth-friendly. Thirty to 40 percent of material trucked to
Insects Support Wildlife in the Landscape
August 13, 2009
I was on my hands and knees, weeding my friend's landscape so it would look good when his family arrived for a week-long stay. Dusk was falling, it was difficult to see, but I was on an obsessive-compulsive, weed-yanking mission. When it comes to
Praying Mantids
July 30, 2009
While brushing away leaves stuck to the top of a barrel cactus, movement from a praying mantid scurrying from my disruptive activities caught my eye. Praying mantids are intriguing insects that can be found in the garden in summer. Adult praying
How Desert Plants Survive
July 16, 2009
When the thermometer shows triple digits for months on end, it's hard to imagine how plants can survive, let alone thrive in our conditions. Desert plants have evolved with ingenious adaptations to reduce moisture loss while standing tall in blazing
Sweet Corn
July 2, 2009
Sweet corn fresh from the garden is one of life's delectable pleasures. However, modern hybrids require plenty of water, multiple fertilizer applications, and a watchful eye, especially if growing in the low desert. For some gardeners, that may
Surefire Hummingbird Gardens
June 18, 2009
There's nothing mysterious or difficult about attracting hummingbirds. It is one of the easiest and most rewarding gardening endeavors. Simply provide the flowers they prefer and these tiny flying gems will visit soon and often. Even a handful of
Create Privacy with Plants
June 4, 2009
A living "wall" of plants offers privacy, reduces traffic or neighborhood noise, and also helps reduce the urban heat island effect. (Plants don't absorb and retain heat the way a block wall does, for example.) However, before adding plants along
Easy-Care Flowers
May 21, 2009
I admit it. When the temperatures start broiling, I turn into a lazy gardener. I compensate by planting easy-to-care-for flowers with long bloom periods that don't require much intervention on my part. There are many native and desert-adapted
Pruning Native Trees
May 7, 2009
May to early June is an appropriate time to prune native trees if needed because summer is their active growth period and they quickly produce fresh foliage after trimming. However, don't prune just to prune or because your neighbor is wielding
Refreshing Houseplants
April 23, 2009
Spring is a wonderful time to be outdoors gardening, but don't forget houseplants, which provide all sorts of benefits beyond an attractive splash of greenery. For example, research shows that hospital patients with plants to look at it recovered
Unusual Bulbs for Arid Climates
April 9, 2009
I enjoy the "surprise" factor that bulbs offer. Buried during autumn's hurly-burly planting season, spring-blooming bulbs start shooting through the soil surface a few months later, reminding the gardener of their presence. Then, when their mature
Wildflower Quests
March 26, 2009
It's an endless treasure hunt that gardeners and nature enthusiasts never seem to tire of. When and where will spring wildflowers carpet the desert floor with astounding swaths of yellow desert marigolds, orange poppies, bluebells, and purple lupine?
Spring has Sprung
March 12, 2009
With spring's arrival, so much happens in desert landscapes within a short time period that it's a challenge to keep up with all the fun options. Half of me wants to transplant something new, half of me wants to tackle clean-up chores (okay, more
Effective Plant Watering and Drip Irrigation Part II
February 26, 2009
Efficient plant watering is intertwined with a well-designed drip irrigation system. My previous report covered the three basics of effective plant watering. This report follows up with details on how specific drip irrigation components influence
Effective Plant Watering and Drip Irrigation, Part I
February 12, 2009
Did you know that more landscape plants in the desert die from overwatering than underwatering? Some folks think that because they have a drip irrigation system, they must of course be conserving water. Unfortunately, that isn't always the case. The
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