On choosing what deserves a place in the garden.
There are worse ways to spend an evening than buried in flower catalogs, convincing yourself there’s room for just one more variety. When we started planning The Metal Petal’s first growing season, the temptation was to grow everything. Unfortunately, ten raised beds, an expanding rose collection, and the Arizona high desert have other ideas.
Pretty flowers weren’t going to be enough. We needed a plan.
THE DESERT GETS A SAY.
Growing in Rio Rico means working around intense summer heat, dry air, seasonal monsoons, and surprisingly cold winter nights.
We turned to the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension for guidance on regional growing conditions and seasonal planting. Hardiness zones are useful, but they don’t tell the whole story. A flower might survive our climate without producing the quality stems we’re after.
So we’re planning around the seasons: ranunculus, anemones, and sweet peas for cooler weather; zinnias, marigolds, and other heat-loving varieties for warmer months. A little research now will hopefully save us a few expensive lessons later.
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE.
Eden Brothers, Heirloom Roses, and Edmunds’ Roses have been valuable resources as we’ve compared varieties, growing requirements, bloom characteristics, and mature plant sizes.
Our selections range from romantic garden favorites to some wonderfully unusual specimens. Roses like Bewitched, Honey Dijon, Intrigue, and Black Baccara reflect our weakness for flowers with character.
But a beautiful catalog photograph only gets a variety so far. We also considered growth habits, spacing, productivity, and whether a flower could realistically earn its place in our garden.
THINKING BEYOND THE BLOOM.
We’re growing flowers for bouquets, not just pretty garden beds. That means considering stem length, vase life, harvest windows, and how different flowers work together. Roses and ranunculus bring the romance. Delphiniums add height. Statice and yarrow offer texture. Sweet peas lend that loose, natural movement we love.
Our palette leans toward antique creams, warm apricots, dusty pinks, deep burgundies, and the occasional moody purple.
Romantic, certainly. A little unconventional, preferably.
A GARDEN WITH ROOM TO LEARN.
With limited growing space and water an important consideration, we’re carefully planning seasonal rotations, drip irrigation, and planting combinations. Some varieties are well suited to our intended growing seasons. Others are experiments.
And that’s part of the appeal.
2027 will be our first full growing season, and no amount of research can tell us exactly how every flower will perform in our particular patch of desert.
We’ll learn what thrives, what struggles, and what deserves another chance.
The goal was never to grow every flower. Just to grow beautiful ones, thoughtfully, and share a little of that beauty with our community.
Rooted in the desert. A little wild at heart.
— The Metal Petal
