Walking the gardens — any gardens — and soaking up the beauty all around you is quite a pleasure. And here is a flowering plant that many of you may not be familiar with but which is my absolute favorite — Arabian Jasmine. I assume it is a cousin to Star Jasmine which we all know as a climber with small white flowers with a wonderful perfume. Arabian Jasmine is a bush (not a climber) with slightly larger flowers and an even more powerful perfume. Two days ago when I entered Lowe's Garden, I could spell the blossom 30 feet away. It was like it was welcoming me to a morning in the Garden.

In Hawai’i, they call this plant Pikake and it is used to make leis for special occasions such as birthdays or anniversaries. This is the lei you give to your sweetie for that celebration — so much nicer than the cheapie leis you get if you paid for a lei greeting at the airport. In the restaurant (or other place of celebration), everyone there will smell that special scent and know that you are having a special day (or night).

Feel free to come visit me at Lowes Garden Center (near the Chandler Fashion Center) and I'll be happy to introduce you to Pikake.

Another of my favorites is Plumbago with its blue (or are they purple) flowers. My eyes and my brain look at them and can't decide. This plant seems to thrive in Arizona — flowering all summer long — even in the extreme heat that we have suffered through this year. Simply beautiful!

And these flowers take me back to my childhood — Marigolds. When I was young, we did not have a Lowe's or large nurseries where one could buy flowers all ready to plant. I recall that my mom would obtain seed catalogs in the spring and order the seeds for the plants that she wanted to grow that year. Marigolds were always on the list especially because we kids could help. Part of our participation was gathering the seed pods after the flower died — saving them to grow more flowers the next year. I still love them.

Petunias are quite popular with the amateur gardener. They come in a variety of colors — blue, orange, pink, purple, red, white, and yellow. They are hardy but the Arizona sun can be tough for them. Thus, these annuals tend to be planted in the fall to be enjoyed in the garden for the next five months.

Cactus! A week or so ago, I had a customer wanting to purchase a barrel cactus (it's those round ones in the middle of the photo). It seems the Arizona sun was so intense this summer that it killed the one he had grown in his garden for several years. Hard to believe. However, according to local news reports, even the venerable saguaro cactus has been suffering (and many dying) in the extreme heat. By the way, the temperatures are starting to moderate — today's high is supposed to only be 86° F.

I guess in Arizona, you even have to offer tiny "souvenir" cactus plans with plastic flowers on the top.

There are quite a few succulents that can become a housewarming gift or one for a child who is just becoming interested in plants.

Not only does Lowe's have landscaping plants, but we also have food plants such as these Sweet Heat Peppers. These are raised in a nursery greenhouse until they are ready to be transported to the Garden. Just the other day, I helped a customer find the hottest peppers we carry. I forget the variety but I'm sure it had more heat than I can stand.

And here is some Basil — already mature enough to snip the leaves and put them on your next homemade pizza. Just touch a leaf then smell your fingers — it takes you to your favorite pizzeria.

Rosemary is another plant with fragrant leaves. According to thespruceats.com website, "Rosemary is a versatile herb that can be used as a seasoning in a variety of dishes, including soups, casseroles, salads, and stews. It goes well with chicken, game, lamb, pork, steaks, and fish, especially oily fish". I have a recipe for a steak sauce that calls for Rosemary — good stuff!

Additionally, our garden contains a variety of trees (both fruiting and non-fruiting). Citrus trees seem to be the most popular. If you don't live in Arizona, you might not know that the Phoenix area used to be full of citrus orchards that later gave way to housing developments. In fact, where I live, there are still orange trees here and there from when it was an orchard.

In the back of the Garden Center is an area containing pavers, bricks, and seasonal planting supplies (now it is home to seed and fertilizer for overseeding — when homeowners follow the practices of the golf courses when they change from summer grass to winter grass).

Surprise! Even though Halloween has not yet arrived, indoors Lowe's is being transformed into a Christmas heaven. It's beautiful and the kids love it.

This concludes our tour of the Garden Center. I hope you enjoyed it and maybe you'll come to pay me a visit when you're in the neighborhood.