Nothing Grows in the Desert, until now!

I hate living in a place where it is so difficult to get things other than catcus to grow.  It's so bad we even put fake grass in our back yard.  I love the fake grass, no watering, no grass stains, no mowing, but it's just not the same as that running through the grass feeling you got when you were a kid with bare feet!  We have a large area in the front we have been trying to grow grass in now for going on 2 years!  When we moved in it was just dirt with the brown remains of what was once grass being watered by the sprinkler system.  Due to the system being installed we decided to try to get grass growing out their as what seemed to have been intended.  I'm not sure the issue with grass not growing was a lack of water from the house not being lived in, I now think it has something to do with the soil.

Arizona has a fun clay-like soil, but without the fun watery holding abilities, it is more like a clay stain mixed into a loose dust.  Plants do not seem to enjoy it much and the heat doesn't help.  I have gotten mulch, potting soil, and fertilizer rich soil to put the top layer on that they recommend. No such luck.  What I need is a soil that can hold water better so my plants have a chance and is rich enough in fertilizer that they can get their roots started.  It seems if I can get a good root system on a plant it takes to the environment better the struggle is getting those roots.  In addition to trying to grow grass in the front, I also have tried to grow a garden in the back with the same results as the grass in the front.  This leads me to my latest find.  I heard about a soil that is supposed to expand when water is added thus increasing the length of fluid exposure, have nutrients good for 6 months, increase the condition of my existing soil,  and you can get 3 times the flowers and vegetables from it when compared to potting soil.  It is the new soil called Expand ‘n Gro™.

I think this could help me in both my front and back yards and am hoping it will get this dirt bowl resident to stop thinking about dirt and start enjoying some flowers.  I saw this demonstration and hopefully when I add some water it will grow just like this and give my flowers a fighting chance! .
What do you use to make your garden grow?  What is your biggest garden hurdle?  What do you think of this soil? Comment below and help me and my yard out! 

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scotts® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.