Saturday, December 29, 2007

Phoenix Gardens ~ More Than Granite

My daughter, who lives in one of Phoenix' historic home districts, brought me a bouquet of roses from her garden the other day. Rather than desert landscaping, she has the type of garden commonly found in the earlier days of Phoenix, when people coming from other climates duplicated the homes and gardens they left behind. Most all the historic neighborhoods in the area still have grass lawns, citrus trees, oleander, non-native trees, roses, and palm-lined streets.


I took some photos of homes in several historic neighborhoods so that folks can see that Phoenix is not all granite and cactus, Mesquite and Agave.

The styles of the homes are eclectic; California Bungalow, English Tudor, Spanish Revival, Classic Bungalow, Ranch, Spanish Colonial, Craftsman, Period Revival, Prairie, and Tudor Revival.


Most all the historic homes are one story, but in the oldest neighborhoods, a few two-story homes, such as this Spanish Colonial, are more common.
I think this is a Tudor Revival, but I'm no expert on early home styles. The vine covering part of the house is a Macfadyena unguis-cati, or Cat's Claw, which is a popular vine in Arizona. This one is my favorite. It was featured on a home tour I attended, and it is just as meticulous on the inside.
You can see a typical two-strip driveway on the right. Most of these narrow driveways originally lead to a small garage in the back yard. Notice the sculpted shrubs, another common sight.
The tree on the left began as some type of cypress shrub 70 or 80 years ago. As it grew, it was trimmed into a tree shape. This is another common sight in these old neighborhoods. I really don't like these tree/shrubs at all. They always have sprouts along every branch.

Mature trees surround this property, along with some recently planted Arizona Ash (Fraxinus velutina).



8 comments:

Pudgeduck said...

Looks like a place I would want to live! I'm torn though- I would like to live at your place!

Aiyana said...

I really like the old neighborhoods myself--they seem so much cooler in the summer, and probably are, with all the shade and lawn areas. Since most of them are only 900-1300 sf. with virtually no closets and one bathroom, they are really too small. However, many have been remodeled within the historic guidelines and are much bigger--maybe 1600-2800 sf. with a master suite and two or three bathrooms. The best part of these old neighborhoods is their proximity to downtown events if one is so inclined.

David said...

You've got some great architecture in Phoenix. I love old houses!

Anonymous said...

Those are really beautiful homes. They certainly are a mixture of styles. I read about cat's claw being good for joints. I just got some from the health food store, in pill form, not plant form.

Gin said...

What gorgeous houses! And isn't that vine interesting!!

Ginni

Muum said...

thanks for the tour. I would love to see a closeup of the cat's claw. it looks great on that home!

Julie said...

WOW...fabulous neighborhood! It looks like my dream place to live!

kate said...

I love the variety of house styles ... they are beautiful. Cat's Claw is a cool vine!