Water When Dry

Happy New Year 2012

2011-12-31T23:30:00.002-07:00

NEW YEAR

At the sound of the tolling midnight bell

a brand new year will begin.

Let’s raise our hopes in a confident toast,

to the promise it ushers in.

May your battles be few, your pleasure many,

your wishes and dreams fulfilled.

May your confidence stand in the face of loss

and give you the strength to rebuild.

May peace of heart fill all your days

may serenity grace your soul.

May tranquil moments bless your life

and keep your spirit whole.

~ Author Unknown ~

November Cactus Jack

2011-11-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

Bougainvillea 'Barbara Karst'

I finally planted a small tree aloe that has been languishing in a pot for the past two years. I hope it lasts. In this region, it must be protected from frost, so it is a leap of faith to put it in the ground. I'll have to keep an eye on the weather forecast and cover it when necessary. I keep telling myself I won't add more garden chores with my choices, but here we go again!

Right across the road from my house, cabbage harvesting is in full force. they strip and pack the cabbage in boxes right there in the fields. I'm surrounded with fields of organic vegetables grown specifically for the gourmet restaurants in the Phoenix area. Currently there's cabbage, loose leaf lettuce and kale in nearby fields. So close, yet so far away! These fields are guarded 24 hours a day. Occasionally, I see some brazen people stop, run to the fields, steal a few cabbages and beat it back to their vehicles before the guard can reach them in his truck. The guard won't chase them once they are back on the public road. Vegetables aren't as popular with the thieves--they prefer melons--and in season the growers have more than one guard watching over the fields.

Aralia Houseplants

2011-10-16T01:21:00.000-07:00

Polyscias balfouriana (Aralia Balfour)

Back in the 1970s, I joined the houseplant craze and loaded my house with coleus, Swedish and many other ivy plants, dracena, pathos, creeping charlie, wandering Jew, spider plants, dracena, and even Boston and maidenhair ferns hanging from a shower rod in the bathroom, put there to help provide the necessary humidity in our dry Arizona climate. And, of course, my nicer specimen plants hung in macrame hangers of various sizes and weaves. Some of the smaller plants were housed in owl shaped pots--another fad that was going on at the time. I had about 25 or 30 plants, a meager collection compared to some others in my circle of friends and acquaintances. Plant acquisition in the 1970s was that era's version of keeping up with the Jones'. Some had upwards of 200 plants. Their homes looked liked mini-jungles. Even restaurants and shops had houseplants hanging from the ceilings and in rows of planters. Far out!

Macrame plant hangers weren't cheap back in the day, so I bought a few rolls of jute and some chunky ceramic beads and tried to make my own. I just couldn't get the weaving and knotting down, so my teen aged daughter did it for me and she finished a huge fancy hanger for me in just a few hours. That macrame hanger with its bright orange pot filled with a large trailing pathos became the focal point of our small living room. Groovy.

As with all fads, the houseplant collecting and macrame craze faded, and as my plants died they weren't replaced. Since those days, I've always kept one or two indoor floor plants (usually a dracena palm, money tree and some type of succulent) but in the past few years I've added a few smaller plants, and right now I have 12 total, including these two latest acquisitions.

The first, Aralia Balfour, is my favorite. It is about 24 inches tall and of the two Aralias, it is the easiest to care for and most hardy. Over watering is the biggest threat to this plant, so I'll have to pay special attention until I figure out what it will need in its environment. So, far, it's doing well and even has many new leaves.

Polyscias fruticosa (Ming Aralia)

The Ming Aralia is more fussy. It needs more humidity, so I keep the pot in a shallow dish with an inch of water to bring up the humidity for it. The water does not touch the pot, so the plant won't get waterlogged and develop root rot. I also spray it with water, usually once a day. Ming Aralias are known for leaf drop, so I'm keeping a close eye on this to make sure it's not excessive. As with the Balfour, it is important not to over water. I'm hoping my two new plant additions last as long as my Money Tree and Dracena marginata, both of which are now 11 years old.

Summer's Almost Gone

2011-09-30T11:24:00.001-07:00

When the Queen's Wreath blooms, it's fall. I was hoping this was the year this vine would thrive, but it was not to be. The summer was particularly brutal this year, and so many plants struggled for months just to stay alive. It's not a lack of water (even though we've had only 3 inches so far this year) it was the sun's intensity.

I lost many, probably about 15, perennials this summer, but I think most of them died a natural death rather than succumb to the heat. They were all six to seven years old and had lived their cycle. As my landscape has matured I've replaced fewer and fewer plants, but these latest deaths left bare spots that need filled in. So, I'll be spending some time in a couple of nurseries in the next couple of weeks, trying to make up my mind what the replacements will be. I don't think I'll go beyond the tried and true, I seem to have lost the urge for adventure in the garden.

An early September trimming is all it takes to revitalize the Lantana plants and get them blooming again. By late August, they are quite large and sprawling, with no flowers--dusty and dry looking. For a few weeks after the trimming, they look worse than ever, but look at how symmetrical and full they are just a while later. They will now bloom for months, just like this.

September is Ferocactus cylindraceus flower time, and it looks like I'll have flowers well into October. We had a light rain about three weeks ago--the first in many months, and that prompted this last push. I've collected seed from the fruit for years, and have occasionally started some ferocactus seedlings, but I've never been interested in this aspect of gardening, so I tossed out about a quarter pound of seed recently. I still feel kind of guilty about it for some reason.

It's Come a Long Way...

2011-07-15T22:56:00.000-07:00

Most sources say that a landscape can be considered mature when it is around three years old. I don't agree with that. Six years is probably more accurate, which is now the age of my landscape. At three years, my trees and shrubs were far from the mature sizes listed in garden planning literature. Now, they are about the size expected at maturity. This photo shows what I started with when we moved to this property.

This is what part of my back yard looks like now. Over the years we've lost quite a few trees to the elements, various perennials to age, prickly pear cactus to cochineal scale, other plants to drought, others to rot--just what you would expect over the life of a garden.

As the landscape matured, I replaced fewer and fewer plants. When everything was new, I needed numerous plants to make it look less barren, but as the landscape matured, there was little need to replace. When I talk about a mature garden, I do exclude cacti and Agave species, which will continue to grow for decades.

What do I wish I would have done six years ago if I could do it over again? Rather than my heavy emphasis on zeriscape with all the Mesquite and Palo Verde trees, I would have planted a 'Wonderful' pomegranate, a few 'Arizona Sweet' orange trees and a couple of 'Desert Gold' or 'Earli Grande' peach trees, a Mission Fig rather than the Brown Turkey Fig I have that has not done all that well. In addition, had I planted fruit trees, I would have put in a separate irrigation valve dedicated to the fruit trees, and there would have been a raised, enclosed vegetable garden with retractable sun shade, and a separate vegetable garden irrigation valve.

But, we don't get do-overs, so as long as we live here, my garden is what it is, and that's the way it's going to stay. I'll just buy my fruit and vegetables at the grocery store.

April Flowers

2011-04-24T14:36:00.003-07:00

My favorite cactus bloom--Echinopsis 'Flying Saucer'. The flowers last just about 12 hours, so this time of year I have to keep a close eye out in order not to miss them.

Here is a second round of the 'Flying Saucer. Last year, I was not so lucky. There was only one round of blooms.

Past its prime but still beautiful--Rosa Queen Elizabeth. My roses were extra large this year, but not very fragrant. I changed fertilizers, and I think that must have made a difference.

'Hello Dolly'

Of my roses, this is the most fragrant this year. There is a controversy as to whether this is truly a 'Hello Dolly', a hybrid by Jack E. Christensen which is described as a yellow hybrid tea. Whatever it is, it's a beautiful rose. If I could find 'Brandy' or 'Brass Band' by Christensen, I'd try them, even though they are not really suited to our zone and would have to be planted in the coolest part of my garden.

'Gold Glow' has been a good rose for me, despite warnings that it is more susceptible to a variety of diseases and pests than other hybrid teas. It has a light fragrance and the flowers last longer than some of my other teas.

I can usually predict when 'Flying Saucer' is getting ready to produce blooms by watching this Argentine Giant, which is visible from my breakfast area windows. Sure enough, both bloomed on the same day and I was ready with my camera!

This Is It

2011-03-06T23:41:00.000-07:00

Lilac Vine

This has been a very disappointing year when it comes to spring flowers. I have thousands of California Poppy, Desert Bluebell and Desert Marigold plants, but as of today, I have one California Poppy and three Desert Bluebell flowers in bloom. There are also a few Desert Marigold flowers, as well as a couple of Parry's Penstemons blooming. It will soon be too late for these plants to put out blooms because our weather is quickly warming up. This is the worst year yet for wildflowers in my garden, but I'll still be left with the job of pulling up all the plants as they begin to dry up. Oh well, I've been spending a couple of hours each day pulling weeds, so what's a few thousand more?

My Lilac Vine is still blooming, but its little flowers are waning, so there won't be much color from now until the Palo Verde trees flower. The Bougainvillea, Orange Jubilee, Yellow Bells, Queen's Wreath and Cape Honeysuckle all suffered extensive damage during the hard freeze, so no color there until May or later. My roses have really leafed out, but there is not one bud to be found so far. In six weeks the roses will be past their spring flowering prime, so I hope they hurry up!

Promises, Promises

2011-01-31T00:12:00.001-07:00

Chuporosa

It's still officially winter, but there are many blooming plants in my landscape, and the promise of more to come. We had a couple of days of below freezing temperatures earlier in the month, so I have lots of dead plant material left unpruned. It is acting as an insulator in case we have more frost. It doesn't look so hot in my garden right now, but with the extra rain we received earlier in the month, spring should bring lots of wildflowers. And weeds!

Cape Honeysuckle

Today I spotted a male Costa's hummingbird (Calypte costae) with its beautiful iridescent purple head and breast and iridescent green back. As it was retrieving nectar from this heavily blooming Cape Honeysuckle, I rushed in to get my camera but when I got back, the bird was gone and didn't return. This is the first time I've seen this particular hummingbird in my garden. I hope more return. Check here for a great photo of the Costa's hummingbird.

Aloe sinkatana

Desert Marigold

Feathery Cassia

Volunteer Nasturtium

I'm really surprised that I have so many volunteer Nasturtium plants showing up in various containers around my garden. Sometimes my husband mixes old potting soil in with the new stuff, and I think this may be how this is happening. I asked him why he always retrieved the potting soil I throw out, and he said it seems like such a waste, so he mixes it with the new soil. After getting odd plants coming in here and there, I think he's now convinced this isn't such a good idea.

Mexican Bird of Paradise

Lilac Vine (Hardenbergia violacea)

This vine is really loaded with little buds, so in a couple of weeks, this plant will have a spectacular display. The vine has grown quite a lot in the past year, and now covers about eight feet of one of my block walls. Wish I would have planted several more. It was a good choice! It is an Australian native and is well suited to our area, but not yet in common use here. It seems impervious to frost and extreme heat. It is a twining vine so it needs a trellis for support. I use vine wires on the block wall and that works well. Since it can be easily propagated with softwood cuttings this time of year, I may try that to get more of these to cover another section of block wall. The vine looks great year round, even when not in bloom.

Valentine Emu is loading up for its February show. Sometimes there are so many flowers that the plant can't stay upright. This is one plant that improves with pruning and shaping after the blooming period. This is another Australian native.

Yellow Emu

Happy New Year 2011

2010-12-31T22:07:00.000-07:00

A hard freeze is predicted again for New Year's Eve, so all my columnar cacti are dressed for the occasion. The Styrofoam cups protect the growing tips. I've covered many of my potted cacti and a potted Meyer Lemon, but all the rest of my plants are on their own. I'm sure the Bougainvillea will be the first to go, followed by the Queen's Wreath, but come February, they should start coming back.

Ring out the old, ring in the new! This Agave desmettiana is on its way out now that it has produced a stalk. Unfortunately there are no pups to replace it. It hasn't produced any for the past two years. I'm not sure what the freeze will do to the stalk and its budding inflorescence.

This is the only rose currently in bloom in my garden. It's a Red Intrepid, and it lives up to its name. This one rose bush produces an abundance of roses nearly year-round. However, it has very little fragrance. This past year has been a disappointment in the rose department. I haven't had any roses on the other bushes since October, and what few there were weren't much to look at. In a couple of weeks I'll be pruning and remulching, and then in February start with the fertilizer.

We've finished the year with 12.69 inches of rain, compared with last year's 4.28. The average is around 7.5 to 8 inches. The weed crop should be fantastic this spring!

Tricky Transformation

2010-12-16T02:47:00.003-07:00

The sound of trickling water here in the desert makes it seem cooler somehow, so a fountain in my front courtyard was a top priority when I designed my landscape back in 2005. I didn't want one of the typical Mediterranean styles that are the most common around here because my house is more Southwest Contemporary in style. So, I chose a wok and ball style fountain that basically just delivered water up the center of the ball and bubbled up just enough to wet the ball. The photo, taken soon after installation, is not the best, but you can get the general idea.

All was well for several years, but eventually the pump seemed to lose its steam, so we sought to replace it. What a farce that turned out to be. In order to replace the pump, the large concrete ball had to come off its pedestal, the pump replaced and the electrical cord rethreaded through a special opening. The first repair company was unable to move the 800 pound ball, even with four helpers. The second repair company brought a small army and removed the ball, but they were then unable to figure out how to remove the pump's electrical cord. The third company brought a new pump, put it in place, but then couldn't figure out how to rethread the electrical connection. They said they would be back as soon as they figured it out, but they never returned. I guess they never did figure out how to do it. So, the whole thing sat in four pieces for several months while we tried to find a company that could handle the job properly. By then, we had put so much money into the various attempts at repair plus the cost of the new pump, that hiring yet another company seemed kind of stupid, so we just decided we didn't need a fountain. I had our landscape maintenance crew roll the 800 pound concrete ball to our back yard, and we converted the fountain into a planter with a kinetic wind sculpture in the center.

The ball now sits in my backyard, as yard art. It also makes a seat of sorts, except in summer! If I ever get enough ambition, I may Mosaic the whole thing.

The whole ordeal of changing over the fountain was so frustrating that I procrastinated in purchaing potting soil and plants. Today I finally got around to getting some seasonal bedding plants and soon I'll have some flowers, fragrance and movement in my courtyard. However, I've just added to my garden chores because I have one more thing to hand water! Come summer, I'll probably fill the thing with rocks and just let the wind do the work.

Endless Summer

2010-09-21T02:40:00.000-07:00

Libellula saturata (Orange Skimmer Dragonfly)

Gymnocalycium schickendantzii

Ferocactus cylindraceus

Thelocactus 'bicolor'

Caesalpinia pulcherrima

We set some more temperature records this past week--a couple of days at 111 degrees--so it's not yet fall in the desert. Many plants had started putting out new growth, thinking that fall had arrived because of the shorter days. The late September weather surprise left tender new shoots roasted. The same thing happened this past spring. Even with these setbacks, most of the trees, shrubs, cacti and succulents really had a growth surge this year because of the very good rainfall (10.4 inches to date at my house, compared with 4.28 inches for 2009.) The downside of this growth spurt with the cacti is that they produced very few blooms, and among the ones that did flower, most were small.

Birds and butterflies have been scarce around here most of the year, but now that the summer cover crop of pearl millet growing in nearby fields is ripening, hundreds of crow-like birds are hanging around my back yard. They'll be here until the crop is harvested.

My garden environment should attract more birds and butterflies--I have the magnet plants, water, trees, and all the other environmental attractors necessary, but still no butterflies, and other than the occasional Anna's hummingbird, not many birds--except for those transient crows and the ever-present mourning doves. I've also tried attracting Mason Bees, and even contemplated buying a bundle of bees when none came around to my nesting tube, but with the luck I've had with birds and butterflies, I figured it would be a waste of money, just like the nesting tube.

Agave deserti

2010-08-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

Taking a photo of this Agave deserti after another brutal summer is not really fair to this small Agave species. It will eventually reach up to two feet in diameter, and is far better looking in milder weather, as do most all plants around here. However, it does love the intense heat and full sun of summers in the desert. It is native to Arizona, California, and a part of northern Mexico. It's also very drought tolerant, and can take temperatures into the low 20s. This plant has been in the ground for four years, and has now started to produce offsets. They are a good distance from the mother plant, which will make them much easier to remove and plant in other areas.

I think I have now covered every species of Agave (16 of them!) in my garden. Of course, with all the replanted offsets from the various Agave species, I have upwards of 50 Agaves scattered throughout my front and back yards. Needless to say, between all the cacti and succulents, my landscape is not kid friendly. When the time comes to sell this place, new owners will probably come in and plow it all under, plant a lawn and get a pool. Me, I'll be in a tiny house with a postage stamp sized back yard, tending to two or three potted cactus plants and maybe my dwarf Agave 'Kissho Kan'. Some days, I think that day can't come soon enough!

Agave victoriae-reginae

2010-08-20T00:56:00.000-07:00

Finally, after three years, this Agave is now identifiable as Agave victoriae-reginae. This was another unidentified free offset from a local Cactus and Succulent Society meeting. It was tiny, in fact, even after three years it's only grown to six inches high and wide. I suspected that it was a Queen Victoria, but they seldom offset, so I wasn't positive. The first leaves did not have the typical white coloration. There is a variation called A. victoriae-reginae var. viridis without white but I had never run across one, so I just sat back and waited, and as time went on, Queen Victoria characteristics slowly but surely emerged.

This Agave species is one of the most popular of all the Agaves. They love full sun, but in our climate they need twice a month watering to do well. Although I'm glad this has turned out to be a Queen Victoria, I much prefer the Agave victoriae-reginae 'compacta', which I think is the most beautiful Agave of all. I stop by my old house occasionally and peek though the view fence just to check on that Agave that I left behind. It is now quite large and still perfect. Sigh....

Agave guiengola

2010-08-10T00:09:00.003-07:00

Agave guiengola

Although very heat tolerant, this particular species of Agave prefers a bit of shade here in the low desert. It does not produce many leaves, and that makes it a flat, open type of Agave that will grow to about three feet tall and four feet wide. It produces offsets when young, but as it ages, offsets become fewer and fewer.

The only downside to this Agave species is that it is fairly frost tender, not faring well when the temperature dip below 25 degrees. We don't get many winter nights that low here, but all it takes is one time to cause some damage.

This plant was a tiny offset when I got it a few years ago at one of our local Cactus and Succulent Society meetings. It was on the "free" table and it included a note that it had been grown under a tree, so I thought I had the perfect spot for it. It has since been thriving in the shade of a Palo Verde tree. I really like its shape and color, so I hope it produces some offsets so I can start a few more here and there. In looking more closely at this photo, I think I've spotted a pup peeking out from one of the leaves. I'll be checking first thing in the morning!

Under The Shade Cloth

2010-08-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

When I originally took this Mammillaria geminispina from its pot and put in the the ground, I was a bit concerned about sun damage because this species likes full sun almost everywhere except here, where full exposure can cause serious sun damage. My original plan was to place it where it would receive light afternoon shade from a nearby tree, but soon it was obvious that dappled shade would not be enough to protect it from the intense summer sun. So, eight months of the year it thrives in full sun, and then, starting in mid-May, I cover it with 50 percent shade cloth until mid-September or so. I don't re-acclimate it to full sun in early fall--I just take off the cloth. It has never had any sun damage, probably because although it may still be hot in September, the sun's angle is lower and the rays less intense. It has tripled in size over the past two years and is clumping nicely. It has never produced flowers, but when it does, they will be sparse, small and pink. Since I don't like to go out in the sun in the summer, this cactus' ugly shade cloth cover doesn't bother me at all. I do peek under the cloth a few times each summer to make sure all is well.

Desert Senna

2010-07-10T15:57:00.000-07:00

Cassia covesii or Senna covesii

This bushy perennial reproduces by seeds only, and it produces plenty of those on dried pods that I've collected over the last two years. This is a small plant and often comes in wildflower mixes, but I've never seen it for sale at a nursery, probably because it is so common. Actually, this Desert Senna plant is the only thing that came up from a package of summer wildflower seeds I broadcasted two summers ago. The stems are one to two feet high, branching from a woody base, and it flowers from March to October. Some folks find it unattractive when it is not in flower, but I don't it mind at all. It just looks good sitting there greening up a small section of my side yard. I want more of them.

The Desert Senna is an important food source to caterpillars, which helps in the spread of native butterflies. However, I've not seen any caterpillars hanging around this lone plant, ever. In general I don't see a lot of butterflies in my landscape although I have many plants that supposedly attract butterflies, but to date, butterflies have been sparse.

Desert senna is a very common native plant of dry disturbed soil throughout Arizona, which is found along roadsides and waste places, or so they say. I really don't see a lot of it along roadsides in the areas where I travel. It also grows on rocky slopes, mesas, sandy river bottoms, washes in the deserts, and desert grassland ranges. Again, I've not seen any when I've gone into these areas.

I have hundreds of seeds from this plant that I've scattered throughout my garden, and so far, not a one has come up. If the plant is so common here in the desert, one would think I'd have a yard full by now!

2010-07-04T13:46:00.003-07:00

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Something Different, Knifeleaf Acacia

2010-06-10T00:28:00.000-07:00

Acacia cultriformis

Acacia cultriformis, commonly called Knifeleaf Acacia, is a shrub that I added to my landscape last year. I thought it was unusual looking, and since I was looking for a small multi-trunk tree for an area that gets too much morning sun, it was a nice change from the more commonly chosen Caesalpinia mexicana (Mexican Bird of Paradise.) This Acacia will eventually grow to about 15 feet high and wide. The tough leaves are triangular and are located on the branches. As with most Acacias, it will have little yellow puff-ball flower clusters in spring. Acacia flowers have a wonderful fragrance reminiscent of honey. I located it so that it will eventually shade my large dining room window as well as provide that fragrance when the windows are open in spring.

This plant is good in USDA Zones 9-12 and requires little water once established. It loves full sun, but will take light shade. Interestingly, I've never seen any of these during the many garden tours I've attended, nor have I noticed them used in public areas. I asked the nurseryman at the place I purchased it if this was an indication that there was some problem with it, even though it matches well to our climate and conditions. He said that this shrub is not yet well known here, but he predicts that as locals see these as they grow into small trees they will become more popular, especially with folks who have smaller yards needing small desert-adapted trees.

I'm hoping it doesn't have the negative that many other Acacias have--numerous volunteer plants from easily sprouted dropped seeds. Only time will tell!

May Miscellany

2010-05-26T06:13:00.002-07:00

My Vitex agnus-castus or Chaste Tree (a shrub at this point) really grew a lot this spring. It has been languishing in my landscape for the past four years, which didn't bother me because I want to keep it as a shrub because of its location. The heavy rains earlier this year probably caused this sudden growth spurt, so I'm thinking of changing the irrigation emitter to a larger Gallons Per Hour (GPH) size to help it along.

Agave ocahui var. ocahui

I acquired this Agave ocahui last spring and it's turning out to be one of my favorite Agaves. I like the color and shape of it, and the fact that it is solitary, so I won't have to worry about offshoots popping up all over. Many of my Agave species freely produce offshoots--especially Agave angustifolia, which I can't even give away. Even the Agave huachucensis (Fort Huachuca Agave) is putting out plenty of offshoots for the first time this year, as well as my one Desert Agave (Agave deserti).

We've had some strong breezes this past week, which knocked off most of the Desert Museum Palo Verde blossoms. I'm glad that most of them came down at once so I can get the "Blow and Go" guys over here to clean up all the spring debris. I've pulled up most all of the dried wildflowers, and hundreds of the overly abundant Desert Marigold and Brittlebush plants that overtook my garden this year. Our weather has been unusually mild, so I'm glad I got most everything done before our first 100 degree day.

Captured Color

2010-05-15T02:52:00.000-07:00

Because of my inattention to my garden over my husband's cardiac surgery and recuperation, I missed many of this year's cactus flowers, but I did manage to catch a few of them in between other chores. This Argentine Giant flower is the last of the blooms on this cactus, at least until fall.

Echinocereus dasycanthus (Texas Hedgehog)

Opuntia paraguayensis

Opuntia santa rita

Although my roses were infested with both powdery mildew and aphids in early spring, I was afraid that I would not get any nice flowers this season, but once I got control of the stuff, the new buds that came produced larger than average blooms. Rosa 'Hello Dolly' was especially prolific this year, and because our weather has been mild, it continues to have beautiful roses.

I'm Back!

2010-05-13T01:09:00.001-07:00

I seldom show photos of my front yard, but the Palo Verde trees are in full bloom right now and I just couldn't resist showing them off. I have two more in the back, which I've shown a number of times in previous posts. They leave a mess with all the spent blooms, but that's about the only downside to these trees, other than constant worry about breakage or uprooting during windstorms and the need for regular thinning. Come to think about it, that's a lot of downside!

After my six week absence from blogging, I am trying to get back into the swing of things by posting again. In early April, my husband had cardiac surgery, and after 16 days, he came home after spending that time in the hospital and then a rehabilitation facility. After he came home, he needed constant care, including trips to doctors, physical therapy, lab tests and other things associated with such surgery. He was cleared today by his surgeon, and will now be under the care of his regular cardiologist. In three weeks he'll be able to drive again and I can then get back into my regular routine.

My favorite Echinopsis hybrid, 'Flying Saucer', bloomed last week. Last year, it only produced one flower, so this is an improvement. I hope the flowers double each year!

Another favorite is Echinopsis 'Shere Kahn'. I'm partial to salmon, coral and orange hued cactus flowers, and 'Shere Kahn' along with 'Flying Saucer', fit the bill.

Most of my prickly pear cacti have bloomed and the fruits are ripening. Shown here are two types of Opuntia; in the foreground is Opuntia Santa Rita, and in the back, Opuntia paraguayensis. I have three other types in addition to these.

Bloomin' Tuesday

2010-03-30T01:10:00.002-07:00

The two 'Barbara Karst' Bougainvillea shrubs are heavy with bracts, which is surprising because a lot of rain usually brings excessive leaf growth with fewer bracts.

My lone Coral Aloe has a very small inflorescence compared with last year's fat multi-stalks. This size variation from year to year is inexplicable.

First Argentine Giant cactus flower of the season.

This small containerized Meyer Lemon is loaded with blossoms, and I will have to thin out most of the fruit that forms, as the trunk is just too spindly to support a lot of fruit. I do love Meyer lemons, but I think my main reason I have this little tree is to smell the blossoms in spring.

This is my one surviving Blackfoot Daisy. It is quite large now, and will bloom for another month or so. It gets more shade than the others did, and I think that's why it is still alive.

For the first time, my roses were hit with Powdery Mildew, and I spent a good amount of time last week trying to get it under control. Right now, it seems most of it is gone. However, most of the buds and quite a few leaves are deformed on my eleven rose bushes, so I don't know if I'll have any nice spring roses. When I visited a friend this past week, I noticed her roses also had the infection. All the rain we had this spring, followed by warming weather, probably made the conditions just right for the infection. The rose shown here is Rosa 'Lady Elsie Mae', a mid-sized landscape shrub rose. Last year, this rose struggled in the heat, and even with its crispy leaves burnt by the sun, it continued to produce blooms, albeit very small ones.

Finally, Some Color

2010-03-23T01:12:00.003-07:00

Desert Marigold and Desert Bluebell

My back is sore from spending hours each day picking weeds--something I've been doing since our record rains in January, February and early March. But, all the rain did bring some nice spring color to my garden. Seems like things are blooming later than usual, at least by a couple of weeks.

Mammillaria Microhelia

Several species of Mammillaria are now blooming. By now I usually have many cacti in bloom, but so far, flowers have been sparse.

Eschscholzia californica

I have a nice stand of California Poppies in my front yard, and very few in back. Another mystery!

Mammillaria Mutadae

This cactus outgrew its pot, so I just decided to plant it in the ground last fall. So far, it's been doing well, and it's one cactus that bloomed right when expected.

Blooms Continue....

2010-03-16T00:42:00.000-07:00

Brittlebush and Penstemon grow where they want to in my garden. For several years, I had only one Brittlebush shrub, but last year, several more came up, and this year, there are about ten growing in one area. They look good in spring and sometimes in fall. The rest of the year, well, it's hard to look at them. They dry out in the center, and become woody. They do last several years if left alone, so I just turn my head when I walk by them except in spring.

The few Bush Morning Glory shrubs left in my garden are now in full bloom. They are quite a standout among all the yellow each spring. When I established my garden in May of 2005, I had 18 Bush Morning Glory shrubs, and each summer, I lose a few more. They are not long-lived perennials, and I although I love them, I haven't replaced the ones lost. I like to try new plants when I have an open emitter, but I'm going to go back to Bush Morning Glory now that I'm down to only six.

Although this Lilac Vine flowers for a only short time in early spring, its green leaves break up the expanse of the unpainted walls of my garden the rest of the year. Although I said in my last post that I don't want to spend any more money on this property, the unpainted concrete block is not attractive. I would like to have it painted a Sangria color. Or maybe a shade of orange. Or, maybe a deep sapphire. Folks from other regions may think this would be madness, but it's fairly common here in the desert to have brightly hued garden walls, usually in colors that have a Mexican flavor. The walls quickly fade in the bright sun, so the shades become more subtle within a year or so. On second thought, maybe I'll just stare at the gray walls. The initial cost is quite high, and then there's the ongoing maintenence. Fading is ok for a few years, but after awhile, they just look tired. Another concern is resale. Repainting undesirable block walls is usually not high on the list of remodel jobs for new homeowners!

Spring Sprung When I Wasn't Looking

2010-03-09T00:12:00.004-07:00

Feathery Cassia Desert Bluebells

While I was otherwise occupied, spring sprung at my house. We've had record rain this year--as of today, 7.68 inches! We had no frost at all this past winter, which allowed many plants to begin an extra early spring growth spurt. One would think with all the rain, I would have a yard full of wildflowers, but that's not the case. Since we had hardly any rain in the last quarter of 2009, the wildflowers didn't sprout until late January, so it will become too hot for most of them to make it.

However, the unusual weather really helped the weeds! I've been picking weeds for weeks but I can't keep up. Now that we received another inch of rain, I'll be back where I started. The Mediterranean Grass (Schismus barbatus) will burn off by May, so I don't worry about that except where it's really thick. My main concentration is on the Cheese Weeds (Malva parviflora) because their super long tap root makes them impossible to pull out as they get larger, London Rocket (Sisymbrium irio), Sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus) and Tumbleweed (Salsola kali var. tenuifolia). My last resort will be Roundup Herbicide. I hate using it, but sometimes there is no choice. I could opt for pre-emergent in early winter to keep the weeds at bay, but that guarantees I'll have no wildflowers in spring, so I usually avoid it.

Chuparosa--a hummingbird favorite. It looks like a big tangle of stems with red flowers.

Eremophila hygrophana is an unusual Emu that I got a couple of years ago. It is a straggly looking thing, but I like the look.

Desert Marigold is springing up all over my yard. I let them do what they want--unless they are too close to sidewalks or drives. They bloom year-round and add color to an otherwise barren looking summer garden.

Penstemon parryi

Thousands of sprouting Penstemon plants are taking over one side of my yard. The heavy rain caused a bumper crop, but I have only five mature enough to bloom. Of all those Penstemon plants coming up, perhaps a few dozen will grow to maturity. It's too late for them to bloom this year, but they make it through next spring, I'll have a nice field of Penstemon swaying in the breeze. Last year I had dozens of various Penstemon varieties in my garden. This year, only the Parry's Penstemon came up.

Valentine Emu

This Emu has been in bloom since February but right now it's in its full glory. I should have sheared this bush several years ago when it was small, but didn't, so it has grown lopsided and droopy. This is one bush that does a lot better when kept sheared and shaped.

My yard looks so barren now with the loss of so many trees to storms this past year. I will not replace them. There comes a point that it makes no sense to keep spending money on things I won't see to maturity. It's getting harder and harder for us to take care of our large property, but like so many others in this state, we are stuck because the real estate market is so bad that sales are practically non-existent. Never mind the money lost as values went down 50 percent over the past few years. We've resigned ourselves that we will never see that money again. So, no more money will be going into my house and garden! I'll live with the bare spots.

I Give Up!

2010-01-23T14:51:00.000-07:00

In the past week, we've received more rain than the whole of last year. Rain is always welcome, but this time, there's been too much of a good thing in too short of a time. The ground is saturated, and can't hold any more water, so it just stands. We will probably get more rain in the next few days, but the brunt of the five major storms to pass through is over.

One bright spot in an otherwise gloomy week was a lone ripe tomato on my container plant. It was good--sweeter than the late spring tomatoes. This is the first time I tried to keep a winter tomato, and because we've had no frost, it worked out.

Standing water--no where else left to go. Today, we've had no rain, so it's starting to soak in a bit. The ground is boggy. I leave deep footprints wherever I step, (more work filling in when it dries) so I've stayed out of the yard. But, others have been out there....

The worst thing of all--two more huge Mesquite trees lost. The landscapers came today and made short shrift of the trees with their chipper. The cost? More than the cost of the trees when I purchased them five years ago. I've given up. I am not going to replace any of my lost trees or root-rotted cactus (if that happens.) Over these past five years, we've lost eleven of the original seventeen trees planted in the back and have two back there that are severely damaged. I should have gotten rid of the damaged ones, but they are doing ok--albeit grotesquely deformed.

The reason these latest trees were uprooted is that when the soil is saturated, any wind gust at all will uproot shallow-rooted trees. We had a few gusts the other night in the 25 MPH range--not nearly enough to cause damage in non-rainy times.

I did add a Tipu tree in October, 2008 to replace one of the four Ficus lost to the 2007 deep freeze, and also added a Palo Brea in October of 2007 to replace a lost Willow Acacia. There ain't gonna be no more replacements!

In the front, we've lost five of the nine trees we started with. None down during this storm, though. The last storm split a large Palo Verde, but the other half is doing fine. The only problem is that the trunk is weaker because of the split, and the tree is lopsided, so it's not as stable as it should be. I'm not even going to think about next year's Monsoon winds and what they will probably do to this tree.

All this late winter rain is also going to bring rampant weed growth. I can't wait!

Pruning Time

2010-01-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

This is a great time of year for roses in our Arizona desert, but it's also pruning time. As much as I hate to do it, I'm going to have to cut them back and strip the leaves in preparation for spring. We have not yet had any frost, so the roses have really had prolific blooms lately. 'Lady Elsie May', a repeat blooming shrub rose is my latest rose bush. It is the only one that I won't be doing any heavy pruning on, but it's still going to get a good haircut! I'm taking a chance on this rose--I'm not sure if it will do well in our summer heat.

Rosa 'Queen Elizabeth'

Rosa 'Peace'

Rosa 'Hello Dolly'

Rosa 'Gold Glow

Rosa 'Red Intrepid'

Rosa 'Tiffany'

We have already pruned back all the Red Birds of Paradise and the Lantana shrubs will soon be cut back to the ground. Both will come back around March 1-15. This year we didn't get to cutting back the Purple Fountain Grass. Last year, the grass had a hard time coming back after pruning. These shrubs are now very dense and they actually need to be thinned drastically. I've tried that last year, but all I got this past summer was a dead middle and some puny plumes on the outside perimeter of the plants.

I'm also very disappointed in the Texas Sage shrubs. They really look bad--to the point I'm considering just taking them all out. I don't know what went wrong this year; perhaps the fact that we ended the year with less than half the expected average rainfall for the region. I did give all the landscape shrubs supplemental water in the heat of summer, but maybe not enough. Even with the cooler weather, they just look dry and sparse and just plain ugly. With my landscape maturing and filling in, I could do without these anyway.

Happy New Year 2010!

2009-12-31T18:01:00.003-07:00

Rosa 'Don Juan'

And ye, who have met with Adversity's blast,
And been bow'd to the earth by its fury;

To whom the Twelve Months, that have recently pass'd
Were as harsh as a prejudiced jury--

Still, fill to the Future! and join in our chime,
The regrets of remembrance to cozen,

And having obtained a New Trial of Time,
Shout in hopes of a kindlier dozen.

~ Thomas Hood

A Sunny Christmas

2009-12-24T23:24:00.008-07:00

Old Man of the Andes (Oreocereus celsianus)

Every year at Christmas time

There's not a sign of snow.

Instead we spend our yuletide days

In the sun's warm cheery glow.
We have the best of Christmas things,

The lights, the gifts, the bells,

(And "snowbirds" who arrive en masse

To fill our resort hotels.)
The glorious weather fits right in

With our happy Christmas mood,

And we can also walk and run

Without having to be snowshoed.
So don't feel bad for your desert friends

Who have no snow or ice.

We think our sunny Christmas here

Is a holiday paradise!

By Joanna Fuchs

Happy Holidays!

Suited to Arizona

2009-12-11T01:51:00.014-07:00

Macfadyena unguis-cati (Cat's Claw Vine)

One of the reasons I bought a couple of Cat's Claw Vines 15 months ago was that this popular vine is well suited to Arizona and notoriously fast growing, and I wanted something to break up the monotony of the high, unpainted block walls that surround my very large back yard. Well, no fast growth in my garden! After languishing as a single, six inch stem for months and months, in late November this plant finally decided to grow. (The other one is alive, but barely.)

The Cat's Claw is a self-climbing vine that attaches itself to a wall with tiny claw like structures. It tends to get top-heavy if not pruned regularly, and can come loose and topple. If that happens the only way to get it to self-attach again is to cut it to the ground. At the slow rate it's growing in my garden, I won't have to worry about that for quite awhile.

This vine is so tough it can take full sun on a south wall, is hardy to 15 degrees, drought tolerant and takes reflected heat. In spring, it has trumpet-shaped yellow flowers for a short period of time.

Geococcyx californianus (Roadrunner)

Recently this Roadrunner decided to stop his food gathering for a minute to rest on my courtyard pony wall. Although I snapped this photo through the window glass and screen of my home office, it's clear enough to see its coloring and size.

Roadrunners are ground cuckoos with some strange characteristics. It is especially suited to the desert as it has a nasal gland the eliminates excess salt, and it reabsorbs water from its feces before excretion. It is so fast it can catch a humming bird in midair!

The roadrunner's diet includes insects, scorpions, lizards, snakes, rodents and birds, but in winter when small animals and reptiles are harder to find, it will eat some plant material. This bird will go after rattlesnakes and kill them by whipping them around and slamming the snake's head until it dies, then it swallows the snake whole, digesting it a little at a time--half in--half out. Kind of a disgusting bird when you think about it!

Look What Visited My Garden Today!

2009-11-30T20:04:00.008-07:00

Desert Grey Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus)

Late this afternoon I stepped outside to check on my roses, and much to my surprise, this creature was standing under a Palo Verde tree staring at me! It startled me--I didn't know what it was, and I stared right back. This stare-down went on several minutes, and since the animal didn't move, I went in the house to get my camera, hoping to catch a couple of photos before it bolted. I needn't have worried--it was still in the same spot, motionless and staring at me. I snapped about 20 photos, getting closer and closer with each one. Then, I began to wonder if this stare-down was normal, and thought maybe it was a rabid fox, so I retreated into the house to watch it from a window. It hung around for about 10 minutes, then sauntered away, jumping the perimeter wall.

From looking at photos on the Internet,

I determined this is a Desert Grey Fox--and it's the first fox I've ever seen! This fox is a member of the dog family and it can climb trees, where it rests, hides or searches for a bird meal. These foxes are basically nocturnal, but they do come out during the day if they want to explore.

About this time of year, fox families separate after the mother stops nursing the young. Grey foxes are usually solitary during the winter. I'm not sure of the sex of this fox, but I think the coloring is quite attractive.

forage for small mammals, bird eggs, insects, birds, fruits, or berries.

First Time Quail Visitors

2009-11-05T03:11:00.011-07:00

Callipepla gambelii

For the first time that I'm aware of, a small group of Gambel's Quail ventured into my garden. I've hoped to see quail here for the past four years, but none came around until today. At my previous residence, they were regular visitors, and I enjoyed watching them walk in a line the length of the garden walls around my home before moving on to the view fence railing. Sometimes they would keep going down the railing from house to house for about a quarter mile. They never seemed to leave the walls to walk on the ground! Even when trying to avoid predators, they run to hide in vegetation rather than fly.

I think this small band of female visitors (no male and no babies that I saw) is too small to be called a covey, but then, I don't know the count necessary to qualify as a covey! There were a total of five quail in this group. Gambel's Quail is also known as Arizona Quail, Top-Knot Quail or Desert Quail.

I get thousands of these Mourning Doves year-round, but in the fall, they seem to become more plentiful, and come to rest in my desert garden in late afternoon. They are as still as statues when resting. At times I've counted close to 50 of them sitting motionless in the elevated portions of the yard.

Different subject: This orange pot planted with Purple Heart is such a great color combo that I bought paint in these colors to paint a small tile-topped tool cabinet and a wooden planter stand, and anything else sitting around in my garden that I think needs painting. When the weather cools, I get ambitious about garden projects, but don't always follow through. If I do manage to complete a project, I'll post a photo in the future!

All Green For Bloomin' Tuesday

2009-10-20T00:02:00.011-07:00

One of my earliest memories is being lifted up high so that I could pull lemons off a tree. Even at about 18 months old, I loved lemons--I'd take a bite, shudder and grimace, and take another bite! My parents even recorded it in a home movie--a long, long time ago! Although I grew up around citrus orchards and loved all varieties of citrus, I did not plant my own citrus trees until the 1980s. We had one grapefruit tree and the two of us ended up eating all 92 grapefruits one year--not letting a single one go to waste. Then, for twenty years, I didn't have any citrus trees in my garden, until I purchased a Dwarf Meyer Lemon last year. It is in a huge pot, and will stay there. Currently, it has 20 lemons on its spindly branches, which I've had to tie up because the lemons are actually too heavy for the trunk and branches. The lemons are slowly turning yellow and ripening and will probably be ready by December. I found a split lemon last week and rather than throw it out, I cut it open and tasted it. It had a slightly sweet taste, far less tangy than I expected, even though it was far from ripe.

Earlier this year I purchased a couple of these unidentified plants for $1.00 at a Dollar store while looking for some plastic containers. I know a lot about desert plants and can identify most of them, but I'm usually at a loss with other types of plants. Recently I learned that this plant (the second one dried up within days of purchase) is an African Violet. I've learned the hard way not to get water on the leaves, as they invariably die. It's hard to water without getting the leaves wet because the leaves are so low they touch the soil. It has yet to bloom. After I learned what kind of plant it is, I read about its care, and surprisingly, I had done all the right things--location, watering, etc. Except for using extra care in keeping the leaves dry!

Does anyone know the name of this succulent? This was another unlabeled plant I picked up last year. It's done very well in the house, so I will continue to keep it indoors, but would like to know its genera and species so that I can learn more about it. I can't find it in my succulent dictionary.

Update:

(My blog friend, Georg, a succulent expert from South Africa, has identified this plant as Haworthia cymbiformis var. umbraticola. Others suggested H. cooperi, and Georg says this is not too far from wrong, as the two species do mix where distributions overlap.)

Sansevieria trifasciata 'Moonshine'

This plant came to me as a free offshoot from our Cactus and Succulent Society monthly meeting, where folks bring in unwanted plants, offshoots and cuttings. It has done very well and has put out a number of offshoots of its own now, almost filling the large pot I have it in. This hybrid has become my favorite Sansevieria because of its wonderful coloration.

Blog Sabbatical Ends--I Think...

2009-10-15T02:28:00.008-07:00

Rosa 'Queen Elizabeth'

Now that fall is definitely here, I've perked up a bit. The high temps just kept on and on, to the point I just needed a semi-long break from worrying and stressing about my garden and all the shrubs, cacti and and much of the ground cover that succumbed to the overly long, intensely hot summer that we had. The loss of my largest tree to monsoon winds put the finishing touch on the whole depressing period, so I decided to focus on other things for awhile--even giving up on blogging in the interim. Luckily, my hubby took up the slack and did routine garden chores for me. He has never minded the heat at all and can work outside for hours, even in mid-day.

They say that the value of a sabbatical is to revitalize enthusiasm for work, hobby or other pursuit, and though I'm not completely back into my former garden fervor, I think I'm getting there, just by "doing". Perhaps writing a blog post will speed the process. That's my plan, anyway.

When I saw the first fall bud on 'Queen Elizabeth', I was motivated to do the light fall pruning and fertilizing due for all my roses. I have the new mulch ready to spread after cleaning up all last year's stuff. Already I see new growth starting on all the bushes.

Huernia primulina

A surprise flower appeared on this Huernia, and the color is far better than it was when it bloomed in late June. Even though more colorful, it's not the most striking flower. When a plant has flowers that have a carrion smell (used to attract flies) they should at least have a knockout flower to make up for it!

This little baby had a birthday this month, and it is now four years old. I purchased a group of them at our Cactus and Succulent Society meeting silent auction. The seedlings were two years old when I got them and they were about the size of marbles, all in one container. The person that started them from seed always writes the date they sprout on the container, and that's how I know the exact birthday. It is now about the size of a miniature cupcake. I have about eight of these, all the same age. Six are still in pots, and they are actually larger than the two I planted in my garden, probably because the potted ones get supplemental water now and then. Even with my limited watering, the landscape baby barrels had to make do with rainfall, which has been really scarce this year.

The Last Hurrah

2009-09-22T00:01:00.005-07:00

Thelocactus 'bicolor'

Sometimes, I think I 'will' a cactus to bloom just in time for Bloomin' Tuesday. Nothing at all looks promising and just when I think I'll have to skip another BT post for lack of blooms, then pow. An unexpected cactus bloom--or two, in this case.

Where is Autumn?

2009-09-08T02:59:00.014-07:00

Fall seems a lot way off with our continuing heat, but my roses have suddenly started forming buds again and putting on some foliage after shedding much of it the last couple of months. The flowers are still small and deformed, but at least they're trying. You can see the heat damage on the outer petals. I need to start the fall schedule of fertilizing the rose bushes, but I don't want to push any leaf production until the weather is a little cooler.

The tiny .20 inches of rain we received four days ago was just enough to prompt this Echinopsis 'Los Angeles' to put out a small flower. This particular cactus usually manages up to fourteen flowers at once in the spring, and sometimes again in late October. Lately, I can't seem to get my camera to focus properly. It seems all my photos are slightly out of focus regardless of settings. So, this is the best I can do for now. I almost hate to post because of the poor photo quality!

Yet another barrel bloomed this week. Barrel cactus flowers don't vary a lot, except the coloration from barrel to barrel. My last post showed some of the others that have bloomed recently. I do have several more types of barrels that are spring bloomers and three others, including Golden Barrel, Emory’s Barrel, and Ferocactus rectispinus, that won't bloom for another 15 years or so. I don't think I'll be around for those blooms!

More Losses

2009-09-01T00:01:00.002-07:00

If it wasn't for my volunteer Vinca plants, I'd have no flowers right now, other than the barrels shown below. The tiny amount of rain we received in the last ten days seemed to jolt the barrels into flower production. This year produced just a slim crop of various cactus flowers compared to last year. Even the cacti are exhausted from the excessive heat!

We lost our largest tree to a strong monsoon wind this past week. Over the past four years, I've lost a total of ten Mesquite trees, four Ficus trees and two Acacia trees to either strong winds or in the case of the Ficus, a hard freeze. I still have fourteen trees, so my property isn't bare yet, but at the rate I seem to lose trees, I'm concerned I'll end up with a bare property!

At last count, I've also lost about twelve potted cacti so far this summer, and another seven that were in the ground. After much thought--and for the first time--I've decided not to obsess over the bare spots and I won't replant or replace any of the trees or cacti. Enough is enough.

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For other Bloomin' Tuesday participant posts, check out the link list

at Ms. Green Thumb Jean's.

Irony

2009-08-25T01:38:00.002-07:00

I flew to Denver to escape the heat, and for three of the four days I was there, it was hotter in Denver than in Phoenix--by five degrees. I just can't win! The photo was taken coming home today, about 60 miles east of Phoenix.

At least I came home to a nice Echinopsis hybrid flower, red enough to knock your socks off! The week ahead will bring more temperatures in the 105 degree range. I will soon be going to the Eugene, Oregon area for a few days, and I'm going to freak out if we have a cool streak here in Phoenix and Oregon gets record highs!

Pitiful Plant Post

2009-08-18T00:01:00.002-07:00

Echinopsis 'Shere Kahn'

Although this is Echinopsis blooming time, the few small flowers that manage to bloom are on their way to wilt before they are completely open. I'll be so glad to see an end to this long, miserable summer! No sign of it yet--temperatures promise to be in the 107 degree range for the rest of this week, with night time temperatures around 84 degrees. Of course, the light is looking a little different as the angle of the sun slightly changes, but that's the extent of any sign of fall. Actually, it won't get nice here until mid-October, so I have a ways to go before there's any relief.

I spend most of my time in the house organizing drawers, closets, paperwork and craft supplies, and other tasks that most people do in winter in other climates. I'll be glad to get outside again in another six weeks. However--night time temperatures come down ten degrees in mid September, so I'll enjoy some evening patio sitting a bit sooner!

Bloomin' Tuesday

2009-08-04T00:58:00.009-07:00

Just minutes after opening, this beautiful Argentine Giant flower began to wilt in the 110 degree heat. One thing I like about these huge flowers is the pure white of the petals. I have very few cactus blooms that have such white flowers. The sepals are a rose-red, so even the unopened flower is beautiful.

This slightly out of focus photo is the first flower on a tiny section of a Chamaelobivia 'Rose Quartz. This stem is only 1.5 inches. Chamaelobivia is sometimes called Peanut cactus, because each section resembles a peanut. These sections easily separate, and root readily. I have three small sections rooting in this 2 inch pot, and was very surprised to see a flower bud recently forming on one of the tiny stems. Usually, it takes a whole season before a section will flower.

Extreme Weather Gardening

2009-08-02T03:00:00.010-07:00

Newly Pruned Mesquite--thinned and the canopy raised

Luckily, there are not many gardening chores necessary during the intense heat of Arizona desert summers, at least not in my landscape, which consists mostly of desert adapted trees and shrubs. I said mostly because I do have some roses and a few other plants that do take some extra care, and a lot of potted cacti and succulents that require extra watering.

This year has been especially rough for even the desert adapted plants. Little rain, the hottest July on record, and sun intensity has been stronger than ever due to little cloud cover. So far, the monsoon season is a bust. That's good in one sense--no violent wind or dust storms or downed trees to contend with, but supplemental watering and shade cloth on some things is a must.

I don't get up early, so any gardening I do is accomplished just around sunset, and I'll work outside for awhile each day until it's late dusk. Unlike my husband, I can't take the heat for any period of time, even in the evening. Pretty wimpy for an Arizona native--but I'm just not acclimated to summer sun exposure anymore because of home and car air conditioning.

Recently, a reader named Bonnie left a comment asking what kind of garden chores I do this time of year. She felt she should be doing something despite the heat. My answer is--do as little as possible, but I have listed a few things that I do accomplish.

I usually mix up cactus potting soil so that it will be ready for any October potting that I do. The mix I use is 1/3 river wash sand, 1/3 pumice, and 1/3 native soil. I also use an alternative--mixing native soil and potting soil in equal proportions to make one part, then one part pumice and one part river wash sand. Proportions should be adjusted depending on whether the native soil is clay heavy.

Contrary to information provided by many sources that say not to prune desert trees in their growth period because it causes undue stress and weak wood from the rapid growth, the hottest months are actually an ideal time prune. According to a recent study by the University of Arizona, desert trees recover from pruning better in the summer because of the fact they grow quickly and they heal better in the heat. I usually water the trees right after a heavy pruning to lessen stress. It's always worked for me, so I was happy to read that studies support my practices.

It seems there's always a few dead perennials, cacti and succulents to dispose of this time of year. Once I clean up the debris, I plug the irrigation emitters and put a small landscape flag in the gravel to mark the spot for replacement planting in the fall.

Add required shade cloth protection. I have only four plants in my garden that require this protection, which I put down in early June. I use 35 percent and 50 percent shade cloth, depending on the plant. Once the shade cloth is in place, I don't need to do much more except make sure it's adjusted as the sun changes angles the rest of the summer. I remove it, gradually, in mid September. Many other cacti and succulents receive some sun scorch each year, but it's not permanent and they'll recover in fall. The plants I cover are ones that will be permanently injured if they didn't have shade cloth protection.

Summer is the time to decide on wildflower mix purchases because September and October are the ideal months for wildflower seed distribution in desert landscapes. Wild Seed, a company in Tempe, Arizona, has great wildflower mixes. They do not have a web site or take credit cards, so you have to order the old fashioned way--with a form and pay with a check or money order.

Roses need extra watering this time of year, and regular foliage spraying helps them with heat stress in early morning (not me) or late afternoon. Other than that, the only other chore is dead heading and making sure the mulch in their planting beds remains evenly distributed and thick enough.

One other thing I do in summer is paint one rock to add to my collection. This is a long standing, enjoyable ritual that I save for summer and wrote about last year.

Showers Bring Cactus Flowers

2009-07-28T01:36:00.002-07:00

Gymnocalycium schickendantzii

We finally received a bit of rain (a total of .30 here) this past week, and that small amount was enough to prompt several cacti to show off. Now, instead of just hot, it's hot and humid. Humidity in the Phoenix area this time of year runs about 40 percent in the morning hours, and 20 percent or less in the afternoon. Folks in other parts of the country may laugh that we think 20-30 percent humidity is muggy, but when you are used to "dry heat" just a small change upwards make it feel sticky.

Mammillaria grahamii

Ferocactus cylindraceus

One Flower, But A Nice One!

2009-07-21T00:03:00.004-07:00

All the sunflowers I planted this year from old seeds appeared to be all yellow, so this one surprised me. It almost looks like a painting. This lone sunflower is the only thing blooming in my entire garden. Even the Orange Bells have given up--highly unusual--as normally they do very well in summer. This year seems extra hot, maybe because we had a fairly cool June, if you call upper 90s cool. Monday evening it rained all around us, but I didn't get a drop. Something has to give soon, or this will be the driest year I remember!

Dove Success!

2009-07-19T01:00:00.002-07:00

Looks like the nestling rescue was successful! The parent is back and sitting in the hanging basket with the baby doves. It took about an hour for the parent to feel safe enough to approach the basket, and it wasn't long before it was in the basket with the babies.

I used an old hanging basket I had around my stash of garden stuff, reattached the chains, and then put in a layer of Mesquite tree clippings from a recent pruning job. I laid the original nest, which was pretty damaged, on top of the clippings, and then popped the nestlings in. They didn't move--just stared at me. I think they were in shock! The parent stayed at a distance while I was hanging the basket, and after a while, perched near the basket, checking things out. The next time I looked, she/he was sitting in the basket.

The nestlings have been given another shot, and I sure feel good about my role in making this happen. And, thank goodness for Google! I had no idea about how to attempt to rescue baby birds, but now I know what to do for baby birds from birth to launching. This is the first time I've ever seen live nestlings on the ground. Mostly, I just find smashed bird eggs under the trees.

Check the previous post to see how this all started.

Helpless

2009-07-18T13:47:00.002-07:00

Last night we had a very strong windstorm, and this morning, my husband noticed a Mourning Dove nest lying on the ground under one of the Mesquite trees. Nearby on the hot gravel sat two nestlings, with the parent near them. I went out to look, and knew as the temperatures rose, the gravel would heat up to extreme temperatures. (It's supposed to reach 115 degrees today, and the humidity is high because of cloud cover.)

I came in and did some research on rescuing baby birds, and found out the only thing to do for them at this age is to put the original nest into a hanging basket, put the babies in it and securely hang the basket in the tree where the nest had been. Contrary to popular belief, parents do not reject baby birds because they have a "human smell", actually, birds have a poor sense of smell. If the parents can find the babies, odds are they will continue to care for them.

I'll be watching the rest of the day to see if a parent returns to the basket. If not, the article I read said to contact a wildlife rehabilitator. Since doves are so prolific here, the odds that they will take a couple of nestling doves is remote, so I'll just have to see if nature provides. This is the sad side of animal and bird wildlife. A person can only do so much, and at least I've done something. The thought of letting those babies roast on the gravel was more than I could deal with.

Spots of Color

2009-07-13T00:01:00.007-07:00

I was hoping to have a few ripened prickly pear fruit this year to use for a vinaigrette, but it looks like the cochineal insect beat me to it. Every one of my prickly pear plants has the cochineal invasion. I lost a prized prickly pear last year to this insidious insect, and it looks like I'm headed for the loss of a few more. I spray with a strong stream of water to expose the bug (under the white stuff,) but so far it hasn't helped. Next, I will try insecticidal soap, and if that doesn't work, I'll just have to have them removed. I noticed that many neighbors also have the infestation, so even if I could get it under control in my own garden, it won't be long before it will be back.

Desert Petunia, a drought resistant summer bloomer, puts out short-lived flowers every couple of days. The shrub will be covered with flowers one day, then they dry up and there will be nothing for two days, and then it will be covered again. This goes on about 10 months of the year!

In mid June I found an old, half used packet of sunflower seeds and decided to plant them, as sunflowers do well even when planted in July, according to the planting schedule. Although the plants are still small (perhaps it is just the variety) the first flower bloomed this past weekend. The packet said mixed colors, but all the buds appear to have the standard yellow color.

My poor roses just keep trying! The 115 degree heat is just too much for them, and the buds they put out are tiny and they dry up before they can open. No matter how much I water, nothing will help them except lower temperatures. No chance of that for another couple of months.

Here's another reliable summer staple, the ubiquitous Red Bird of Paradise. I have about eight of these shrubs in my landscape. They provide brilliant color from early June until early September.

Another spot of color is this yard art lizard. He moves around to various places in my garden, depending on the season.

Half-Way to Fall

2009-07-12T19:29:00.004-07:00

Even in the depths of summer, I do have some greenery, but nothing much flowering. It's just too hot! This weekend I got rid of the last of my container vegetable garden, as well as all the struggling potted geraniums, creeping charlie, dwarf marigolds and half dead cacti. This year I've upped my irrigation schedule to every three days for the shrubs and groundcover. Last year, I followed the guidelines for this area, which called for every 7-21 days. I tried the shortest--7 days--and my plants just about fried. I have a desert adapted landscape for the most part, so I'm a bit surprised that I have to water so often to keep the plants from suffering from water stress. However, I don't feel too bad about the more frequent watering as we are behind on annual rainfall. I've had only 1.96 inches since January 1st--quite short of the expected amount by this time.

The suggested tree watering schedule works fine at once a month or every 5 weeks. The only exception is my Tipu Tree, which is still getting established. I water it every two weeks.

With temperatures in the 115 degree range, the leaves of the Mexican Bird of Paradise shrub fold inward to conserve moisture and reduce sun exposure. From a distance, the shrub appears to be wilted, but this is normal for these extreme summer days.

Tiger Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris)

This lizard has the longest tail I've ever seen! There is not enough contrast to really get the full effect, but its tail is about twice the length of its body. This one must have been an artful dodger all season to have avoided the roaming neighbor cat.

When walking around my garden, I noticed a couple of empty bird egg shells on the ground under a mesquite tree. When I looked up, I spotted this dove for the first time. I'm not sure if the eggs are from hatched babies, or just casualties of the wind. After seeing so many poorly constructed dove nests, this one appears to be a better built model.

Bloomin' Tuesday ~ Going, Going, Almost Gone

2009-07-07T01:57:00.002-07:00

Agave stalk cuttings and Mesquite bean trash

Today my husband sawed off the 15 foot, drying stalk of the Agave Lophantha I chronicled in previous Bloomin' Tuesday posts in March and April. (Post 1) (Post 2) (Post 3) (Post 4) It had shrunk in diameter by about two-thirds as it dried, but had it not been cut, it would have stayed partially green for five or six more months. It was leaning badly, as you can see with the position of the stub in the photo below. It was time for it to go.

The dying process of this Agave has been going on for four months now, and it will be be late fall before it's dried completely. Before then, I'll have it removed.

And, a surprise that I didn't notice until today. A new pup has come up as a replacement, just as nature intended, close to the mother plant. It had remained partially hidden by the drying Agave leaves. I'll have a new Agave without having to move the irrigation emitter. It will take years to reach the size of the mother plant.

I don't have any pretty flowers in my garden this time of year, but to see beautiful blooms from other regions, check out the link list at Ms. Green Thumb Jean's.

Time To Get Off The Pot...

2009-07-02T03:30:00.007-07:00

Rosa 'Peace'

I've spent the last 10 days going through my 491 previous posts, double checking to see if I had documented every plant in my landscape, which was my original intention when I started this blog. As I checked off the photos and posts against all the plants, I found that I had, indeed, finished my original goal. Actually, I finished this task many months ago, and have since taken and posted photos of the various flowers associated with each plant.

Try as I might, I haven't been able to come up with much of anything new happening in my landscape, especially this time of year, except my cleaning up all the mesquite beans that drop from the trees starting in June. No new insects, butterflies, birds, odd growths or diseases; no new yard art to write about, no new and interesting pots--absolutely nothing new--not even weeds!

I've resisted going off subject, and other than maybe five posts, I never have. So, now I'm stuck. It's decision time. Do I start going in a different direction on this blog, or keep this blog "pure" and just start another blog with a different theme if I become inclined. Or, just leave things as they are and post when there's something new going on in my landscape. I guess it's a decision that I'm going to have to make soon.

I've had several faithful followers who began visiting quite some time ago. Julie at A Succulent Life is probably the longest lasting regular reader and commenter, then next is Claude at Random Rants and Prickly Plants, who never fails to leave a comment when I have a new post. Pudge at Pudgeduck's World doesn't comment every time, but I know she reads every single post. Participation in Green Thumb Sunday brought many more visitors, and when that meme became inactive for the most part, I got involved in Ms. Green Thumb Jean's Bloomin' Tuesday meme, which brought new and different visitors. However, the vast majority of visitors to my blog come from folks who have used a search engine to find information on various desert plants. The two most frequent searches have been for Desert Museum Palo Verde tree, and Desert Marigold. Another popular search is for Boxwood Beauty Natal Plum of all things!

Although I may not post as regularly as I have these past few years, I certainly intend to continue to follow the 40 or so garden blogs I've enjoyed reading. If I decide to start another blog on another subject, I'll post the link. Thanks to all my blogging friends for their comments and visits in the past two plus years. This is not a goodbye, but an explanation as to why my posts have dwindled of late. I may be down (as far as posts) but I'm not out yet!

Bloomin' Tuesday ~ One Stinkin' Flower!

2009-06-23T15:04:00.005-07:00

Huernia primulina

When I say one stinkin' flower, I mean it literally. I have only one bloom to show this week, and as it happens, it is a stinky one, and weird looking! The flower has a slight rotting flesh smell, which it uses to attract flies for pollination. It is one of the 60 species in the Huernia genus. For more info, see this post.

I forgot that today was Tuesday, so my Bloomin' Tuesday post is late, but at least I remembered before the day ended. To see other Bloomin' Tuesday posts, please see the link list at MsGreenThumbJean's.

Bloomin' Tuesday ~ Dearth of Blooms

2009-06-16T00:16:00.002-07:00

Cylindropuntia fulgida

Gymnocalycium mesopotamicum

Echinopsis pentlandii longispinus

Our three and a half month period of monsoon season began yesterday, but there's no humidity or cloud buildup because it has been relatively cool for this time of year. One-third or more of our annual rainfall happens during this season, and we are running behind in average rainfall so far, so we really need it!

Lots of things happen during the monsoon period. Temperatures rise, and the humidity rises. The storms can be dangerous, sometimes bringing no-visibility dust storms, high winds and flying debris, microbursts, lightning strikes, uprooted trees, flash floods, and downed power lines. But, the storms are beautiful when they happen, with all the rolling dark clouds, lightning and of course, the much needed rain.

With the rain, the vegetation becomes quite lush for awhile. Some cacti will bloom, but for the most part, they remain in summer dormancy. The cactus flowers I've shown today are the only ones I've had for a couple of weeks.

We usually have a few folks who drive through raging washes, not knowing how deep and swift the water can get. If they drive into a wash and have to be rescued, they will be fined under our "Stupid Motorist" law.

Every year, I seem to lose a few trees. So far in the four years I've lived on this property, we've lost a total of six trees to microbursts. I don't want to part with any more!

To see other Bloomin' Tuesday posts, please see the link list at MsGreenThumbJean's.

June Desert Garden

2009-06-06T12:27:00.012-07:00

This is as green as my desert garden gets. The flowers are gone for the season except for a few cactus flowers, the Red Bird of Paradise and Orange Bells shrubs, and the Texas Sage in this photo. It bloomed because we had a light rain about 10 days ago. No one is quite sure of the process this plant uses to produce this barometer effect. The desert trees are at their best as far as foliage. Notice that the kinetic wind sculpture is completely still. This is a rare occurrence.

I was right! The flowers on this early-blooming Barrel Cactus were especially large this year. Both buds and flowers on this cactus are beautiful, but I have several other Barrels that will bloom in August, and they have orange flowers that I like more.

Container vegetable gardening is fun! This sweet pepper plant has 21 peppers on it right now. They're supposed to be red, so I guess I need to wait awhile. Since this is my first attempt at something other than tomatoes, I'm not sure if they turn red on the plant or after they're picked. Maybe I'll pick a few and find out. Looks like we are in for a lot of pepper dishes.

I've harvested about two dozen pattypan squash and a dozen cannonball zucchini so far from my two squash vines. I never tire of eating steamed squash with a bit of butter, salt and pepper, however, I do prepare stuffed squash, and a New Mexico favorite, Calabacitos Con Queso on a regular basis. I don't enjoy cooking--never have--but I refuse to let these veggies go to waste after all my work!

Bloomin' Tuesday ~ Divine Color

2009-06-02T02:10:00.004-07:00

Isn't this the most divine color? The first time I saw a photo of an Echinopsis 'Flying Saucer', I set out to find one. For several years, I checked at cactus shows and sales, cactus nurseries, and even some mail order places. This is not an uncommon Echinopsis hybrid, but there just weren't any available. Last fall, while visiting a nursery I frequent, I found one in the damaged cactus section. It had a sun scorched area, and although it had a two foot stem, it had been sideways for quite a while, so the stem couldn't be straightened if the pot was set upright. Also, it had long since passed the point of needing a bigger pot. This two foot long cactus was in a six-inch pot!

Since I couldn't pick it up myself, I asked the nurseryman to load it in my vehicle. It took two guys to get it in a box--one to pick up the pot, the other to support the stem with a length of plant tape. Once in the box, it could be loaded by holding onto the box and the keeping the stem supported with the tape. Once it was home, unloading it was easy, but I didn't plant it right away. I left it in the box, tilted, and let the stem lean against a wall. This is where it stayed until early spring. When I was ready to plant, the stem had started growing upward at the tip, but I knew most of the stem was just never going to straighten. I didn't mind that, as long as the new growth would continue to grow upright.

Once it was planted, we had several really hot days, and thinking it had acclimated to full sun, I did not put shade cloth on it. Unfortunately, it received more sun scorch, but it didn't appear to be permanently damaged, so I belatedly covered it. In mid-May, it formed two buds, and on Saturday they opened.

Rebutia pulvinosa

I counted 31 flowers that had opened on this cactus, and 11 buds yet to open. The little daisy-like flowers are such an intense shade of true orange that details just don't show up in the photo. The lighter green stems on this Rebutia species are also attractive--not so with the stems on the Rebutia species below. The stems are an olive color that I just don't care for much.

Rebutia spegazziniana

My Sunday post was about the color of these flowers. I should have waited an extra day. Now, there are 20 of the variegated pink flowers to look at!

To see other Bloomin' Tuesday posts, please see the link list at MsGreenThumbJean's.

Chameleon

2009-05-30T16:00:00.003-07:00

Rebutia spegazziniana

This Rebutia is quite the chameleon! Its flowers change color depending on the time of year it blooms, and this is the third and most prolific round of flowers this year. I must say I think I like this varigated pink the best. As the weather heats up, the flowers normally change from their usual deep red to a paler pink, but they also become smaller and even deformed looking. Never before has the cactus put out so many perfect lighter colored flowers. I wish it would produce this color all the time!

Bloomin' Tuesday Cactus Flowers

2009-05-26T00:01:00.004-07:00

Echinopsis sp.

A very small Echinopsis with a huge flower. I took this late one night last week to catch the flower at its peak. The cactus produces one flower each year, which probably wears it out! As the cactus gets older, it should produce more flowers each season.

Echinopsis sp.

A new Echinopsis in a new blue pot. I bought this Echinopsis hybrid last year for the yellow flowers, and the pot was a 2008 Christmas gift.

Rebutia pulvinosa

I can count on this small Rebutia to produce numerous bright orange flowers each year. It will have round after round of flowers until late July. I think it's making up for lost time and previous close calls.

Ferocactus cylindraceus

The first buds on this Barrel Cactus are really fat, so the flowers should be larger than usual, as well as early. The cactus itself is all plumped out from our recent light rain. Barrels take in any moisture they receive to store for use during drought periods.

To see other Bloomin' Tuesday participant posts, please see the link list at MsGreenThumbJean's.

Unlearned Lesson ~ Memorial Day

2009-05-25T00:01:00.005-07:00

Rosa 'Peace'

Of every year

The little valiant

Flags appear

On every fallen

Soldier's grave--

Symbol of what

Each died to save.

And we who see

And still have breath--

Are we no wiser

For their death?

~Dorothy Brown Thompson~

Bloomin' Tuesday ~ Mixed Bag

2009-05-19T00:01:00.004-07:00

Caesalpinia pulcherrima

My Red Bird of Paradise bushes have finally started to bloom. I've been seeing them all over town, lush and full of flowers, but my shrubs don't look so hot this year. The foliage is sparse, and although all the bushes have some flowers, they just don't look right. It's my own fault because I did not prune them back last fall. You can prune these shrubs down to the base each year and they will come back looking great.

Gasteria bicolor (Lawyer's Tongue)

I just love this tiny clay pot. It's 2-3/4 inches high and 4 inches in diameter. I bought it last year at a cactus show and sale, and it was already planted with a tiny Lawyer's Tongue offset. The offset has grown to the point I need to repot, but I'm wondering how I'm going to get it out of this pot without damaging the pot or the offset. The pot maker sold out of these popular little pots by mid morning.

Parodia horstii

I showed this same cactus in last week's post, but because it has been so prolific, I took another photo again today. These flowers are the latest of 12 so far. It's supposed to be a repeat bloomer with intermittent flowers over the summer. If so, it's going to be on my list of favorites!

Gymnocalycium saglionis

The second year for blooms on this Giant Chin cactus. I had it for years before it ever flowered, and the blooms have always been sparse. This year it has about 12 buds--a record for this specimen. The flowers are not as attractive as many other Gymnocalycium species. Most collectors have it for its form rather than the flower.

Ruellia brittoniana

One of the hosts at a garden tour stop gave me a cutting of Desert Petunia about four years ago. I can always count on it for a few spots of color. This is another plant that can be cut back to the base in the late fall, and it will come back almost immediately, looking fresh and full. It provides flowers off and on all year except in December and January.

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We've had thirteen consecutive days of temperatures over 100 degrees since May 1st, which is a record. Today was 108 degrees. This does not mean it will be hotter than normal the rest of the summer, but normal is not pleasant!

To see other Bloomin' Tuesday participant posts, please see the link list at MsGreenThumbJean's.

Sunday Stuff

2009-05-17T01:39:00.002-07:00

So far, my Santa Rita Prickly Pear has retained its winter purple. I love the way the purple pad made for a colorful backdrop for the flower bud.

Rosa 'Tiffany'

This evening this rose opened, and its color was especially beautiful in the waning light. Once the sun is up, it will begin to wither as it is just too hot for the roses to last. However, all my rose bushes continue to have buds, hot or not.

A young Anna's Hummingbird found a resting place on a pot ring right outside my breakfast area window today. I took this photo through the window.

The fruit on my new dwarf Meyer Lemon tree is still hanging on. I have 28 lemons growing right now. I'm hoping at least a few will last until ripe. It's odd that blossoms are still appearing even in May. Not normal in my opinion.

Bloomin' Tuesday Cactus

2009-05-12T00:35:00.001-07:00

Gymnocalycium baldianum (Pink)

The Gymnocalycium baldianum species has flowers that range from white, pink, orange and bright red. I've looked for one of the white flowered ones without any luck. Each year, my G. baldianum has flowers that range from pink to a salmon pink color. This year, it looks like they are more in the pink range.

Gymnocalycium baldianum (Red)

My one red G. baldianum is still small, but this species can bloom at one year old. I've found over the years that Gymnocalycium baldianum will bloom over and over from late April until September. If anyone ever wants a cactus that produces prolific flowers, this is it.

Parodia horstii

Most of my Parodia species have flowered or in the process right now. They will soon finish up for the season, but may produce another round of smaller flowers in a few weeks. I never know.

Parodia sp.

I've never been able to identify the species of this Parodia. It produces many flowers each year, despite its small size. This year, the petals have a red tinge on the edges for some reason.

To see other Bloomin' Tuesday participant posts, please see the link list at

Ms. Green Thumb Jean's.

Tiny But Nice

2009-05-09T03:46:00.015-07:00

Mammillaria wildii f. cristata

The cristate form of this cactus has blooms that run parallel. With time, this small cactus can grow to about 18 inches wide with large tangled mounds. Collectors like it because is freely flowers, unlike some other cristate forms of cacti.

Mammillaria marksiana

The common name of this cactus is Cabeza de Viejo. It is too tender for for our intense sunlight, so I keep it on the patio year round. It takes very little water, and the expected bloom period is in January and February, but this one consistently blooms in April and May.

Mammillaria magnimamma

The flower color on this species can range from pale pink to red. I've seldom seen specimens with the same coloration as mine.

Bloomin' Tuesday ~ Cat Casualty and Cactus

2009-05-05T00:01:00.002-07:00

Cat Casualty

This is not the first time I've seen an injured lizard resting on my garden monk. The lizards seem drawn to it for some reason. Uninjured lizards prefer the large landscape rocks and other places, but once the neighbor cat goes after them and they are lucky enough to survive with just a missing tail, they head for the monk! Maybe it has some mysterious healing power. The tail on this lizard is growing back nicely, so it will be OK. Others who lost too much haven't been so lucky. This cat is the bane of my garden. I find cat hair on my patio swing cushions, bird feathers behind bushes, and dig spots in my rose bed. The neighbor claims it's "not really" his cat so he can't control it, but the cat lives at his house and he feeds it. I haven't yet figured out what my neighbor's definition of ownership is.

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Lots of cactus flowers this week! Here are a few....

Rebutia spegazziniana

Opuntia santa rita

Parodia rutilans

x Echinopsis 'Rose Quartz'

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To see other Bloomin' Tuesday participant posts, please see the link list at

Ms. Green Thumb Jean's.

Ready For Occupancy

2009-05-03T00:55:00.011-07:00

I've been interested in Mason Bees (Osmia lignaria) since reading an article about them in a University of Arizona publication last fall. Until I read the article, I didn't know a thing about them, or that they occur naturally in Arizona as well as throughout the United States. These bees are smaller than honey bees and almost black in color. They are docile and friendly, and do not normally bother humans if they are not bothered. They are not destructive like carpenter bees because they do not excavate nest holes for themselves. The way to attract them is to provide them a bee house all ready for nesting. The nests are placed facing east or south. In Arizona, the bee house can go up from February to July to attract the bees.

Supplying a ready-made nest helps the female Mason bee spend less time and effort on nest preparation and more time on gathering nectar and pollen and laying eggs. First, she places a mud plug at the bottom of the tube, then brings 15 to 20 loads of nectar and pollen from spring flowers until she has enough to begin laying an egg in the tube. Then, she will plaster the opening of the tube with a mud plug, and move on to prepare and complete the next tube and so on. She only lives for about a month, and will produce one or two eggs a day. The eggs become larva, which feed on the pollen pellet. After it consumes the pellet, it spins a cocoon and pupates within the tube cell. Around September, the larva transforms into an adult bee that stays in the plugged tube until the following spring. And the cycle begins again.

So far, no Mason bees have nested in my bee house. I wonder if I got it up too late in the season, or if there are no Mason bees around here yet. I guess I'll just wait to see if any show up between now and July. I hope so, as I was looking forward to watching them at work.

Honey bees aren't interested in the nests, but some leaf cutter bees and wasps will build nests in the bee house, so I'll have to watch for that. You can tell if something other than a Mason bee has filled a tube. The Mason bee plugs have a rough mud surface, the wasp mud plugs are smooth, and the leaf cutters seal their tubes with chewed leaves so they are green in color.

Bloomin' Tuesday

2009-04-28T00:05:00.001-07:00

My newest Echinopsis, a Schick hybrid called E. 'Shere Kahn', bloomed this past week. Later in the day, the flower faded to a beautiful pale coral orange.

Many buds have appeared on most of my other Schick and Harry Johnson hybrids. Looks like I won't be lacking in photos for blog posts for a few weeks!

Mammillaria spinosissima (Red Headed Irishman)

The flowers on this species of Mammillaria are large compared to the flowers of other Mammillaria species.

This Echinocereus pulchellus is still quite small and didn't grow much last summer. The flower is three times as large as the body of the cactus.

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The Agave lophantha flower raceme that I've shown before has now begun to bloom, such as it were. I don't think you can call these little structures flowers. They are more like pollen covered stamens without petals. These began to open from the bottom of the stalk, so I lost my own bet that the blooms would start at the top of this raceme. The flowers have only opened on the bottom one-third of the raceme so far.

This Agave's impending death is now becoming obvious. The leaves are losing their color and becoming a bit flaccid. This process will take months.

To see other Bloomin' Tuesday participant posts, please see the link list at

Ms. Green Thumb Jean's.

Golden April Carpet

2009-04-25T22:13:00.004-07:00

A golden carpet of Palo Verde tree flowers.

Although these dropped flowers make quite a mess and actually completely cover many small cacti, I really enjoy seeing this golden carpet. I'll worry about the mess later.

Desert Rose Ramblings

2009-04-23T13:09:00.005-07:00

Rosa 'Mr. Lincoln'

'Mr. Lincoln' is in its second year in my garden, and doing well. So far, I haven't had any of the diseases or infestations that seem to plague rose growers. I hate to even mention it, as such statements seem to bring it on problems! To date, my rose problems have been climate related. I've tried to find the best watering frequency for the location of my rose bushes, and it's been trial and error. Winds, unseasonably hot weather, lack of moisture and low humidity have taken their toll on the roses in the last couple of months. Both flowers and new growth have been repeatedly shredded. With temperatures soon to be consistently above 100 degrees, I won't see really nice roses again until probably October.

Rosa 'Queen Elizabeth'

'Queen Elizabeth' is such a pretty rose. It has grown a lot taller than I expected, and it has very long stems, making this rose my best one for cutting. In my rose garden, 'Queen Elizabeth' is second only to 'Red Intrepid' for growth fullness and vigor. Once I made the decision to add roses to my desert garden, I made myself a rule that I would not plant more than ten roses. I now have that. Taking care of these ten rose bushes takes some effort, including carrying buckets of water in between the regular irrigation schedule as temperatures climb. This will continue until October. Although I love the color and fragrance of the roses, I've come to the conclusion that roses really look better in gardens where there is plenty of grass and other greenery, rather than in desert landscapes, where they just don't seem to fit in with their surroundings. However, the bright green foliage and spots of color add welcome relief to my predominately tan, brown, and yellow landscape.

Rosa 'Don Juan'

'Don Juan' is a climbing rose I picked up as a bare root late last year. Bare root roses don't establish as well in Arizona as do container roses, so this purchase was an experiment on my part. Growth has been slow, but I was slow at getting it in the ground. I still don't have a support for it, so until I make a decision as to what to use, its production will be hindered since climbing roses really need support and training to to their best.

'Don Juan' rose was at one time the leading dark red crimson flowered climber in the United States, doing well in Zones 6-11. Since it thrives in hot climates, it is recommended for Arizona gardens. This rose has a strong sweet-spicy fragrance and large double blooms. The dark red petals have a velvety quality, and from what I've read, it will produce orange hips in the fall.

A 'No Cactus' Post for Bloomin' Tuesday

2009-04-21T00:04:00.006-07:00

Zucchini

Until this year, my only attempt ever at vegetable gardening has been one or two tomato plants every spring. But, I suppose to be technical, tomatoes don't even qualify as a vegetable, so this is truly my first veggie experiment! I got the idea to try my hand at vegetable gardening after I read an Arizona newspaper article about growing vegetables in containers. That seemed a lot easier and simpler than having a whole garden. I purchased a few types of squash and sweet pepper bedding plants in March, and placed them in large containers with potting soil. I also planted some carrots and radishes from seed. It's going to take a lot of effort keeping the containers moist enough in the coming heat, but I'm like a kid, watching the tiny vegetables forming. The most interesting to me is the Pattypan squash, identifiable even at thumbnail size.

Pattypan Squash

Cherry Tomato

Usually I buy the 'Early Girl' variety of tomato, but I couldn't find one this year, so I settled for a cherry tomato. As far as I'm concerned any tomato, if homegrown, is good!

Zonal Geranium

I always have a few Zonal Geraniums in pots around my garden. Each year, I get a different color, and this is what I chose for 2009. Normally I go for the hot, bright colors, but I found these pale pink flowers quite pretty and got them for a change. My maternal grandmother always kept geraniums in pots on her window sill. I loved the fragrance of the leaves when she watered them. I only visited her three or four times as a child, but to this day, the scent of geraniums still reminds me of her.

Callistemon 'Little John'

In very early spring I gave all my Dwarf Bottlebrush bushes a dose of chelated iron. This is something occasionally necessary as bottlebrush becomes chlorotic in our alkaline soil. Iron chlorosis is a condition more common with these plants in areas with highly alkaline soils, high soil temperatures, and high light intensity. The leaves really greened very quickly, and now the bushes are covered with dozens of the bright red "bottlebrush" flowers.

Tecoma stans 'Yellow Bells'

Finally, my Yellow Bells shrub is established and is growing rapidly. I was concerned that it wasn't going to make it as its growth really lagged for months. This is a popular landscape plant in Arizona, as well in many other states in the Southwest. It doesn't get as large as the Tecoma stans 'Orange Jubilee', but it will provide some needed afternoon shade for several cacti as it matures.

To see other Bloomin' Tuesday participant posts, please see the link list at

Ms. Green Thumb Jean's.

A Cheap Old Man

2009-04-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

I have several small cacti in temporary pots that now need transplanting to slightly larger pots and I didn't have right-sized pots around. Most cactus plants like to be in tight quarters, and it’s important to use the right containers. So, I decided to stop by a local thrift shop and see if they had any interesting cactus pots. There were some small pots, but nothing suitable for my needs. As I was about to leave, I spotted what looked like a cactus in another section of the store. I checked, and sure enough, someone had donated a good-sized Old Man of the Andes (Oreocereus celsianus) with a sign that said, ‘Careful, Live Cactus'. It had some minor sun damage in a couple of spots, but otherwise appeared to be thriving. When I inquired about it, the clerk said they were going to throw it out because it was so ugly they didn't think anyone would be interested. I told them I would take it off their hands if they wanted to sell it. They were thrilled to make a sale and said they'd let it go for a buck. Since it was half price day, my cost would be 50 cents! Needless to say I snatched up the cactus, paid with two quarters and got out of the store! The pot and saucer alone would have cost me at least $6.00 anywhere else, and a cactus of that size, at least $25.00.

The moral of this story is that beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder, and a bargain is anything a customer thinks a store is losing money on.

Garden Gifts

2009-04-15T20:54:00.000-07:00

My new glazed clay do-dads are an early birthday gift from my friend Pudge. They have the impressions of stems and leaves on the glazed surfaces. Naturally, I hung them on the proper trees! The dangles hanging on the bottom of these pieces are real polished stones, including malachite, agate and turquoise. Even the backs are beautiful--unglazed clay that the artist embellished with impressions of dry cob corn. I love them!

Bloomin' Tuesday ~ Crossing Over The Bridge

2009-04-14T02:17:00.011-07:00

When I designed my back yard landscape, I wanted a meandering rip rap river bed for visual interest, as well as to guide rain water to the low areas of my sloped yard. This rip rap element bisects most of my back yard landscape. I needed some means to cross from one side to the other, and had originally considered several choices ranging from simple stepping stones in the shallow areas of the dry stream, to more elaborate custom-formed concrete arches. My husband eventually built a couple of curved steel and wood bridges for me. This turned out to be quite a lengthy project, and he was very glad when it was completed!

Those bridges worked fine, but as time passed I found I was also crossing over in a couple of other areas. I did this by walking across the loose, crumbly rip rap--not exactly safe practice. However, I was not going to ask my husband to build more bridges, so I started looking into some alternatives. By chance, I saw some wood bridges on sale at quite a discount, so I purchased two and brought them home. Trying to follow the assembly instructions was a nightmare (Chinese product) but we finally got them together, and now I can easily (and safely) cross the stream bed in four convenient places.

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New Blooms This Week...

Parodia erubescens

Stenocactus crispatus (Brain Cactus)

Echinocereus dasycanthus (Texas Hedgehog)

Eremophila hygrophana (Emu sp.)

To see other Bloomin' Tuesday participant posts, please see the link list at

Ms. Green Thumb Jean's.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Rosa 'Tiffany'

The fasts are done; the Aves said;

The moon has filled her horn

And in the solemn night I watch

Before the Easter morn.

So pure, so still the starry heaven,

So hushed the brooding air,

I could hear the sweep of an angel's wings

If one should earthward fare.

~ Edna Dean Proctor

Swaying in the Breeze

2009-04-11T02:44:00.000-07:00

The inflorescence on my Agave lophantha stalk still hasn't bloomed. I showed the stalk's rapid growth to sixteen feet in previous posts, and assumed the flower buds would open as soon as the stalk stopped growing. For the past three weeks it has just been sitting there, soaking up the sun and swaying in the breeze. Maybe it's resting, just biding time before the finale.

Right down the street from my house is a different type of Agave stalk. This Agave vilmoreana stalk is covered with bulbils, or plantlets. These grow from a bud at the base of each flower. Each bulbil is a miniature clone of the parent plant. The bulbils can stay attached to the stalk for long periods and grow larger and larger. As time passes, the plantlets will fall off the stalk and some may take root. If someone wants to plant a bulbil, they can just pull it off the stalk and plant, rather than wait for it to fall off naturally. They come right off, but care must be taken to keep the whole bulbil intact so that roots can develop once planted. There must be hundreds of baby plantlets on this stalk!

Here is another neighborhood Agave with a different type of inflorescence called a raceme. Depending on the species, some start blooming from the top, and others from the bottom, as this one is doing. There are two other types of stalks. One is called a panicle, or candelabra, and the other is a spike.

I think my Agave raceme will start from the top. No particular reason for thinking that--it's just fun to speculate while I wait.

Blooomin' Tuesday ~ Blooms, Butterflies and Bottles

2009-04-07T00:01:00.015-07:00

Echinopsis candicans

I was able to catch the opening blooms of this Argentine Giant for a change. If the temperature is below about 80 degrees, the buds will open during the day instead of at night. The flowers do wilt within a few hours, though. If the flowers open at night, they will last about 12 hours this time of year.

Arizona Bottle Tree (Not a Plant!)

I've been admiring Pam's (Digging) Texas bottle tree for months and since my birthday was coming up, I told my husband I wanted a bottle tree for my gift, but one with an Arizona flair that would fit in with my desert landscape. He designed this rebar and steel tree for me, and I love it! I got the dozen blue wine bottles from Ebay. It stands about nine feet tall, and really glows in early morning and late afternoon.

Rosa 'Peace'

When I've shown this rose variety before, many folks have commented that it looks different that the 'Peace' rose they have. Most comment theirs has more pink. There are several different varieties of 'Peace', and the one with more pink is probably 'Chicago Peace'.

One view of my late spring, April desert garden, looking east. The Palo Verde trees are blooming lightly, and the Mesquites are just now putting out their new leaves, so they are kind of bare. They are not really deciduous, but do shed old leaves each spring.

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

A Painted Lady butterfly rests on my just-sprouting radishes. (I really put these in too late, so I'm not sure I'll get radishes.) This butterfly is found worldwide, and it is an irruptive migrant, that is, it migrates without regard to geography or season. It lives about two weeks. My garden is full of them this week, but I see them all year.

Thelocactus bicolor

I need to get this cactus in the ground! Each time I get the time, it puts out another round of gorgeous flowers, so I put it off. Not that I wish it wouldn't bloom, I would just like to transplant it while the weather is tolerable. I think the flowers on this genus are especially beautiful.

To see other Bloomin' Tuesday participant posts, please see the link list at

Ms. Green Thumb Jean's.

New Cactus Flowers This Week

2009-04-03T00:05:00.002-07:00

April is the month that many species of Prickly Pear and Mammillaria cacti start blooming in my garden. Here are some new ones this week. For more information on the cacti, click the links.

Santa Rita Prickly Pear

Mammillaria mystax

Mammillaria matudae

Most people don't see the sun, soil, bugs, seeds, plants, moon, water,

clouds, and wind the way gardeners do.

~ Jamie Jobb

Bloomin' Tuesday ~ Blossoms, Birds and Bees

2009-03-31T00:05:00.004-07:00

All my Palo Verde trees are just starting to bloom and the strong wind gusts are blowing the flowers everywhere. Usually, I have a golden carpet an inch thick around and under the trees all spring. This year, they are going to be all over my yard, and I'll have to have the blow-and-go guys over a couple of times to clean it up. If we get any rain when there is a lot of debris on the ground, it forms a hard crust that has to be raked up. I learned this lesson the hard way last year and had to peel away chunks of the crust from around all the cacti and succulents planted under the trees, and then clean up the plants as best as possible with tweezers and kabob skewers.

These coral colored Gasteria acinacifolia flowers remind me of flamingos for some reason. It's more than the color. Do you see any resemblance, or am I dreaming again?

Rosa 'Red Intrepid' has just started to bloom. It has suffered wind damage like all my other roses have this past week. The new leaves look like they've been through a threshing machine, and the flowers all have sun and wind burn. I have a lot of tattered roses on each bush. It is such a disappointment to see them all beat up like this, as this is our peak rose time here in the Phoenix area.

The flower stalk on this Coral Aloe is now a month old with no sign of wilt or drying. I really should have several more of this Aloe species, all planted in the same location. I think a display of multiple flower stalks like this would be quite striking. Maybe in the fall....

Rosa 'Gold Glow' is in a more protected area and has suffered less wind and sun damage. This flower opened Sunday after the strongest gusts passed through.

My one Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas) shrub is in full bloom right now. Unfortunately, it doesn't look this good any other time of year. Most folks use Spanish Lavender in groupings or as border plants, but I like them one at a time. In this photo you can also see several Bush Morning Glories in bloom in the background. They are now a bit past their prime.

Bees are buzzing everywhere in my garden, enjoying the blooming Creosote bushes, Spanish Lavender and Palo Verde blossoms. So many bees are a welcome sight, and provide hope that the bee population is increasing after its decimation these past few years. I also have more birds this year, especially hummingbirds. However, one bird species that I wish would show up now and then is Gambel's Quail. I've never had one visit my garden, and I miss seeing them, usually with their babies, walking in a line behind the mother, with their little topknots bobbing. They were a common sight at my previous residence, and I blame the roaming neighbor cat for their non-appearance at my current residence.

To see other Bloomin' Tuesday participant posts, please see the link list at

Ms. Green Thumb Jean's.

'Green Ice' Acquisition

2009-03-28T21:35:00.009-07:00

I said I wasn't going to get any more plants when I attended this season's garden shows and sales, but that resolution had lasted about 10 minutes when I saw this beautiful Gasteraloe 'Green Ice' succulent. It is a bigeneric hybrid of Gasteria and Aloe. I loved the fat, light green leaves with their random dark green markings, and the fact that I've never owned a Gasteraloe before.

This plant makes a good windowsill plant. It is slow growing, long lived and needs light shade, but can get some morning sun without damage. In the summer, it should receive enough water to keep the soil moist but not wet, and in the winter, it needs water only when the soil is completely dry. Who wouldn't want such an attractive, easy-care plant!

I liked this plant well enough to plant it in a fancy Mark Meridian pot, and I plan to keep it on my patio table year-round, unless there is a danger of frost. This Gasteraloe hybrid will turn to mush in frosty temperatures.

As April begins, most of the garden tours, shows and sales will be over for the season. If I make it through one more tour without more purchases, it will be a record. However, I did see several creative garden ideas that I'm going to try, and I added several plants to my wish list for fall sales.

Bloomin' Tuesday ~ Flowers Galore

2009-03-24T02:23:00.007-07:00

Opuntia engelmannii

(Engelmann’s Prickly Pear)

My lone Engelmann's Prickly Pear is loaded with blooms, which are a darker gold than last year's. More blooms equal more fruits, so I will be able to try some new recipes later in the summer when the fruits ripen.

Citrus × meyeri
(Dwarf Meyer Lemon)

My new Meyer Lemon has about 40 little lemons on it. I'm going to cull out most of them so the tree can spend its energy getting established rather than producing fruit. It's hard for me to do this--but it is necessary. It will probably self-thin most of the fruit anyway, so I'm going to wait awhile longer to see how many drop on their own.

Rosa 'We Salute You'

A bloom so bright it almost hurts to look at it. My spring rose blooms are really big and bright right now. March and April are the best time for roses in our part of the country, and even now, this rose has some scorching on the petal margins as it has a southeast exposure.

Rosa 'Hello Dolly'

This rose has a southwest exposure, but so far, no petal scorching. I think it's because it receives some light afternoon shade from a nearby Palo Brea tree.

Echinocereus viridiflorus

(Nylon Hedgehog Cactus)

The greenish flowers on this new cactus are supposed to smell like lemon, but I can't detect any scent at all. It has a shallow root system, so it needs regular water in hotter months. Because of this, I'm going to keep it potted so I can water it easier. I really wonder why it's called Nylon Hedgehog. There is no information that I can find as to how it got this common name.

Eriosyce kunzei ‘multicolor’

I love the long lasting, florescent flowers of this small cactus. After the blooms wilt and dry, I will be repotting it into a clay pot.

Eschscholzia mexicana

This Mexican Poppy came compliments of the potted cactus that I purchased several years ago. I've been hoping it would reseed into my landscape, but so far, it's only multiplied in the pot. This Poppy is a close relative of the California Poppy, which does come up each spring in my garden. Actually, the Mexican Poppy is better suited to our hotter climate than the California Poppy. I should just buy some seeds instead of waiting for seeds from these few plants in the pot.

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I've shown the amazing growth of this Agave lophantha for the previous two Bloomin' Tuesday posts. The stalk is now almost 16 feet tall, four-to-six feet taller than expected! It has grown so fast you can almost hear it growing, as they say about corn. From the looks of the flower buds, blooming should start late this week or early next week. When the flowers reach their blooming stage, the stalk should be fully grown. we've had strong winds the past two days, and this stalk is so strong it barely moved!

The outer sheath that originally protected the emerging buds has now begun to wilt, a sure sign that the flowers will bloom shortly. For folks interested in seeing the growth progress, see the photos toward the bottom in each of these two previous posts.

Post One

Post Two

To see other Bloomin' Tuesday participant posts, please see the link list at

Ms. Green Thumb Jean's.

The Nature of Glass

2009-03-21T23:44:00.009-07:00

Desert Botanical Garden Wildflower Trail. It's a great time of year in the Sonoran Desert!

I don't often post photos beyond my own garden, but I wanted to show some wonderful sights from my most recent Desert Botanical Garden tour. There is a lot going on in the Garden this time of year, and the main draw is Chihuly: The Nature of Glass exhibition. There are many glass sculptures placed among the surrounding cacti and succulents to complement the nearby plants.

Chihuly's work is found in museums worldwide. This is his first garden exhibition in an outdoor desert environment. I've included only a small portion of the sculptures featured in the exhibition. It's one of the most popular events the Garden has ever featured. To see this exhibition at night is even more spectacular.

I must like all the tall, simple vertical sculptures the best, because I have more photos of them than any of the others. I also like their colors the best. Pudgeduck also went along on this tour, and she has photos of other sculptures on her blog.

The DBG is located near the sandstone buttes of Papago Park, which provides a beautiful backdrop for the plants in the Garden.

Bloomin' Tuesday ~ Lots Going On

2009-03-17T00:01:00.003-07:00

My garden looks good right now, and will continue to produce cactus flowers, blooming shrubs and ground coverings until about May, depending how high the temperatures get. The Mesquite and Palo Verde trees are not very attractive right now as they are shedding last year's leaves and in preparation for new leaves, flowers and catkins. Around May 1, the Palo Verdes are in full bloom. It's always a spectacular show, but sometimes hazardous for the tree if the branches get too heavy with blooms. This sometimes causes the branches to split if the tree was heavily watered to produce fast growth. Weak wood is the result.

I love the way the papery bracts of the Bougainvillea appear translucent against the blue sky and bright sunlight. This is the cultivar, B. "Barbara Karst".

A field of Parry's Penstemon. The stems on this stand are quite tall, about 40 inches high. If it is too breezy, many of these long stalks will break or bend. It's been calm, so as of today, they are all upright.

Hardenbergia violacea

This Lilac Vine is a new addition to my garden. My nurseryman said it will do well even in summer, but everything I've read says it's a shade plant for summers in Phoenix. Time will tell. Since the nursery guarantees all plants for a year, I'm willing to take the chance. I hope it makes it--I think the flowers, which appear only at this time of year, are quite pretty. The dark green leaves are also attractive.

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Look how much this Agave stalk has grown in just one week. Scroll down to last Tuesday's post to see the difference! Although I've seen the unbelievably rapid growth of Agave stalks, I continue to be fascinated by the whole process. It's no wonder the Agave dies after producing this stalk. It takes tremendous energy resources to produce something this big this fast. The stalk is over three inches in diameter now and ten feet tall! It is now forming flower buds.

Notice the long flower coverings with sharp points. This is protect the buds as they are emerging. These eventually wilt and dry, exposing the flowers to pollinators like Hawk-moths, hummingbirds, wasps, bees, and butterflies. Bats prefer the branched inflorescence of other Agave species.

To see other Bloomin' Tuesday participant posts, please see the link list at

Ms. Green Thumb Jean's.