Early Signs of Spring on the Farm….

Yesterday was a glorious winter day accompanied with warmer then usual temperatures; 68 degrees F.  I went over to Double S Farms to help my brother-in-law (Farmer Dad), prune the fruit trees – (the fruit trees had sadly been neglected and mistreated by the previous owners, so we had to quite a bit of corrective pruning).

I brought along, my now repaired camera, intending to take pictures of how to prune fruit trees for a later post. Once I arrived, I was so happy to see early signs of spring all around me….

A single peach bud, just beginning to show a flash of pink.

A single peach bud, just beginning to show a flash of pink.

Snap Peas beginning to grow in the vegetable garden

Snap Peas beginning to grow in the vegetable garden.

The grapefruit tree is heavily laden with delicious fruit.

The grapefruit tree is heavily laden with delicious fruit.

signs of spring

The “Formerly Overgrown, Neglected Rose – Glamis Castle” beginning to leaf out, another one of those lovely early signs of spring.

signs of spring

The apple trees were full of buds and I was able to find this glimpse the pink petals impatiently waiting to burst out.

signs of spring

Double S Farms resident Costa’s Hummingbird, was happily perched on top of the almond tree watching over our activities.

Flowering Once In A Lifetime….

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flowering stalk of an agave

Imagine a plant that lives for years, never flowering, and then towards the end of it’s life, expends all of it’s energy to produce flowers on a giant stem and then dies….

the beginning agave flowering stalk

Agave colorata getting ready to flower.

Agave Stalks Begin Growth

The story begins with an agave starting to grow it’s flowering stalk, or inflourescence.  The growth is incredibly fast, growing up to 1 ft. each day.  Depending on the species, the flowering stalk can reach heights up to 40 ft. 

almost full grown tall flowering stalk of the agave

Agave murpheyi sending up it’s flower stalk.  *I took the picture, above, at a client’s house and she referred to the flowering stalk as an ‘asparagus stalk’ because that is what it looks like.

When most people think of Agave, they think of the Century Plant, (Agave americana), and believe that it will flower once it reaches 100 years old.  This is actually a myth.  Although the timeline can vary, Agave americana does not live that long and flower much sooner.  There are over 250 agave species and most flower towards the end of their life and then die.

Actually, the length of time an agave lives is largely dependent on the species.  In my experience in the managed landscapes, most agave live approximately 5 – 15 years, once planted from a 5-gallon container.

Different Types of Flowering Agave Stalks

agave paniculate flowering stalk in desert southwest garden

I am not completely sure what species this particular agave was. Note the ‘pup’ growing from the side of the agave.

There are two different styles of the flowering stalk (inflourescence).  The paniculate, above, and the spiculate, below. You can clearly see the difference in the shape and design of the stalks.

spiculate flowering stalk from an Octopus agave

Octopus Agave (Agave vilmoriniana) I planted this agave (as a 5-gallon) in 1999 and it flowered in 2005. 

Agave Reproduce in Several Ways

Agave reproduce both by flowering (seeds) and vegetatively (bulbils & offsets).

You can read more about how agave produce offsets (pups) and how to plant them from a previous post – Pups In The Garden…Not The Soft Cuddly Kind.

Agave desmettiana flower with small bulbils growing within the flower

The flower of an Smooth Leaf Agave (Agave desmettiana) This is an agave from my garden, which was planted in 1998 and flowered in 2007.

You can see the small bulbils (baby agave) forming among the flowers above.  The bulbils will continue to grow and will receive nourishment from the stalk.  If left alone, the bulbils will eventually fall to the ground and root under ideal conditions.  They can be removed from the flowering stalk and planted, but do best if left until they have formed at least four leaves.

An agave in the desert that has died after flowering

An agave in the desert that has died after flowering.

very large agave stalk

Close-up of the, now dead, stalk (inflourescence)

Bulbils of the Octopus Agave close up

Bulbils on the flowering stalk of an Octopus Agave (Agave vilmorniana) They are ready to be picked off and can be planted in well-drained soil.

Early on as a horticulture student, I fell in love with Octopus Agave and I bought my first one at a plant sale.  I planted it in a large pot and it thrived.  Years later, the flowering stalk started to grow.  I was both excited and a little sad.  I was happy because it was finally achieving it’s crowning glory….and sad because I knew it would eventually die at the end after finishing it’s life’s work.

Matured agave bulbils grown into young plants

However, that is not the end of the story….my original Agave lives on.  I took two bulbils from it’s stalk and planted them (above) and they are ready to be planted out in my garden. (Actually, I could have planted them much sooner).

**Note the little seedling coming up on the left side of the pot.  My son planted the seed, but we aren’t sure what it is.  I think he might have planted an apple seed.  We shall see….

A Rainbow Of Color In The Desert Garden

Journey with me through the garden to see the rainbow of color that awaits…. inspired by my fellow blogger, Rebecca of Prefer To Be In The Garden.

Globe Mallow

  Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua)

RED blossoms cover my Globe Mallow in January.  Bees happily collect pollen from their cup-shaped flowers.  The bees are grateful that blooms will continue until the summer months arrive.

Red Yucca

 Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora)

RED plumes of flowers with their yellow throats decorate the Red Yucca in my father-in-law’s garden.  Flowering will continue until fall for this succulent plant.

Desert Garden, Orange Jubilee

Desert Garden, Orange Jubilee (Tecoma x Jubilee)

ORANGE tubular flowers entice hummingbirds throughout the year on my Orange Jubilee shrub that grows over 6 ft. tall.  Although flowers slow in the winter, I was able to find some protected from the frost under the eaves of my house.

Desert Garden, Red Bird-of-Paradise

Desert Garden, Red Bird-of-Paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima)

ORANGE, red and yellow flowers cover this beautiful shrub throughout the summer and fall months.  I view them through my kitchen window and appreciate their beauty.  Butterflies love them as well.

Desert Garden, Arizona Yellow Bells

Desert Garden, Arizona Yellow Bells (Tecoma stans stans)

YELLOW flowers adorn my large Yellow Bells shrub, attracting both bees and hummingbirds.  I enjoy their blooms beginning March and lasting through November.

Desert Garden

Damianita (Chrysactinia mexicana)

YELLOW, daisy-like flowers bloom throughout the winter and spring on this low-growing ground cover.  Bright winter color, drought-tolerant and low-maintenance makes this perennial a favorite of mine. 

Desert Garden

Smooth Leaf Agave (Agave desmettiana)

GREEN leaves of my Agave are wet with raindrops after a November rain.

Floss Silk Tree

Floss Silk Tree (Ceiba speciosa / formerly Chorisia speciosa)

GREEN colors the trunk of the Floss Silk tree, decorated with circular thorns. 

Blue Viola

Blue Viola

BLUE Violas with their yellow throats brighten a winter’s day.

Rosemary

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

BLUE, tiny flowers bloom among the leaves, proving that Rosemary is not just a popular herb, but is also beautiful.

Baja Ruellia

 Baja Ruellia (Ruellia peninsularis) 

PURPLE flowers decorated with white and yellow, decorate this lovely shrub with beautiful blossoms throughout the entire year.

Goodding's Verbena

Goodding’s Verbena (Glandularia gooddingii)

PURPLE clusters of flowers nestle between boulders on this Verbena plant.

What kind of plants and flowers make up the rainbow in your garden? 

Using Plants In Place of Curtains

January Flowers

During this exceptionally rainy week, we did have a one day’s respite from the rain. I love how clean the landscape looks after it rains.

Blooming Plants

 Aloe flower

I took advantage of the sunny day and went out to do errands, when I came upon on some blooming plants. So, I whipped out my small camera, which I always carry for opportunities like this and started snapping pictures.

Blooming Plants

 Cuphea Bloom

Blooming Plants

Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa)

Chuparosa

Chuparosa (Justicia californica)

I believe that we appreciate any plant that blooms in January because the majority of plants are dormant during the winter.  This is also true in the desert.  During the summer months, the landscape is riot of color.  The winter months can bring shades of brown to the landscape…yet, I am so thankful for the plants that wait until winter to produce their blooms for me to enjoy.

Face Off With a Tarantula…

Working as a horticulturist on golf courses meant that I came face to face with wildlife from time to time.  Often, I would see them ahead of time and would react accordingly.  Sometimes however, I was surprised at what I found and where…

I wrote about my Face Off With Wild Pigs earlier this month.  Now, I would like to share with you a new story of a face off that occurred between myself and a tarantula.  

tarantula

Wikimedia Commons: Albertwap (CC-by-SA license)

Cute and fuzzy isn’t it?

Okay, not really.

My story begins as I was driving in my little maintenance golf-cart checking large planting areas alongside the road.  The plants were all watered with drip-irrigation and connected to irrigation valves.  These valves were located inside of irrigation valve boxes in the ground.

The top of the valve boxes are covered with a plastic lid and I would periodically open them in order to turn on a valve manually.

That is what I was doing on this summer’s day. I had my floppy hat on (absolutely vital for fair-skinned people like me), my gloves and my screwdriver, which I used to open the valve lid.

bugs inside

Now for those of you who have opened a valve box, it is common to find bugs inside.  I was used to finding crickets, sometimes small roaches and rarely a scorpion.  As a result, I ALWAYS wore my gloves and would look inside before putting my gloved hand inside.

Well, this particular day, I opened the lid of a valve box and found a tarantula staring up at me.  I had never seen a tarantula in a valve box before.  He was kind of cute as far as tarantulas go, I guess.

I sat there pondering what I should do….the plants really needed some water.  So, I worked up my courage and I actually spoke to the tarantula.  I said, “I am just going to put my hand in slowly to turn on this valve.  I won’t hurt you if you don’t hurt me.”

Now, I’m not sure if he understood me, but I put my hand inside and turned on the valve and he left me alone!  Afterward, I was kind of proud of myself, but sadly there wasn’t anyone around to applaud my bravery 😉

I went back an hour later to turn off the water and my new friend was gone…

But, I learned my lesson that day – always look before putting your hand inside of a valve box and always wear gloves.

Face Off With Wild Pigs

Working on golf courses provided me with many opportunities to interact with our native wildlife.  Now, most of my interactions were welcome – roadrunners, jackrabbits,  even baby raccoons.  Some encounters were unexpected – snakes, tarantulas and coyotes.  But there was one animal with which I waged a constant battle…the Javelina, also know as the Wild Pig.

native wildlife

Javelina (Collard Peccary) Photo by Wing-Chi Poon

Now Javelina are not actually pigs, but are pig-like mammals that are native to the Southwestern region of the United States, ranging southwards into Central and South America.

Okay, first of all, you can smell them before you can see them.  There is no polite way to state this – they stink.  They travel in small herds and love to eat just about anything.  They can eat cactus out in the desert, but will ignore that in exchange for what is growing in your garden.

My personal battle with javelina was due to the fact that two of the golf courses I worked at had 36 tee boxes and each were planted with flowers.  In the summer, I would plant Lantana, which was beautiful and the Javelina did not touch.  But, in the winter, they loved to eat whatever type of annual flower I planted, leaving torn up plants and dirt as proof that they had been there.

native wildlife

Purple Petunias planted at the tee box.

Believe it or not, Petunias, Pansies and Geraniums are listed on the Javelina Resistant Plants list.  But, evidently, the Javelina did not read this list because they happily ate all of mine.

Now, I knew I had to do something besides replacing annuals up to three times a week.  The members of the golf courses wanted flowers and I was tired of making endless trips to the nursery in order to pick up replacement plants and it was eating into my budget.  So, I did some research. 

native wildlife

Pink Petunias with Eremophila ‘Valentine’ in the background.

Some people swore that putting shavings of “Irish Spring” soap would keep them away.  Others said that human hair would do the trick.  I honestly did not try any of these because I had seen them fail before.  But, there are some products that have had some limited success.  The first are coyote urine products that seems to help keep them away, (I didn’t want to try this one for obvious reasons).  The second is Liquid Fence, which must applied frequently and the third is Dr. T’s Squirrel Repellent.

I used Dr. T’s Squirrel Repellent with some success.  It did not eliminate the problem, but it did help decrease the amount of flowers being eaten by the Javelina.

*I did discover that the favorite thing the they would eat, was citrus fruit.  So in the winter, when citrus fruit was plentiful on the trees, the Javelina would mostly ignore my flowers.  In the summer, they would eat the seedpods from the Mesquite trees.

Geranium Flower

Geranium Flower

There are plants that Javelina are less likely to eat, but if they are hungry enough, they will eat anything.  For years, they never ate the Geraniums I had planted on the golf course.  But, one year, they came in and ate them all.  So, no plant is completely resistant to them.  The following link will send you to a list of plants that are somewhat resistant to Javelina  – be sure to cross out Petunia, Pansy and Geraniums off of the list ;-).

*Annuals that are usually resistant to Javelina include Euryops Daisy, Bacoba, Snapdragons as well as Fern Leaf Lavender.

So the outcome was that I did win some battles, but the Javelina ultimately won the war….

Thankfully, the planters were removed during a golf course renovation and now perennials are now planted in their place, which are ignored by the Javelina.  Unfortunately, this occurred after I had left….

A Garden Arises From a Mountain of Trash

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During a visit to a park, I came upon a beautiful little garden that rests on top of 2.2 million tons of trash.  This small succulent garden is but a very small part of the park which rests upon a recently closed landfill.

beautiful little garden

Newly planted cacti, aloe and agave.  Ocotillo stand in the background. In the background, you can see that the walls are made of wire encased stones.

This landfill was closed in 2005 and the new park has not officially opened.  However, that did not keep me and my husband from exploring.

beautiful little garden

A collection of Mammillaria backebergiana. Many of them were getting ready to flower.

beautiful little garden

 Close-up of the flowers beginning to open. I love how the flowers form a ring around this little cactus.

We hiked to the top of the park, (or should I say, the top of the trash heap), which is the second highest point in the city.  Once at the top, it is very easy to view the surrounding mountains (Superstition, San Tan, South Mountain, the McDowell’s and Four Peaks).

beautiful little garden

A collection of Green Strawberry Hedgehog (Echinocereus enneacanthus engelmannii) and young Aloe.

beautiful little garden

There is just something I love about a boulder with lots of character like this one.  They add so much texture to the garden and you don’t have to water or prune them.

The canal runs by the park and paths for both bikes and horses encircle the park.

beautiful little garden

Mammillaria macdougalii 

As you can see from the photo above, contrary to popular opinion, cacti and other succulents do best when watered initially until they become established.  By using drip-irrigation, it is very easy to just plug up the emitters later or put on an adjustable emitter.

*Note how the emitter is not placed up right next to this cactus – it is placed a little ways away to help keep the roots from rotting. 

young Agave

A young Agave desmettiana and the Mammillaria receive water from the drip-irrigation system. The plantings in the far background look very sparse, but will grow very  quickly. 

Mountain of Trash

 I love how recycled, broken concrete was used to build the walls of this garden.

I love that used recycled, broken concrete was utilized to make the walls of this succulent garden.  

A Garden Arises From a Mountain of Trash

The garden is covered with canvas shade panels which look like they can be easily removed once the cacti and other succulents become established.

*Many cacti and succulents do best when temporary shade is provided when they are moved and transplanted.

I had a wonderful time visiting, but all too soon it was time to leave….for the grocery store.

A Garden Arises From a Mountain of Trash

But, I will be back soon….

*Please click the following link for more information about The Paseo Vista Recreational Area

Why Did The Tortoise Cross The Road?

To be honest, I have never wondered why before, until I met a desert tortoise who wanted to cross a road.

desert tortoise

Desert Tortoise, Stock Photo

My encounter with a desert tortoise occurred while I was on my way home in the late afternoon and I was traveling from a rather isolated community in the desert.  

I had just turned onto a two lane road when I noticed something starting to walk into the road ahead.  I slowed down and as I got closer I saw that it was a tortoise.

Well, there were several cars behind me who could not see the tortoise.  At the rate he was traveling, he was not going to survive to make it to the other side.  So, I stopped my car, put on my emergency blinker lights, and got out, lifted him up and carried him to the other side.  

On my way back to my car, I was rewarded by the smiles of those stuck in their cars behind mine once they saw why I had stopped.

So, why did the tortoise cross the road?  I still wonder why to this day….

Is It Possible To Avoid The Winter Ugly Stage?

Do you ever wonder why some plants go through what I like to call the “Ugly Stage” of winter when they are covered with frost-damaged growth, while the exact same plant(s), located close by do not?  Is their any possible way to avoid this “ugly stage” besides covering your plants during freezing nights?  

frost damaged

My frost-damaged Bougainvillea.  Not too pretty, is it?
 It can be cumbersome to cover your plants each night when freezing temperatures are forecast…you have to pay attention to the forecast, rush out in the freezing cold to cover them and hope you have enough old sheets and towels to do the job….or rush to the nursery to buy frost cloth.  And, if you forget to do it for one night, all your hard work the previous nights, was for nothing…

Luckily, there are some easy solutions you can implement in order to avoid this “ugly stage”.

frost damaged

Isn’t it amazing that there is beauty in dead leaves?

Bougainvillea grow very well in the desert, but will suffer from frost damage in the winter months.  Now, I am okay with that….Bougainvillea look beautiful 9 months out of the year and I ignore them for the other 3.  I thought this was just the way things were, until I was driving down a residential street about 10 years ago and saw a beautiful Pink Bougainvillea surrounded by frost damaged ones.  What was so different about this one I wondered?  Well, it was obvious as I looked at it’s surroundings.  This particular Bougainvillea was located underneath the canopy of a Mesquite tree, which protected it from the cold.

frost damaged

This is what my protected Bougainvillea looks like.  The canopy of my Palo Verde tree provides protection from frost damage.

How simple the solution was, I thought.  So, I decided to put this into practice whenever I designed landscapes, including my own.  I would place frost-susceptible plants under trees and underneath the eaves of a house where they would be protected from freezing temperatures.  I would use trees that provided light, filtered shade such as Palo Verde and Mesquite, because many plants will not bloom under heavy shade trees.

frost damaged

This Bougainvillea enjoys protection from the eaves of the house.

frost damaged

Frost damaged Lantana

The same holds true for Lantana.  Out in the open, Lantana does get damaged by the frost.  However, by placing them under the eaves or underneath a tree, they usually escape frost damage.

Lantana

I designed this area and had the Lantana placed underneath the overhanging eaves of this building.  This photo was taken in January.

So, if you love Bougainvillea, Lantana or other frost-susceptible plants but have avoided using them because you can’t stand their “ugly stage” in the winter – there is hope!  Try planting them underneath the protection of a tree or under the eaves of your home and enjoy year-round green leaves and beautiful flowers.  Or just accept that they will go through their annual 3 month “ugly stage” and focus instead on your winter-flowering plants instead 😉 As this year ends and a new one begins, I would like to thank those of you who have taken the time to read what I write and have left comments as well.  

I wish for all of you a very 
Happy New Year.

I Have a Confession To Make…

favorite flowers

Favorite flowers, Mr. Lincoln

My favorite hybrid tea

I have a confession to make….

My favorite flowers in the whole world are roses.  Okay, that isn’t my confession, but I will get to that later. 

In my previous home, I had over 40 rose bushes that I had planted and lovingly cared for, which I wrote about in an earlier post, which you can read here if you like.

Okay, so here is my confession….I do not have any roses currently growing in my garden.  Sad, isn’t it?  As much as I write about roses, I think that it is tragic that my favorite flower in the whole world does not currently have a place in my garden.

I have made two attempts at growing roses in my current garden with mixed results.  I believe that the reasons that I did not succeed were that the exposure was just not right.  They were located next to a brick wall, which tends to absorb the heat of the day and does not cool down in the evening and so does not allow the roses to take a break from the heat.  The other reason is that back then, I spent my work days designing and maintaining landscapes and at the end of the day I was too tired to work on my own garden and give my roses the attention they deserved.

favorite flowers

John F. Kennedy (Hybrid Tea Rose)

This was one of my attempts at growing roses in my current garden a few years ago.

Well, I have decided that life is too short not to grow the flowers that I love most.  That and the fact that since I now work solely as a Landscape Consultant, I instruct people on how to achieve the garden they want; I don’t do the work myself, so I have lots more energy to work on my own garden.

I have also found a new area in the garden that I think will work.  It faces east and will receive afternoon shade, which is important in the summer months, because roses do not like the intense desert afternoon sun.

I have decided to try growing 3 different varieties of English Roses.  In my previous home, I grew mostly hybrid teas and a few English Roses.  I love the appearance and fragrance of the English Roses and from my experience, were easier to maintain.

favorite flowers

Here is another one of my early roses, but I cannot remember which variety it was.

So now, I am happily trying to decide what 3 varieties of English Roses I will try.  Bare-root season for our area is in January.  So I have to make my decision now, so I can place my order.

For those of you who have grown English Roses, what are your favorite varieties?  I could use some suggestions.  I have grown Abraham Darby and Sweet Juliet in the past with good results, but I would love your input.

**From my photos of hybrid tea roses, it should be obvious that I don’t have any photos of English Roses, so I hope my English Roses take off quickly so I can take lots of pictures of them to share with you.