Surveying the Yard

5/28/12

spruce tree

     After battling ants invading in several areas of the house (diatomaceous earth works great against them), field mice nibbling the cardboard boxes piled in the garage, and carpenter bees with their nest right above the front door, (isn't moving fun?), and four days of cloudy, rainy weather, I finally got our in the yard to find our what is growing there.

     There are a variety of trees.  Some of the trees planted too close to the house now hover over it like menacing giants.  Or maybe I have just forgotten how tall trees are here, after living in the desert where the average tree was 12 feet tall.

     There is a spruce tree, an oak and a holly tree on one side of the house.

oak tree

holly tree

     Much of the yard has not been cared for in a long time.  There has been very little pruning done.  On the other side of the house there is a mixture of bushes all grown into one another that were up to the second story windows:  azaleas, laurels, acubas.  My husband trimmed them to their current height.

mixture of laurel, azalea, and acuba bushes.

     I also discovered lots of false strawberry growing throughout the yard and lawn.  It's become invasive, but since we are renting this place for just a while, I don't think I am going to worry about it.

false strawberry

     Here is a photo of one of the coleus the deer chewed on under the cherry trees in front.   I thought about buying some ferns or periwinkle to put under the trees when I was at the garden center yesterday.  But I resisted since we won't be in this house that long.  I just bought some annuals to brighten the deck area, which will be in my next post.

coleus chewed by deer

     On this Memorial Day, I remember and thank all veterans, including my dad and my husband, for their service to our country

Living Among the Cherries and Maples

5/20/12

cherry trees in front yard

     Hello from zone 7a!  What a change moving from the dry desert brown of zone 9b to the lush green of zone 7a in northern Virginia.  We are surrounded by boxes from the move but we are making progress.

     I haven't looked over the whole yard yet to see exactly what's growing, but we have two huge cherry trees and three Japanese laceleaf maples in the front yard.

Japanese laceleaf maple tree

     I have never had laceleaf maples in a yard before, and they are wide compared to their height with a mushroon/mounding shape.  The leaves are very lacy and delicate-looking.

Japanese laceleaf maple leaves

     The backyard is small with maples, oaks, and other trees and backs up to a heavily wooded area that is a highway for the deer and foxes.  I've forgotten what it's like to live with deer.  My son brought me some coleus to plant under the two cherry trees in front, which were promptly chewed on by the deer.

backyard and woods beyond

     There are red and white azalea bushes on the side and front of the house which are badly in need of pruning.  I'll survey the rest of the yard soon, and start some pruning.  I may grow some vegetables and flowers in pots inside the backyard fence so the deer won't get them.  But first I have to find the rest of my dishes.

New Clothes for a New Garden

4/22/12

new gloves and hat

     I have bought a new hat and gloves as a way to celebrate gardening in a new place.  As my husband's work here is done, we are moving back to Virginia, and I am thrilled.  I've been waiting for this move for a long time.  I won't be doing extensive gardening at first, because we are renting for a while, but I will be able to plant some annuals in the yard and do some some container  gardening.  And, strangely enough, we ended up renting about six blocks from where we used to live.  I've been packing for the last two weeks, and I have had my fill of boxes, tape, bubble wrap and packing paper.  The movers are coming the end of this week, so this will be my last post for a few weeks.

     Here are a few things I learned about gardening and living in Arizona.

dried grass clippings as mulch

     Nothing decays here, it only dessicates.  I have put grass clippings on my flower garden, and after a year the clippings are still sitting on top of the soil, all brown and dry and crisp.  Since we get very little rain ( four inches last year), and the garden is watered by drip irrigation at each plant, most of the garden gets very little water on top of it.

vinca and celosia

     Solar radiation is much stronger here in the desert southwest (more than twice the solar radiation received by humid regions) because there is no humidity, little living ground cover, and no clouds.  We have gone for months without seeing a cloud.  So the skies can transmit maximal solar energy to the ground where much of it is absorbed, raising the temperature dramatically.  Because of the heat, not much flowers here June to mid-September.  The only flowers in my garden during that time are vinca and celosia.

chard

     It is tricky growing vegetables here.  The last freeze date is around March 1, and the first 100 F day usually occurs in April.  In the fall, the temperature drops to  85 to 90 F by October, but the first freeze date can be mid-November.

     Although I am not a desert-loving person, the desert has its beauty.

Palo Verde tree

My favorite of all natives here is the Palo Verde tree, so golden and graceful.

     Red Yucca with its skyward red spikes.

     Prickly but nicely rounded Golden Barrel cactus.

     I'll be posting in a few weeks from the more humid and much greener climate of northern Virginia.  Hooray! 

Spring in the Desert - Part 2

4/15/12



bush morning glory

      Last week I posted photos of what's been happening in the flower garden the last three weeks.  This week let's walk the backyard path, and we'll see what has been going on in the yard.

     The bush morning glory shrubs have been blooming for a month now and are coming to the end of their bloom period.

lime blossoms

     All the citrus trees (orange, grapefruit, lime) blossomed.  There were many more orange and lime blossoms this year.

nectarine blossoms

nectarine fruit

     The yellow nectarine tree is still blooming.  And I can see some fruits just starting to grow.

purple fountain grass

     After being pruned to 12 inches this winter, the purple fountain grass is growing nicely.

hopseed bush

hopseed bush

     Hundreds of seed pods cover the hopseed bushes.  Some of the seed pods are red, and some are mostly white with just a hint of pink around the edges.

yellow bells

     The yellow bells are blossoming, but somewhat sparsely this year.

deer grass

     The deer grass, which was getting kind of brown, was finally pruned this year and looks lush and green now.

lantana

     The lantana (purple, white, yellow, orange and red) have all finally decided it was warm enough to flower.

lizards

     Because of the walls around the back yard, we don't get wildlife visitors like javelina (peccaries) or coyotes, but we do have resident lizards.

Spring in the Desert

4/8/12

backyard  view from house

     While I was gone for my visit to Virginia, my garden and yard burst into bloom.  The middle of March to the middle of April is the best time of the year here.  This is the time when the desert blooms, and the weather is the most pleasant, with temperatures running from the mid 70's to high 80's.

     This is the view out my kitchen window  into the backyard.  Let's walk through the garden and I will show you what's blossoming.

gazania

gazania

     I have several gazania of different colors.  Above are photos of two: a burnt-orange and white variety and a yellow-orange variety.

red rose



white rose


     My rose bushes are blooming away and have several blooms and buds.  I've been bringing fresh cut roses in the house.  Above are a red Mr. Lincoln rose and a white Honor rose.

marigold

strawflower

cosmos

ornamental cabbage

     My marigolds scattered throughout the garden have just started blooming, as well as the strawflowers and cosmos, but the ornamental cabbage has gone to seed.

red mum

     I bought this potted red mum at the grocery last fall.  I planted it in the yard after blooming, and it has buds so will soon bloom again.

blue cup

     My blue cup plants are the color standouts in the garden now.

view of half of the flower garden

     Next week I'll show you what's happening in the yard.

Merrifield Garden Center

3/30/12



entrance to the garden center

      While visiting relatives in northern Virginia, I strolled through Merrifield Garden Center.  This is the garden center where I bought most of my trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals when I lived in that area.  It is a peaceful oasis in the midst of a rapidly growing suburban area.

     It covers several acres and carries almost everything a gardener needs or wants.  The center also holds classes throughout the year.  Come along with me and enjoy a walk through the garden center in the following photos.

annual area

sun perennials

fountains

shade perennials

tree section

benches

shrubs

ponds

evergreen section

garden statues and birdbaths

vines

pots

groundcovers

watering cans

     There is also an area with several kinds of mulch, rock and gravel, a tropical greenhouse, and a large store where you can purchase everything from gardening tools to gloves. They will deliver mulch, rock, soil, and sand by the truckload if you need it.  The center also has several landscape designers that will help you plan your landscape. You can get an education just by walking through the center. It's a great place.