Tropical Beauty and Silence…..

Caribbean Vacation

I love visiting tropical places, don’t you?

Some of you may not have noticed, but I have been gone on vacation for the past.

I do love the capability to schedule my blog posts so that I don’t have a one week lapse in my blog.

Well, my family and I have just returned home from a vacation to the Caribbean.

Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea

I would love to tell you all about it, but I can’t……

At least not verbally.

You see, I haven’t been able to speak for the past three days.

Caribbean Vacation

If I could speak to you, I would tell you about the beautiful plants and gardens that I saw.

However, I can show you pictures of some of the strange and unusual plants that I saw….

Caribbean Vacation

 I would remark at how warm and beautiful the ocean water was and the breathtaking beach views.

Caribbean Vacation, St. Thomas

Caribbean Vacation, St. Thomas

We were able to visit St. Maarten, St. Thomas and the Bahamas.

Even if I cannot speak, I can still show you pictures of some of the plants that I saw that I cannot identify, hoping that maybe some of you may know what they are.  Like this flowering tree below….

Caribbean Vacation

If only I could speak, I would tell you that we had a wonderful time with our entire family.

We went with my husband’s parents and his sister’s family.

Caribbean Vacation

I was sad to see our vacation end.  But, I must say that I glad to be home again.

There is nothing that can compare to sleeping in your own bed, don’t you agree?

St. Maarten

 St. Maarten

I am thankful that I do not need to rely on my voice to communicate with all of you 🙂

Sadly, that is not true with trying to communicate with my family.

Unfortunately, I lost my voice on the last day of our vacation.

Yesterday, I visited the doctor, who diagnosed me with not only a virus that is affecting my vocal cords, but also with pneumonia.

I have never had pneumonia before…..

My mother stopped by today with lunch and to give me some TLC.

You know what?  You never outgrow your need for a little mothering now and then 🙂

***************************

I hope that you are all staying well.

I am going to take a nap now……

A Wonderful Memory…..

One of My Favorite Things…..Hiking the Superstition Mountains

Hiking is very popular here in the Desert Southwest.  I enjoy hiking with my husband and family during the cooler months of the year.

Last year, my husband and drove to the Superstition Mountains, which is located just outside of the Phoenix metro area.  

Superstition Mountains

The Superstition Mountains are a very popular destination among hikers.

Some are hoping to perhaps find the legendary gold of the Lost Dutchman’s Mine.  The legend is that a German immigrant, returning from the California gold rush, decided to search for gold in these mountains.

The story says that he came to Phoenix in the 1870’s with bags of gold and bragged that he had found  a huge amount of gold in the mountains, worth millions of dollars.  He would not reveal the exact location of his gold mine, but he implied that it was located in the Superstition Mountains.

Superstition Mountains

He died in the 1880’s and some say that he revealed the location of the mine to the woman who was caring for him as he lay dying.  Since his death, thousands of people have searched for his legendary mine, but it has never been found.

People still search for the mine to this day.  So, why has no one found it?

Well, one reason may be that the Superstition Mountains occupy an area of over 159,000 acres, with rugged terrain.  Many people become lost in the wilderness.  

Superstition Mountains

Another possible reason is that the mine maybe never existed in the first place.

The reason that we visited the Superstition Mountains was purely selfish on my part……

Superstition Mountains

And no, I wasn’t searching for gold.

I wanted to enjoy a day of hiking in the beautiful outdoors with my husband and without my kids.

Isn’t that awfully selfish?

I encourage those of you who live close enough to visit these beautiful mountains.  There are many different hiking trails that will take you to different areas of the Superstition Mountain wilderness.

You will enjoy your visit to this beautiful place, even if you do not ‘discover’ the Lost Dutchman’s Mine 😉

You can find more information about the Superstition Mountains here.

********************************

I am so appreciative for those of you who take a couple of minutes to visit my Birds & Blooms blog.  

Here is my latest post…

Bright, Sunny Flowers All Year

Some of my Favorite Things…..Butterflies

There is just something about the miraculous transformation that a caterpillar undergoes resulting into a beautiful creature.  I think that is what continue to amaze us, even as adults.  

beautiful creature

 Painted Lady

Last spring, my kids and I raised butterflies ourselves using a kit that I had found at Costco.  

beautiful creature

My daughter, Gracie, getting ready to let her butterflies free.

It was so much fun seeing them transform before our eyes and then getting ready to let them go.

It is hard for me to think of them as insects…..

I don’t particularly enjoy holding caterpillars in my hand, but I find intense enjoyment when a butterfly alights on my hand.

It is sometimes hard for me to get a good picture of a butterfly…..

Swallowtail feeding upon Lantana

Swallowtail feeding upon Lantana.

Believe me, I have tried, but they usually turn out blurry, like the one above.

Butterflies do not seem to understand that they need to sit still so that I can get the ‘perfect’ shot with my camera 😉

Thankfully, there are always butterfly pavilions at our local botanic garden where the butterflies are content to stay still so that I can take their picture…..  

Beautiful creature

Beautiful creature

How about you?

Have you had luck taking pictures of butterflies? 

********************

Please come and see my latest Birds & Blooms post

Beautiful Native Shrub With a Floral Surprise

The ‘Perfect’ Cupcake

What comes to mind when you think of the ‘perfect’ cupcake?  For me, I think of a little bit of cake underneath tons of frosting 😉

Or if you are like my husband, decorated cupcakes are your favorite…

Decorated Cupcakes

Decorated Cupcakes

He especially likes the ones with edible toppings…

Decorated Cupcakes

Which is probably why that is usually the kind of cupcake that I make.

Decorated Cupcakes

I think what often comes to mind when you mention the word ‘cupcake’ to some homeowners and most landscapers is a perfectly shaped, flowering shrub.

I came upon one of these ‘perfect’ cupcakes the other day, as I was finishing up a consultation.  

Texas Sage shrub

What do you think?

Most of the flower buds have been pruned off and the remaining foliage is so dense that it does not show light through to the interior of this Texas Sage shrub.

Eventually, there will be large dead areas and this shrub will decline and die.

Thankfully, this shrub did not belong to my client (it was her neighbor’s).

You can read much more about this type of pruning and why it should not be done by reading my post, Flowering Shrubs Aren’t Meant to be Cupcakes, Poodles and Frisbees.

Thankfully, my client was not the one who owned this particular shrub.  She actually loves the natural shape of shrubs. 

************************

Please read my latest Birds & Blooms blog post…..

Stormy Weather and Ruffled Feathers

Which Would You Prefer? Poodled or Natural?

,

Anyone who has spent any time with me in the garden, soon learns how much I dislike formal pruning of flowering shrubs and desert trees.  In the plant industry, we sometimes refer to this type of pruning as ‘poodle pruning’ because of the over abundance of round-shaped trees and shrubs.

I spend a lot of time with clients, teaching them how to properly prune their trees and shrubs and most of the time it does not involve the use of a hedge trimmer.  

I recommend throwing away your hedge trimmers if you are tempted to use them on your native, desert plants and use only loppers and hand pruners 😉

Over ten years ago, the community where I was working asked me to do a consultation for the local church.  Part of the consultation involved going over the current maintenance practices.  This church had a Texas Ebony tree (Ebenopsis ebano) that had not been pruned correctly.  In fact, there were signs that the infamous hedge trimmers had been hard at work…..

Poodled or Natural

Now you may not think that this Texas Ebony tree looks all this bad.  There may even be some of you who think that most trees should be maintained this way.

Well the reasons for not pruning your trees this way are many:

– Repeated shearing blocks the sunlight from reaching the interior branches, causing their eventual death which leaves large dead areas which are unattractive.

– This same type of pruning actually increases the maintenance required, because each time you prune, the tree works hard to replace the leaves lost.  Remember, it is the leaves that make the food for the tree.

– This extra growth also requires the tree to take more water, which is already a precious resource here in the Southwest.

Now if those reasons do not convince you, please look at the photo below of the same tree, which is now being maintained as I had recommended….

Poodled or Natural

You know what?  It is so incredibly rewarding to revisit a landscape when those in charge have implemented some of my suggestions.  Sadly, that doesn’t always happen 😉

Doesn’t this Texas Ebony look beautiful?

Now, a yearly pruning using a lopper or pruning saw is all this tree requires instead of multiple visits using a hedge trimmer.

Prune any dead and/or crossing branches and any over-reaching side branches as desired.  Raise the tree canopy gradually until you reach the desired height above the ground.

Texas Ebony is a slow-growing tree with beautiful, dark green leaves.  It does have thorns, so be sure to wear gloves and keep away from high traffic areas.  Brown seed pods appear later in the year.

If the photos above have not convinced you not to prune your Texas Ebony into a ‘ball’, are some other examples of others that have been pruned to accentuate their natural shape…

Poodled or Natural
Poodled or Natural

So, which one would you rather have in your garden?

Poodled or Natural
Poodled or Natural

****************************

I would like to thank you all for your nice comments about my new Southwest blog at BirdsandBloomsblog.com

Here is a related post about formal pruning that you can read if you like:

Flowering Shrubs Aren’t Meant to be Cupcakes, Poodles or Frisbees

Are You Ready?

I spent last week visiting with a client who was worried that he had lost 80% of his plants to the hard freeze that we had experienced earlier this winter.

I must admit that there was more brown then green in his garden, like the majority of homeowners in our area.  Countless homeowners are anxiously waiting until it is time to start pruning back their frost-damaged shrubs and perennials (myself included).

Personally, I can’t wait to prune back my Bush Lantana, which is not only ugly, but acts like a magnet for trash on a windy day.

Crispy-looking plants

Crispy-looking plants

Drive through any neighborhood in the Phoenix metro area and you will see a lot of brown, crispy-looking plants.

Dwarf Oleander…….

Crispy-looking plants

Bougainvillea….

Crispy-looking plants

Natal Plum….

Crispy-looking plants

I think that I will stop here with showing photos of brown, crispy plants because it is getting a bit depressing.

Okay, so here is the big question that I am being asked a lot lately.

“When can I start pruning back this ugly brown stuff?”

The answer is that you can start once the last average date for frost has passed for your area.

Where I live, in the Phoenix metro area, this is usually the beginning of March.

Soon you will see scores of homeowners digging out their loppers and hand pruners and joyfully start pruning off the ‘brown stuff’ off of their plants.

So, this leads to the next question,

“How can I tell if my plants are even alive?”

Well, this is usually quite easy to figure out.  Remember the client who thought that they had lost 80% of his plants to the hard freeze?  Well, after looking at all of his plants, I only discovered 3 young  lantana that probably did not make it.

This is what I do to tell if a plant is still alive:

Go towards the base of the plant and bend the stems/branches.  If they snap off easily, then that part of the plant is dead.  However, if the stem/branch is flexible and ‘bendy’ then there is live tissue inside.  Even if the branch/stem does break off, look to see if there is live growth inside.    

Below, is a photo of a frost-damaged Bush Lantana that I broke off a small stem off of to see if there was live tissue inside.

Crispy-looking plants

If you look carefully, you can see the light-green interior of the branch.  So, this Lantana will recover, but should have all frost-damaged growth removed.

Another clue to look for to be able to tell if your plants are still alive is to look underneath, towards the bottom.  Below, is a photo of a severely frost-damaged Dwarf Oleander that has green leaves underneath.  So, it will recover from the frost-damage.

frost damage

Okay, now for our last question,

“How do I know how much to prune off of my frost-damaged plants?”

The simple answer is that you prune back to where you see new leaves emerging OR where the branches have live tissue inside.

frost damage

This Bougainvillea branch (above) has suffered frost damage.  However, look closely.  Can you see the change in color in the branch, from the left side to the right side?

The brown-colored part of the branch on the left side is dead, while the green-color on the right side of the branch indicates that that part is alive.  So, prune where the live part of the branch begins at the closest leaf bud.

If you wait a few weeks and let your frost-damaged plants have a chance to leaf out, that is an even easier way to tell what parts of your plants are alive and what parts are not.

Want more information on how to prune back frost-damaged plants?  Check out “Spring Cleaning In The Garden”.  

**************************

Well, the day of my ‘big announcement’ is almost here!  

A Flowering Willow…..A Lesser Known Tree for the Garden

You know what?  Sometimes life gets so busy and crazy.  Now, I am sure that none of you are surprised by my ‘earth-shattering’ statement.  But that is how I am feeling today.  Life is full of both grief and joy and it is strange to feel both emotions at the same time, isn’t it?

Wow….I am really getting quite philosophical now.  I had better concentrate on plants, since I did not do all that well in my philosophy class in college 😉

This will be the last ‘lesser-know’ plant that we will focus on for at least a little while.  Spring is on its way and it is time to concentrate on other gardening topics.

In some ways, I have saved the best for last.  One of my favorite things that I enjoy on a hot, summer day is the welcome beauty and shade from a tree.

What if the tree not only provided shade and attractive foliage, but also had beautiful flowers?  Would you want one in your garden?  I certainly do…. I have 4.

Desert Willow

Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) is a visual oasis in the summer garden.

I like the term ‘visual oasis’, don’t you?  I may need to use that term more often 🙂

Besides being beautiful, here are some more reasons that I think you should include this small tree in your garden.

Desert Willow

Native to the desert Southwest

Drought tolerant, although supplemental water keeps it looking its best.

My trees are connected to my irrigation drip system.

Hardy to 0 degrees F.

Flowers spring through fall

Although not a willow, it does have willow-shaped leaves.

Grows fairly quickly and reaches a mature size of approximately 25 ft high and wide.

Thornless and easy to maintain

Plant in full sun and well-drained soil

Do not over water

They are deciduous, meaning that they will lose their leaves in winter and they do form seedpods.

The flowers range from pale pink to purple in the wild.  There is a variety known as ‘Lucretia Hamilton’ which is slightly smaller (20 ft high and wide) and has deep pink flowers.

Desert Willow

Desert Willow ‘Lucretia Hamilton’

There are other varieties available, some with fewer seedpods, flower colors and leaf shapes.  You can view more specific information about the different varieties here (curse down until you reach Chilopsis linearis).

I hope you have enjoyed seeing some of my favorite lesser-know plants.  If you missed some of them, here are the links:

Valentine (Eremophila maculata ‘Valentine’)

Chaparral Sage (Salvia clevelandii)

Coral Fountain (Rusellia equisetiformis)

Angelita Daisy (Tetraneuris acaulis)

Purple Lilac Vine (Hardenbergia violacea)

Mexican Honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera)

******************************

Okay, you know the big news that I have been referring to over the past few weeks?

Well, I can’t wait to tell you all about it…….

on Tuesday, March 1st

A Lesser-Known Honeysuckle….

I can think of quite a few different plants that have the word “honeysuckle” listed as part of their common name.

I am very excited to share this particular plant with you because of one trait that is sometimes hard to find in many desert-adapted plants.

What is this trait?

Well, it thrives in filtered shade.  Now for many of you, this may not mean much.  But believe it or not, it can be hard to find plants that will do well in the shade in the desert.

Mexican Honeysuckle

I would like to introduce you to Mexican Honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera).

Isn’t it beautiful?

I especially like how the bright orange flowers contrast so nicely with the light green foliage.

Mexican Honeysuckle is native to Mexico, and down through South America.

Besides being beautiful, they have quite a few wonderful characteristics that will make you sure to include some in your garden.

Long bloom period

Year-round in warmer climates

Low maintenance

Little pruning is needed and can be done in December Fertilize only if needed (can suffer from iron chlorosis), but I have not needed to fertilize them.

Attracts hummingbirds

Hardy to zone 8

Can thrive in filtered, but not heavy shade.

In the low desert, Mexican Honeysuckle does best when it receives filtered shade in the afternoon.  In other areas, you can plant it in full sun.

Drought tolerant, but does require supplemental water.

They are not fragrant, but beautiful, just the same.

I had quite a few Mexican Honeysuckle planted behind a country clubhouse in an area with bright shade.  We rarely had to prune or fertilize ours.

Mexican Honeysuckle

They do very well when planted underneath a tree that provides filtered, but not heavy shade.  Mesquite and Palo Verde trees look great with Mexican Honeysuckle planted underneath.

I also like how they look when paired with a dark green agave such as Agave lophantha and Purple Trailing Lantana (Lantana montevidensis).

I hope you decide to try this beautiful lesser-know Honeysuckle.

*************************

On another note, I am almost ready to reveal my ‘special announcement’.

I will give you hint though…..

I have been busy writing quite a bit lately and not just for my personal blog.

No, I am not writing a book, but may someday 😉

I hope you all have a great week!  

An Imaginary Land With Real Plants

What to do With a Dirty Chicken? Give it a Bath…..

I was planning on continuing my series of posts of “Lesser Known Plants for the Garden” today…..that is until I saw my sister’s latest blog post.

Now for those of you who may not be familiar with my youngest sister; she is a resident of Double S Farms where she lives with her family and my mother.  They are just a 5 minute drive from my house.


Last year, my sister decided to start raising chickens.  She took some classes and built a chicken coop with her husband’s help.  Then the chicks arrived in the mail…..they were absolutely adorable.

Start raising chickens

Start raising chickens

Since then, we have been witness to their antics….

Start raising chickens

They love eating food that drops from the kid’s dinner plates.  In this case macaroni and cheese.

Start raising chickens

 Trying to find some vegetables to eat….

And grateful recipients of their eggs…..

Start raising chickens

For those of you who have raised chickens, you know that sometimes they get dirty (you know where), and that can cause their eggs to also be dirty when they are laid.

Well, this was happening to my sister’s chicken, Flo.  And so something had to be done to solve Flo’s dirty problem.

Well, I learned something this week.

Did you know that you can give a chicken a bath?

Give it a Bath

I have mentioned before that my sister is somewhat of a trendsetter. Just look at her gloves…..aren’t they so cute?

There was no way around it….Flo needed a bath.  Now you would think that chickens would hate baths….kind of like cats.  My sister fully expected to have a fight on her hands involving scratches from Flo’s beak and claws.

Well Flo had some surprises in store for my sister…..

Give it a Bath

Little Farmer and Littlest Farmer decided to help their mother (Chicken Farmer) to get Flo clean.

Once she was put into the warm water, she was very calm and stayed still while she was being washed.  She actually seemed to enjoy it.

The weather was in the upper 70’s that day (warmer then usual this time of year) which was perfect.

Give it a Bath

You can see how dirty the water got (Flo had just gotten done rolling the dust).

Now Flo was a clean chicken.

But my sister wasn’t through yet….

Give it a Bath

Flo needed to be dried off.  Believe it or not, she didn’t mind the blow dryer at all.

I am sure that my sister never thought that she would ever be using her hair dryer on a chicken 😉

The other chickens were very curious at what was going on with Flo.  Maybe they were even jealous of the beauty treatment that Flo received. 

Give it a Bath

Next week, my sister is expecting a special delivery of some new chicks.  She had so much fun picking out the new breeds that they will add to their flock.  You can read about them and see pictures from her blog post.

***********************************

I will get right back to blogging about some more lesser-known plants for you to try out in your garden.

So stay tuned 🙂

A Bright, Sunny, Lesser-Known Plant for the Garden

I wrote earlier this month about the extreme cold temperatures that we had been dealing with.  Well, we are now experiencing warmer then normal temperatures with highs hitting about 78 degrees F.  While I do love this weather, I am NOT liking how my allergies have flared up.  I am writing this with swollen, itchy and watery eyes……definitely not a pretty sight.  So, I will stay indoors, hoping that my allergy medication decides to kick in sometime soon 😉

On another note, I have enjoyed sharing with you some of the wonderful plants that are ‘lesser-known’ in the garden.

Basically, lesser-known plants are those that are underused in the garden.  I think the reason is, is that most people are so used to using the more common landscape plants, that they do not know what other alternatives are out there.  

So, if you are tired of your front landscape, looking like everyone else, then you should definitely try out some of these plants in your landscape.  So far, we have showcased Valentine, Chaparral Sage and Coral Fountain.

Today’s star is one that I have used quite a bit in the past 10 years.  Although I have seen it used in commercial plantings, it is still not seen too often in residential landscapes, which is a shame.

Angelita Daisy

Angelita Daisy (Tetraneuris acaulis formerly Hymenoxys acualis), is a must have for the garden.  I love the bright, daisy-like flowers and the little grass-like leaves.

This pretty little perennial is native to the high desert areas of the United States, but also thrives in the low desert as well.

Angelita Daisy

They look great when massed together.  I normally use 3 planted about 1 ft. apart.  Alternatively, they can be planted alone as well and look great when placed next to boulders or in containers.

Angelita Daisies make a great alternative for Gold Lantana and does not suffer frost damage in both the low and high deserts.

**In fact, Angelita Daisy is hardy to -20 degrees F.  So it is perfect for those who live in colder climates as well!

Here are some other reasons to use this wonderful little perennial in your garden:

Thrives in full sun.

Is not picky about soil, as long as it is well-drained.

Does not require fertilizer.

Is fairly low-maintenance.  Occasional deadheading of flowers is all.

In low desert areas, Angelita Daisy blooms off an on all year long, with the strongest bloom occurring in spring.

It’s mature size of 1 ft. high and wide, makes it perfect for any size garden. 

Angelita Daisy

Angelita Daisies are not all that impressive when viewed in their containers, but as soon as they are planted and their roots have a chance to grow, you will be rewarded with a showy display of yellow flowers.

As the plants age, you may prune them back if needed and they do spread by seed.

I think I will use some in my summer containers this year.

How about you?

Where will you use Angelita Daisy in your garden?