Pretty In Pink…..With A Hidden Secret

Mexican Evening Primrose

Mexican Evening Primrose (Oenothera berlanderi syn. Oenothera speciosa)

Aren’t these flowers just lovely?

I do love pink flowers. 

Our local big box nursery had quite a few of these on display over the weekend.  

pink flowers

Mexican Evening Primrose is a groundcover the produces beautiful pink flowers in the spring.  They are drought tolerant and hardy to Zone 5 through 9.  They do not require fertilizer and thrive on neglect.

pink flowers

Now you may be wondering what secret it is harboring.  Surely a plant with such beautiful flowers cannot have anything to hide, can it?

Well, I discovered it’s secret years ago as a new homeowner.  I was in heaven over having my own garden for the first time.  I discovered these pretty plants at my local nursery and brought some home and planted them in a raised planting bed.  

They grew very well and although they were fairly boring when not in bloom, they more then made up for it in the spring when they were covered with pink flowers.

pink flowers

 BUT, one year after I planted them, I began to notice them coming up in my lawn, adjoining beds and the cracks in the driveway.  It was then that I found out that they could be invasive.  They spread by stolons and by seed.  **It was experiences like this one that I had as a new gardener that motivated me to obtain my degree in horticulture.  However, I am still learning as I go along and just when I think I know all about a particular plant – one will surprise me by doing something different 😉

Now, I am not saying not to ever use Mexican Evening Primrose in the landscape.  They do have a place in the landscape.  For example, they do very well along dry hillsides and other areas where their growth can be contained in a particular area.

What I do recommend, is to research a plant before you decide to put in your garden.  Mexican Evening Primrose can be invasive in a residential garden, but can be the answer to a difficult, bare hillside.  This goes to prove that just because a plant has a “pretty face”, doesn’t mean that it is delicate.

**Butterfly Update:  Guess What?!!  The butterflies emerged for their chrysalis.  I will post about them soon!

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Beautiful Flowers and New Seeds

A Gathering of Bees

The other day, I was on my way to the store when I saw something in the distance in our local park that was out of the ordinary.  I was pretty sure that I knew what it was as I had seen this before and so, I drove nearer.

Desert Willow tree

Can you see it?  There is a large mass on the right side of a newly planted Desert Willow tree.

Once I got closer and realized that my guess was right, I turned around and drove home to get my trusty camera.

Swarm of bees

Swarm of bees

What this is, is a swarm of bees that had stopped to rest in this tree.

Swarming is actually a fascinating phenomenon.  Usually the old queen of a bee colony, lays special eggs to create a new queen.  Then the old queen leaves with a bunch of her worker bees to form a new colony elsewhere.

They usually stop along the way for a day or two, which is what happened here.  While they rest, scout bees are sent out to find a new place to build a new colony.  This is a very vulnerable time for the bees as they are unprotected.  The queen is in the center of the mass of bees for better protection.

Swarm of bees

I had to play a bit with the lighting of this photo so that you could see the bees.  I stayed in my car and took this photo.

Swarming usually occurs during a 2 – 3 week period in spring.  You do not have to do anything if you see a swarm, but stay away.  The bees will usually leave in a day or two.  If they are in a dangerous location, you can call in a bee-keeper who will take them somewhere else and release them.  You can read more about swarming here.

**By the way, did you know that beekeepers clip the wings of the queen bees to keep them from leaving their hives?  I think that is just so interesting, although I wouldn’t want to do it.

Although I had observed bees doing this before, I was so happy to have witnessed this fascinating behavior of bees again AND to have had my camera handy.

Leaving the Wardrobe….C.S. Lewis

I have always been an avid of reader of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia books and was fortunate to have been able to visit his home and gardens in Oxford, where he wrote all of his books.  I shared my visit in an earlier post, which you can read here.

Rosie, of LeavesnBloom recently wrote two wonderful posts about Lewis’ earlier life in Northern Ireland and the landscape where he received much of his inspiration of the land of Narnia.  You can read her last post here.

And so in closing, I would like to share with you my visit to one of Lewis’ favorite pubs, his church and his final resting place. 

C.S. Lewis

First on our list is a visit to the Trout Inn, which is located just outside of Oxford.  In this pub, C.S. Lewis would frequently meet with his friend J.R.R. Tolkein (Lord of the Rings author).

As we approached the inn, we were greeted by it’s resident doorman or should I say bird….

C.S. Lewis

The Trout Inn is a wonderful place to visit and eat.  The food is delicious.  Once inside, you can almost envision the two scholars (Lewis and Tolkein) sharing ideas over a couple of pints of ale.

C.S. Lewis

After our visit to the inn, we went to see his church and grave.

C.S. Lewis

This is Holy Trinity Church, where Lewis worshiped for over 30 years.

Northern Ireland

Inside the church, you can see the pew where Lewis would sit every Sunday as it is marked with a plaque.

One of the windows of the church, plays tribute to the characters of Narnia.

Northern Ireland

Who can you identify in the windows?

I see Mr. Beaver, a dwarf, Peter’s shield, Aslan, Digory and Polly on the flying horse Fledge, the mountains of Narnia, Susan’s horn and much more.

We then stepped outside into the church graveyard.

Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland

Here is the final resting place of C.S. Lewis, who passed away November 22, 1963.

Northern Ireland

What a legacy he has left behind for us all to enjoy.  I remember reading “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” for the first time as a 7 year old.  Then as an adult, I enjoyed reading his stories to my oldest daughters.  

I now get to read them to my youngest children  🙂

Flowers Raining Down….

This is my favorite time of year in the garden.  You may be saying, of course it is….it is spring after all.  Isn’t that everybody’s favorite time?  Well, there is another reason.  This time of year I cannot go outside without coming back inside with a yellow flower or two in my hair.

yellow flower

Desert Museum Palo Verde (Parkinsonia hybrid ‘Desert Museum’)

All three of my Palo Verde trees are blooming.  Each one is covered in yellow blossoms.  Actually some of the branches are hanging quite low due to the weight of the flowers.  My Palo Verde tree above, is about 4 years old and will eventually grow to be about 30 ft. tall and wide.

yellow flower

 ‘Desert Museum’ Palo Verde flowers

Palo Verde trees are the iconic trees of the desert southwest.  The word “Palo Verde” is Spanish for “Green Stick”, which aptly describes their green trunks.

In times of extreme drought, they drop their leaves to avoid losing excess moisture and they will continue to photosynthesize through their green trunks.  What a great survival mechanism, don’t you think?

yellow flower

There are quite a few different types of Palo Verde trees.  My favorite is a hybrid that was found growing in the Tucson desert near the Sonoran Desert Musuem.  Appropriately, it is called ‘Desert Museum’ Palo Verde.  

It grow very quickly, is thornless, produces yellow flowers somewhat larger then their cousins and is quite low-maintenance.

Blue Palo Verde

Blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonia floridium)

Blue Palo Verde trees are also quite beautiful and an asset in the landscape.  Their bark has more of a gray-green color and is a slower growing Palo Verde.

Palo Verde trees flower in the spring and mine sometimes flower a little in the fall, although that is not always dependable.

Palo Brea

 Palo Brea (Parkinsona praecox)

Another type of Palo Verde is the Palo Brea tree.  Their trunk is bluish green in color.  They do have thorns and must be pruned often to keep their branches from growing downwards.  But, they are absolutely lovely in the landscape.

Foothills Palo Verde

Foothills Palo Verde (Parkinsonia microphylla)

Last, but not least, are the Foothills Palo Verde, which grow very slowly, but have beautiful branch architecture.  This is the type of Palo Verde that you will find growing out in the desert most often. 

Yellow flower

Yellow flower

Lately, every time I come back inside from the garden, I find a flower or two that has fallen into my hair. 

Did I mention that I love this time of year?

A Farm, Flowers and a Restaurant in the Midst of Suburbia

Imagine a family farm where crops had been grown for years in their fields.  Then a developer comes in and buys the property in order to build houses on it.  Many of us have seen this happen often where we live.  A farmer sells his fields and new homes or a parking lot with stores rapidly pop up afterward.  Well, this is not exactly what happened in this case.  The family who owned this farmland decided to tweak things a bit.

Now, there was a subdivision that was built on their land, aptly named “Agritopia”.  But 12 acres of land was reserved for the creation of an urban farm.  There is a grove of olive trees and an orchard with citrus, apples, peaches, plums, apricots and blackberries.  Another area of the farm is a large field where vegetables, herbs and flowers are grown.  

In addition, the family’s original home was converted into a restaurant with beautiful surrounding gardens that are open for all to enjoy.

community organic farm

My first stop was to go and see the community organic farm, which grows food for the restaurant and the residents of the surrounding homes can grow their own plot of vegetables, flowers and herbs here as well.

Being the flower lover that I am, my attention was first captured by the beautiful flowers that were blooming among the vegetables.  The flowers attract bees to help pollinate the crops. 

community organic farm
community organic farm

As a new vegetable gardener myself, I was excited to see what they had growing and so I tore myself away from the flowers and stated to explore the beautiful vegetables that were growing.

community organic farm
community organic farm

Aren’t the artichoke heads beautiful?

community organic farm

Many of their vegetables and fruit are available for sale at The Farm Stand.  

As I finished my walk through the vegetable gardens, I decided to look closely at a crop that does grow in Arizona, that may surprise some of you.  It certainly surprised me when I first moved here 24 years ago.

community organic farm

Can you tell what this is?

community organic farm

Did you guess yet?  They are grapevines.  I love how the grapevines line both sides of the pathway.

At this point, I could smell some delicious food in the air and so I turned my attention across the street where the restaurant is located.

Joe's Farm and Grill

As you can see, it is actually an old home that has been converted into a restaurant.

Joe's Farm and Grill

Diners are invited to eat at any of the picnic tables under the shade of the trees.

Joe's Farm and Grill

In front of the main entry to the restaurant, were two absolutely huge Tamarisk trees.

Joe's Farm and Grill

The trees are so tall as you can see and easily dwarf the diners and the restaurant.

I then took a short walk through the gardens, and came up upon the coffee shop.

coffee shop

I particularly like to visit this coffee shop because the eating area is surrounded by roses – my absolutely favorite flower.

fragrance

The fragrance of the roses was intoxicating.  

fragrance

If you look carefully, you may find one of the hidden ‘rooms’ in the garden where you can sit and enjoy your coffee.

Restaurant

The smell of delicious food was in the air and I was hungry, but had no time to stop for lunch.  I will never make that mistake again….note to self, when visiting a restaurant’s gardens, make sure to have time to stop for lunch.

On my way out, I saw the beautiful flowers of the Passion Vine and the colorful snapdragons in the distance.

Restaurant

Okay, seriously, I am not getting paid to promote Joe’s Farm and Grill 🙂 But, it is a great place to visit to sit and relax, enjoy good food, kids are free to run around, the gardens are beautiful and the farm is an educational experience as well.

It is one of my favorite places to visit.

**There are still 5 days left to participate in April’s MGB (Monthly Garden Bouquet).  I’d love to see your garden bouquets.

Greeted By Dragons….

As I mentioned in my last post, I headed over today to visit a local farm and it’s adjoining restaurants to view the gardens.  As I started walking towards the entry, I was greeted by numerous dragons – all flaunting their beautiful colors.

beautiful colors

Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) have always been one of my favorite annual flowers.  I remember my dad teaching me how to gently squeeze the flowers on the side to cause their “mouths” to open and close, like a dragon’s.  It is a trick that I have taught my children as well.

Snapdragons

There were so many different colors all planted together, without much thought to design.

Snapdragons

To be honest, when I design annual beds, I tend to use the same color of snapdragons and then pair them with a contrasting petunia or geranium.  

**One of my favorite combinations is using yellow snapdragons and planting deep purple petunias around them and finishing off with white alyssum around the border.  Or you can try red snapdragons with white petunias and lobelia.

Snapdragons

Even though, I generally do not mix colors, I must admit that all of these colors mixed together, really worked.  It was a stunning display of color.

Snapdragons are typically planted in October and last through April in our area.  Obviously, they have reached their peak bloom. 

Snapdragons

I spent quite some time just admiring the snapdragons and taking pictures.  But then, it was time to move on and visit the organic vegetable gardens, the restaurant and explore the rest of the gardens.

Snapdragons

I will be posting about my visit next week.  I can’t wait to show you the many wonderful treasures tucked away in this special place.

But for now, I would just like to enjoy the snapdragons….

A Farm, Flowers and a Restaurant in the Midst of Suburbia

April Garden Bloggers Bloom Day….and the flu

Happy Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day!  This is one of my favorite meme’s.  I love participating each month and I always look forward to seeing what my fellow garden bloggers have blooming in their gardens.

On another note, I got it.  I thought I had escaped it completely.  With such beautiful spring weather, it is just incomprehensible to me that I succumbed to it – the flu.  Isn’t there a rule or law somewhere that states you can only be sick with the flu when it is cold and rainy outside?  Not when it is gorgeous and sunny outside.

Thankfully, I am feeling better and was able to go outside (in my pajamas) to take pictures for April’s GBBD.  The following flowering plants are in my backyard because I did not want to venture out in the front garden in my pajamas 😉

April Garden Bloggers

This is the first cluster of flowers this year on my Orange Jubilee (Tecoma x Orange Jubilee) shrub.  Since it is located up next to my house, it usually does not suffer frost damage in the winter.  Soon, the hummingbirds will be fighting over the blooms.

April Garden Bloggers

 Closely related to the Orange Jubilee, my Yellow Bells  (Tecoma stans stans) is located along the back wall of my garden.  It is covered in yellow flowers from April through November.

April Garden Bloggers

I am extra excited about this one because these are the first blooms on my Whirling Butterfly Bush (Gaura lindheimeri ‘Siskiyou Pink’).  We planted this back in March.

April Garden Bloggers

Okay, technically this Cat Claw Vine (Macfadyena unguis-cati) is not planted in my garden, but in my neighbor’s.  But, it is blooming in my garden, so that counts, doesn’t it? Cat Claw Vine does suffer frost damage in some locations in the winter, but quickly grows back. It can become invasive and so I would use caution when considering growing this vine.  I cut back the portion that hangs over my fence about twice a year when it gets too close to my shrubs.

Geraniums

Geraniums in our new vegetable garden.  This was recently moved from our Children’s Flower Garden as it was being deconstructed.

Mexican Bird-of-Paradise

It is not very easy to see all of the yellow blooms that are covering both of my Mexican Bird-of-Paradise (Caesalpinia mexicana), but they are lovely just the same.  Although they are commonly grown as shrubs, they can also be trained as small trees as I have done here.  In our area, they bloom off and on all year.

I hope you enjoyed this brief visit to some of my flowering plants in the back garden.  Please visit May Dreams Gardens for a list of other garden bloggers who are participating in Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day.

Now I’m off to visit my fellow garden blogger’s gardens to see what they have blooming…..

Enjoying the Sun…..No Sunscreen Required

Now, the title of this post does NOT apply to me.  My ancestors hail from Northern Europe and so whenever a sunny day beckons me outdoors, you will find me with my hat and my sunscreen.

What this title does refer to are plants that not only thrive in our full desert sun, but those that can even thrive in areas with hot, reflected heat.  Just picture a brick wall, facing west, getting the full force of the sun in the afternoon.  Believe it or not, there are quite a few plants that do quite well in the summer sun and seem to be saying “Bring it On”.

Full desert sun

Full desert sun

Most people either hate or love Bougainvillea.  If you have a pool – do NOT use this plant as they can be quite messy.  That being said, I do love Bougainvillea and have two planted along the back wall that receives afternoon sun.  They do extremely well and actually flower more when in full sun.

Full desert sun

For those who prefer using native plants, Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa) provides beautiful yellow flowers in the winter and spring.  Their gray leaves provide a great color contrast to your other plants throughout the year, even when not in flower.

Full desert sun

Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens), a native from our neighboring Chihuahuan Desert, is a favorite of mine to use in hot, sunny areas.  There are quite a few different Leucophyllum species that come in a variety of leaf colors and offer flowers in shades of purple, pink and white.  They can grow up to 6 ft. high and are great for covering up a large expanse of a brick wall.

Full desert sun

Red Fairy Duster (Calliandra californica) is a wonderful plant to use in sunny locations.  Red flowers are produced year-round, although the heaviest bloom occurs in the spring and fall months.  They are a great favorite of hummingbirds.

Full desert sun

Cassia species are a wonderful export to us from Australia.  There are four different species that are commonly found in our area, but my two favorites are Silvery Senna (Senna phyllodenia) and Desert Senna (Senna artemisioides sturtii).  Beautiful flowers appear in winter and last through spring.

Full desert sun

It is no surprise to those who have read my blog for any length of time that I would add Globe Mallow Sphaeralcea ambigua) to my list of sun-loving plants.  The shrub above, is located in my front garden and I will soon be planting some seeds along the wall in my back garden, which faces west and receives full sun all afternoon.

Hopbush

Whether you prefer the green or purple leafed Hopbush (Dodonaea viscosa), both types will grow upright and produce an evergreen shrub that will thrive in the sun.

succulent plants

Many succulent plants do well in areas with hot, reflected heat.  But a word of caution – just because a plant is a succulent (stores water in it’s leaves), does NOT mean that it can handle full sun.  However, Soaptree Yucca (Yucca elata) does very well in the hot sun.

Red Yucca

This is one of my favorite succulent plants.  Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) is actually not a yucca at all.  But it’s succulent leaves make it look like an ornamental grass.  In spring and summer red flowers start to bloom.

Chuparosa

Chuparosa (Justicia californica) can be seen along the roadsides throughout the desert.  They are decorated with orange/red tubular flowers that hummingbirds just love.  If they can thrive out in the open desert, they can do very well in your garden.

I hope this list is helpful to those of you who have an area that receives hot, reflected heat that desperately needs a plant.  By adding a plant to areas such as these – actually help to cool that area down because the plant actually absorbs the sun’s rays and keeps them from heating up the surrounding wall, rock, etc.

**Please stay away from planting plants such as Hibiscus, Roses, Citrus and Heavenly Bamboo in these areas.  They do not do well in areas with hot, reflected heat.  However, all of these plants will do very well in north, south and eastern exposures.

If you are reading a plant label at the nursery to see what type of exposure the plant requires, please keep the following in mind.  Full sun in the desert is quite different from the full sun experienced in other areas of the country.  For example, a Hibiscus shrub that is growing in San Diego, can handle full sun.  However, the intensity of the sun coupled with the heat of desert, will make it difficult for a Hibiscus to handle being planted in a western exposure in Arizona.

And so in closing, I hope this list will prove helpful to you as you search for the right plant for that particular area in your garden.

Large Trees and Little Leaves…

Flowers for Summer? Not So Fast…..

Summer annuals

Last week, on a trip to our local big box store, I was greeted by the pallets loaded with beautiful, red geraniums.  This is a sight that made me angry.

You may be wondering why on earth the sight of beautiful flowers made me angry.  Well, I do love flowers, (obviously… I’m a horticulturist) –  so that is not what made me mad.

What if I told you that most of the annual flowers that were on display at the beginning of April, are the same kind of flowers that were for sale in September and October.

Summer annuals

Petunias

Now, if you take a minute to consider this, you come to the conclusion that the annual flowers that the big box stores are being offered for sale in early April – just in time for summer.  That doesn’t make much sense does it?

Well, winter annuals are called “winter annuals” for a reason….because they grow in the winter, NOT in the summer.  They cannot handle our hot summers here in the desert.

You may think that this problem does not apply to you if you don’t live in the desert and your summers do not get as hot as ours.  Well, I hate to inform you that this problem occurs all over the US.  

Summer annuals

Violas

I love Violas, but these beautiful hanging violas that were hanging outside of the nursery department will be toast, literally, in just a couple of months.  My violas that have been growing beautifully since late October, are starting to show signs of stress with the couple of 80+ days we have experienced last week. 

And so, this is what makes me angry this time of year, when I enter the nursery section of my big box store.  The winter annual flowers are beautifully laid out in order to entice shoppers as they enter.  You can see the shoppers envisioning how beautiful their gardens will be once they add some of these colorful flowers.  

Marigolds, Alyssum, and Petunias

Marigolds, Alyssum, and Petunias

What they do not realize is that in two months, the alyssum and petunias, pictured above, will be dead and their money wasted.**Interestingly, the petunias and alyssum are placed alongside the orange colored marigolds, which usually will do quite well through most of the summer.  

Arizona is different from many parts of the country.  Our mild winters allow us to grow annual flowers that are grown elsewhere in the country in the summer. 

Stock

Stock

People put their trust in their plant nursery and believe that they would not sell anything that would not thrive in their garden.  They rely on their expertise to sell the right plant for the right time of year.  Sadly, this is not true of all nurseries, especially those at the big box stores.  People begin to believe that they cannot grow flowers or that they have a “black thumb” instead of a green one when their newly planted flowers begin to die soon after planting.

But do not DESPAIR….there is hope!

You can avoid being a victim and the solution is really quite simple….do a little research.  It can be as simple as doing a Google Search and enter the term….summer annuals for (your city or area).  You should be given a long list of plants that should thrive in your area.  

**For residents of the Arizona and California desert, I have done the online searching for you.  You can check out the following link for information on what kind of flowers to grow and when.

Out With The Old and In With The New….

All Dressed Up For Easter….

Beavertail Cactus

 Beavertail Cactus (Opuntia basilaris)

Soft, pastel colored flowers ready for Easter.  But on a cactus?  

Absolutely!

Ready for Easter

Each year, an event occurs in the surrounding desert about the same time as Easter.  Beautiful spots of bright color start to appear on the hillsides of the desert.

Ready for Easter

Cacti everywhere are beginning to bloom.

Ready for Easter

Isn’t it amazing that such a tough, prickly plant produces such gorgeous flowers?

Purple Prickly Pear

Purple Prickly Pear (Opuntia violaceae santa-rita)

The flowers themselves are soft….unlike the cactus.

Every spring, I look forward to seeing the beautiful show that the cacti put on with their colorful blooms.  I have anxiously been waiting to share them with you and now they are beginning to bloom 🙂

Ready for Easter

I hope you have enjoyed these unusual, yet beautiful flowers.

Happy Easter!