We are back from Phoenix and plugged in (to the computer) again!
Thanks to air conditioning and swimming pools, the children and I somehow survived temperatures of over 100 degrees without melting. However I must say I am happy to be back at my cool (elevation 7,000′) mountain home! No wonder so many Phoenix residents come to my town for the summer.
When most non desert-dwellers think of Phoenix, lush gardens are not what comes to mind. However there are some truly lovely plants that grow very well in the arid climate of the Arizona desert.
As proof to any doubters out there, for this week’s Sunday Garden Stroll, I chose some photos of a garden at my Phoenix hotel.
Lush Lantana (a shrubby perennial in Phoenix)
The Lantana and Lavender were absolutely stunning together.
Some appreciative visitors to our breakfast on the patio. It’s baby quail season and this pair was followed by nine babies all running along behind as fast as their little legs could carry them (poor Mom!).
If you enjoy gardening or looking at gardens, please visit A Wrung Sponge. Cloudscome is hosting a “Sunday Garden Tour” meme. There is a Mr. Linky where you can find links to other garden posts, or post a link to yours!
Everything Else!, gardening, nature
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Arizona, desert, desert gardens, flowers, gardening, nature, nature photos, Phoenix, Southwestern US, Sunday Garden Tour
It is the last full week of school here and my daughter and her Montessori class have been taking many field trips. One was to a local tree farm where they grow Ponderosa Pine seedlings for use in reforesting areas burned from wildfire.
The nursery kindly sent each child home with a baby Ponderosa Pine, and even some seeds to plant. My daughter’s little tree measures just 8 inches and may one day be over 100 feet tall!!.
We planted the tiny seedling yesterday. Knowing how tall it could ultimately grow presented us with a bit of a challenge to find a bare spot. We have plenty of huge Ponderosas around the property already. But we found a nice place in the front yard that is not too close to the house or the other trees. Here it is in it’s new home.
The mother of a third-grader in my daughter’s class had a marvelous idea. When her son was in kindergarten, he received a Ponderosa seedling. The family decided to plant the tree in the forest near a geocache site so that they could easily visit it again. They visit the tree regularly and now, after four years, it is over three feet tall and doing very well!
Below are photos of the pine seeds (I had never seen Ponderosa Pine seeds before - they are quite small) and some mature trees in our yard. The last photo shows the roof of our
two-story house to give you a bit of an idea of the mature trees’ height!
Today they are going to an alpaca farm. I hope they don’t send each child home with a baby alpaca. I’m sure it would be awfully cute, but I think 3 kids, 8 cats, 2 birds, and 2 dogs are enough needy creatures for this mother to manage!
I sit here in a Claritin-induced mental fog. The Southwest US is experiencing some sort of rare “pollen burst” brought on by sudden record high temperatures. I heard a rumor that the whole state of New Mexico is sold out of Claritin! Glad I have my stash.
Today all I can muster up is a photo of this beautiful spring day among the tall Ponderosa Pines of the Arizona mountains. I hope it brings a little warmth and hope for the future to those of you in the Northeast who are still suffering in winter weather today. Enjoy!
Everything Else!, nature
| allergies, Arizona, Claritin, nature, nature photos, pollen, pollen burst, Ponderosa Pines, Southwestern US, spring, trees
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