FROM THE DESERT TO THE DESERT Part 1

 An upcoming tour from Tohono Chul Garden to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, to view spring wildflowers at the end of February, caught my attention. It has been a wet winter in the desert and a good wildflower season was expected. It seemed like the perfect time for a visit. It was a good time for a quick getaway with the trailer so I booked 6 nights at the campsite at the park for the end of February. 

At the same time there was a lot of chatter on local forums about the Mexican poppy bloom at Picacho Peak State Park. As the park was on the way we decided to pull in. I can't tell you the number of times we have driven by Picacho. The dominating peak of Picacho stands out for miles and on the drive from Phoenix down to Oro Valley signals we are nearly home. We were not disappointed.

It was just to be a brief visit but during the short time we were I there took hundreds of photographs of the Mexican gold poppies that covered the hillsides. The Mexican gold poppy, Eschscholozia californica ssp. mexicana, differs little from the California poppy. Maybe it is a little smaller in size and leaf structure and maybe one has a more pronounced area between flower and stem but really hard to tell. 

 

 I was happy to see, scattered among the poppies and just coming into flower, lupins. Coulter's lupine, Lupinis sparsiflorus, as its name suggests, has flowers spread more thinly up the stem. It makes them less showy than the Texas bluebonnets and harder to photograph but still lovely. 

The knotch-leaf scorpionweed, Phacelia crenulata were also just starting to flower. These little beauties made us determined to return in 2 weeks to see them in full flower. 

 

I am trying to familiarize myself with all the new wildflowers I am starting to see. Here the lyreleaf jewel flower, Streptanthus carinatus. 

 
 

We needed to be on our way as the drive would take at least 4 hours. We passed through the town of Ajo but didn't stop as we knew we would be returning there on Saturday for the Saturday Market, continuing down highway 86, through Why (who knows why)to the entrance to the park. The road continues for just a few miles to the border with Mexico. We headed straight to our campsite and were really pleased to find it was a pull-through and was on hard standing. So much easier than having to reverse into a site. 

 

They can cater for a large number of campers here and have designated areas for generator use, non generator use and tent camping. I had chosen a generator site because this was to be a real test of our solar panels which we hoped would keep us in power for the week. Just in case we had a generator with us. The campground has no hook-ups, electric, sewer or water, but there is a water spigot at various places around the park and nice flush toilets. That was a nice bonus. There is a place to fill up tanks with water at the sewer dump but we filled with water before we left. We were  already to be self sufficient bringing all the food for the week. That was needed because the closest store was in Why and then only a gas station.

We were warned to keep the hood on our vehicle open to discourage pack rats from taking up residence or just going in there to chew a few wires. They love to nest beneath the organ pipe cactus where you can see large mounds of anything they can lay their hands on. Maybe the campsite here was too noisy so they didn't bother with this large one in the photo. 

It takes a while to get everything set up and there was a surprise waiting for me when I went in the trailer. Airstream in all their wisdom had added one of those slide out pantry shelves with racks. We had already had the experience of the racks bouncing off and everything collapsing in a heap. To stop this happening I had used zip ties to secure them. Not well enough it would seem. This time  a couple of cans of V8 had punctured and blown their contents all over the insides. My first job was to do a huge clean up. 

I felt I needed a slight reward for this and walked around checking what my little garden of the week held. A small ironwood tree with several fruiting desert mistletoe, Phorodendron californicum. A robin and a thrasher were to be frequent visitors for the ripe berries. 

 Several brittle bush in flower and on the far side a cholla, creosote, Larrea tridentata

 

By the time we had set up camp and familiarized ourselves with the surroundings it was time for dinner and then darkness fell. We made plans for the following day which included the desert walk to the visitor center to pick up maps of the trails. And so to bed. Its going to be a pretty chilly night.

Tomorrow we head out on adventures.

HOME IS WHERE THE GARDEN IS

We recently returned home from a wonderful trip to Organ Pipe Cactus NP. It is only 3 hours away and we towed our trailer there, spending 6 nights. When it came time to leave I was wishing we could stay longer but then arriving back at our house I felt, for the first time, that this was coming home. There were many things I had been missing over the year but one of them was enthusiasm for writing a blog post, as well as continuing work in the garden. I began to feel as though the whole blogging thing was at an end. I started but failed to finish several posts. I wasn't even reading any blogger posts. It was a missing part of my life that I had enjoyed so much. Feeling in a much more positive mood I am hoping to revive it. 

While we were gone Oro Valley was treated to 4" of snow. The internet was full of pretty photos of the saguaros and all trees dressed in white. Oops! I had already put several cactus and succulents outside. It was as though I was being encouraged to stop gardening in pots in a harsh summer climate with occasional surprise winters. My Mexican lime tree, the least hardy of all the citrus and still in its pot, had been put outside again. It was in full flower as we left. 

We left the highway and made our way across the desert floor and into the neighborhoods surrounding the house I couldn't help but notice the damage on many of the bushes already in leaf. The brittle bushes were brittle! I didn't hold out much hope for some of my plants and particularly my trailing lantana which had survived several freezes, the pots of spring flowers, the blooming lime tree. As we pulled into the driveway I was greeted by the lantana, still blooming and the first of the penstemons, P. greggi. 

 

The flowering lantana was a surprise. I wonder if this area is more sheltered. Is it possible that being at the high spot on the street we get the benefit of any frost rolling away. Having previously lived years in a low frost pocket this will be a treat. 

I walked out onto the patio and startled a big, fat rabbit. It was feasting on the wild red flax I had so lovingly and patiently grown from seed. Eaten down to a couple of inches. Poppies and nigella were left intact. The good news is the flax is now growing again and possibly better for the pruning. It is now protected from nibblers, at least for the time being. A firecracker penstemon blooming behind the red flax plant.The problem here is that I can keep the javelinas out but the smaller critters are a devil for eating smaller succulents, the fresh centers of young agave and small cactus. I am protecting a few small plants with the wire waste baskets I picked up at the dollar store.

 

The rabbit really likes the chocolate daisy-well who doesn't- and I was successful in starting some from seed last year so I have quite a few to protect. More trips to the dollar store in my future.

The grapefruit tree, planted last spring was also on my worry list but it came through the snow like a trooper and is now making flowers buds. Will we have grapefruit this year? I have learnt that citrus are incredibly fussy and the slightest thing to upset them will make them drop their fruit. The wrong kind of watering is number one. They must have deep watering and be allowed to dry out some between watering.

In the event it doesn't produce I can fall back on the 3 neighborhood grapefuit trees which have provided us with a morning grapefruit since the beginning of the year. 

The self watering planter boxes I picked up an estate sale for a few dollars survived a week away. I filled up the tank before I left and the Swiss chard and herbs were looking very good. I like these boxes so much I have just ordered 3 more. You can find them https://www.agardenpatch.com

 

 I plan to use the area under the bedroom window, with the boxes raised up on blocks and  partially shaded during the summer. David is in the process of adding an irrigation line. In the past we have used a battery powered line for pots, but I always have concern about leaving the house water on when we leave. This way watering will be independent of the house line. David visited the sprinkler parts store where they kitted him out with everything he needed. Our irrigation is drip feed as the most important thing here is long slow watering.

The ground here is nothing but desert sand so is fairly easy to dig a trench by hand, following the two other lines, to trees and shrubs. Well done David. The hard part will be deciding where to put the emitters as it is usual in the desert to put the emitter in the pipe rather than at the end of the 1/4" line. This will be my job. The boxes should arrive this week and then we will set up the boxes and emitters. 

Lots of plants are beginning to break dormancy including the bougainvillea, anacacho orchid tree, and Meyer lemon.

 

There are small buds on the lemon that was planted in the ground and the calamondin is once again flowering like crazy. I think it may be another stress bloom where no fruit sets. 

 

Stay tuned for views of the desert superbloom.