WHAT WINTER!

 Talk to a snowbird and they will tell you " We can't believe the weather. It has been so wonderful" Talk to a gardener and he or she may have a different story. Yes! we have had endless sunny days with short bouts of rain.  But this is January, February and March. This is when we enjoy some cooler days in the 60s. Not this year. Early on in the month we had two spells in the 80s and last week 90. The promise of a fabulous wildflower season faded along with the delicate blooms. Here are my pretty California poppies which I cast along the driveway. They came from a small packet of wildflower seeds I picked up at our local library seedbank. I had no idea what was in the packet so was delighted when these poppies grew. Their blooms are more delicate than those in the packets of seeds you can buy and only flower for a few days.

What does no winter do to our desert plants? The Texas olive did not lose its leaves and is already in full flower. The flowering spoilt only by leaves that were shredded by the hail event. I keep going around pulling off the old leaves. The only positive here is the reduction of the clean-up required when they all fall. Why did someone not tell me rocks were a problem under Texas Olives. 

A familiar waft of fragrance on the air in early February was the Texas Mountain laurel. With such a mild fall and winter an influx of the Genista moth caterpillars, which resulted in all the new growth being decimated means very few flowers. The trees themselves look very ratty and I am pondering whether to remove one of the 4 trees I have. The problem is they form a screen from next doors driveway. It almost seems like sacrilege to pull out such a  large tree (I saw one in a large pot at the nursery and it was $385) but it wouldn't be the first. I believe the prior occupants grew them as bushes which their landscapers regularly pruned so they never saw any blooms.  

Just a waft of fragrance is a positive this year because it won't  be competing with the fragrance on the pink jasmine, Jasminum polyanthum , which I much prefer. Their petals fade very quickly when the temperatures are in the high 80s so I don't expect its bloom to last much longer. When I open the patio doors in the guest bedroom the fragrance fills the whole house. 

And what is going on with the Photinia fraseri x 'Red Robin' The rapid unchecked growth of the new stems is a sure sign that it is far too comfortable. I have 3 of these plants that remain in a clump in the front garden. While this plant is not suitable for all climates and soils it seems to do very well inthe desert. No bugs or diseases as yet. I do have to cut it back every year or it will reach over 8" without a trim. One in the back garden I have trained into multi tree-form. There wasn't one perfect trunk for this experiment so I have allowed 3 to grow. 

Bougainvillea has always entered a  dormant period in prior years losing all its leaves. Not his year. It took a beating from the hail but promptly put out new growth and is now flowering. And this was the year I was going to get in there and give it some training to improve its structure. I really would like it to grow against the wall.

The pomegranate tree, Punica granatum, only lost a few of its leaves and quickly added more and even a few pomegranate flowers. I shall be eagerly watching to see which are male flowers and which are female (hermaphrodite). Most of the flowers were males last year so we only harvested 3 good pomegranates. Maybe year 4 will prove to be a bonus year with more females. It is easy to spot the difference as the females have a more bulls base and the males smaller. Male flowers tend to drop off fairly quickly. 

 The calamondin tree bloomed and set fruit all through the winter and is now putting on new growth but no new blooms. We had a nice crop of grapefruit and the tree is putting out new growth but no blooms. This Oro Blanco variety is one of the most sought-after of grapefruit varieties for its pale green, sweet flesh which lacks the sharp bitter taste of some grapefruit. It is a cross between a pommelo and white grapefruit and therefore has a thick skin. The lack of flowers may be caused by too much fertilizer or too much water. 

The Philippine violet, Barleria cristata, has not entered dormancy and still has all its leaves. I even noticed a small purple bud at the end of one branch. Planted in a rather shady spot underneath a Texas Mountain Laurel it is reaching across the fence to which I have tied it. I believe I was successful in striking a cutting in the fall which I will plant in a more favorable position. 

The Anacacho orchid tree, Anacacho lunarioides,  bloomed on the top branches several weeks ago and now the lower branches. It looks rather strange with the green spiky seed pods on the top. It is my "apple tree blossom" of the desert. 

Who knows what the year will hold in store. This week the temperatures will hit 105 before settling back down into the 80s. But the heat will have done its damage frying delicate spring blooms. It is far too early to be having summer. I fear the saguaro will not flower this year. We shall have to wait and see.

FINDING MY WAY BACK

 It has been a difficult few weeks since the hail event which knocked out every scrap of my desire to garden. It had been my habit for years to go out into the garden first thing and check everything out. I couldn't bear to look at the agave all the while trying to make a decision whether to pull. That, and to clean up all the leaves that were down; the anacacho orchid tree leaves burying the stone drainage channel along the garage wall and worse still the very fine leaves of the ironwood caught in among the rocks and cactus spines in the back garden. The promise of a heavy rain got me moving as I knew things would only get worse unless they were moved.

This tree is very fortunate because it got its leaves back in the form of a mulch. It is a very happy tree and blooms with the most spectacular bloom each spring. 

It certainly made me feel better to see the plants free of their burden of leaves. The fine leaves I collected I have been used for mulch around my peas and herbs ( raised pots).

But I think the thing that really got me going was joining the Tucson Cactus and Succulents Society. One of my neighbors has just taken up gardening and he was planning to go to their recent meeting.  He asked me to join him. I'm not much of a night driver these days and the meeting is held quite far away so I was more than happy to ride with him. What a crowd! They have over 1700 members, although I'm sure many are enthusiasts from places outside of Tucson. After the meeting and presentation they have a fun little raffle for plants, 6 chances for $5,  and I was lucky enough to win a 'totem pole' cactus, Lophorocereus schottii monstrose. Hardy to 14 degrees.

 As I plan to restrict my in-ground garden to only plants that can withstand the difficult Sonoran Desert climate it is perfect. And at the end of the meeting we each got to choose a small cactus to take home. Not so smart this time. 

Notocactus wariasii is only hardy to 40 degrees so is likely to be a candidate for pot culture. I brought a lovely clump of this plant from Austin, planted it in the garden and overnight it was eaten bu the javelina. Even with all those spines they were not deterred. 

And it did rain. We collected a full inch and my rain barrels were full to overflowing. The good winter rain may make for a good wildflower season. Already I hear the Anza Borrego Desert is blooming. We have booked a campsite for the beginning of March so fingers crossed it will be a big wildflower season for us in Oro Valley. 

Things are definitely looking up in my gardening world. 

THE NARROW SIDE GARDEN

I have thought about changing my blog name to Gardening on the Edge, which is exactly how I am gardening these days. Each of my gardening spaces follow the footprint of the house. The edge that needed attention was at the side of the house leading up to the side garage door. I get the feeling that the previous owners never walked around there because there were several bushes whose branches would grow at odd angles and grab you as you walked by. We use this way frequently and were tracking dirt intot he house. First step was to remove them leaving only the photinia and the Texas olive at the front and at the back a beautiful Anacacho orchid tree. 

In the spring the arching branches hang over the walkway and are reminiscent of times when I had apple and crabapple trees in my garden.  The fragrance isn't quite the same but not unpleasant and the bees love the flowers which give them black pollen.

This narrow 7' space is bounded by a low wall with fence on the left had side. On the right the garage wall. There are two scuppers coming off the roof. They carry water of the flat roof which drained away along the bare ground. The first job was to create a place on which the water could land before passing into a proposed wet weather channel.  And make it possible to walk past without getting muddy feet.

I marked out a winding channel which David lowered a few inches so water would flow out towards a drain at the front of the house. I knew we did the right thing bringing our pick axes with us.

This is a budget project using rocks abandoned by builders in the area and some taken from areas of our lot where we created more garden space.  To add more interest I found a couple of large ones and then filled in with smaller stones.

 I wish I had some larger rocks to create a rock garden but as my mother used to say " beggars can't be choosers" This is what I had to work with.

There will only be planting along the left side. I already have some native plants growing from seed( thanks to a gift from Syd Teague)  and hopefully they will soften the jagged rocks that I am making do with. By late April native Desert marigold, Bailey multiradiata, and Goodings verbena, Verbena gooddingii, are already flowering. They are short-lived plants but reseed easily. I['m also saving seeds from my very successful damianita and chocolate flower.

I have also added a few pups of Octopus agave. I really don't have a big enough garden for this large agave but they will stay until I find substitutes or they grow too large. 

As I mentioned this is a shoestring garden of native plants that are not attractive to the javelina. We finished off the walking area bu adding a small clean gravel. Most of them were bought at the 50% off bin at HD where they put their opened bags.

A FIRST EVERY DAY

You walk around the garden and spot the first bloom on the ....... I'm sure you could easily fill in the blank. Surely every gardener shares this experience. And spring is the time when every day seems to bring that 'first flower' experience.
Here are some of my first flower experiences this week and most of them natives.

First I saw the bud then overnight a flower on the Ladyfinger cactus, Echinocereus pentalophus. These flowers last for at least 3 days and usually arrive in succession.

The blue gilia,  Giliastrum rigidulum. More commonly found in west Texas but I found one small patch growing on my lot and was successful in moving it to a place where I can see it and enjoy its beauty. It is almost at eye level so cannot be missed. It usually opens in the afternoon. Do you see the weevil? Not the dreaded agave weevil though.

Blue-eyed grass, Sisyrinchium angustifolium, seeds among the gravel and between the pavers. As does the Engelmanns daisy which has seeded alongside.

the pink evening primrose, Oenothera speciosa. Oh! Yes, it will run wild but that' fine. A quick pull here and there will keep it under control.

Baby blue-eyes, Nemophila phacelioides. I only have a little patch of shade and that's where they grow.

Everyone else may be able to grow the spiderwort, Tradescantia sp with ease. For me it is a rare event.

What's that I see through the shower window? It's the first blooms of the Anacacho orchid tree, Bauhinea lunarioides.

And the cross vine, Bignonia capreolata. has found tis way 20' from the mother plant.

And I have a mental block on what this plant is called. Help me out will you, please? Update. Thanks to Lyn for the id of Pavonia lasiopetala if I remember the species name correctly.

And wood sorrel, Oxalis.sp. For some it is a weed, for me I am happy to have just a few flowers in this shady corner.

Oh! How I love that morning, spring-time stroll around the garden. There will be more tomorrow, I'm sure.

LITTLE WHITE FLOWERS

David mentioned how much he enjoyed the view, through the shower window, of the little white flowers on that spindly tree. That spindly tree is the Anacacho Orchid tree, Bauhinia congesta.

There are a few reasons why it is so spindly. One is the terrible soil in which it grows. Although amended somewhat there is a depth of road base underneath it. This area was where they removed all the huge ledge stones you see around the garden, in order to get the house level right. Then they filled in with this road base. It is also a very dry spot sheltered from our recent rains by the house wall. But more significantly it bore the brunt of the 2015 hail storm which caused excessive damage to much of the bark. Still it soldiers on producing a nice bloom every spring. Its two lobed leaves are sometimes described as butterfly or clove-like and are characteristic of this genus.

Being a member of the pea family the blooms are replaced by wiry seed pots which are not very attractive. I usually snip them off but occasionally there is one that escapes me and germinates in the soil below. Sad to say I have had poor success in trying to transplant them. 

In this same garden are two variegated pittosporum, Pittosporum tobira 'variegate' Their flowers are sweetly fragrant which gives it the name Japanese mock orange. This afternoon my son visited the garden and he remarked he didn't like the way the plant was growing with such low branches. I have always liked that aspect of its growth but maybe I need to take a second look as to whether it would look better pruned up. I'm always open to suggestions.

You have to look closely to admire the blooms of the chain plant, Callisia fragrans.

The plant was given to me as a grandfather's pipe but I have never found any reference to this plant being named so. More often it is called the basket plant or chain plant. The latter because the plant produces a long shoot which forms a new plant on the end. If grown along the ground it will root at this point. This one is growing in a hanging basket where it has grown out of the side. More commonly I have it growing in the ground in a shady location. It is not truly winter hardy but does survive in a very sheltered location with overhanging branches.

But just wait until the flowers open fully. They are like delicate bouquets of bridal flowers and they have the sweetest fragrance which explains their species name 'fragrans'

The garden is full of sweet fragrances at the moment but this is one demands you get a little closer to appreciate.

WHITE IS A COLOR TOO

I didn't realize how many white flowers I had int he garden until I went out to photograph them today.

The mock orange, Philadelphus sp Natchez is putting on the biggest white show.

Followed by the Anacacho orchid tree, Bauhinia lunariodes.

There's even a single rain lily, Cooperia drummondii, coaxed into blooming by the recent rains.

In the English garden the white knockout rose puts on her first full flush of blooms.

The native blackfoot daisy, Melampodium leucanthum.

Love-in-a-mist, Nigella sativa, with the spiky foliage. A faithful spring returner.

Larkspur,

A single white Shirley poppy.

The multiplying onions, Allium sepa, making a great stand. I think I may mix them in with my other garden flowers next year.

The potatoes are flowering.

And the snow pea flowers mean lots of peas over the next few weeks. I always plant Pisum sativum 'Cascadia' because they are open pollinated and I can save the seeds for next year.

The first pods.

And the tiny star flowered sedum, Sedum potosinum.