July 25, 2011 at 2:28 pm · Filed under Uncategorized, landscape, garden, xeriscape, desert gardening, Arizona, landscaping, desert plants, low water use plants, xeriscaping, butterflies ·Tagged landscape, gardening, xeriscape, butterfly
Arizona is a great place to see butterflies. And, there are a variety in Southern Arizona – Skippers, Swallowtails, Whites & Sulphers, Blues & Hairstreaks, Metalmarks, and Brush-Footed Butterflies. We even have a state butterfly. It is the Two-Tailed Swallowtail.
There are many plants that butterflies are attracted to. They look for nectar as well as food for their larva.
Some plants that do well in our desert environment and will have butterflies coming to join you in your garden are:
- Bee Bush
- Flame Honeysuckle
- Woolly Butterfly Bush
- Yellow Bird-of-Paradise
- Baja Fairy Duster
- Bush Dalea
- Lantana
- Giant Hesperaloe
- Desert Milkweed
- Medicinal Aloe
- Slipper Flower
- Moss Verbena
- Prairie Zinnia
- Desert Coreopsis
- Purple Ruellia
- Southwestern Cosmos
- Mexican Sunflower
- Zinnia
The next time you think about what you’d like to plant in your yard, consider using one of these flowering plants and you’ll find butterflies will come to enjoy them with you.
And, remember, “Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. “
Nathaniel Hawthorne. Always look for happiness in your garden and in your life!
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July 18, 2011 at 2:30 pm · Filed under plants, garden, xeriscape, desert gardening, Arizona, landscaping, xeriscaping, monsoon, insects ·Tagged landscape, gardening, xeriscape, insects
One of the clearest memories I have of moving to Arizona as a teenager in the summer is the buzzing sound of cicadas. You could hear them loud and clear. And, then you’d see them flying around in an odd pattern. They’re a beautiful green and black color that sets them apart from other insects.
An interesting fact about cicadas is that only the male makes
the buzzing sound. Females are silent.
The buzzing is a sort of mating call to female cicadas.
Cicadas have a bad reputation for damaging mesquite trees. The female lays her eggs in
a mesquite branch by cutting a notch in it. When the eggs hatch towards the end of the monsoon season, the immature insects fall off the tree and burrow into the soil taking pieces of the branch with them. You can consider it a sort of natural tree pruning. If a tree looks damaged after cicadas have laid eggs in it, it probably had other problems to begin with.
Listen (and you don’t need to listen too closely either) to hear the mating song of the male cicadas. It must be summer in the Arizona desert!
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July 11, 2011 at 2:25 pm · Filed under Arizona, desert plants, garden, landscape, low water use plants, plants, Uncategorized, xeriscape, xeriscaping ·Tagged gardening, landscape, water, xeriscape
The Red Yucca plant (Hesperaloe parviflora) is one of the most hardy flowering plants that is not a cactus. That’s probably why you see it often in places where other plants won’t grow well such as in street medians. There is also a Yellow hesperaloe variety. They can be mixed in
a landscape for a nice color effect.
Hesperaloe plants are native to western Texas and northeastern Mexico. And, they do extremely well in the Sonoran desert. They can grow up to 3′x5′ and are evergreen with flowers that bloom on spikes from the Spring to the Summer.
They don’t require much maintenance since the only work required is to cut down their stalks after they finish blooming. And, they’re a great plant to use if you want to attract hummingbirds. They are attracted to the tubular flowers on the hesperaloe.
Red and Yellow Yuccas can survive on less than 10″ of rainfall annually and can take the cold down to 10 degrees. With the weather we’ve had this year, you can’t go wrong with a plant like this!
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July 8, 2011 at 11:04 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Just finished setting up my Hootsuite account. Wow! All my social media accounts are now on one page. Thanks again Smart Group of AZ!
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July 4, 2011 at 9:03 pm · Filed under Arizona, desert gardening, desert plants, garden, irrigation, landscape, landscaping, low water use plants, monsoon, plants, Uncategorized, water, weeds, xeriscape, xeriscaping ·Tagged gardening, landscape, water, xeriscape
The monsoons seem to have finally started in Tucson. It’s a welcome relief to the 114 degree weather we’ve been having. And, it helps slow down or stop the terrible wildfires we’ve been having throughout Arizona.
The summer rains are often the only water that desert plants get this time of year. For landscape plants, the monsoons allow you to turn off your automatic irrigation system and save some water while they’re here. A rain sensor is an easy way to ensure that your irrigation is not running when it’s
raining. It’s inexpensive and easy to install.
Another not so welcome result of our summer rains is weeds. The monsoons bring just the jump-start weeds need to grow. And, it doesn’t take much. In just a few days time after the rains, you’ll start to see weeds starting to emerge. Pre-emergent chemicals can help keep weeds from popping up. They should be applied before a rain for the best results. When you’ve missed the opportunity for that, post-emergent weed killers can be used on the weeds you can actually see. Desert Broom, Spurge and Russian Thistle (or tumbleweed) are some common weeds you’re likely to see in Arizona.
We take the good with the bad in the desert. And, the rains are definitely considered good especially when the heat has been so bad. Summer flowers will be blooming especially bright with the monsoon water. Enjoy the cooling rains and stay safe by staying out of flooded washes!
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June 27, 2011 at 1:51 pm · Filed under irrigation, landscape, low water use plants, water, xeriscape, xeriscaping
The summer heat is here with a vengeance and no relief is in sight. How can you keep your water bills down and save some water? Here are some easy ways to do it:
- Use Native Desert Plants
- Water Plants in the Early Morning to Avoid Evaporation (Evapotranspiration)
- Keep your Swimming Pool Properly Maintained
- Take Shorter Showers
- Install Low Flow Showerheads
- Wash Only Full Loads of Laundry
- Turn off Water While Brushing Teeth
Those are only a few ideas for conserving water around your home. For a full list of ways to save water, download the City of Tucson “Homeowners Guide to Using Water Wisely.” You can find it at http://1.usa.gov/kRwL7c. Water conservation is everyone’s responsibility.
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June 20, 2011 at 9:47 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
When it comes to fertilizer, what’s the big difference between All Natural and Organic? Are they the same thing? Are they interchangeable when referring to fertilizer? Absolutely not. All fertilizers are not created equally.
www.merrium-webster.com defines fertilizer as a substance (as manure or a chemical mixture) used to make soil more fertile. It can be a natural or synthetic material that includes manure
and nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium compounds.
All Natural fertilizer is not regulated by the government while Organic fertilizer is. All Natural fertilizer can vary in consistency and ingredients. So, the same All Natural fertilizer purchased from the same company can vary from purchase to purchase. Organic fertilizer is consistent in its ingredients and you can rely on getting the same composition of compounds with every bag you buy. It is consistent in size and texture and easily spread. All Natural fertilizer is generally more difficult to spread because of the size and consistency. One thing that is true for both fertilizers is that they are most often lower in nitrogen concentrates than other fertilizers. This means that more is needed when applied and needs to be applied more often than other fertilizers.
Only fertilize desert plants sparingly. They often do best in natural soils. Other ornamental plants may need to be fertilized to do well in our desert landscapes. The choice to use fertilizer and they type to use is up to you.
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June 14, 2011 at 3:43 am · Filed under Arizona, desert gardening, desert plants, garden, irrigation, landscape, landscaping, low water use plants, Uncategorized, water, xeriscape, xeriscaping ·Tagged gardening, landscape, water, xeriscape
Keeping plants alive and looking good can be a real challenge in Arizona in the summer. Our eNewsletter gives three tips to help your plants survive the 100 degree plus heat.
* Water plants and trees deeply.
* Use native and desert-adapted plants in your landscape.
* Don’t over-prune plants in the summer.
Keep yourself hydrated too! Make sure to drink plenty of water. And if you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated.
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June 6, 2011 at 8:27 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Drip irrigation is a great way to water your plants and trees while saving money on your water bill. It works by using a flexible polyline to deliver water through an emitter that waters in gallons per hour (GPH). They can range from 1/2 GPH to 4 GPH. The emitters are connected to the polyline by a thin “spaghetti line.”
It’s an efficient watering system but has it’s drawbacks too. The main one is that over time it gets damaged by the heat, sun, and cold weather. It is also easy for small animals such as rabbits and ground squirrels to chew through And, this time of year, the animals are thirsty and trying to get water any way they can. An easy way is for them to dig up a polyline and chew through it. This creates a leak.
How do you fix this? With a piece of new polyline and two couplers.
It’s easy to do. Just cut the existing polyline with a pair of hand pruners at the leak and cut a new piece of polyline to replace. Add a coupler on each side of the new poly and connect it to the existing polyline and you’re done. 
Keep your eyes open and check your drip irrigation regularly to keep it in good repair.
If you need help with your irrigation system, contact us at (520) 370-5697.
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Arizona is a great place to see butterflies. And, there are a variety in Southern Arizona – Skippers, Swallowtails, Whites & Sulphers, Blues & Hairstreaks, Metalmarks, and Brush-Footed Butterflies. We even have a state butterfly. It is the Two-Tailed Swallowtail.
