Written by Jeff

To keep our garden inspiration flowing, I will post pictures of flowers, trees and other plants that I have found pretty and/or interesting for one reason or another. Many of the pictures will be of drought-tolerant or xeriscape plants because I live and grow in the Sonoran Desert.

I hope these photographs stimulate your creativity and keep you enthusiastic about the wonderful world of horticulture. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me by leaving a comment below.

Believe it or not, we had relatives visit from the east coast and while it can be rather hot during this part of May, it was a relatively mild week for their visit. While they were here, one place we visited was the Desert Botanical Garden. Blooms were not as omnipresent as they are during the spring, but there was still plenty to see (not to mention the butterfly exhibit)!

One stunner was the globe artichoke in the herb garden. I have seen artichokes, but I never knew the flower was so pretty and I must admit my pictures in the height of the afternoon sun do not do them justice. They look like a giant thistle flower; stunning. Following are two shots from different angles.

To learn more about globe artichokes, you can check this website which also has a picture that more accurately shows the beauty of this flower as well as additional information about the plant.

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Jeff

Non-GOTM images are credited by hovering over picture for source

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

When we first moved to the desert and I saw a scene like this

I was interested to find out what type of flowers were planted as a ground cover and whether it served a particular purpose. I never saw plants like those before. As it turns out, they are weeds. Yes, weeds in abundance.

As pictured below, weeds grow in the desert with the slightest bit of rain. We have had only 1.31 inches of rain since January 1, 2012 and yet we can have an array of weeds (Boxed off in the orange rectangle).

As a “gardener” and interested homeowner, I didn’t want to have desert weeds throughout my landscape. Because of the arid conditions, these weeds will dry out by the end of May or June and can present a fire hazard. As a matter of fact, it is a wise idea in the desert to remove all non-cultivated bushy plants from within a 35 foot radius around the house. This will help to provide a defensible barrier against desert fires. In the Sonoran Desert there is an invasive native species, which is unusual, called Desert Broom (SEE PHOTO BELOW). We have removed them from within that perimeter as a part of our fire prevention strategy.

To help prevent weeds from taking over, as they surely will if left on their own, we have a pre-emergent weed barrier put down during the winter months. This chemical needs to be watered in so we try very hard to time it around rains (LOL).

You can see the difference having this weed treatment makes in the two pictures below:

Weeds (BELOW) are boxed in orange.

(Pictured BELOW) Everything above the arrow going to the end of the pavement is a weed of some sort

Notice the distinct lines between the treated and non-treated areas. As you can witness, weeds can be quite a problem in the desert even without much rain!

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

We continue our series of personalized (vanity) license plates in Arizona. To maintain individual privacy, we try to show as little information about particular cars as possible as long as we can reveal the license plate.

NOTE – License plate photos may have been archived for quite some time. The years indicated on the registration stickers DO NOT necessarily reflect the current status of any given plate!

We hope you enjoy these PL8 A TUDES!

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

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  Vegetables and Flowers in bed together, i.e. sharing the same pots to make a container garden! There is a wide variety of leaf and color forms once you add vegetables as companion plants to the standard annual and perennial offerings.

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  Trees can be grown to appear to be “sculpted” in all sorts of weird ways. These are probably not for the average landscape, but in the right place, they can make a stunning accent!

Article here – http://dlewis.net/nik-archives/circus-trees/ and additional picture here http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Twolegtree.jpg

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  Plant Spotlight: Erythronium Pagoda (Dogtooth Violet) This is a story of one gardener and their view of this plant in the garden.

http://chiotsrun.com/2012/04/17/plant-spotlight-erythronium-pagoda/

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  Make your own potting bench by repurposing wooden pallets! This is an idea that even I find interesting and although I have more than two thumbs (so-to-speak) I would be willing to try.

Start here http://lifehacker.com/5904083/repurpose-wooden-pallets-into-a-potting-bench and then go here – http://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/tools/make-your-own-potting-bench/

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  If you ever thought, or if you are thinking, about raising chickens, read this post. Even if you have not interest in raising chickens, I think you will find this interesting!

http://livinghomegrown.com/2012/04/backyard-chickens-8-lessons-learned.html

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Jeff

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

You may recall that a while back I wrote about my gardening life being interrupted by a mother dove that decided to make her nest in a potted, purple potato vine. One day I inadvertently scared her not knowing that she had eggs in the nest. I ran into the house to get the camera and this is what I saw:

Since then I have changed several routines to accommodate momma and her potential brood. I kept the water fountain filled (at least the top, shallow part) to facilitate her water needs. I also have given up on watering the potted plant in which she made her nest; plants are cheap enough.

When our pest control provider arrived in the middle of last week, I kept him away from that area as well.

We watched that nest for weeks in anticipation. One would think we were having the baby! As every day went by we became concerned…even anxious. A fellow knowledgeable about chickens said it would take 21 days which was a mild relief.

After two and a half weeks, I noticed that momma was sitting high in the nest and puffing her feathers. I thought this was because of our unusually warm weather that week.

Then one morning my wife alerted me that there was a baby in the nest. These were the best pictures I could get through our window without disturbing the “nursery.” (Our windows are treated with heat and glare reducing film which cuts down the amount of light available.)

That flutter of dark color off to the right is the baby bird. Here is a somewhat better picture as the feathers create a pattern.

The picture below shows baby cuddling against the mother as perhaps they sensed I was watching through the window.

Now that I was no longer concerned about the eggs hatching, I wondered whether the mother would know what to do. I never saw her leave the nest. Is she feeding the baby? Is she getting water?

I did notice one day that momma had left the nest and I saw her feeding baby so everything seemed to be in place. I tried to get a picture while the mother dove was away, but she returned too quickly.

One morning when we were giving our front landscape some extra water, we noticed that the baby was alone. Bingo! I ran (and I do mean “ran”) to get the camera.

In the close up below you can see that the baby is really a “pinhead,” but I know her mother “loves” him or her!

We watch every day to see the progress. I can only say that this is one big baby bird and I give the mother dove credit. I think that because the babies are so big, and therefore demanding, that only one egg is allowed to hatch. I am not sure, it is just a theory.

It is an exciting process to witness although I have read about it in books for years! We can’t wait to watch baby learn to fly. Oh yes, now we worry about the owls and hope they don’t find our new resident!

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Jeff

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

© Jeff Ross and www.gardeningonthemoon.com, 2000-2075. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts of 50 words or less and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeff Ross and www.gardeningonthemoon.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

To keep our garden inspiration flowing, I will post pictures of flowers, trees and other plants that I have found pretty and/or interesting for one reason or another. Many of the pictures will be of drought-tolerant or xeriscape plants because I live and grow in the Sonoran Desert.

I hope these photographs stimulate your creativity and keep you enthusiastic about the wonderful world of horticulture. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me by leaving a comment below.

While visiting the garden of an associate I noticed this beautiful cactus flower. While cacti don’t usually bloom over long periods of time, they generally make up for it with a stunning display even if it is somewhat brief. The flowers almost look artificial!

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

We continue our series of personalized (vanity) license plates in Arizona. To maintain individual privacy, we try to show as little information about particular cars as possible as long as we can reveal the license plate.

NOTE – License plate photos may have been archived for quite some time. The years indicated on the registration stickers DO NOT necessarily reflect the current status of any given plate!

We hope you enjoy these PL8 A TUDES!

Gardening on the Moon originally published this post

Written by Jeff

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

My wife and I often “garden” together although we do have our separate gardening chores that we do independently. After our brief winter cold snap which was hardly a winter at all, we were left with a barren planter in which we had the Morning Glory Bush (ipomea) pictured here.

This was a “central” location viewed from our family room so we were anxious to have it populated with something eye catching. The only thing is, I didn’t expect it to be this eye catching!!

Do you think the color is too garish? The one thing that helps is that it is almost alone as far as color in this part of the yard, but that is also what leads me to believe it is too bold. What do you think? Does it work here?

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed some doves doing what doves normally do this time of year, but they were doing it in my dark, purple-leaved potato vine. I shooed them the best I could and tried to scare them away. Then one day, when I was watering, the mother bird flew out of the plant nearly scaring the wits out of me and this is what I saw.

Once I saw those, I decided to stop watering the plant, sacrificing it if need be. I am anxious to see them hatch. The mother bird has been a good mom. I have not seen her leave the nest. I do keep the water in our fountain, which I usually let dry up this time of year unless we have company, high enough for her to get water when she wants.

She appears to be very attentive, but I am not sure the eggs will hatch.

Lastly, I must announce the score….Rabbits and Javelina 1, Jeff 0

That’s correct! I finally broke down and had a gate installed to block the entryway to the courtyard. I was tired of having the Javelina visit at night and destroy our plants. Rabbits would eat anything they liked which was mostly what I liked.

Anyway, here is the gate. We are quite pleased with it.

It creates a nice outdoor room and I guess we have become our own gated community!

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

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  Propagating Rosemary – One of the things I love to do with visitors to my courtyard is bring them to my two large planters with upright Rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis) in them and ask them to identify the smell. It is a wonderful aroma. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a few extra plants to send home? I am going to get started on this…

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  Do you need information about starting seeds? Try Seed Snatcher: “A search engine devoted to seed sowing, seed news, seed sellers, seed history, seed traders, seed art, seed packets, seed starting and saving seeds for gardeners and seed savers.”

http://www.google.com/cse/home?cx=017813469075022978746:zxwdeucohtq

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  “1000 Red Wigglers Are Doing Their Thing in My Worm Factory 360″ – Worm castings aren’t quite worth their weight in gold, but I’ve been told they are great fertilizer.

http://lifeonthebalcony.com/1000-red-wigglers-are-doing-their-thing-in-my-worm-factory-360/

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  Need a “gentle” watering can for seeds (NOT THE ONE PICTURED ABOVE), here is a good way to make one. I generally have several of these at hand with a variety of “strengths” for different types of plants!

http://mrbrownthumb.blogspot.com/2010/06/how-to-water-small-seeds-and-seedlings.html

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  “The benefits of garden eye candy“- How can visiting other gardens and perhaps perusing books and magazines help us become better garden/landscapers? It has been my experience that active gardeners can’t stay away from visiting other gardens. I often get one or two interesting ideas to stimulate my own garden designs when visiting others.

http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Gardening/diggin-it/2012/0402/The-benefits-of-garden-eye-candy?

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Jeff
Non-GOTM pictures credited by hover notes – move cursor over image

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

© Jeff Ross and www.gardeningonthemoon.com, 2000-2075. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts of 50 words or less and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeff Ross and www.gardeningonthemoon.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

To keep our garden inspiration flowing, I will post pictures of flowers, trees and other plants that I have found pretty and/or interesting for one reason or another. Many of the pictures will be of drought-tolerant or xeriscape plants because I live and grow in the Sonoran Desert.

I hope these photographs stimulate your creativity and keep you enthusiastic about the wonderful world of horticulture. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me by leaving a comment below.

As we were hiking the various trails in Zion National Park early in the spring, we came upon dozens of clusters of Indian Paintbrush wildflowers. They took hold anywhere enough debris had collected to allow them to drop anchor and live. They were a sight to behold against the brownish red rocks with various markings. Sometimes there would be companion plants growing alongside to make a natural bouquet.

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Jeff

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

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As I have pointed out on this blog in the past, we have several challenges posed by our native animals who share our back yard with us. One problem that we faced two years ago was the birds taking the coconut mat fibers used in our hanging baskets for nest-building supplies. Apparently we were the “Large Box Store” for the neighborhood fleet and news traveled fast!

Last year we decided to revise our plans a bit. We purchased two large plastic bowls from a dollar store and we used them as pot inserts. We then filled them with planting medium and used burlap to cover them. Since the burlap didn’t have fibers per se, the birds basically left them alone.

The picture below is of one of the hanging “baskets” where the pansies needed to be replaced. Last year we had a green potato vine that became large and was struggling to find space to grow. Notice the area with the two orange ovals. These spaces could provide more growing room if we could get the soil to fill the voids.

What we thought we could do was to remove the bottom from the plastic bowl and add a surplus of burlap to hang low and allow the growing medium to fill the bottom of the “basket.”

I used a razor knife to remove the thin plastic bottom of the bowl. Be very careful to keep hands far away as the knife can slip on the plastic. Cut in a direction away from any hands.

NOTE - Place the bowl on cardboard to make it easier to cut. I used burlap here, but cardboard would be better.

As you can see, the bottom is now gone. Perhaps even more could have been removed by extending the cut up the sides, but this is good for now.

We next measured a large piece of burlap to cover the entire outside of the bowl leaving enough excess to tuck the top of the burlap’s edge into the potting medium against the inside upper-edge of the bowl about an inch or two deep. The exact measurement isn’t too important. You need to have enough so the burlap stays tucked.

Enough EXTRA burlap has to be left to extend to the bottom of the wire frame so I lifted some excess in the middle which will later sag and create a larger planting area once the weight of the mix pushes it down.

Not pictured is the fact that before we began to place the planting mix in the bottom of the burlap, we added one more scrap piece to the bottom just to make sure there was enough strength in the event the burlap began to rot which it often does. Generally speaking, it will last an entire season.

Once the burlap has been cut, we filled the bowl, tucking the burlap inside the mix as we continued. If the tuck doesn’t hold, just move the mix, re-tuck and move the mix back.

As more of the mix is placed in the bowl and the burlap is pulled up to be tucked inside, there may be times when the burlap needs to be cut again as I am doing below.

More cutting and tucking may be necessary as the pot is filled with planting mix.

When the basket is mostly filled and the burlap is tucked around the inside, bring it to the hanging wire frame making SURE YOU ARE SUPPORTING THE BOTTOM WITH THE EXCESS BURLAP.

Carefully lower the basket into the frame, letting go of the burlap as your hand touches the bottom or comes very close.

Once the planter has been lowered into the frame, lift the bowl and adjust the burlap to remove some of the creases, if you like. Lifting also allows the “dirt” to settle on the bottom of the frame making more room.

Add more planting mix to the bowl/planter to take up most of the excess spaces. We knew we were going to be using wood-chip mulch (which will also help to secure the burlap) so we made sure to leave enough room.

Once the dirt is high enough and taking up most of the void, we then began to plant the ice plants.

Here is the planter without the voids and with all of the dirt filled in.

We topped the planter with mulch, watered in the plant and we had our new planter with an enlarged capacity.

I hope the birds don’t go for the plants themselves which they sometimes do when they need the moisture content. If you have questions, leave a comment and I will get to them as soon as possible. Until then, happy growing!

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

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  Cardboard Gardening Project: Hanging Basket – This is a project that would be a great deal of fun with children especially if colorful boxes (like the one pictured in the post) were used. Once the plants fill out, the box will be hard to discern.

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  New Free Online Gardening Magazine “Gardeners on the Go!” From Horticulture: The Art and Science of Smart Gardening. I view gardening magazines in the same light that I view cookbooks; a few good recipes may be worth the price of the entire book. In this case, the online offering is free so it is probably worth the price. Sign up now! [ NOTE – They do have the following statement which I guess is a trade off for the freebie – “By registering, you will automatically be signed up to receive Horticulture’s free email newsletter, plus updates and special offers from Horticulture and carefully selected partners.”!)

http://www.hortmag.com/forum/gardeners-on-the-go

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  Grow Lights for Indoor Seed Starting – Do grow lights save money on plants? Seeds? Here is one take on the subject.

http://mrbrownthumb.blogspot.com/2012/03/grow-lights-for-indoor-seed-starting.html

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  Build a Self-Regulating, Automatic Plant Watering System with a Plastic Bottle and a Tray. I often use self-watering planters for my seed starting and this is another technique although keeping the tubes in place might be a bit of a challenge. I used this method once when I went on vacation for a few days and it worked well at the time.

http://lifehacker.com/5891194/build-a-self+regulating-automatic-plant-watering-system-with-a-plastic-bottle-and-a-tray

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  Neem Oil For Organic Pest Control – This natural compound can be very effective, but care must be taken regarding application.

http://www.gardenmandy.com/neem-oil-for-organic-pest-control/

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Jeff

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

© Jeff Ross and www.gardeningonthemoon.com, 2000-2075. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts of 50 words or less and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeff Ross and www.gardeningonthemoon.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

To keep our garden inspiration flowing, I will post pictures of flowers, trees and other plants that I have found pretty and/or interesting for one reason or another. Many of the pictures will be of drought-tolerant or xeriscape plants because I live and grow in the Sonoran Desert.

I hope these photographs stimulate your creativity and keep you enthusiastic about the wonderful world of horticulture. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me by leaving a comment below.

Happy Gardening!

I found this scene in a friend’s garden very alluring. The morning shade on most of the plant and just a pinch of sun in the lower corner created an interesting contrast. The delicate purple stripes against the large white petals made this a very pretty garden vision.

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

We continue our series of personalized (vanity) license plates in Arizona. To maintain individual privacy, we try to show as little information about particular cars as possible as long as we can reveal the license plate.

NOTE – License plate photos may have been archived for quite some time. The years indicated on the registration stickers DO NOT necessarily reflect the current status of any given plate!

We hope you enjoy these PL8 A TUDES!

****************************************

If you REALLY

You can call yourself

!

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Jeff

Spring is in full bloom in the Sonoran Desert as I write this post. It is a bit warmer than usual and we have had a very dry winter. I think we have had less than one inch of rain thus far this year. It is hard to believe, but even with that scant rain, some of the desert flowers are beginning to show their glory. We took a hike along the Quartz Trail on President’s Day. This is part of the Cave Creek, AZ Recreation Area.

The Yellow Poppies were poking their heads out of dormancy and strutting their stuff. In the picture above, we can see the Desert Buckwheat with pink flowers on the left and the Poppy on the right.

Another Poppy found company among the Scorpion Weed with last year’s dry grasses amid the variety of foliage.

Brittlebush is usually among the first of the desert plants to bloom and here we see a couple of bushes pushing forth their daisy-like flowers

Another Buckwheat in bloom among the cacti and rocky hills of the Sonoran Desert.

The Globe Mallow can be very show. Although this is a wildflower, its beautiful orange flower and green foliage makes it a desirable landscape plant as well. There are also red and pink varieties which are not seen as often.

As we stopped to eat our lunch in the shade of a Palo Verde tree, we noticed the Desert Mistletoe in bloom. These red berries look pretty, but they are sticky and the birds transport them from tree to tree.

Once stuck to a branch of a tree, the berry then stays there and roots in to the bark eventually sapping the tree of energy until both die.

On the way back to the trailhead we noticed this saguaro. Look at the arm on the left. It is twisted in a very unusual fashion. See the close up picture below.

This was my first true hike of the season and it was good to get back to the trails and the wild desert.

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

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  Cornell University Resources for Houseplants – A nice resource for those looking for information about their houseplants.

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  Far Out Flora has some unusual flowers for your consideration as you plant your gardening preferences. The Ferraria crispa is strange IMHO.[ Picture above is NOT one of the plants although it is a crested euphorbia!]

http://www.faroutflora.com/2012/02/14/february-flowers/

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  Check Out the New Audubon Online Bird Guide – I know many gardeners who are also birders. They seem to go hand-in-hand for a lot of people. I tried this with a few birds and while not always successful, it did help in a few cases. A nice add-on to my birding books. Pictured above is a Black Throated Sparrow taken at Pinnacle Peak Park in Scottsdale, AZ.

http://www.audubonbirds.org/

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  Although Valentine’s Day is past, we can still pay homage to heart-shaped vegetation, veggies and roses Valentine Hearts and Roses Gardening Style. [CHECK OUT BOTH LINKS!]

http://lonadawn.blogspot.com/2012/02/valentine-roses-gardening-style.html AND http://contentinacottage.blogspot.com/2012/02/valentines-day-is-for-everyone.html

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  Is the relatively new Verbena Hybrid “Superbena” a plant for you? It would be for me if I can keep the rabbits from eating them!

http://lonadawn.blogspot.com/2012/02/verbena-hybrid-superbena.html

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Jeff

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

© Jeff Ross and www.gardeningonthemoon.com, 2000-2075. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts of 50 words or less and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeff Ross and www.gardeningonthemoon.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

As I have mentioned on this blog before, I am member of the Maricopa County Master Gardener program. Working with your local college or university to become a Master Gardener is a great way to learn about horticulture for your particular area. The classes were wonderful and the continuing education opportunities provide for life-long learning. For the Maricopa County MG program, click HERE!

As part of the monthly update, the Master Gardeners were invited to visit the Rio Salado Audubon Center. This wonderful structure and environment was built on a waste land that had been neglected for years. 65 million dollars was spent to reclaim a small portion of the Salt River (Rio Salado) which once flowed perennially through Phoenix. Over 2,000 tires were removed from this portion of the river and they were used for road quieting purposes.

The city of Phoenix has spent over 35 million dollars to restore plants and provide entertainment areas. Over 220 species of birds have been spotted in this area since the restoration was underway. Also spotted were javelina, rabbits, beavers and muskrats. What was once primarily a dead area is now coming back to life thanks to the Audubon Society, the city of Phoenix and other related organizations working with the University of Arizona.

On the day we visited a week or so ago, there was a hummingbird feeder along the walk to the front entrance and a couple of “hummers” couldn’t help themselves. They flitted and charged at each other stopping briefly for a few sips every now and then. (The bird is at the lower left of the feeder.) Click HERE for a larger picture!

The center piece of the main exhibit area is the fish tank with several species. Placards below provide information.

As the members of the group gathered, some enjoyed reviewing the various educational exhibits.

The building’s structure is very utilitarian, i.e. form follows function. The project was awarded a LEED Platinum rating for using sustainable and environmentally friendly resources.

To educate youngsters about the migratory habits and life cycle of the Monarch butterflies, an outdoor exhibit showing the caterpillar, chrysalis and mature butterfly was built. Youngsters can actually crawl into the chrysalis if they care to do so.

Once the program started, the group was given an orientation by one of the Audubon staff members. Many of the facts and figures above were derived from her brief talk. It was a very informative presentation which set the scene for the outside visit.

Outside, another staff member explained how the habitat was being restored and a new wildflower trail was being developed.

We were afforded a closeup view of the Monarch exhibit.

A number of visitors might be surprised to see cattails in the desert, but when the desert was pristine, there were wet areas that supported this type of vegetation and associated wildlife.

When children visit, they are asked to find those items that are not “natural” along the trail and to keep a tally of how many they discover. This keeps them focused and involved. (AZ flag colors - Happy 100th Birthday AZ!)

On the North side of the building the roof-mounted solar panels are visible.

On the way back to the center, I noticed a pink globe mallow. The orange variety is more prevalent and I thought this pink specimen was very pretty.

The downtown area of the city can be viewed from the Audubon Center. The location is a good one because it serves a population that does not have easy access to educational venues (other than schools) or cultural institutions. Many of the Audubon programs are free and thus available to a wide audience.

Once again the girders demonstrate the sustainable and eco-friendly design.

The ceiling is also very functional.

There are several exhibits in the main area, but using binoculars and finding the birds outside is the real treat. I believe that binoculars can be borrowed from the center.

I would encourage everyone to visit the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center if they are near downtown Phoenix. You can learn more about the center and programs by clicking HERE!

In a future post I will provide a brief description of another restoration project being undertaken at the Rio Salado River.

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

We continue our series of personalized (vanity) license plates in Arizona. To maintain individual privacy, we try to show as little information about particular cars as possible as long as we can reveal the license plate.

NOTE – License plate photos may have been archived for quite some time. The years indicated on the registration stickers DO NOT necessarily reflect the current status of any given plate!

We hope you enjoy these PL8 A TUDES!

****************************************

Bought A

!

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

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  Here are some very helpful tips for designing a garden. No time like now!

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  Designing a garden with color in mind; hints, tips and guidelines

http://birdsandbloomsblog.com/2012/01/13/garden-design-using-conrasting-colors/

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  Garden Design using cool colors

http://birdsandbloomsblog.com/2012/01/11/garden-design-cool-colors/

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  The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. Pollinators need you to grow these plants!

http://allthedirtongardening.blogspot.com/2012/01/pollinators-need-you-to-grow-these.html




• Garden Design using warm colors

http://birdsandbloomsblog.com/2012/01/09/garden-design-warm-colors/

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Jeff

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© Jeff Ross and www.gardeningonthemoon.com, 2000-2075. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts of 50 words or less and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeff Ross and www.gardeningonthemoon.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

As I have mentioned in prior posts and tweets, this has been a relatively mild winter our corner of the Sonoran Desert and all around the United States from what I can tell by watching the national weather forecasts.

This has produced some interesting results. We have plants in flower and bud at least two weeks ahead of previous years. Although I don’t think it has anything to do with the weather, we were excited to see our Agave murpheyi send out its floral spike (panicle) which should produce yellow-green flowers followed by bulbils.

Interestingly enough we didn’t notice the panicle until it was 45 inches tall as in the picture above

The picture below was taken approximately one week later. It grew more than 11 inches (to nearly 56 inches in height) in that week. I can’t wait to see how tall it gets. I will continue to post pictures as the “spike” continues to grow and mature.

Agave spikes can become very large. Here is a photo of a mature spike getting ready to bloom at the Mariott Hotel near the Desert Ridge Mall in Phoenix.

To get a sense of the size, here is the same plant with a car in the foreground.

They are very impressive and some people leave the spikes on the dead or dying plant for a long time to add interest and drama to their landscape. I know the birds appreciate having such a nice elevated perch!

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

 

We continue our series of personalized (vanity) license plates in Arizona. To maintain individual privacy, we try to show as little information about particular cars as possible as long as we can reveal the license plate.

NOTE – License plate photos may have been archived for quite some time. The years indicated on the registration stickers DO NOT necessarily reflect the current status of any given plate!

We hope you enjoy these PL8 A TUDES!

 

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Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

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  Seed Starting 101 – Start with Part II and if you want to learn about selecting seeds and the difference between Heirlooms and Hybrids, look at Part I

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  Many elementary school students learn the importance of trees in helping to provide more oxygen and clean air. This post provides an interesting look, via NASA Map, of those areas of the US with the greatest density of trees. It was a bit surprising to see how relatively few areas have a great quantity of trees. Check the link supplied in the article for a better look!

http://inthegarden.marthastewart.com/2012/01/17/seeing-the-forests-for-the-trees/

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  Cold-Weather Compost. Keeping the compost cooking through winter in any region. When living in New Jersey, this was a problem I had to confront. Make sure to check out all parts via link at the bottom of each page!

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/cold-weather-compost

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  Find out where Fine Gardening (Magazine/Web Site) and staff will be visiting this January, February and March. Some topics are listed for your consideration as well.

http://www.finegardening.com/item/18242/fine-gardening-on-the-road-2012-edition

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  The folks at rodale.com recommend several foods to avoid. Click the link in the upper-right side of the page to go to the next tip. While I can’t say “never” eat these foods, some very good questions are raised and I am sure most of us do eat some of these apparently less-than-healthy foods as explained in the article (some of the time it is the packaging and not the product).

http://www.rodale.com/7-foods-you-should-never-eat

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Jeff

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

© Jeff Ross and www.gardeningonthemoon.com, 2000-2075. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts of 50 words or less and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeff Ross and www.gardeningonthemoon.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

I am continuing my discussion to the winter garden in the Sonoran Desert. I began the discussion here.

One of the plants that does very well in this area is the Pansy. They enjoy the cooler weather and because we will most likely receive only a light frost or none at all, they should do well until next spring.

Another winter winner in this area is the decorative kale. In the picture below, we use a green bottle as a sun catcher to help add color to the garden.

Here we use the pot-on-pot technique to keep the kale out of the reach of rabbits and javelinas.

The Desert Botanical Garden (DBG) uses kale in their winter displays too. Here is a picture of a lacy variety against a wall.

Kale also does well in a planter arrangement as seen at the DBG.

Pansies can be used quite effectively with kale as long as the colors coordinate.

For the holidays, appropriate ornaments can be used in conjunction with kale to add to the festive atmosphere.

Some of our “garden standards” continue to do well because of the higher than normal temperatures. The double purple Datura continues to produce flowers, but they are not as robust as the summer blooms. I think we will remove the plant and rejuvenate the soil for next year’s plantings.

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

We continue our series of personalized (vanity) license plates in Arizona. To maintain individual privacy, we try to show as little information about particular cars as possible as long as we can reveal the license plate.

NOTE – License plate photos may have been archived for quite some time. The years indicated on the registration stickers DO NOT necessarily reflect the current status of any given plate!

We hope you enjoy these PL8 A TUDES!

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post