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grant_in_arizona

What's looking good, April 2011?

grant_in_arizona
12 years ago

Hi everyone,

April is my second favorite gardening month, right after May (okay, April is first on the calendar, but second on my favorite gardening month). So many things look so good, and it's a nice time to have that transition between things that love the cooler weather and things that like the warmer weather, plus plenty of aloe and cacti blooms too.

What's looking good in your garden?

Here's a no-ID aloe that's looking especially nice in my garden right now (tennis ball included to show size). I hope you'll take a look and enjoy. What's looking good in yours???

{{gwi:401742}}



{{gwi:401743}}



Take care and happy gardening,

Grant

Comments (16)

  • turtleman49
    12 years ago

    Fruit Trees look great.. what else?

    Better yet is the experiment on the blueberries.. I'll have to keep you posted on that one. I know a breeder down south and I think we'll have a type that might even preform in AZ's soils (maybe).. I'm waiting until August to stick em in the dirt to try to kill them.

  • wabikeguy
    12 years ago

    Please let us know how they work out, turtleman. I love blueberries. It would be great to be able to raise them.

    Dave

  • kelly_girl
    12 years ago

    That aloe is beautiful! I might have to go on a mission to find one for myself. I tried to post a picture but don't have the time to learn how to post a photo right now. I have an 8 month old baby so my computer time is somewhat limited:) Hope to take some pics in the yard tomorrow and share.

  • euqruob
    12 years ago

    {{gwi:401744}}

    My Edulis Passion Fruit has its first ever bloom. Lots more to come.

  • azjoshb
    12 years ago

    I apologize if the images are too big, this is my first time posting images. Hope you enjoy.

    Passion fruit vines growing up the arbor I built.
    {{gwi:401746}}

    Jamaica seedling(great for tea)
    {{gwi:401748}}

    Guavas just popping out
    {{gwi:401750}}

    Peaches too
    {{gwi:401752}}

    Plumeria finally showing new growth
    {{gwi:401754}}

  • azjoshb
    12 years ago

    Also forgot one of a nice looking ornamental banana.

    {{gwi:401756}}

  • mangledmind
    12 years ago

    Grant ... too many to post, so here's a link to the set on Flikr:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/50048290@N08/sets/72157626467883800/

    Here is a link that might be useful: Flikr - GardenWeb: April garden pics

  • grant_in_arizona
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Great stuff everyone! Turtle, keep us posted on those blueberries. Yum! I love the passion fruit blooms and plants euqruob and Josh. Keep us posted.

    Josh, your pergola is AWESOME. I love it. The patio and planting beds are really neat too. Are you building it all yourself? Your plants all look neat too. What's that Jamaica seedling? It sort of reminds me of the tea hibiscus I grew last year (H. sabdariffa)? Your pics are the perfect size, by the way.

    Mangled, your garden looks beautiful and delicious too, LOL. Thanks for the link to all of your pics. This is a such a great time of year for gardening in the Valley.

    Below are a couple of pics from my little garden, plus a link to my online pics (so far!) for April.
    Hawaiian sunset vine (Stictocardia)

    {{gwi:401758}}




    Sandpaper verbena climbing up and over a cactus
    {{gwi:401760}}




    "Pride of Maderia" (Echium candicans) in full bloom, finally, after growing for almost three years:
    {{gwi:401762}}

    Keep the eye candy coming everyone!
    Happy gardening indoors and out,
    Grant

    Here is a link that might be useful: Grant's garden pics (so far) April 2011

  • azjoshb
    12 years ago

    Yep its the hibiscus sabdariffa sp?. I have lots of extra seeds from last years crop if anyone wants. Also yes, I built everything myself, but still have to cover all the cinderblock with stone veneer and bench tops.

  • mangledmind
    12 years ago

    azjoshb, amazing work ...

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    12 years ago

    Everything looks just great - I love that pergola too. And Grant you are a big tease with that gorgeous Hawaiian Sunset Vine. That's a cool shot of the verbena peeking through the cactus. Oh - and the banana is very nice. Looks healthy.

    The best looking thing at my place today is the lack of dead bougainvilla. I whacked that monster today!

  • EarthSmartDesign
    12 years ago

    My bush morning glory looks great right now in my yard. Same here if I can figure out how to post pics I will post some.

  • desert_dawg
    12 years ago

    Turtleman, are you talking about Sunshine Blue, or is there something even more tolerant out there?

  • piranhafem
    12 years ago

    A little late to the party, but I have to show off my bearded iris. About a year and a half ago (Oct. 2009) I bought a mixed bag of rhizomes from a local gardener who was dividing her irises. They didn't bloom the first spring, so this is the first time I've seen them bloom. It has been more exciting than Christmas morning around here, waiting to see what colors we have. Here they are so far:

    {{gwi:401764}} {{gwi:401765}} {{gwi:401766}}
    {{gwi:401767}} {{gwi:401768}}

    I also have some shoots coming up from the roots of the willow acacia I was sure was stone dead! I've decided to just cut the dead tree down to ground level and let it come back from the roots, rather than yanking it out. It'll be a shrub for a long time but I can't kill it now that it's shown such a will to live.

    My Desert Museum palo verde is covered in fat flower buds, ready to pop any minute now. Can't wait.

    --Maureen

  • mister_gin
    12 years ago

    piranhafem,

    The force is strong in those willow acacias. I'm still battling shoots from a tree that blew over and was removed two years ago. You have to totally remove the roots are else new shoots will form wherever they were cut. Also getting plenty of little sprouts from the old buried seeds.

    I'm glad that tree is gone. I do wish it's underground remains would go as well.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Latest garden pics...

  • grant_in_arizona
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Piranha, your iris are GREAT. It's always fun to have mystery flower colors open up, isn't it? Your iris look really, really happy! I love each one of them. I have half a dozen small iris plants that I purchased from neglected rhizomes that were left on a nursery shelf unplanted. I bought them for like 79 cents and it's taken them a couple of years to recover but now they're starting to bloom. I tried to keep the labels with them, but I was only partially successful, LOL, so I'm having a few suprises too. I love the way yours look.

    Here's a 'Batik' iris rescue that's blooming this week.

    {{gwi:401769}}


    Mr. Gin, your pics are fantastic. Everything looks so nice, and tidy, and productive. Love it!

    Take care and happy gardening everyone,
    Grant

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