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grant_in_arizona

What's looking good in your garden? (April/May 2010)

grant_in_arizona
13 years ago

Hi everyone,

This is such a wonderful time of year, isn't it? It seems like everyone's plants and all of the wilderness plants look so nice.

Just for fun, I thought I'd post five pics of some things that are looking especially nice (to me, anyway) in my garden. I hope you'll take a look and enjoy, and I hope you'll post about what's looking good in your garden, or a neighbor's garden, or a commercial planting etc. Let's chat. :) Even if you don't have any pics, we'd love to hear a description of what's catching your eye these days.

Hippeastrum striatum (nice evergreen type, out on a shaded patio year round)

{{gwi:402438}}

Subtle-colored aloe (from the Desert Botanical Garden sale two years ago, purchased as an unrooted cutting):

{{gwi:402440}}

Nice burgundy-red hollyhocks, the first of many hollyhock plants getting ready or in bloom right now:

{{gwi:402441}}

Beavertail opuntia and blackfoot daisy in bloom:

{{gwi:402444}}

Bottlebrush (Callistemon) in bloom. This is one of the taller types, but I've also got good ol' 'Little John' too which stays very short and dense.

{{gwi:402446}}

Take care,

Grant

(ps: I'm putting a link below to my April 2010 garden pics in case the embedded pics don't show up for you).

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to my April garden pics

Comments (39)

  • az_pamperedchef
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Grant, your plants look great! All I can say is that tennis ball gets around! :-)

  • grant_in_arizona
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks, LOL. People always ask me if I live next door to a tennis court, LOL. I don't (though I do play a bit), but I keep some found balls from a tennis court near work for awhile to include in pics, and then I give them to the neighbor's dog to chew apart.

    Thanks for taking a look, I appreciate it.
    Take care,
    Grant

  • raspberrytart
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have about 15 plants in pots here in Show Low and get tired of watering them by the end of June. You have more ambition than I do, can't imagine how often you need to water those pots in Scottsdale. We are in the process of buying a house in Mesa, it was a forelosure, needless to say that what little plant life left is not looking so good.

    Meanwhile, back in Show Low the golden delcious apple tree was covered in blossoms and smelled wonderful, the tulips and violets are blooming, the radishes, onions, spinach & herbs are up in the veggie garden, I have no idea how to post pics or I would. The snow and cold are hard on everything-no lilac flowers this year:(

    Funny, I have never looked at the Arizona Forum until we opened escrow on the Mesa house. I have no idea how to garden in The Valley, so your pics are inspiring. Thanks!

  • grant_in_arizona
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hiya Raspberry and all,

    I love spring here in the Valley and up in the high country too. Your current garden sounds beautiful. Pics are pretty easy to post so if you email me (grant_in_arizona@yahoo.com) I can send you the text for how I do it. You can always just use the "link" at the bottom of where we type text and link directly to a pic or photo album if you have online photo albums (like picasaweb, snapfish, shutterfly, etc). We'd love to see.

    Good luck on getting the Mesa house--keep us posted. It's sad to see so many empty houses with plants not being maintained isn't it? If nothing else, it shows us what is the most durable.

    Take care and thanks,
    Grant

  • arizonny
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    GardenWeb allows HTML coding within the body of a message. The format of that HTML is: [img src=""] you use less than symbols instead of the [ and ]. Type that exact code into your GardenWeb message but put the URL of your picture within the quotes.

    Very Easy.

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Grant, Everything in your garden looks just grand. I am especially partial to daisies. Nice job. Here's some stuff around my place. First, Dutchman's Pipe vine

    {{gwi:402447}}

    A good frontal shot with a tennis ball!!
    {{gwi:402449}}

    Side view showing the 'pipe':
    {{gwi:402451}}

    The back:
    {{gwi:402453}}

    Enough of that crazy plant...I just love it though. Six blooms in the last week.

    Clematis [Polish Spirit I think]:
    {{gwi:402455}}

    Mexican Flame vine and a firestick plant:
    {{gwi:402456}}

    Close up, the Mex Flame vine is mixed with a pink trumpet vine:
    {{gwi:402457}}

    and finally - Puppies - just for some fun:
    {{gwi:402458}}

  • jojosplants
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Everything looks wonderful!

    I was worried that tennis ball may have been an Easter Egg no one found..LOL!

    The puppies are beautiful! What kind are they?

    JoJo

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks JoJo.....The pups are Cavalier King Charles Spaniels....a toy English type spaniel. They are real lovers those two.

  • crista
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Mary, your Dutchman's pipe is spectacular! Glad you started this thread, Grant. You reminded me how pretty blackfoot daisy are!

  • grant_in_arizona
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Fun replies! Mary, your pics (and pooches) are great! I LOVE that Dutchman's pipe. I grew the native type in my last garden but it doesn't have as showy of flowers. Do you know the species on yours and do you leave it outside year round???

    I love the flame vine combined with the pink trumpet vine too--orange and pink is my favorite combination! Has your flame vine been perennial for you reliably?? I grew one for a couple of years at my last place but it got zapped in a bad winter and croaked. Just curious.

    In any case, everything looks really nice--big congrats on the clematis, I know several gardeners who have tried them repeatedly and failed. Any secrets??

    Keep the eye candy coming everyone,
    Grant

    Here is a link that might be useful: Several dozen pics of my garden in April 2010

  • psuperb1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks to all who are posting. It's interesting to see the variety and success you are having. What's looking good in my garden right now is limited, but here are a few photos:

    An Echinopsis, Easter lily cactus variety

    {{gwi:402459}}

    A hedgehog on its third bloom

    {{gwi:402460}}

    And, the promise of an Echinopsis spachiana (torch cactus) flower...any day now. I've never seen this bloom. It has five buds altogether, so I'm expecting quite a show.

    {{gwi:402461}}

    Thanks to all, it has been fun. (It just happens the cacti are looking better than my other perenniels right now.)

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Love those cactus blooms, please post a pic when the torch cactus pops all its buds.

    Grant, the species is Aristolochia littoralis (elegans). Yes, it is outside all year, it's in the ground. The leaves get a bit ratty in full summer, it's growing on a dark green trellis and I think it just gets too hot. I left all the old, ratty leaves on the vines this spring thinking they may provide some insulation. I think it flowered especially well this year due to some new fertilizer I found at the hydroponic store. It's called Sweet by Botanicare. The guy who sold it to me said the plants need carbohydrates when they begin to flower and that's what this stuff is. All my flowering plants are loving it.

    The Mexican Flame vine, this is its first year in that location. I have lost two to cold weather.

    The clematis - cool feet, hot head. The spot it's planted, the root zone gets almost no sun, whereas the vine itself does. You can see in the distance picture of the fire stick and MFV that the shed it's growing up, the root area is shaded from afternoon sun by the house. Also, there is a large white rock placd on top of the root area.

    Great thread!

  • grant_in_arizona
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nice pics and plants Psuperb, keep us posted. I'm a huge cactus nut and really enjoy seeing pics, so keep them coming. My Echinopsis subdenudata have been tossing up the occasional bloom, but most of my others (tons of fancy hybrids from sales/online/plant swaps and plenty of no-name garage sale purchases plus some from Big Box stores too). Your echinopsis are a bit ahead of mine--I'm jealous. :) Do keep the pics coming though, we'd love to see.

    Thanks for the extra info on your plants too, Mary, I love them. I need to give that Aristolochia a try--it's fun! They are one of my favorite plants and I really should grow more of them as there are several that love this climate.

    One other plant that's looking really nice in my garden right now is Cuphea micropetala (pic below). This is the first year I've grown this species (have done many cupheas in the past and love them), but so far so good. It was a tiny little cutting when I first got it about two months ago.

    Cuphea micropetala in bloom, close view

    {{gwi:402462}}

    Keep the pics and updates coming all,
    Take care,
    Grant

    Here is a link that might be useful: My Cuphea micropetala in bloom

  • psuperb1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here are a few pictures of the cactus blooms. I'm rethinking E. spachiana, maybe E. huascha. By any name, I am happy with the blooms. For perspective, the longest stem on plant is 13" and the flowers are 3" or so across.

    Thanks to Marymcp and Grant for requesting photos. I am only too eager to comply.

    {{gwi:402463}}

    {{gwi:402464}}

    {{gwi:402465}}

    {{gwi:402466}}

    Until our threads cross again, keep on posting.

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow! Stunning......thanks for that eye candy.

  • mangledmind
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago
  • hotdrysunny
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I AM SO JEALOUS!!!! grant and marymcp you guys have beautiful gardens and that crazy Dutchman's pipe vine is the coolest thing I've seen!! Most of my flowering shrubs (desert marigolds, brittlebush and rabbitbrush) are getting a little crispy, but here are some of my favorite things to see:

    First, new buds on the Mission cacti pads I planted a couple of months ago. I'm keeping them in cages until they look mean enough to withstand the evil hordes (rabbits and ground squirrels):
    {{gwi:402478}}From Plants around the homestead
    {{gwi:402480}}From Plants around the homestead
    {{gwi:402482}}From Plants around the homestead

    And here are two of my Santa Rita prickly pear cacti -
    {{gwi:402484}}From Plants around the homestead
    {{gwi:402485}}From Plants around the homestead

    A yearling mesquite starting to look like a real tree:
    {{gwi:402486}}From Plants around the homestead

    My monstrous Chilean Mesquite which clearly appreciates the graywater from the laundry. . . meanest tree alive but great shade!
    {{gwi:402488}}From Plants around the homestead

    The old Palo Verde in the backyard, giving us one more year of pretty yellow and white blossoms:
    {{gwi:402490}}From Plants around the homestead

    And my totally not-native rubber tree plant that I had in college (well over a decade ago. . .) this nook on the east side of the house gets no sun and the drip from the A/C:
    {{gwi:402491}}From Plants around the homestead

    Looking forward to seeing more photos from everyone else!!

  • grant_in_arizona
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    LOVE all of the new pics, mushrooms included, LOL. Psuperb and Zzini, your cacti are wonderful! I was thinking E. huascha as well. Mangled, besides your 'shrooms it looks like you're getting nice growth on other veggies including watermelon? Nice! (I just planted some 'Tigger' melon seeds last week and they're up and growing).

    Zzini, your garden is great and I love all of your cool plants--the cacti are great as is that rubber tree. Nice job.

    Here are a couple of pics from this morning. Nothing too fancy, but pretty nonetheless. Keep the pics/posts coming, Grant.

    Cleistocactus tupizensis blooms
    {{gwi:402492}}

    Desert "willow" (Chilopsis linearis) that I grew from seed making its first bloom at 16 months of age:
    {{gwi:402493}}

    Datura meteloides in bloom (great night blooming plants that attract moths at night; toxic so nothing eats it other than hornworm caterpillars which become the moths):
    {{gwi:402494}}

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Everything looks great - love the shrooms and that Chilean Mesquite is very nice. I'm taking that photo out to show my trees what they should be aspiring to.

    I have dat's too Grant, love 'em.

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    First passie flower of the season:

    {{gwi:402495}}

    Upside down coleus: - shoulda moved the light string.

    {{gwi:402496}}

    deep red coleus - pictures do not do it justice. A gorgeous plant, from Summer Winds:

    {{gwi:402497}}

    What am I? It's a hosta of some type I think but if someone knows the latin name I would appreciate knowing:

    {{gwi:402498}}

    Chocolate Bean vine (another can't do it justice shot)...look closely and you will see the bean pods the millions of tiny burgundy flowers:

    {{gwi:402499}}

    Potato blossoms:

    {{gwi:402500}}

    Potato bed:

    {{gwi:402501}}

    A Mess of 'Maters: (these are Sioux)

    {{gwi:402502}}

    A hollow stump we brought back from 4-wheel camping: There's a very scrawny tomato plant, Red Alert, trying valiantly to grow.

    {{gwi:402503}}

  • hotdrysunny
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @grant - is E. Huascha the botanical name for what I'm calling "Santa Rita" Prickly pear?

  • psuperb1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just a few more pics from me.

    Blooms on globemallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua). I wanted the orange but can't knock the pink.

    {{gwi:402504}}

    Neighbor's paddle cactus flowers:

    {{gwi:402505}}

    {{gwi:402506}}

    Some of you must have great time management skills. Don't see how you keep up with all the plants. I'm so envious.

  • grant_in_arizona
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Love the new pics! I'm a huge fan of globemallow too--love it. Nice opuntia too, psuperb. Zzini, the E. huascha is Echinopsis huascha (sometimes called Trichocereus huascha). It's the orange flowering columnar cactus in Psuperb's pics.

    Mary, your hostas are the so-called "African hostas", Drimiopsis maculata. They're not related to hostas but they sure look and act like them don't they??? I've never grown them but I'm familiar with them. If you have tips on keeping them happy don't be shy.

    Oh, and Mary, your chocolate bean looks a lot like my slimjim bean (Phaseolus filiformis), though it's hard to see from the pic. Is the link below (not my plant) similar to yours?? I'm curious, and envious.

    Love the passion flower too. Mine got totally overwhelmed last year by a popcorn cassia (and slimjim bean!) but I have one tentative new shoot up and on the trellis, so hopefully this will be its year.

    Great updates!
    Grant

    Nice job on everything all,
    Grant

    Here is a link that might be useful: Slim jim bean (Phaseolus filiformis)

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    No Grant, not Slim Jim Bean. I'll try to get a better pic - the bean pods on CBV are slimmer than Slim Jim. Really. The flowers are deep burgandy in color, not pink.

  • mangledmind
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    grant_in_arizona,

    Thanks for the :) , yup, the Black Diamond watermelon is off and running, trying to choke out all our bunching onions and shallots LOL, it's flowering now, so we should start seeing some babies soon ;)

    Our pics in the Raised Bed topic don't do the garden justice at this point. Everything is taking off now that it has started to warm up the soil.

  • mangledmind
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    marymcp,

    I was wondering if you had ever seen those potato boxes that are 2'x2' and about 3' tall? I've seen some web designs on growing them that way along with some using tires, but I don't think tires will fly with my "fashion" tastes in the garden LOL

  • mangledmind
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    psuperb1,

    You have a great camera eye, those bloom pics are awesome.

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    mangled....don't know about the potato boxes but I tried tires last year. one word sums it up: ugly. ;~)

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The other problem with tires is that when they are not being used, they fill with water, rain water, sprinkler water, whatever, and getting that old, funky stagnant water out is tiresome....pun intended. There's no good way to drain all the water out, if you tilt the tire, the water runs down to the [new] lowest spot. I don't have room to store them out of the weather between uses. I think rtl850nomore uses them successfully.

  • psuperb1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    General comment: In the last few days when I get on this thread, some of the photos dont load. Instead, there is a red "X" enclosed in a square. If I right click the red "X" and select "Show Picture", it will load. This might be due to (a) my computer settings being messed up, (b) having a phone modem connection, (c) the size of the thread getting larger. Anyone else having similar experience?

    Sorry about that.

    Mangled mind, thanks for your favorable remark about "good eye." Truth be known: I take a lot of shots and do a lot of cropping/resizing. Those shots of the mushrooms couldn't have been easy. I've been using a digital camera for about two weeks now and I love it.

    The Datura meteloides looks great. Has anyone grown Erythrina flabelliformis (coral bean)? See link below. Since I've seen it pretty high up in the Santa Catalinas, maybe it doesn't grow at lower elevations. Are poisonous plants restricted, i.e., should you plant in enclosed yard as opposed to curbside?

    Too many questions, I know. If anyone happens to know answers fine. Otherwise, more Internet searching in store. Thanks.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Erythrina flambelliformis (Coral bean)

  • grant_in_arizona
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Love the latest posts. Mary, I use those Down Under pots too--great minds think alike, LOL. I've been using one of the large ones for coleus for 6 or 7 years, although this winter it blew down and broke, grumble grumble (I bought a stand to hang it from rather than a tree branch like I usually do). I replaced it with two new ones, but they're small instead of large so this year I'm test driving some bryophyllum succulents in them. We'll see how it works out.

    Psuperg, I grew coral bean at my last garden and it did very well. It was E. bidwillii and was a real winner. I just slopped water on it once a week during the hot months and maybe once a month during the cool months and it did great. I wonder if it's still there???

    If you give one a try, let us know how it does. If anyone used to shop at Shepherd's Iris farm you'll remember they had some nice ones out front too.

    Keep us posted,
    Take care all,
    Grant

    Here is a link that might be useful: E. bidwillii on Desert Tropicals website

  • austinaz
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    As far as any blooms- I don't have any other than my VERY tall cactus but most are gone.

    What's looking good- My Basil, Oregano, and Alyssum which hasn't gotten a flower yet though.

  • xica_da_silva
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thought I'd check in and report on my garden...it just boggles my mind how these plants can survive and even thrive in this heat! Being relatively new to gardening, it's so thrilling to have some success!

    1)Red and pink Celosias: seemingly can't get enough of the heat. Love the whole spear-shaped 'flowers'...so unique. And how the red ones have red leaves, and red stems. Soooo cool!

    2)Dark pink Vincas with white 'eyes': The hotter it gets, the happier they seem. They're blooming like crazy and I love the intense, deep green leaves...real champs they are. They are bordered by Dusty Millers which also seem to be doing well...the little monsters: I had to trim them back because they were starting to take over my sidewalk! But despite being a bit unruly, their silver leaves make such a great contrast against bright colored flowering plants.

    3)Madagascar Palm: seems quite happy; it has a gorgeous shape right now with perfect green leaves. Hard to believe it was just a mere prickly stump 6 months ago. My only fear is, he is growing and someday I'm going to have to figure out how to transplant him! Slow down little fella, slow down!

    4)Purple Leaf Plum: looks good, but I kind of wonder if I need to paint its bark to protect it as the summer wears on? I haven't noticed other Plum trees with bark painted, but maybe that's just me. Anyhow, my mom says hers is producing fruit right now, but she lives up in Cottonwood so who knows? Maybe it's just as well that mine doesn't produce fruit?

    1. Shrubs: The African Boxwood shrubs are doing much better than I ever expected...and they've been verdant in both winter and summer. I highly recommend them (so far). I think it's because, being close to the house porch, they get a few hours of shade that suit them well. I've also got some Ilex V. (Stoke's Dwarf) that are healthy-looking, but haven't grown one lick since the 8 months I've had them! I guess when they call it 'dwarf' they weren't kidding. Oh well, less trimming to do.

    6) Chinese Pistache tree: tips of some of the leaves on the lower part of the tree are brown and crispy. I think I might need to do a deep watering?

    7) Sunflowers: some of you may recall I bought a cheap package several weeks ago and just threw them in the border area next to my sidewalk. Already 15 inches! So cute how, even though they don't have flowers yet, their bodies are turning to the sun.

    Wish I could provide picks, but my old non-digital Canon EOS has finally given up the ghost. I might just have to stop being such a luddite and go digital. You all have such beautiful photos...I wonder if any of you are using special lenses? (I've got a Tokina 50-200 zoom...nothing special but it's functional most of the time!).

  • grant_in_arizona
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Xica and all,

    Great update, thanks! It sounds like all of your heat lovers are happy and thriving. That's nice. That celosia is amazing isn't it? It just laughs at the heat as long as it gets watered. Great stuff. I see plenty of those purple leaf plums without trunk paint, so it's probably whatever you'd prefer.

    Looking back at my earlier pics I see that most everything is still looking good. I cut off the last hollyhock bloom this week and the plants look tired and semi-wilty but they'll perk up in autumn. The cacti are mostly done blooming but some are making nice new growth.

    Oh, and Mary, if you ever have any extra seeds of your chocolate bean vine, I'd love to take them off your hands, oink oink. If there's anything I have you'd like in trade don't be shy.

    Take care all and thanks for all of the nice updates,
    Grant

  • minime8484
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey Grant!
    Just browsing through some forums and came across this post in my quest for Cleistocactus - your tupizensis is amazing!
    Can you share where you obtained it and how old it is (if you know)?

    Cheers,
    Tristan

  • grant_in_arizona
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hiya Tristan and all,

    Thanks--I got that Cleistocactus a few years ago from a Home Depot in Scottsdale (just south of Shea, east of the 101). They and several other HD's seem to carry a few each early summer. It was really inexpensive so I just couldn't pass it up. Glad you like it. Thanks for commenting!

    Take care,
    Grant (ps: the desert willow in this thread is a sibling from the same batch of seed I sent to Barbara and Petra).

  • minime8484
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, Grant! At HD!! What a great find!
    I will definitely keep my eyes peeled for that beauty from now on at HD in my area.
    If you do ever see one (or any of its relatives besides the easily found strausii & winterii) available in the valley, please let me know!
    I've really fallen for the Cleisto's and would like to have more in my yard.

    Cheers,
    Tristan
    p.s. - Those Chilopsis are amazing; Barbara is always bragging about the ones from that batch that have outpaced my 6 yr old plant in less than one year!

  • minime8484
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sometimes, I am such an idiot.

    Since this info from you, Grant, about where you got your C. tupizensis, I've been trolling HDs in the valley...to no avail, though I'd been assuming that it would be more likely to run into the species once the spring shipments come in later in the year.
    Well, I happened to be up near Cave Creek this past weekend and was staying in Happy Valley area in a hotel right next to Lowe's.
    On a whim, I figured what the heck - I'll stop and see what they have...and, would you believe they DID have C tupizensis! BUT, it was a rather large 4-branched plant in relatively poor condition: one branch was dried up and shriveled, two had dark brown color at the ground level (often a sign of rotting/too much water), and all seemed a bit etiolated.
    So, I passed on it - reluctantly.
    Of course, when I got home, I kicked myself - I probably could have talked them down in price (price tag said something like $15.98) and then taken a cutting of a good branch to root, then planted the guy and hoped for the best. If it didn't take, at least I'd have a cutting!

    But, NOOOOOO....I had to go and talk myself out of it!

    Oh well...I'm hoping when spring shipments arrive in the valley I'll be able to find a nice healthy one!

    Cheers,
    Tristan

  • grant_in_arizona
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    LOL! Keep us posted, Tristan. I bet you find one this spring when a lot of the Big Box hardware stores get big shipments of specimen cacti and succulents. Good luck and happy hunting!!! Take care, Grant

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