The carpenter bees seem to have discovered their bounty for the season. There are at least five or more every morning when I go out into the garden.
But I discovered something just as amazing, if not better - gold! A golden carpenter bee. WOW! I think it's a female, but that's just my plant-brained guess. (any novice entomologist out there know specifically what kind of bee it is?)

FROM: The Garden
TO: Your Health


1 - head of leaf lettuce (romaine)
1 - handful of kale
1 - cucumber, small
1 - lemon, small
2 - apples (okay, from the market)
1 - handful of ice

...Enjoy.

Today is Earth Day. Lots of events and activities will involve being green and recycling and carbon footprints and saving the environment, yadda yadda. But let's focus to the real star - Earth.

Look down. (Well, go outside and look down.) Look at the earth, the ground, the dirt, the soil. What can you really do for the earth TODAY.


Real simple - give back. It's a good time to simply start a compost pile. Even better (and simpler), leave your garden alone and let nature compost. Allow your garden - the earth - the feed and replenish itself. Composting (decomposition) is a natural process that is always happening underfoot. Where the mulch meets the soil, in-between, the bugs and microorganisms are hard at work composting.


When we contribute to the process by adding more layers of mulch - or leaving the leaves where they lay - the earth is enriched with nutrient life. In the end, the earth will return the favor and give to us.


For more cool inspiration about good ol' terra firma, check out what's airing on PBS. Now go let your toes hug some dirt.

Who's there?
Everybody! Xericopia is bursting with visitors these days. Well, not exactly visitors, more like new residents.

Lulu Bird has been banished to her chair, so now the lizards can workout in peace and everyone can come out and play...

Check out the carpenter bee loving some lavender pinata. (When he lands on the bloom, it droops over like a fishing rod. I think it's the bee version of a carnival ride.)

Bumble bees are loving some spanish lavender.(Keep your distance. They are feisty about their lavender time.)

The rain has been awesome, and now the sky is amazing! Saturday afternoon, my wife and I decided to get out and enjoy the beautiful day by taking a walk through the Desert Botanical Garden.

(Chuhuli yucca at DBG)

(Aloe pavillion at DBG)

(Wild Gaillardia at DBG)

It's winter in Arizona and the bees are here at Xericopia! Hard to believe at 72* degrees it's winter time. Nature is confused! My trees just dropped their leaves (well, sort of) and it feels like they should start budding and blossoming. Even the basil in my garden is still ripe for plucking.

(bee visiting podranea pink trumpet)

Do Not Attempt This At Home!

Well, I used to think that about growing edibles in pots. Especially here in Phoenix.

If you're new to this, I recommend starting simple, with plants that are sure to bring success and boost your confidence (something absolutely necessary in gardening).

(cilantro, red salvia, spearmint)

(swiss chard, lemon thyme, spearmint, kale, dusty miller)

(swiss chard with pine cone tephrocactus)

Like most, I enjoy container gardening. But often, we think of use containers to fill bare spaces like patios and entry ways. You know, hardscapes. Here in Phoenix (and other parts of the southwest) where it's over 100* degrees or more (much much more), these hardscape areas can be 10-20 degrees hotter. Certainly, not a place for plants we love, right?

Welcome to my new segment I'm calling "What to do Wednesday", which will focus on a project you can plan for your weekend gardening. Why Wednesday, you ask? Well, if I gave out great garden project assignment on Friday, you would like have to spend your Saturday morning racing around to the nurseries, preparing soil, and digging holes. Then, your Sunday up to your dirty knees working on the project. I believe Saturdays are for gardening and Sundays are garden viewing. So, Wednesday gives you two days to get ready for the weekend fun.

This Wednesday to start, I thought of a simple project we all can do. Here in Phoenix, where it's been over 110* degrees for the past two weeks, it's about all we can do in the garden right now. I want you to spend some time thinking back.

("The Yard" - 1998 Spring)

("The Garden" - 2008 Summer)

(2009 Summer - "Xericopia")

It's hot here in Phoenix. Really hot. Yesterday was 115* degrees. Today it was 115*. And the forecast consensus shows over 110* degrees for all of next week. YIKES!! If you think it's tough on us humans, be assured it's tougher on our plants. Remember, outside it's not only hot, but the sun is intense. If it's not a cactus, it's stressing.


One of the easiest ways to beat the heat (well, tolerate the heat) is simply installing shade cover. Just by reducing the amount of direct intense sun, life gets a little bit nicer for plants.

The set-up in my garden is quite rudimentary. It's not pretty, but it is effective, and it only took ten minutes to put in place. My new seedlings are much happier now.


This is all a temporary solution for current season. Since my back garden receives west exposure, I have a greater plan for future protection. In summer 2008 I planted some new trees (palo verde, bauhinia, crape myrtle, pomegranate) to create natural shade cover. By next summer 2010, too much sun will not be an issue for me.
(keep cool!)

Summertime is often a very disheartening for many of us Phoenix desert gardeners. As we slowly slip from the 'comfortable' springtime 80* and 90* degree temperatures, the dreaded heat can but the breaks on our gardener spirit. But don't dispair; If you think there isn't much to plant during the dog days of summer, think again. Here are a few of my favorites for warm season survival:

(Palo Verde - Parkinsonia florida/cercidium floridum from 24"box)

(butterfly on zinnia)

From simple beginnings come great things. You can't go wrong with zinnia seeds. It's never too late to get your seeds in the ground - especially before the monsoon rains arrive.


Go native and go big. This leucophyllum sage is on its third bloom cycle of 2009.

But a couple of my summertime favorites are red salvia and orange justicia. These two sun lovers will not only bloom through summer, but with occasional dead-heading, can bloom year-round. Bring on the color!

For more planting options, visit the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association or the Maricopa Master Gardeners plant guide.

One fun thing I love about summertime gardening (even though summer is still technically 3 weeks away), is how you have to challenge yourself to be inventive. With the impending heat, it's always questionable what to plant next that will survive.
Instead of wrestling with flowers, and keeping them watered, and fertilizing them, and deadheading to keep them blooming, and wondering when they will finally fade away, etcetera, etcetera....
I thought I'd try something interesting with succulents.

This is an old antique wheelbarrow with the bottom rusted out. It used to be filled with geraniums (a few times throughout the year because they would die from lack of watering, too much drainage, and harsh sun exposure).
First I converted it to a stone garden with a couple cactus. Not quite impressive, I then added another plant or two. Finally, I put together a plan using some small scale succulents, a few cuttings, and a couple feature specimens (in the end, about $15 on plants). It took less than six months to entire planter to fill in, and this photo was taken just after pruning. The planter is located under a large elm tree and receives midday filtered sun and then about 3hrs of full afternoon exposure. It is quite a conversation piece in this downtown Phoenix garden.

Life is good...

My wife and I spent some peaceful time in the garden today (trying very hard to ignore the wind). So to help focus, I ran off to the frontyard and cut a few things for little vase (Don Juan roses, raspberry snapdragon, nasturtium).



As the wind settled, all the birds came out to eat, and the whole verdin bird family came to visit


But a gardener's work is never done. I have to go prune some edibles and cook them up for dinner!

Everyone is encouraged to turn out their lights from 8:30 - 9:30pm on Saturday, March 28.
(Check out the "Earth Hour" video)

According to Mayor Phil Gordon, here are some other things we can also do to participate in this global event:

* Change at least one light bulb to a CFL
* Park your car for the day
* Turn your air or heat down or off
* Use public transportation (including light rail)
* Fill your recycling container
* Reduce your water consumption

Read more at: http://phoenix.gov/news/032509earth.html

I plan to spend my Saturday morning celebrating by planting some trees - a lot of trees! Valley Forward Association and the Mayor's Office will host a tree planting event downtown on Roosevelt Row Saturday 03/28 ( 8am-12noon).

In honor of VFA's 40 years in Phoenix as the Valley's premier environmental public interest organization, 40 trees will be planted along 5th Street and 6th Street from Roosevelt to Garfield. It's sure to be quite a day.

Later, during Earth Hour, I will be on my patio enjoying my garden in the candle light.

Well it's finally done! It took some time to fit in between weekend schedule and brief nights after work. (about 14 hours over 4 weeks)

Now that I've figured out my formula, it's time for phase two...

One of the best things about living in Phoenix Arizona is the weather. Still 28 days before spring 'officially' begins (March 1st), it is 70* degrees, sunny, and everything is in bloom. This really all began about three weeks ago, just after winter weekend. We had a couple of weeks with lows in the 30's, a few days of glorious rain, and now we're headed full steam into what looks to be an incredible spring season.

Before diving into some big project that involve digging or hauling (I have loads), I thought I'd have a little inspirational fun.

"I'll do edible pots!"

Using some old tera cotta pots (about 18"x18") I made a soil blend of potting mix, compost, mulch, and pumice.

Here are the plants I installed in container #1:

Kale - perfect for salads and green smoothies
Spearmint -I like to snack on when I garden and use in tea
Purple kale - labeled as an ornamental, I saute' with monk pepper and sea salt
Dusty miller - it looks so great, and makes a unique garnish

Here are the plants I installed in container #2:

Dill - great on fish (with lemon) and the blooms attract butterflies
Spinach - full of calcium for green smoothies and salad
Swiss chard - saute' with garlic and spinach - yummm!
Lemon thyme - perfect aromatherapy and in tea
Dusty miller - very cool pressed flower for art cards

Except for the dusty miller and purple kale, I gathered everything else from the Downtown Farmer's Market or Baker Nursery in effort to keep things as organic as possible. These pots will only require watering a couple days per week and should produce well for about two months. I don't intend to fertilize because of the organic composted mulch in the soil mix.

Once temperatures over 90* degrees, I'll transplant everything into a shady area in the garden, hopefully to gain another month of late springtime eats.