Friday, April 6, 2012

Birds, Bath, and Blooms!

 These pics were taken on March 4th, 2012.  Recently I purchased a bird bath near the bird feeders to add a little extra fun to the space.  Starting this year into next, I will be adding more color and little art pieces here and there to give the gardens a bit more punch.  Next to the fountain is the Texas Mountain Laurel.  The blooms on this slow growing bush are signs that the garden this year is going to be one amazing place!  Last year after the historic freeze, there weren't any blooms and the El Presidio Gardens didn't look so good.
While the photos on today's post aren't the greatest, they do give you an idea of how it's all set up.  The trees and bushes were just beginning to bud.  I'm hoping for some excellent cacti blooms this year and that should be very very soon:)
Peach Blossoms
Since I'm writing about blooms, I need to let you see the peach blooms that are always the first to bud on our trees......reminders that hibernation is over for many of our plants in Tucson.  The larger the tree becomes; the more spectacular it is in spring.  This year was no exception.
I've also been adding little bird houses here and there just to make the garden areas bird friendly.  If you love birds and want to attract them to your space, remember to plant low lying bushes or grasses to help aide in ground cover.  Birds like to have a quick escape and hide when they sense danger.
I'm proud of this one particular space.  Xeric and bird friendly, it truly lends itself to lowering our water bill while adding a lush green side forest to the El Presidio Gardens AND adds the voices and sounds of birds to the mix on top of it all.  This garden is around 3 and a half years old and each year becomes a little more magical.  More tomorrow...

13 comments:

  1. Great pictures and colours as usually Chris.

    I'm curious about one thing. In the background the plants look like Oleander. Are those Oleanders and if they are, do you ever have any problems with the blight that has infacted much of them in Southern California over there in Arizona ??

    At the commercial and residential Properties where I supervised the landscaping, we had it terrible over there when I first came on board. We Removed 80% of them and that was huge. Most were very much up in age. But that blight (yellowing & die back) was an eyesore even if the plant still survived. I replced them with Australian plants or Cal-Natives.

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  2. I like that bird bath. I've been looking for z new one for my mom but a good one is hard to find. Concrete - too heavy. Metal - rusts. Plaster - disintegrates. Ceramic is the obvious choice but sometimes they're too gaudy for her tastes. This one looks perfect. If I were closer, I might come borrow it!

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  3. I love your garden. The deep cobalt blue of the birdbath is an excellent accent.

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  4. i like the bright blue bird bath (say that 3x fast...) :)

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  5. Its wonderful to see how your garden is developing. You must be so proud that all your hard work is paying dividends. Oh and I love the little bird house!

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  6. Hello! Beautiful garden and beautiful photos!

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  7. I'm glad there is already plenty of low, medium and tall natural growth backing my bird feeders. But maybe I should add a pretty bird bath. Hmmm...

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  8. This is a very smart bird bath, mine is plain stone one!

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  9. The space looks great and that blue bird bath is stunning.
    The birds will be very happy with the new offerings.

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  10. I love that punch of blue! The bird house is sweet too.

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  11. I like the bird bath and look forward to the shots of birds splashing the water someday. Your garden looks so inviting and will develop into a little magical forest for the birds in near future.

    Yoko

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  12. Your garden is awesome, Chris. Love the pretty birdbath and all of the cute little bird houses. I'm sure that your birds love it there... We found out just awhile ago that there is a frost advisory out for us tonight... They first had said that we weren't in it, but now we are... Don't know if we'll go out there tonight and get the container roses inside the garage.... What a hassle.... BUT--I'd hate to lose all of our pretty blooms/growth.... Yipes!

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