El Presidio Water Fountain

A long time ago......in a garden far far away......a gardener began to write a blog about the gardens he would create in Tucson, Arizona.  Along the way, he picked up many many other skills like photography, birding, becoming a docent for the local gardens, saving homeowners money and creating a blog about his work and adventures around the garden.  And then he began to bird and travel again:)

 But he still gardened through it all.  And he created a wildlife haven for birds among the canopy tree tops.  As the garden grew; so did he.  The homeowners would lose money from a faulty leaky pool.  It was draining their pockets......and the recession was in full gear.  No one used the pool and yet it cost 600 hundred dollars a month to run it.  Several homeowners were behind in their HOA payments.  Eventually they had to move out of their homes due to foreclosure and forced the remaining homeowners to make a decision. No more wasting money.  The pool had to go.

 Realizing the pool had a leak, the homeowners decided to shut it down.  And saved money they did.  But the process to restore this mammoth project would take over a year to begin.

The gardener,listening to his neighbors, put together a plan. An idea.  He would employ the help of others to create something special to replace the gleaming blue jewel of the courtyard at El Presidio.

The pool would be filled in with dirt.  It would take a year to settle.  No longer was it dangerous for guests to have outdoor dinners and watch their kids near the pool.  No more close calls with kids falling into the pool or slipping and hitting their heads on the cement.  And yet the area would be an eyesore.  The gardener realized that a water feature was still needed and so he planned and planned and planned.  Homeowners waited patiently as things like money and a plan came into being. 

 A measured and calculated plan was created with the idea of a fountain being placed at the center.  But what would fill in that space around it?  Several weeks of conversation and planning were held and finally a sketch was created and stored away for future gardening.  Money was the next step.

Meanwhile chaos happened.  Trees and plants grew tall and strong around the El Presidio Gardens. Birds began to nest and create a haven in the tree tops.  3 feral cats remained after escaping the gardener's live cat traps.  For many years these cats would breed and have many kittens around the gardens.  They would use pots and garden areas as their kitty litter. The gardener took back the lands.  He now fights the remaining 3, Greystoke, Bear, and Tubby, with his garden partner Donnie.  They still terrorize the birds, but as you can  see they have "issues".  Tubby is stuck in the tree.

And then....a water line, cobalt blue pot......several thousand dollars later.....the infrastructure was created allowing the gardener to finally complete his plan.  Homeowners of El Presidio worked hard.  In fact, it looked bad at first and many had their doubts. Rotting wooden beams were removed and pillars were cut in half.  Cobalt blue would be the central color scheme to counterbalance the reds and tans of El Presidio.

And the master plan?  You'll have to wait for the great reveal next year as the gardener/birder/adventure seeker puts it all together.  And maybe he'll actually start to write about plants again like he did when he created this blog.  Life is art.  Life is creation.  The running sounds of water can be heard again. Soon the heart of El Presidio will beat again. 

From Start to Finish

While the project isn't completely done, we do have some updates to record from the El Presidio gardens.

This project started in May and continued through the month of June. 

The rotted wood was replaced and re-stuccoed.

It was painted.

The wood removed.  No more tree litter on beams.

Some of the danger is gone.  The fear of wood falling onto one's head around the shed is no longer a threat:)

The pillars would be cut in half.

In early August, I would receive money for the pots to finish up the spaces.

And of course the doors will need to be replaced.....and the fun part? 

 The Imperial Blue pots.  The posts cut down in half open up the area to the canopy of the Oaks.  The rotten wood is gone and that expense will no longer be needing replacement.

 Plants placed into the pots are hardy annuals here in Tucson.  Phlox, Vinca, Salvia, and Dianthus were chosen for the 4 pots this summer.  Other choices include Pentas, Ice plants, Sweet Potato vine, Dahlia, Gerbera Daisy etc....

 I will be moving that Bamboo out and putting it with the other clumps.  The garden is constantly changing or being modified as work is done.  We do need to paint around here soon, but for now it is what it is.  I'd like to wish you all a great Labor Day weekend.  I'll be back commenting again either Sunday night or Monday.  I'm on more epic adventures this weekend with some friends and will be out of town. Hope you all relax and have a wonderful 3 day.

Miramonte Neighborhood

Today's post is one for the books.  It is about observations over the past several years around my neighborhood. It's long and I do apologize.   In fact, I've been working on this particular post for around 4 months.  I was only able to now go around the neighborhood and take the photos.  The worst part was that I actually wrote this post yesterday and blogger had a hiccup.  Nothing was saved!  I had wasted an hour of my morning!  The first pic is the iconic symbol of the Miramonte Neighborhood.   It is here that the rare avocado tree grows.

This write links previous posts together and it is really interesting how it all fits together like a puzzle.  Leaving El Presidio gardens, people are exposed to this.  I'll let you form your own opinions about this road and homes.  Visitors have stated that it looks like the 3rd world driving up to our place.  And it's a bit true if not a little insulting.  However I understand their meaning.  Miramonte faces two big obstacles.....poverty and poverty housing.  With it comes the crime(drugs, graffiti, killing).  But not all of the neighborhood is bad and it actually has some really neat features.  It just so happens that El Presidio lies between the two extremes.  Last year I wrote a post on our neighborhood.  Note how many of the front yards lack landscaping.  One homeowner has converted their yard into a junk yard.

But as I leave down this road, I do find a home with a beautiful front yard.  It was actually cloudy allowing for these beautiful flowers to remain open.  Note how they've used the cacti as a fence.  Attractive.  Natural....and well done!

A closer view(and the money shot for this morning) is found below.  The blooms are active with insect life.   At night, they attract our bat populations.

Another important part of this post was to show people how our historic freeze last year has affected many of our plants.   In the pic below, and I'm just focusing on the euphorb, you'll note frost damage on the tips.  It didn't look good at first, but somehow the plant pulled through the freezing temps.

I leave my street and turn left.  I see shopping carts, trash, and colonies of prickly pear cactus.   Yes, it's frustrating.  Sometimes it seems that no one cares about their surroundings.  A special police force monitors our neighborhood.  It's a huge meth area.

Part of the problem is the Salvation Army being on the corner.  Now the Salvation Army is a great organization and during the holidays, there are looooong lines of people waiting outside. I pass them by on my way to work and have lots of deep thoughts to myself.  Sad. Happy that they have a place to go for assistance. Angry that some of them will take take take and then trash the area around the business.  Not all of it is good.  The neighborhood association deals with these things on a daily basis.  

I love the agaves in this pic.  The purple flowering plants you see today are known as the Texas Ranger. The tricky part about desert landscaping around this area is that many of our plants have spikes and points.  Sometimes people forget that trash will gather or get stuck around the bases.  With large groups of people, you have trash and with it some very tricky cleanup.

But as I leave this troubling area, I am rewarded with views.  From left to right.  There is a healthy patch of Buddha's Belly Bamboo, an ancient Euc, several palms and the orange flowered Mexican Bird of Paradise.  When homeowners or newbies come to the desert and ask me what they should plant in their yards, etc., I always tell them that they should wait and observe the lighting for the garden spaces and also take a walk around their neighborhood for plant ideas.  For me, it took a year to do all of this.  And also remember that each neighborhood or property have their own microclimates.

I turn on the road.  You may notice that our streets are not well paved.  This is Tucson and it's quite common to find roads in this condition.  However, it's important to note that this street becomes a river during our monsoon storms creating dangerous conditions.  I don't go anywhere during a heavy storm because I don't want my car to stall.

A wonderful thing happened several years ago.  An eco friendly group of condos would go into a space that had been causing issues for El Presidio.  It was an empty lot.  Drug deals and prostitution happened here until a company came in and built these beautiful buildings.  The landscape is wild and natural.  It also blocks people from hopping our walls.  And it creates a wildlife oasis for birds, etc.   These buildings also collect rain water and reuse it.  Note the solar panels on top of the building.  On the far left is another mammoth Euc which creates the highest point of our tree canopy at El Presidio. 

Look at this Canary palm  It takes forever to grow here and this one is midsize indicating it's an older plant.  Sometimes, cacti grow in the weirdest places.  Check out the Prickly Pear caught up in the "haircut" of the palm.

It's near the Miramonte Park.  Our pride of the neighborhood.  Combined, El Presidio Gardens, the Eco friendly condos and this park have created a wildlife corridor in our neighborhood.  Just don't go here at night.  People joke about finding unsavory things on the grounds in the morning....mostly used if you get my drift.  I don't think it's funny and again it is a frustration for the homeowners bordering this park.  However, it's well kept and a lovely addition to our neighborhood.

Here's another look at "frostbite".  Almost a year and a half later from that historic freeze, plants are still recovering.  I wanted to do some followup on the posts I've written over the 2 year period of time. On the pic below, you'll see the very healthy desert fern tree/shrub growing in the landscape.  The landscaper who is incredible and worked on this property for decades is fantastic.  Everyday I drive past this property and he has made miracles happen on plants that I thought would die.  Several of our mesquite, cacti, and desert fern trees bit the dust.  Take a look at this tree from this past January!  I thought it was a goner!

Today with some artistic pruning and a lot of patience, the tree is back in full shade mode.  I spoke with the landscaper this day and we had a nice conversation.  I'd hire him to manage our gardens!

And then there was the Jacaranda.  Very few places can grow these trees in town.  But since we live in Midtown, they do well.  Last year I told the frantic story about how I almost lost my Jac.  I ran to this homeowner for advice.  He was calm and said, "Just wait and see."  Well we did and our Jacs came back.  It's important to note two things here.  His Jacaranda is located in a thicket of Mesquite and next to a wall.  My Jacaranda is also placed in a similiar area to keep it insolated from freezing temps.  On well established Jacs, there is not much to worry about but for little Jacs in their first or second years, people need to monitor these trees during our winter months.

For sale?  Check out this lovely clean landscaping.  Okay, I do have to admit something here.  I love all the plants, but it needs a small and light tree in the middle.  I'm thinking a Desert Willow just to give it some focal point....besides that "for sale" sign:)

Here's one of the few places that has lawn.  Again by the same landscaper.   These are townhomes and very well kept.

Sometimes I forget to grab my green notebook.  I didn't pay attention to the plant here.  Sometimes I snap a pic and forget to check out the plants.  It's one of my personal issues with blogging that I'm trying to be better at.   This plant(is it Vinca?) grows as a groundcover all year round in the shade.  I enhanced the pic to see the leaves, but I can't tell.  This area is home to many birds as well including several families of the Gamble's Quail.

I love this house, but I don't like how the mesquite trees are blocking the entrance.  It looks cluttered.

Then there are quircky places that pop up around the neighborhood.  The lack of landscaping is obvious and it is a forest of untrained plants.  A little too wild for my tastes.

What's perfection?  This landscaping right here is dead on.  Very little needs watering....if any at all!!!  Beautiful house with great plant choices for their yard.  You have several cacti(Tree Cholla, Prickly Pear, and Barrel), Texas Ranger, a Pine Tree as a focal point, and Bougainvillea(the red leaves although I'm not sure exactly because it's a bit blurry).  By the window, it looks like some variety of Tecoma Stans and a Mexican Bird of Paradise.

Some homes are in bad shape.  Love this place but there is a lot of water damage on the outside.  Plus there are boxes everywhere.  It looks like a hoarder lives here.

And the alley ways.  Tucson is very different from Phoenix.  If you ask me which city is cleaner, I'll tell you Phoenix(depending on the area).  If you ask me which city has the most personality, I'll tell you Tucson.  But the Old Pueblo can be grungy in parts.

Healthy indicators of wildlife are seen by the simple existance of Gamble's Quail.  Here is a family that is doing well in the neighborhood.  I can't explain why I know this.....I just do.  These birds indicate a healthy ecosystem.  El Presidio doesn't have them because of the feral cats roaming the property.   But we are home to many hummers.   Today's walk was exhausting.  Not because of the distance but because of the heat.  It was hot, humid and sticky.  At 9 AM, I had to return home.  The heat was too much.  The desert is no joke this time of year.

As I return home, I see my masterpiece at work.  It's nearly complete and I'm proud of what I've done.  It is a work of love, time and patience.  We still have several major pieces left....the fountain, the side planters, the old wooden beams on the front gate and the parking lot.  An irrigation system will need to be set up and then I will be done with my work.  Sorry about the massive post today but I think the landscapers and homeowners will find this write interesting.  Until next time....

On Top of My World

Inspired by A Garden On Sherlock Street, I decided to go on top of my roof and show you all an "aerial" view from several areas around the El Presidio Gardens.  This post is also for David from The Desert Edge.  You asked me awhile back to take a look at those Palo Verdes on the other side of our parking lot wall.....and today I'll show you what it looks like from high above.  I am scared of heights and climbing onto the hot summer roof needed to be done before monsoon.  There were beer bottles  along with lots and lots of acorns.

El Presidio is two stories high.  When I moved here 4 years ago, there was nothing here.  Look at the other side of that fence and you'll see what I had to work with......empty space!!!  This was actually beneficial for me as I was able to organize and plan out the space.  I didn't think I could have a green garden as it was all rock and ugly clay soil.  It was a battle and I remember that a lot of sweat and tears went into the physical planning.  You are looking down upon the Fern Garden.  The tree on the left is Chitalpa.  The tree on the right with the purple blooms is the Jacaranda.  The bushes behind with the red blooms are the oleander that provide a natural green screen from the ugly school behind.   The purpose of this garden was shade protection for birds.  And also for our energy bills.

Tucson is a desert.  It's one of the "greenest" deserts in the world.  We have some of the highest plant and animal diversity in our Sonoran ecosystem.   It was a hot day and I had to clean acorns off the roof.  It has taken me years of proper pruning etc to get this view.   At the end of the roof(above pic), you will note one of our very healthy Live Oaks.  To the right of that tree is a Mesquite forest and close to the front of the pic is a Euc.   Palo Verdes are yellow in the background creating a wonderful canopy for birds to nest, shade etc.

Every space requires fixing.  When I look at the space below, I see several holes.  There is a cactus that I hope will fill in that spot.  It is growing but after last years freeze, many of our cacti froze to death.  This is a transplant that is slowly moving up and out:)  If you are interested in bird gardening, it is important to provide lots of hiding areas where they can sit in the shade.  The blossoms provide food for our hummingbird and verdin populations.

But this photo best expresses what I've done to our property.   I love the desert but if you notice the adjacent property, there isn't much going on there.  There's a lovely Ocotillo and a lot of open ground with little landscaping. Most of the properties around us look like this, but I refuse to accept that landscaping in the desert HAS to be boring.  It's not.  It's quite exciting.  And our water bills are excellent.....proper planning.  My big issue will be the pruning over the years but luckily we have some great homeowners here who help out with the cuts.  Now the next set of pics are for you David:)

I'm curious.  This property is a group of Ecoconscious condos.  Note the rain barrels and Palo Verdes.  They have grown quite large over the the past 2 years!  They've added a lovely shade to our hottest exposure...the West side of the gardens. As they've grown, the trees have extended their arms onto our parking area.  Their back area is quite small and has also become a nesting ground for hummingbirds. I will say that they have really left their grounds extremely well maintained.  It is all very Sonoran and desert friendly. I'm not complaining about the Palo Verde choices, BUT were they appropriate for that tiny space?

Let's pull back a little.  Our old warm charm and their modern day charm has created a thicket of trees for birds.  The very left of this photo is a Children's Academy that has sparse vegetation. 

I'll leave you with this image here.  I'm happy with the progress of the property but I am concerned about several of these Palo Verdes growing into our parking area.  Suggestions?  Ideas?  I can tell you that once hummingbird nesting is over, I'll be asking the homeowners to do some pruning on the lower branches.  Several hummers have placed nests under the park area.  Very very smart:)  I'm making progress at El Presidio.  It's slow, but the face of our landscape is changing and every year I smile even more:)  More tomorrow.....