Winning Combination Part 1

Verdin love with The Tangerine Beauty Crossvine

Today I begin my 3 part series about plants and the critters they attract.  Working with the El Presidio gardens has been a lot of fun as it continues to develop.  One of our guests that lives here on the property is the Verdin. 

I began to notice the tiny bird this past year as it found its way back to our property.  The birds then began to nest in nearby trees and drink from our hummingbird feeders.  Similiar to hummingbird needs, the Verdin loves sweet tubular flowers like this colorful Tangerine Beauty Crossvine.  An easy vine to grow and it does require some regular watering and lots of sun to create these marvelous bursts of color.

I was outside walking around the gardens when this little guy landed on one of the flowers.  It shows how small this bird is compared to the tubular flower.  I'm so glad I had the camera on me so that you can see the sizes of both the bird and flower.

When I place a plant into the garden, I always think about how it will add(beyond shade) to our landscape.  Questions I ask myself, "Will it add color?"  "Will it add vertical dimension to the garden?" "Will it attract wildlife?"  "Is it edible for humans or wildlife?"  "How much lighting and water will the plant take?" etc etc.  While it may seem like a lot of work and research, it's worth all the effort in the long run.  When the puzzle pieces start coming together, a masterpiece is created for all to enjoy.  More tomorrow...

El Presidio Blooms!

 Spring is here!  And with it comes all the blooms and new additions......

 Gerber daisies, roses, Tangerine Beauty Crossvine to name a few.....

 Plus a new bird house......

And let's not forget the fruits of our labor......newly formed peaches after the blooms wilt away! 

There's so much happening at El Presidio right now and it's exciting watching it all come together!

Tangerine Beauty Crossvine

I purchased the vine from this company.....I've found Monrovia is a great company with a high quality product.  Monrovia can be found at various plant centers around town.  Mine was purchased from Mesquite Valley Growers.

This high desert performer not only looks attractive in our desert landscape; it's also attractive to our hummingbird population.  The flowers are bell shaped and this vine prefers FULL sun.  It has an aggressive twining habit that will take over other plants or your trellis in no time.  It's fast growing and can get quite large at around 30 feet.  It takes regular watering at first, but once it's established it's a bit drought tolerant. During the winter, the vine drops its' leaves.  In fact, it doesn't really look attractive at all so keep that in mind if you are thinking about purchasing this plant.  This past year I had some issues with it as it didn't bloom for long in Spring.....so I did a hard cut to the ground and we'll see if this plant comes back up.  I also added a little fertilizer to the ground.  Otherwise it's a really nice vine to have around and it is highly recommended if you want something to be covered quickly in a sunny spot.  You can prune in winter and it is recommended that you do so.  I never had done it before so we'll see if my pruning did the trick this time.  Gardening factor:  Easy 
Common vine for the Tucson area.