El Presidio Gardens (The Monsoon Report 2012)

Last night was not a good night.  My blog was removed(as were many others) and I think I felt a huge hole in my heart.  2 and half years of research and exploration gone.....just like that. It was a bit unnerving but thankfully I was able to get the blog up again.  Blogger/Google is a difficult beast for help.  It took me hours to get Las Aventuras running. It made me sad to think that I might lose you all.  It made me upset that all of my information and photography would disappear.  And all I can say was that there was a great big empty feeling inside.  My other half felt my pain and thankfully Pat was there to help me out. Several of you may have gone through this yourself.  It's a bit terrifying.  Think about how many thousands of hours you put in your work a year.  It's like a bad habit but used for good:) Okay that's that. So I thought I'd put a spin on our gardens and updates from around El Presidio.  How about an update during a monsoon storm?  We had some beautiful light during this night and the skies were incredible.  The above shot is taken from the parking lot.

The skies were dark and therefore our courtyard lights went on.  Here are our wonderful Oak trees providing a little ambience from around the property.

As we face the front entrance, I notice a light out, lots of clouds, and some much needed rain....but there was more....

As I looked up, I noticed a HUGE rainbow over our homes!  That was a first.

I got up on the second level and took a shot over the courtyard area.  The former pool is adjusting to the rains.  I will continue filling in more dirt for the spots that need it.  It has taken some time for the soil to settle in.  Hopefully soon a fountain will be going into that area.

Here is the front area of the Northern Planters.

And finally the side gardens.  Not all is done here yet but I am liking how it's all coming together.  This area above is called the Fruit Garden and the pic below is from the Fern Garden.   This area is the oldest of my works at 4 years of age.  I am loving the curving nature of bamboo as it's creating a natural green tunnel for folks returning home.  It's not perfect yet and requires me to tie up a lot of random bamboo sticking out, but as it gets older, this arch will get higher.

More updates coming from El Presidio Gardens.....weather permitting:)

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.....

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...

The Fern Garden at El Presidio

I love ferns, but most of them won't grow in Tucson....so I found similiar leaf structures and patterns and put them together to create a "ferny" look.  This is my fern garden.