What Is It That You See?

Christmas Fantasy

One of the most beautiful things for me during this time of year is the nutcracker. I love all things Tchaikovsky.  As a child growing up, I would look into our Christmas tree and pretend a community of elves, reindeer, and other magical beings would live inside the green needled forest.  Today, a little part of me wants to believe that it's possible.  The Nutcracker caught my attention as a child with its haunting melodies and unique international themes.  There is a timelessness to it all....like the "It's a Small World" attraction in Disneyland in California.  I had always been afraid of the Rat people attacking the Nutcracker Prince and Clara.  At night I would go to sleep listening to this classical work and dream in the hushed reds, blues, pinks and greens from the Christmas lights that our tree would come alive just like it did in the Nutcracker.  The soft pine scent added that little extra incentive to sleep and dream seamlessly from one world into the next. 

One of my absolute favorite holiday cartoons is the one where Chip and Dale get lost in the Christmas tree after Mickey Mouse chops down the tree.  Pluto, the dog, goes crazy and tries going after the mischievous chipmunks:)  Sometimes, I wish I could be so small and walk around the branches like they do in this magical world.

Case in point.  Our white kitty Luna climbing our Christmas tree from several years ago. I'd like to say I am envious but she smashed several beautiful ornaments around the tree.  Note to self.  Place expensive ornaments on top of tree and place kitty ornaments with bells on the bottom branches to distract them from the top ornaments:)

Up!

Celebration.  School is out for the year.  I am on vacation. AND it was rainy cold today.  I walked out my door and spotted our resident Red Tail Hawk hanging out on our neighbor's Eucalyptus(it's dead, but I like how it looks against our mountains).

 I've been secretly hoping to snap shots of owls, but this was just as inspiring to see.  I wrote over a year ago that if you plant things, they will come....meaning the birds and critters.  And this year has been a real treat in the garden at El Presidio.

 It looked like an owl from afar, but my zoom lense took me closer.

 We have a little forest on the property here and lately hawks have been visiting.

 These two shots are a bit blurry, but I love how this hawk is puffing out the feathers.  I may not be id'ing this hawk correctly but I believe it's a Red Tailed Hawk and not a Cooper's Hawk because the iris is lighter.  If you click on the other link in the last paragraph, you can compare the photos.  All of these pics taken in my backyard:)

 And while we're at it, let's not forget our hummer friends.  I now run two hummingbird feeders and am reminded to switch them out every week.  I put them up and they fly around my head.  Interesting note.  There are two feeders on opposite ends of El Presidio and two sets of hummer families use them, but they will not cross one building over to feed from the other station.  Very territorial.

There  you have it!  I am looking forward to getting out on some amazing walks over the next several days for some little adventures.   More tomorrow....

Holiday Plants for Tucson

Can the "Nochebuena" or Pointsettia be grown in Tucson?

I'd like to mention several plants that stand out during this time of year in Tucson whether they be placed into pots or in the landscape.  I'll hear Tucsonans talking about several of them as the year goes on.  So let's begin this fun look into several of these "holiday-ish" plants for our area.    The first one I'd like to start with is the Pointsettia.  We consumers love this plant and will purchase it in great numbers.  A wonderful supplier here is Green Things.  Okay okay....none of this is new.  Why would I bring this plant up?  Well because many Tucsonans ask the question, "Can we place this plant into our landscape after the holidays?"  A complicated question.  If the plant has a great root system and wasn't just placed into a pot for the holiday time period.....then yes BUT!........there are a couple things you should know about as I have tried this experiment myself.  "Have I seen this plant in Tucson growing in the landscape?"  Yes BUT here are the things to keep in mind.  This plant is SUPER sensitive to frost and it will be killed, roots and all, if bitten by damaging temps.  It does like water, but if you water it too much, you'll kill it from rot.  The roots do not like sitting in water at all.  This plant is wild in Mexico and is quite stunning.  However, the temps there are milder and the plant thrives on moderate rainfall without the severe freezes like Tucson gets.  I have seen several healthy and large plants in Tucson that are grown in planters and protected from the intense sun by a building or a large trees afternoon shade. The owners say they are a bit fussy but worth the effort. So blankets and heaters have been used.  It should get some morning sun but protected from extreme hot summer afternoon sun.  Both Pointsettias were placed in enclosed planter areas that were protected from frost biting temps and kept warm by outside trees and shrubs.  It never hurts to experiment.

Arizona Madrone(I took this photo in Madera Canyon last year)

A couple plants that naturally create a nice holiday feel in our own gardens are the berry producing ones.  In Madera Canyon, you'll find the Arizona Madrone.  Here in Tucson, the Pyracantha offers hues of reds, oranges or yellows.  The color will depend on the variety growing in the landscape.

Pic taken from my neighbor's yard

And what about those desert plants in our landscape that really don't stand out for the holidays?  Take your agave or cactus, like the above pic, and add some color to the tips.  Many folks around here put lights(mostly white) around their Saguaro cactus. I don't know, but I think it's kinda fun to see the agave like this.  The point here is to be creative:) I'll show you some fun ways to dress up your desert plants this week:)

Pic courtesy of Wiki

People love bulbs and there are all kinds to place in pots around our homes and gardens.  But it's during this time of year that the infamous Amaryllis catches our eyes with its' brilliant colors of reds and pinks. Interestingly enough, I placed this bulb into my garden after its' bloom was done just to see what it would do....and it grew lovely green leaves throughout the year in the garden. However, you need a substantial amount of chill and rest for it to bloom again. But the leaves were nice.

Photo courtesy of Wiki

Finally, I'd like to end with Desert Mistletoe.  Newcomers are always shocked by the idea that the desert has mistletoe!!!  We do.....and a lot! It's a parasitic plant that lives in many of our native trees like mesquite or palo verdes.  To the human eye, it looks like a bird's nest because it clumps inside the tree's branches. It's mistletoe and that's what it does.  There are A LOT of thorns so don't even try and attempt to grab a piece for that smooch under the doorway. You'll draw blood! While it's a cousin of the full and velvety leafed Christmas mistletoe, our variety here is stringy with brittle jointed stems.  Birds will eat the berries on this plant.  So keep your eyes open for this plant around our beautiful desert. And that's my holiday report for today:)

Close up of Desert Mistletoe thanks to my friend and special guest photographer

Casey Scheidegger! (You are awesome:)

 

Road Trips To The Mountains

If our weather hasn't been too holiday like for you here in the desert, you need to simply head to the mountains which are just a stones throw away!  In Tucson, you can head to Madera Canyon, Summerhaven, the White Mountains, or lots of other places.  We've had some great rain this season and I hope it continues.  At times, when needing a little fresh air, we'll road trip up into the mountains and freeze ourselves for a cup of hot cocoa and forget that Tucson is below us:)  It's one of the reasons why Tucson is such a great place to live.  There's so much outside stuff to do around us.  So for a little holiday spirit, head up to our local mountains or canyons for some wintery weather fun:)

The Living Christmas Tree

One of the things I love most about gardening is how we can utilize a plant in our green spaces for more than just shade or color.  Over the years, I've watched people plant their live Christmas trees into the ground after the holiday season.  As the years pass by, their trees grew larger and larger.  Here in Tucson, we have several kinds of pines that will surprisingly do well. So I took their cue and planted my own Christmas tree into the ground in front of our dining room window where it also grew larger and larger each year.  Its' sole purpose was to act as our Holiday Tree.  The space in our home is limited so I had to look outdoors to capture that holiday magic.  By placing the tree outside the window, we were able to "extend" the holiday feel without compromising any room inside our home. 

Now I've placed several kinds of living Christmas trees into the ground with a very high success.  Tucson gardeners just need to make sure that these trees are watered during our hot summer months.  I chose the Leyland Cypress to create this magical space and it has done well.  It's a moderate grower making most of its new growth in spring like most plants.  It is now established and requires very little maintenance.  This year I placed solar lights on it and will be adding bird seed ornaments to it next year once it has established more height.   Several pine trees, like the Aleppo Pine, can grow quite large so be careful where you place your living Christmas trees.  Some trees produce shade.  Some trees produce fruit.  And some are used for seasonal purposes.  Consider using a living Christmas tree in your own garden.  OR check out this cool Agave stalk idea!

 Sorry about the less than stellar photos.  These were the best that turned out, but at least you can get an idea on how to set something like this up.

So going green really means "Going Green".  A living tree that will serve holiday needs using solar lights from our intense sun and bird seed ornaments.  It doesn't get greener than that:) More tomorrow....

A video from last year....Luminaria Nights at the Botanical Gardens

Holiday Reflections

 Tonight, we took a walk.  Some of us single.  Some of us in a relationship.  Some of us have lost a spouse this year.  As we walked through this wonderful world of lights outdoors in Winterhaven, I stopped to absorb it all in.....

 It was a cool and breezy evening full of outdoor ideas for our gardens this time of year.....

 But the homes that stuck out were the ones that allowed the ornaments from their trees to reflect the light......as in the picture below.....

 And it was here that I got lost and mesmerized in the glow.....

 and into the holiday mood:)

 For some reason, I love this artistic canvas hanging off of someone's garage which is very representative of Tucson.  More tomorrow on some "green" ideas for your garden. 

Tucson Love

Picture taken by Paul Weinfurtner

 Our weather has been pretty amazing this month creating vistas that you may see elsewhere in the world.  Tucson photographers have been running all  the place snapping shots of the rare landscape changes we experience every once in awhile.  These photos are taken by Tucson locals....not by me.   By the time I get home from work, it's time for bed.  All of that will be changing as of today.....when vacation starts:) Starting tonight, I get to go on a photography shoot:)

 And let's not forget the Arizona sunsets taken by photographer "John Eye".  I'm not sure if that's his codename, but he sure know how to capture those shots.  Taken by or on Mt. Lemmon

Holiday Style

A simple and fun idea on a budget.  Take bottles.  Take jars.  Take holiday lights and fill the bottle or jar.  Some people add potpourri for a little holiday scent.  Here are some pictures to give you ideas about how to make these attractive and decorative additions to your household.  They are very popular here in Tucson.

I find that lights can transform a room into that magical holiday space.  These little additions to a room or garden can add that little something to an area needing a little color splash. 

A Foggy Desert

Photos on this post featured by David Grinney. 

Today was a rare day as Tucson experienced a foggy morning.  I was on my way to work.  Of  course I didn't have a camera and wished I didn't have to work.  But thankfully photographer David Grinney snapped these shots and shared them on our local news channel here.  There was a magical quality to his pictures.  Take a look at the fog and the snow on the Catalina mountains.  We've had a record breaking December with rain amounts totally more than one inch!!  Some places have had up to 3 or more inches. It looks like a fantastical world of warlords, dragons, and magic. It definitely feels like the holidays around here.  One more day of work before I'm off for 3 weeks .  I can't wait to have some fun again. More tomorrow.