Gardening Facts

Posted August 13, 2007

Marion Barnett has tagged me as a gardener who might have something to say about living and growing things in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. Hum. Once upon a time, long ago, and far away, I had both a gardener and a housekeeper. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

My back has had a snake like shape to it all my life; it does not appreciate stoop labor. I began to use flower pots thinking that would help. Even they are not high enough that I can keep them tidy comfortably. So, rather than seven things you don’t know about my gardening I’m just going to give you some images.


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Claret Cup Cactus in bloom.

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Santa Rita Prickly Pear in bloom.

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The Texas Mountain Laurel takes a long time to grow large enough to flower. However the spring rains push it into bloom.

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The end of the first, early spring flush of roses. Once we get to June and the 106ยบ F weather the roses have to be deadheaded. Then with the first of the monsoon I cut them back less severely than in January and fertilize them. By September we will have roses again; they will continue blooming until late December.

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One of the flower pots in bloom outside my workroom door last spring.

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And last, but not least, a baby pomegranite that has not yet shed it’s flower. Now, in mid August, they are the size of softballs.

As to tagging anyone as a gardener; consider yourself tagged if you wish to play. The gardeners I know are June and Jer Underwood in Portland, Oregon, and Barbara Littlefield in Deming, New Mexico. I’m mentioning them; not tagging them.

2 Comments so far

  1. June on August 15th, 2007

    Thelma,

    Thank heavens you aren’t tagging me — I’d have to admit that I’ve given over gardening to Jer, my nearest and dearest. When he retired, it became clear that either I could work the gardens or he could work the gardens, but together, we just made hash — pulling out one another’s plants thinking they were weeds, neglecting each other’s favorites, and so forth. And then there was my smug pseudo-knowledge of all the things I had tried and that had failed.

    Anyway, I wanted to make art and he liked making gardens, so now, the garden is all his. I pick up magnolia leaves and prune the japanese maple. He does the rest. And he’s a good solid gardener, although I can still remember the names of plants more readily than he …..

  2. thelma on August 15th, 2007

    Ah, June, at least you have a good gardener. I’ve got a black thumb, tree murderer.

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