Wolverine Ginger, Flowers, and Feedback requests

I've been surprised at how many people have asked about Ginger and how she's doing. It's so nice of everyone. Here's the update. I think she's part wolverine or has mutant healing powers. A few years ago she was jumping on a trampoline, goofed up, and was cut by a spring. The hook completely pierced her ankle and hooked her Achilles tendon. She healed up from that super quick, no scar even. The picture below shows the side that was worse with her recent javelina run in. It's already healed. She doesn't care about stitches, the cone, anything. All she wants is to have someone throw the ball and take her for walks and let her swim again. Stitches come out Friday. Not soon enough for her.

It's not Ginger without a tennis ball.

It's not dangerously hot now, and things are starting to grow or bloom again.

 Desert senna, senna covesii.

The canna lilies are blooming again, although the heat has taken the beauty out of their foliage and just turned them green without the striations that make canna leaves so amazing.

I love this little cactus. It's so ambitious! It's an opuntia microdasys. New River jasper is a stone that can be found in the seasonally dry New River bed and downstream. Near our house I've collected a few while out walking. The whole of my collection is in this pot and the next. Along with some white quartz.

Paper spine cactus, tephrocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus. It's has started to add two new segments rather quickly recently.

A friend of mine had a birthday recently and the most thoughtful thing I could think to give was a plant arrangement.  

This is an agave parryi var. truncata, an artichoke agave. Along with collecting jasper when out wandering the desert, I also will pick up tumbled quartz. These are all peach colored. I think it turned out pretty good (despite breaking all sorts of plant show staging rules).

I finally decided where to place the Whale's Tongue Agave, agave ovatifolia. For those worrying about my poor planting job and exposed roots, I fixed that since the photo was taken. Yes I know this is going to be an enormous agave, yes it's close to the justicia.

Everyday I drive by this amazing agave. It's the only one I've seen like it anywhere around here. I have to think some agave loving landscaper put it in the middle of a major road, right next to an intersection of another major road. I'm not sure of the species, if you have any ideas, please comment. My guess is agave havardiana.

Finally, I'd be interested if anyone has any suggestions on plantings off to the side of the house. We have a gravel driveway leading back to an RV gate. We have neither RV or boat, and no intention of having them. The arrows below illustrate how one could still have use of the gate and where I'm debating planting a large tree. For now I've decided on a Desert Museum Palo Verde, but am still thinking. In fact, I've created a work-in-progress page off to the right with all my tree thoughts and research.

A couple things here to mention. The hesperaloe is recent and not well thought out. I just wanted to get them in the ground somewhere out front. They are probably too close together. If I wanted to use the gate, I could removed the red yuccas without a problem. The idea behind the tree is to add some shade to this north facing side of the house, and some more green and life to this side. 

So please feel free to comment on tree suggestions, placement suggestions, planting ideas, etc. Also, thoughts on the agave species.

Prickly Pear Juice

This weekend the boys and I picked 5 gallons of prickly pears, many of them from this cactus.

Being careful not to get the tiny spines (glochids) in our hands, we tried a number of things.  First we torched some to burn off the spines. Then cut them open to taste. They didn't taste very good. Not horrible, but disappointing. A mix of kiwi, melon, grapefruit flavor. We juiced them by squishing them, then boiled the juice for 90 minutes. Strained it a dozen times I think. Added sugar. Eventually I admitted defeat the next day and poured it down the drain.

The corn is growing fast! 

My air layering experiment is ready to go. You may be able to see some roots there in the plastic.

Planted.

I potted some octopus agaves, agave vilmoriniana and sedum morganianum (burro's tail)

Agave seedlings. In the left tray is agave parryi from seeds I collected by the Sunrise Library. The middle round pot has agave geminiflora seed I collected near Wal-Mart.

Taking a walk Sunday I saw this giant toad (unfortunately I think he was mortally injured, maybe run over?)

This morning, I pulled out this red yucca (hesperaloe parviflora) from the front yard and attempted to pot it. I filled this pot completely. I didn't realize red yucca is a tuber, like onions almost. I'm pretty sure this isn't an ideal way to pot it, we'll see how it goes. I replaced it with firecracker plant, russelia equisetiformis. I'll take a picture later.

 And finally, I consulted with an arborist, Erik Wilson, about my Desert Museum Palo Verde and Mesquite trees. He recommended a tree trimming company, Trees For Needs. They came out this morning and really did a great job. I wish I had a good "before" picture.

Three Sisters Garden

Coming home I was excited to see the corn all sprouted, except about 10 of the 60 I planted.

Last night I planted white tepary beans by the every other corn mound. The other corn mounds I planted with rattlesnake green beans. The beans will climb the corn stalks and support them from the winds.

In between the corn mounds (5 corn mounds per row, 4 seeds per mound) I planted 3 different squash-like plants, Tohono O'Odham squash, yellow flesh watermelon, and dipper gourds. Each mound had only one species, 3 seeds each. Then diagonally the same seed in the next row. So I have 5 mounds for each species.

Something I'm excited about is I found a beautiful bloomed agave perryi "artichoke" and planted the seeds in a little home greenhouse and they sprouted right before we left.

Right before we left I planted some seeds from a few agave geminiflora blooming over by Wal-Mart at Pinnacle Peak and Lake Pleasant Pkwy.

Now I have tons of small sprouted agave seeds and not sure how to get them from seedlings to viable plants!

Another thing, right before we left I stopped by a nursery in Wickenburg, Cactus Ranch Garden and Nursery. It was the best nursery I've ever seen, by far. The owner Gilbert is creating a museum, and I'm pretty sure some of his customers have no idea what kind of amazing place he has there, other than it's beautifully designed.

I bought a pedalanthis macrocarpis (slipper plant), I put in the ground this morning

and a fire barrel cactus.

He gave me a cutting from a specimen succulent arrangement he has that is rare and gorgeous. Here's an image I found courtesy of this site, it's not exactly how Gilbert had it arranged, but close:

I'm excited to go back up with Lori and wander around with her there. I was so overwhelmed by the spectacle he has I didn't think to document it for the blog.

The heat also did it's damage while we were gone.

The red hibiscus I've been nursing along in hospice care finally checked out. Hopefully the roots are still alive and I can cut the dead wood off and let it come back.

Tragically, one of my very favorite agaves, the variegated attenuata burned up, and I'm pretty sure it's toast.

We hardly knew ye fox tail. Hopefully you will have just enough energy to sucker a new one.

New agaves planted.

I finally decided on a good spot for the a. bovicornuta. Centered on the window, where it can be a specimen piece.

My cow's horn, a. bovicornuta. Notice the slight variegation.

Here's a picture with most of the view of the front. On the lower level, a. murphyi, the golden barrels, a. colorata, a. macrocantha, a. guingola, and lantana. The deer grass muhlenbergia capillaris 'Lenca' Regal Mist is peeking out behind the rock wall.

It was interesting to read that the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum discourages any grasses except Muhlenbergia.

A. colorata views. I love the leaf impression patterning of this species.

My current favorite agave, a. guingola "creme brulee". I hope it gets specimen sized, however for now it's under shade cloth.

My yard guy Todd had another house he does that had an a. macrocantha with pups galore. So we grabbed 2 a few weeks ago and planted them (left photo). On the right is a picture of the a. murpheyi. I don't think it's a beautiful species, but it was important to the Hohokam people as a food source. So for historical and heritage reasons I wanted to plant it.

Now on to the upper level of the front yard.

There are 2 a. parryi truncata 'artichoke' by the window, a. bovicornuta in the middle of the window, Mexican honeysuckle, a. lophantha 'fatal attraction' on the right by the small rock and landscape light. The bottom right agave is a. potatorum 'verschaffeltii'

A better view of the a. potatorum 'verschaffeltii' on the left, and a. potatorum 'lucky crown' or 'kissho kan' bottom right.

Potted are a. lophantha 'quadricolor' left and 'blue glow' agave hybrid of a. attenuata and a. ocahui on the right.

This little fighter is a desert milkweed. Hopefully it fills out.

A. desmettiana.

Now all I need is to squeeze my a. gentryi 'jaws' somewhere in the front, not a pot.