Brad's Tropical Paradise

At the risk of sounding like the Chamber of Commerce, winter never comes to Phoenix. It never snows here, you can go play golf in December, and you would be wise to wear sunscreen in February. So, if you follow my meaning here, the weather is nice. Real nice. And if you're from Minnesota, like I am, it may puzzle you as to why you're seeing brown grass in what seems to be summer. But it's not summer. And the most common grass that is planted here, Bermuda grass, only greens up in the summer, like when it's over 100 degrees. So as late as April (I took the photo above yesterday as I was walking around the local Community College) the grass is still dormant. It was over 80 degrees when I was out walking, so it felt like summer to me, but it isn't summer yet for the Bermuda grass. Now waitaminute, I hear you saying - you've seen nice green grass in the middle of the winter. There's probably green grass at that luxury resort you're staying in right no...

As someone who grew up in Minnesota, I never saw a eucalyptus tree until I was 19 years old, when I moved to Phoenix. Even after all these years (and there have been a LOT of years!), they still amaze me. If you'd never seen one before and I described it to you as a tree that didn't lose its leaves, but instead lost its bark, you'd probably just roll your eyes. But that's exactly what they do, and it's part of what makes these trees so amazing, and magical. Now waitaminute, I'm not suggesting that you plant one. I have a tiny suburban lot, and these trees are way out of scale for it. There are a few in my neighborhood, in the larger lots, in the parks, and by the school, but mostly I see them along the main roads, like where this one is. Lately I've been walking a bit. There's a Walmart Neighborhood Market, and a Bealls Outlet, just up on the corner, about 1/4 mile from where I live, and I've been figuring out the best route to go. This is Pho...

Agaves are beautiful plants. They use very little water, and are becoming more and more popular in places where people are thinking of water conservation, like Los Angeles. Of course here in the Phoenix area they've been popular for a long time, for although they aren't as tough as a cactus is, they're pretty darned tough, and require very little additional water. There are some serious drawbacks to planting agaves, mostly because they're deadly. And I mean REALLY deadly. The end of the tips are razor sharp, and you don't want to ever, ever, be anywhere near them. And some of them grow to be HUGE, and send out a tremendous amount of offshoots, creating a dangerous thicket in a fairly short time. So if you're planning on planting agaves, I encourage you, but I encourage you to do your homework, and plan carefully. Otherwise don't do it! The first thing you should do is to find out about the different types. They all kinda look the same in the little po...

If you live in the Phoenix, Arizona area (or Los Angeles, or in a similar climate) you may be surprised to see a palm tree growing in your yard where you never planted it. If it's in a good position on your property, like this one is at a friend of mine's house, you're in luck. You just got a nice healthy palm tree, which is planted in exactly the right place for it, and you will never need to water it. The type of palm tree, in case you want to Google it, is a Washingtonia robusta, or you can just call it a Mexican Fan Palm. They're the ones you see along Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Washingtonia robustas grow well. In fact, they grow like weeds. They love places like Phoenix, and they grow readily from seed (that's why you see them everywhere, they're, uh, planted by birds who poop them out). Many times you'll see them growing in the cracks of sidewalks, and sprouting up between other plants like, well, weeds. Of course there's really no such ...

I planted some saguaro cactus seeds yesterday. They were given to me by a friend who has had an unopened package since he was a kid in the 1970s, and he asked me if I would give it a try to see how they did. Planting instruction for a Saguaro cactus. These seed packets were sold as more of a joke than anything else. Saguaros are gigantic cactuses (cacti?) and they live for over 100 years, so the thought of planting one from a tiny seed just seems goofy. Of course if my friend had planted the seeds back in the '70s, instead of just keeping the seed package, unopened, on a shelf somewhere, there would be a nice-sized saguaro growing. But it's never too late, at least I hope so. Saguaro cactus seeds Saguaro cactus seeds I followed the directions as precisely as I could. You have to handle the seeds carefully as they are very tiny. I used the same technique I learned when handling tiny annual flower seeds, to put them on a piece of paper and then kinda "...

I like my garden, and I like dogs. But it wasn't until I got my dachshund, Macintosh, twelve years ago, that I dared to combine the two. Dogs are, well, dogs. They dig up stuff, they step on things, they can't read signs that say, "keep off". So it was a challenge. But I like challenges as much as I like dogs, and gardens. My choice of breed, a dachshund, was wildly inappropriate for me. I have a vestibular disorder (difficulty with balance) and there's no more of a "trip hazard" dog than a dachshund! And dachshunds were bred to dig, so they're a poor choice for having anywhere near a garden. But I loved her, and I needed her in my life, so we made it work. If you've given up, and just laughed off your dog getting underfoot, and digging up your garden, I understand. It took hours, and years, of patience to train my dachshund. Luckily, dogs are smart and are eager to please. They can't read your mind, however, so you have to be very cle...