Turning off the automatic water for the winter in Phoenix, Arizona

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It's December 14th and I just turned off the automatic watering system for the winter season here at The Tropical Paradise in Glendale, Arizona (a suburb of Phoenix). I will turn it back on in late January or early February, depending on the weather.

Even though the plants that I have here look lush, they really don't require all that much water. Note that I don't have grass, which is a major water hog. And what look like ferns are actually cycads, which not only don't require much water, they can actually die from overwatering, especially when the weather is cold.

The annual flowers, and the bulbs, I will continue to water by hand, using a big plastic watering can.

The Phoenix area typically gets gentle rain around this time, and this year has been no exception. I call them *Christmas rains*, and that's plenty for most of the garden all winter.


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