Category Archives: General

Looking Back at the Year in Skies

Posted on December 31, 2010 by Susan

To regular readers here, it is no surprise that I love the skies of New Mexico. As we get ready to say good-bye to 2010 and ring in 2011, I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the skies, mainly from 2010 but with two from 2009.
Enjoy, and Happy New [...]

Posted in Albuquerque, Desert Southwest, General, New Mexico, Skies, Sky, Slideshows, Sunset, sunrises | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Amazing Micro-Environments in the High Desert

Posted on November 26, 2010 by Susan

‘Gentle Giant’ in the garden of Lois Brandt
Yesterday I posted a photo of a rose in my yard, covered with snow from the night before.
My mom lives less than a mile from me, but her yard is much warmer than mine. I was quite surprised to see that she still had hybrid teas blooming [...]

Posted in Challenges of Gardening, Desert Southwest, General, Hybrid tea, Private Gardens, Roses, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Fall Thunderstorm Moving In at Sunset

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Susan

Thunderstorm arriving at sunset
Summer monsoon storms usually arrive from the west. This fall thunderstorm (dark cloud overhead) came in from the northeast, leaving a beautiful sunset followed by a LOUD thunderstorm and not too much rain.

Posted in Desert Southwest, General, New Mexico, Skies, Sky, Sunset, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Sunset during Monsoon Season

Posted on July 25, 2009 by Susan

Sunset during monsoon season
Sunsets in the Desert Southwest are nearly always spectacular. Storms during monsoon season can be visually impressive. This is a storm rolling in over the Sandia Mountains last night around sunset; the thunder and rain arrived shortly after dark.

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One Albuquerque Garden: A Private Oasis

Posted on May 4, 2007 by Susan

Thanks to the owner of this garden for allowing me to photograph it and use the photos here. All photographs were taken May 4, 2007. Click on the thumbnails for a larger view.
This is a very small city garden, but is artfully arranged to utilize a variety of plants. Roses are the featured plant throughout [...]

Posted in Challenges of Gardening, Desert Southwest, Gardens, General, Private Gardens | Leave a comment

2007′s First Hybrid Tea

Posted on May 4, 2007 by Susan

The first hybrid tea bloom of the year is always exciting in the high desert. One never knows exactly when to expect it, nor what it will look like. What have the late cold spells and especially the prolonged high winds done to the buds? Have thrips already damaged the bloom (for those of us [...]

Posted in Challenges of Gardening, Desert Southwest, General, Roses | Leave a comment

Mother-Daughter Clerking Team at the Tucson Rose Show

Posted on April 15, 2007 by Susan

Yesterday I had the privilege to judge at the Tucson Rose Show. Judging roses is always fun, but the Tucson show was especially enjoyable this year.
One of the things that made it so enjoyable was meeting new clerks, Cathy and Lena Rose, a mother-daughter team. Lena is eight years old, and not only clerked, but [...]

Posted in Arrangements, General, Roses | Leave a comment

Death and Rebirth in the Desert

Posted on April 14, 2007 by Susan

The desert and the native plants growing there never cease to amaze me.
Prickly pear cactus is a native plant used in a lot of landscaping in Tucson and the Sonoran Desert in general.
Yesterday I saw this large piece of prickly pear that had been broken off its main stem and roots by a late freeze [...]

Posted in Challenges of Gardening, Desert Southwest, General | Leave a comment

Wind: Another Challenge in the Desert Southwest

Posted on April 12, 2007 by Susan

New Mexico is the only place I have ever lived where Spring is not my favorite season.  And that is because of the high winds that are a staple of Spring in the high desert.
Gardeners here learn very quickly to keep their plants well-hydrated, at this time of the year as much for the winds as [...]

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My First Hummingbird of the Year!

Posted on April 10, 2007 by Susan

Less than 48 hours after posting “Attention, Hummingbird Lovers” and getting my hummingbird feeders up (three weeks late!), I saw my first hummingbird of the year feeding at one of the feeders.  This is the earliest I have seen a hummer in my garden any year.  It was a Black Chin male, and I hope he [...]

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