Category Archives: General

04/8/07

Attention, Hummingbird Lovers

Hummingbird
The Desert Southwest is fortunate to be home, at least part of the year, to an amazing variety of birds. The low desert, especially southeastern Arizona and around Tucson, have hummers during the winter months. Here in the high desert we have them only during the warmer part of the year.

I generally put up the hummingbird feeders on March 15, and take them down one month after I have seen the last hummer feeding at one. That is done to provide food for those migrating through – both the ones coming through early in the spring and those passing through in the fall.

The earliest hummers to arrive for an extended stay in my yard are the Black Chins. The earliest I have actually seen them here is April 13, and the latest April 15. The males arrive first, and it is important to have feeders up by the time they arrive, because they are looking for a place to establish a home. So I must get the feeders out today (and should have had them out long ago!) If you live in the high desert and want hummers to hang around your garden, I would recommend the same for you. Continue reading →

04/5/07

Why Hope Springs Eternal for Gardeners

In the first post of this blog, I bemoaned the effects of the freak snow storm in late December on Mermaid, the climbing hybrid bracteata that was the largest rose in my yard.

Spring 2006:

Mermaid

Mermaid

Mermaid

After The Big Snow of December 2006:

Mermaid After The Big Snow

The cleanup was not completed until early March, and Mermaid had to be sawed off at ground level. I expected her to come back, but I was not sure that she would.

Today, much to my surprise, she is showing several shoots:

Mermaid Coming Out

Mermaid has indeed survived the Winter of The Big Snow. I don’t know how long it will be before she is back to her full glory, but I have no doubt she will reach it!  Photos of her progress will be posted here throughout the growing season.

04/4/07

Jackson and Perkins Sold

On April 2, Harry and David announced the sale of Jackson and Perkins, major wholesaler and retailer of roses in the United States.

According to the announcement,

Jackson & Perkins was founded in 1872 and is the nation’s largest
marketer of premium rose plants, grown on approximately 3,200 acres and
harvesting over six million rose plants annually. Jackson & Perkins
generated net sales of approximately $74.0 million over the past twelve
months. . . Continue reading →

04/1/07

Early Spring in the High Desert: Fruit Trees

Here in Albuquerque, the first things to bloom in my yard in the spring are bulbs and the dwarf peach, Bonanza. I have grown this peach tree in a 3/4 whiskey barrel since the late 1980’s. No matter how cold or how warm the winter, it has never failed to bloom. This year, after the very heavy snows but relatively mild winter temperatures, the blooms were spectacular.

‘Bonanza’ bloom Continue reading →

03/18/07

Why Prune?

To prune or not to prune? When to prune? How much to prune? Rose growers could talk about this until the cows come home and still not agree on all details. I prune, for reasons to be explained below, but as I drive around Albuquerque in the spring and see huge bushes that have probably never been pruned and look beautiful from a distance, sometimes I wonder, “why bother going to all that work?” Continue reading →

03/17/07

The Winter of the Big Snow!

Those of us who live in the Desert Southwest know how lucky we are. Those of us who live in New Mexico, “Land of Enchantment,” know that more people come here to vacation and to ski than actually live here. They come not only for the recreation, but for the clear blue skies and brilliance and intensity of the light. You will see colors here like nowhere else.

Look at the sky at sunrise on Christmas Eve 2006. This is not unusual here; this is very typical of sunrises and sunsets in the Desert Southwest (does this remind you of a Wilson Hurley painting?).

Christmas Eve Sunrise 2006

While the natural landscape is gorgeous, some of us do like to do a little gardening to grow some of our favorite plants, a decision that is not without some controversy. Some of those controversies will be discussed here over time.

Nature itself can be pretty cooperative for the most part, and if the plants are watered and fed appropriately can do quite well here. But every now and then Nature can toss a real ringer at gardeners here. Continue reading →