Succulents and More™

Day 2 in Tucson. It was a long day. Those who say vacations are for relaxing clearly aren’t doing it right :-) After another wonderful breakfast at Beyond Bread —a big shoutout for what has got to be the best bread and baked goods in Arizona—I visited Tohono Chul Park . As you can see, they took precautions against the chilly temperatures we had last night (29°F when I headed out this morning at 7:15 a.m.): Horse by Kioko Mwitiki After a leisurely stroll through Tohono Chul Park, I did some shopping at their excellent nursery. The selection of desert natives is impressive, and the prices are very reasonable. Plant purchases at Tohono Chul nursery Stop #2 was at Ted deGrazia’s Gallery in the Sun. I had wanted to visit for years but it never worked out—until now. Ted de Grazia’s paintings have as many detractors as they have fans, but no matter where you stand on that matter, there’s little disagreement that his adobe compound—built by himself with help from Indian friends—is a...

This morning I drove from Phoenix (Scottsdale, to be precise) to Tucson. The drive is usually under two hours but I stopped a bunch of times to take photos of the dramatic clouds. Picacho Peak between Casa Grande and Tucson near Interstate 10 When I got to Tucson, I briefly stopped at Cathedral of Saint Augustine. What a stunning building, especially against a blue sky! Cathedral of Saint Augustine , Tucson Continuing in my effort to see places I’ve not visited before, I spent almost two hours leisurely strolling through Barrio Santa Rosa, one of Tucson’s oldest neighborhoods. It is known for its Sonoran row houses which abut the street and hence have no front yard (and just a tiny backyard). In recent decades, many of these adobe structures have been restored and painted vibrant colors. Barrio Rosa , Tucson. The trees on the left are palo blanco ( Mariosousa willardiana ), my most recent tree crush. Barrio Rosa , Tucson I’ve been to Tucson enough times now to lose count...

It’s that time of year again: I’m on my yearly road trip to Arizona. I arrived in Phoenix at 1 p.m. and spent the rest of the day at the Desert Botanical garden (with a 90 minute break). My self-imposed schedule is so crazy this year that I won’t be able to blog from the road like I usually do. But I’ll make up for it when I get back home. To whet your appetite, here are a few photos from the Desert Botanical Garden. The best photos are yet to come! Desert Towers by Dale Chihuly The big attraction at the Desert Botanical Garden right now is Sonoran Light , an exhibition of eight large-scale light installations by British artist Bruce Monro. They are pure magic—no exaggeration. More photos in a later post. On to Tucson tomorrow. RELATED POSTS: December 2015 Desert Trip index

Here is an index of all the posts about my December 2015 trip to Southern California and Arizona: POSTS FROM THE ROAD December 28, 2015: Arizona 2015—Phoenix teaser 1 December 29, 2015:  Arizona 2015—Tucson teaser 1 December 30, 2015: Arizona 2015—Tucson teaser 2 December 31, 2015: Arizona 2015—Phoenix teaser 2 January 1, 2016: Succulent-heavy New Year’s Day in Southern California January 2, 2016: Huntington Desert Garden the perfect ending to my 2015 winter desert trip

A friend just shared this photo from Fiesta Americana Condesa Resort in Cancún, Mexico where they are spending Christmas. I love the giant red balls in front of the steel blue agaves. The agaves look like Agave tequilana to me. Photo © 2015 Linda Lindert. All rights reserved. ¡Feliz navidad!

A month ago we had a white Thanksgiving at my mother-in-law’s place in Mount Shasta . That was a wonderful surprise, considering it doesn’t often snow that early any more. Fast-forward four weeks. We’re back in Mount Shasta for Christmas, and look what Mother Nature has given us: A white Christmas!

Whatever you celebrate at this time of year, may it be magical and filled with joy and love.

Not gardening- or plant-related but curious anyway, at least to me: Considering the number of paint colors to choose from when you buy a car, why would anybody choose this color? What is it anyway? Thousand Island Dressing Gone Bad? Essence of Flamingo? Or a new experimental Pepto Bismol flavor—maybe Saucy Shrimp? And why would auto makers even offer this color? I’m all for personal expression, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and all that stuff, but this is seriously painful. I’m secretly hoping the owner of this car won it in a contest or contest—i.e. didn’t pay for it with their own money.

I can’t remember a December when work has been so busy; I’ve barely had time to go outside. The weather has been nice enough, with just a few nights near or a tad below freezing, and the occasional rain shower to keep things hydrated. I continue to keep my fingers crossed for a mild winter with enough rain (and snow in the mountains) to make a dent in the huge water deficit that has accrued because of the drought. I like to keep track of how the garden—and the world around me—develops year over year, so here’s a look back at what was going on in December in the last five years since I started this blog: 2014: This photo might give you the impression that it rained a lot in December 2014. Far from it. December was very dry. But the few times it did rain, it came down so hard that the storm drains couldn’t keep up.

On Sunday we had breakfast with our friend Ursula who lives in downtown Davis. (We live in South Davis, which is separated from downtown by Interstate 80.) The fastest way to get to Ursula's house is through the historic Richards Blvd underpass . I've driven through that underpass hundreds, maybe thousands, of times in the almost twenty years I've lived in Davis, but I've never experienced this: We had a brief but violent rain storm on Sunday morning that dumped about ⅓" of rain in a short period of time, overwhelming the capacity of drainage pipes and sewers. Crossing this unexpected river in our small Honda Civic was the most excitement I've had all month!