Spring has come so very slowly this year. They (those who know everything about everything) say it is because Arizona has had such a cold winter (yes it actually froze a couple of times) and because we have had record rain fall. The rains have actually afforded me a look at the meaning of "Dip: Do Not Enter When Flooded" which is the reason for Arizona's "Stupid Motorist Law." Oh, but I digres
s. Doug and I have gone out onto the desert a couple of times in search of the elu
sive desert bloom. Gratefully we found some and had fun while we were at it. Jeeping is one of my favorite things as of late. We were fortunate enough to meet some great people while living in the RV Park last fall and they showed us the joys and benefits of Jeeping rather than riding in a quad (4-wheeler to my family). So we purchased our way
cool 1999 Wrangler. Ok -- back to my tale about our trip to the desert.
Last week, Doug and I took a ride looking for greenery in the lush desert. I know that sounds a bit oxymoronic but this y
ear it is true. I've only seen the Sonoran Desert as a gloriously brown environment for the coolest cactus and plants. Right now it is green and the flowers are everywhere.
This was taken on a Jeepin' trip up on Montana Mountain in the Superstition Mountains' Wilderness. More about that trip later. On the right is a poor picture of my aloe vera plant in bloom. There are 3 of them in my yard and they are really amazing. The beginning of the bloom would remind you of asparagus on a ditch bank but then they open and are a glorious orange/salmon color. Didn't know that aloe bloomed until now.
These beauties are on a brittle bush in my front yard. We almost pulled it up because it jus
t looked like a scrawny green circle but our neighbor asked us to just wait. So wait we did and have been pleasantly surprised by this little beauty! And th
e there is the Fairy Duster. We had 4 of these but the middle two were too far gone when we purchased the house so out they came to make room for the splitting of our prickly pear cactus by an Idaho Boy. Needless to say, Doug and I have both learned a LOT about transplanting cactus. The first thing you do is get burlap to cover the plant so it does not shoot you with it's spikes.........you can imagine the rest. Oh, and after your clothes are covered with the spines, DO NOT put your clothes in the washer....... UGH! And finally there is this beauty. I don't know what it is but we bought it yesterda
y at WalMart and have planted it in one of our new Mexican pots (only $8 each at Fry's) in the backyard. The pots are between the patio and the pool. Sure adds some nice color to the yard. I've ordered a pomegranate bush to go in a pot to counter-balance our tomato plant (we have 9 tiny tomatoes so far) back in the palms.
The rest of the flowers are simply ones we discovered on t
he side of the road and out in the desert between Maricopa and Gila Bend. The Sonoran Desert is so full of beauty. Doug and I are waiting for the rest of the cactus to bloom. I love saguaro cactus so really looking forward to getting pictures of those bad boys.
Doug and I went for our daily walk around our neighborhood (the Legacy pod in Villages at Rancho el Dorado). We try to walk everyday but we usually go at night. The wind is picking up so we went this morning instead. Now I don't want to seem like an old lady, even though I am, but the flowers are amazing!
I could not believe the cactus and the carpets of blooms. The bougainvillea is so vibrant. Guess I should get a book to see what some of the plants are. One is a succulent and called a red tongue -- looks like a red tongue coming out of the plant. Anyway, it was a very pleasant worthwhile walk. Spring is Arizona is really an amazing thing. Wish you could see it! Oh and I stuffed all the pictures on top because it's so hard to make them fit and there are too many to deal with. I'll get the hang of it eventually.
