George and his friend Al Weichold kept honey bees in the Phoenix, Arizona area from about 1966 to about 1992. During that time they learned a lot about how to produce honey in Arizona. One of the secrets of producing honey was to follow the "honeyflow" which is the opening of the flowers that produced the nectar that the bees turned into honey. Thus, George and Al had to know the flowering plants of Arizona and when the flowering plants would bloom. They also had to know which plants would and would not produce honey. This required Al and George to know the native plants of Arizona and the non-native plants that were introduced into Arizona. This knowledge enabled Al and George to move their bees into areas of Arizona that could produce high quality honey. George also taught High School Biology and Environmental Science from 1983 until 2003 in the Phoenix Area. Al has since moved to the El Paso area where he kept bees, until his passing, in October of 2000. George still lives in the Glendale area, in an urban neighborhood about a quarter mile from where he kept his bees. George never thought that population changes would have effected the Glendale and Peoria area as much as it has done! Glendale and Peoria have certainly grown. People now are afraid of Honeybees. Laws have been passed outlawing beekeeping in many urban areas. George often wonders; since bees are absolutely necessary for much of our food production, what would be our future without bees? Another practice that he wonders about is that over the 68 years he has lived in the Greater Phoenix Area, almost all of the very rich agricultural land has been covered with cement and buildings as the area has grown. Where will our food come from? And, do we have enough water to continue building lakes, swimming pools, golf courses, and the landscaping of our urban areas? Even though the winter of 2004 and the spring of 2005 has been one of the wettest seasons we have ever had in our recorded history, we are still considered to be in a time of drought! Until March 11, 2006 we had experienced the longest recorded period of time in the Phoenix area without rain. The weather people say we had gone without rain for 143 days! All communities in Arizona have plans in place for water rationing. Some communities already do ration water. What George does know for sure, is that we must make use of Xeriscape Landscaping in Arizona, to help ensure that we will have an adequite supply of water for our population. Therefore, George will present on the following pages some of what he has learned about the plants in Arizona as a Beekeeper and Biology Instructor. No attempt will be made here to present a detailed scientific page on the subject. Every plant in Arizona will not be shown. Arizona Wildflowers: Arizona has two major wildflower seasons every year; with the Spring Wildflower Season usually during March to May, and the Summer Wildflower Season from July through September. Then there is a blooming season for a few flowers, during the fall. However, some wildflowers can usually be found at other times of the year . Depending upon local temperatures. The abundance of wild flowers in the deserts of Arizona is largely determined by the amount of rainfall during the winter of the prior year and the early spring of the present year. When looking at the rainfall of the winter of 2008 we did have moderate rainfall in both November and December. Two Pacific storm systems in the closing days of January only yielded minimal rainfall. We did get significant rainfall during the time period of February 5th thru February 9th; throughout the state. That rainfall will largely determine the extent of 2009's spring blooming season. We have been out several times at various elevations and we are worried that the below average rain across Arizona in February and almost no rain during March; except in western Arizona and the Middle Salt and Verde Basins, has taken its toll upon our spring wildflower bloom. As of today; April 5, 2009, the blooms seem to be almost over for most wildflowers, except for the desert trees, bushes, and cactus, which should start soon. Remember, several plants found in the early blooming, lower elevation, Sonoran Desert or Mohave Desert can be found blooming at later times in the other elevations of the Merrium Life Zones of Arizona. So, if you miss the blooming time of any of these plants, just wait 15-45 days and look for them at higher elevations. You probably will be able to see them! The photos and descriptions on this web page will attempt to show how native plants and some not so native plants, are used in todays Xeriscape (low water use) landscaping in Arizona. Every attempt is being made on this web page to include all plants recommended by the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association. Other xeriscape plants will also be added to this page. George hopes that these pages might simply be helpful to anyone who wants to use Xeriscape Landscaping in Arizona. Over the years, George has learned that one of the best and least expensive places to purchase cactus and succulents is Phoenix Desert Nursery. So, we are including a link to their web page near the bottom of this page. We encourage you to visit their nursery. We receive nothing for this recommendation other than the satisfaction that we are giving you a good recomendation.