Xeriscape Landscape Plants
For The Arizona Desert Environment
Pictures, Photos, And Information
George and Audrey Delange
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We Buy Our Hard To Find Fruit Trees For Arizona At Nature Hills Nursery.
We Have Several Nice Fruit Trees Growing In Yarnell, Arizona.
Cameo & Fuji Apples! Yummm! Click The Nature Hills Nursery Link To View.
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.
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THE 2010 WILDFLOWER PREDICION: 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. Rainfall has a lot to do with our wildflower season. In the Phoenix area, the driest weather is during May & June when an average of about 3 mm (0.1 in) of rainfall (precipitation) occurrs. 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. THE OLD FARMER'S ALMANAC PREDICTIONS, for the time period of November 2009 to October 2010 are: "Winter will be colder than normal, on average, especially in the west, with the coldest periods in early to mid-December, mid-January, and early to mid-February. Precipitation and snowfall will be near normal, with the snowiest periods in mid-December, early January, and mid-February. April and May will be cooler than normal, with above-normal rainfall in the west. Summer will be cooler and drier than normal, with the hottest temperatures in early and late July and early August. September and October will be cooler and drier than normal." If those predictions occur, we should have a FAIR spring wildflower season in 2010.
BUT!
The annual rainfall data from the other metro rain stations monitored by the Maricopa County Flood Control District showed the same story: it was a very dry year. Most of the bigger rainfall amounts were in the northeast Valley. Most of the smaller amounts in the west Valley. That’s pretty typical for the Valley Of The Sun. The average rainfall for Phoenix is considered to be 8.29 inches.
HOWEVER!
George has been out at various elevations in the desert on February 1st. and 4th.; he finds several different wildflower plants have begun to grow and a few are already in bloom. ie.. Globemallow near Roosevelt Lake. Common Orange Fiddleneck in Glendale, Arizona.
GEORGE'S WILDFLOWER BLOOM PREDICTION:
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. It may be of interest to know that many of the non native plants that are growing in Arizona were introduced from Australia. 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.
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The following cities and organizations in the Valley Of The Sun or Phoenix Metropolitan Area are supporting Xeriscape (low water use) Landscaping and offer advice, booklets, and cash incentives worth several hundred dollars. Chandler; 480-782-3580, Gilbert; 480-503-6098, Glendale; 623-930-3596, Goodyear; 623-932-1637, Mesa; 480-644-3306, Peoria; 623-773-7286, Phoenix; 602-261-8367, Scottsdale; 480-312-5650, Tempe; 480-350-2668, Arizona Municipal Water Users Association; 602-248-8482.
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| © 1966 - Present, George And Audrey DeLange |
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Any Other Use Is Considered Commercial.
Almost All Of Our Photos (NOT ALL) Are Available In High Resolution, For Commercial Use (Books, Magazines, TV Productions, etc.)
They Are Royalty Free, And A One Time, $30 US Fee Is Charged For Each Photo
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| Click On This Photo For High Quality Cactus & Succulants Phoenix Desert Nursery This Is A Free Recommendation |
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| George's Old Bee Trailor With Bees! | George Showing Off His Pure Mesquite Comb Honey!! |
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