Why we need books by local experts! One thing is certain when it comes to gardening books and magazines . . . gardening in the deserts of the Southwest is far different than in all other regions of the country. For that reason, most books, national magazines, and even those AP stories (that the local newspaper will occasionally publish) just …
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The Hummingbird’s Choice Award goes to … Chuparosa! If Arizona’s hummingbirds could vote on a state flower, it would be Chuparosa (Justicia californica). A mainstay of most wildlife gardens, this long-suffering desert beauty asks little and gives much. It can be grown long and lanky, spindly branches vining into trees — or pruned to take on a more civilized appearance. …
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Find Your Water Provider and Conservation Programs Offered Curious about how you can do more in terms of your own at-home water conservation? Not sure where to get started or what the options or incentives are? The new Water – Use It Wisely interactive water conservation map can help. Water – Use It Wisely, Central Arizona Project, and Arizona’s Water …
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“Now is an ideal time to start planning for the fall planting season and looking at options for transforming your yard.” Our most popular publication, Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert, has been relaunched. A refreshed and updated version is now available to help residents add some extra flower power by incorporating desert-appropriate, drought-tolerant plants into their yards to create …
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Rain Can Be Hit or Miss – Especially During Summer Monsoons A little red-headed girl once sang “The sun will come out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there’ll be sun…” Since many areas in Arizona receive over 300 sunny days a year, the state certainly lives up to the sunshine in the song. But what about rainfall? Have …
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Hey there! It’s Wayne Drop, your favorite water-saving pal from Water – Use It Wisely. As school ends and summer begins, it’s time to unleash your water-saving powers at home! I’ve got five splash-tastic ways to conserve water during your epic summer break. After all, it’s a break from school, not from saving water. 1. Turn Off the Faucet …
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The start of summer is here, the temperatures are heating up, and that means it’s swim season. It’s time to get your pool in tip top shape, which includes determining if your pool is leaking. In our dry, Arizona desert climate, the typical swimming pool can evaporate its equivalent water volume in one year — up to 25,000 gallons. Along …
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Beautiful trees and shrubs, including milkweed and other pollinator-friendly varieties, now grace the walkways and parking areas of the Superstition Springs Transit Center. This transformative project is the result of collaborative efforts between Mesa and its partners: Meta, Mesa High School, and the Arizona Sustainability Alliance. Additional support for the initiative came from Valley Metro and the Superstition Springs Center …
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With many Arizona cities focusing on tree planting initiatives to help mitigate the impacts of climate change, the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Smartscape program recently developed an advanced course focusing on urban forest management. Industry professionals and Cooperative Extension staff worked on a comprehensive curriculum. The first course took place with Pima County Cooperative Extension (Tucson area) in February, …
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Did you know that Arizona residents and businesses receive the majority of their water from surface supplies like rivers? While this winter’s snowfall has benefited watersheds positively, the result of Arizona’s winter snowpack affects each watershed system differently. This blog contains great information from SRP and CAP on the current snowpack conditions, and its potential impact on our state’s water …
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There are many ways to enhance any landscape, but one of the most beneficial ways is with trees, especially desert-adapted ones that can thrive in our arid climate. While planting the correct type of tree will make an immediate visual impact because of its beauty, color, and texture, trees also bring many benefits when planted and cared for properly. Low-water-use …
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Conservation actions are more vital than ever as pressures on our water supplies increase. While reducing your water use won’t solve the Colorado River shortage, conservation enables your city to maximize and stretch all of its water supplies – this is crucial when dealing with the consequences of a historic drought and shortages. As we all prepare to have less …
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