Archive for “Uncategorized” Category

Just dropped. Wayne Drop’s Water-Saving Activity Sheet

September 22, 2022

Hello, fellow water savers! Wayne Drop here! As you know, I am a thinker. I am always thinking about water conservation. Water is literally on my mind all the time, and if you’ve ever seen me, water is on my entire body, too. Which is good because I am always coming up with new ways to make water conservation fun and …

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Wayne Drop Reconnects with Impatient Fourth Grader!

Fall Planting with Water – Plant It Wisely

September 14, 2022

The fall planting season is here! Temperatures are cooling down, making it a perfect time to replace your plants you may have lost during the hot summer, or replace your high-water-usage plants with water-thrifty ones. Find our favorite Water – Use It Wisely resources below: Water – Plant It Wisely: Our Ultimate Fall Planting Resource Put your gardening gloves and …

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PLANT OF THE MONTH – CORDIA

September 8, 2022

Lovely, white blossoms of not one, but two different types of cordia, add welcome beauty to the arid landscape throughout the warm season, including summer. Cordias are large shrubs that are underused in the garden and deserve more attention due to their ability to thrive in full sun and shrug off the summer heat. Their evergreen foliage looks great all …

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Cycle-and-Soak is Just One Idea for Smart Irrigation Month

July 7, 2022

July is Smart Irrigation Month! It’s the perfect opportunity to highlight this great cycle-and-soak watering method from WaterSense to be more efficient with your landscape water use! Watering Tips from WaterSense® It’s important to know when, how often and how long to water your lawn. Each landscape is different. One watering method, Cycle-and-Soak, makes sure your soil absorbs the most …

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Plant of the Month: Eight Plants Perfect for Your Pollinator Garden

June 16, 2022

Help protect biodiversity! There are over 7 million humans in Arizona, and we all rely on insects and plants to survive. Native plants support native wildlife. Using native plants in your yard and landscapes is the best way to support healthy ecosystems and protect biodiversity. An easy place to start with planting natives is a pollinator garden. No matter where …

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Using native plants in your yard and landscapes is the best way to support healthy ecosystems and protect biodiversity.

Questions Answered: Water Deeply But Infrequently – What Does That Mean?

June 9, 2022

The Watering Mantra for Desert Landscapes You may have heard Arizona landscape experts saying, “water deeply but infrequently,” but what does that mean? If you are originally from a part of the country that gets significant rain throughout the year, watering means running the sprinklers or hose occasionally during a dry spell. Arizona is one of the few places where …

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Efficient and Effective Outdoor Watering is a Key Component of Conservation in the Desert

May 20, 2022

Here in the Valley, most of our water use occurs outdoors and not inside the home. With such a significant amount of our water being used outside, it highlights the importance of being efficient with our outdoor water use, especially during a historic drought, changing climate, and Colorado River shortages. As our temperatures rise, so does outdoor water use in …

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Photo of a drip emitter

Arbor Day: Because Trees are Nature’s Superheroes

April 26, 2022

Trees Are Superheroes Why do we celebrate Arbor Day, a day set aside just for trees? These superheroes of nature cool our environment, they help clean our air by absorbing carbon dioxide while also producing oxygen, and they provide habitat for wildlife. They help us save air conditioning costs in summer when properly placed around buildings to provide summer shade, …

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Shade Tree in front of home

Plant of the Month: Azure Bush Germander

April 8, 2022

Something Blue Azure Bush Germander (Teucrium fruticans ‘Azureum’) is a unique blue flowering perennial that thrives in full sun & drought tolerant Arizona gardens. With striking silvery sage foliage and cooling blue purple blooms that cover the bush in Winter extending into Spring, it’s sure to bring pollinators and brighten up your garden at a time of year when most …

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Plant of the Month: Globe Mallow

March 15, 2022

Globe mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), both drought tolerant and beautiful, brings a unique “cottage-garden” feel to the desert plant palette along with some surprises. In spring a flush of colorful flowers are produced that will cause people to stop in their tracks. After that, globe mallow will bloom off and on throughout the summer and fall. This shrubby, perennial is native …

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Detect and Chase Down Leaks with the 10-Minute WaterSense Challenge

March 8, 2022

Did you know that easy-to-fix water leaks account for nearly 1 trillion gallons of water wasted each year in U.S. homes? In fact, the average household leaks almost 10,000 gallons of water per year, or the amount of water it takes to wash nearly 300 loads of laundry, and could be costing you an extra 10 percent on your water …

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Mogollon Rim with Wayne Drop

February 22, 2022

Hey Everyone… Wayne Drop here! There’s nothing more fun than going sledding! A February winter storm watch has been issued for Flagstaff and Mogollon Rim today with snow predicted to reach anywhere from 8-16 inches. That’s when I love to visit the Mogollon Rim (pronounced “Muggy – own”), a sheer cliff that runs a stunning 200 miles diagonally across Arizona. …

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