On a Wednesday night in October, I packed boxes bursting with plants, a bucket rattling with shovels, bags of heavy potting soil, and an assortment of plastic pots and seed packets. I remember choosing to wait until morning for the Read more…
Category Archives: Bugs
“Do you want to see a huuuuge spider, Mom?” asked my 11-year-old. We were both exploring the Marana Community Garden in our own way. My son was peeking and poking along the perimeter of plot 37, stopping when he spotted Read more…
Arms of scarlet globemallow wave from the flower bed my son started last year on Earth Day. Bright pink Parry’s penstemon flowers polka-dot my field of view. Flicks of feathered motion alert me to finches in the shadow of the oak tree. I Read more…
“Oh yeah, it’s Tree Tuesday!” quoted Kid 2 as we got ready for a day of Camp Mom. All three kids loved climbing and fruit-harvesting in the fig trees of Marana Heritage River Park during our second week of summer Read more…
I confess: I made a trip to Lowe’s to buy a car-load of potting soil on Saturday instead of staying home. It was a chosen, precious outing to help solve a wonderful problem: we had run out of places for Read more…
Happy Fall! As the Aesop’s fable goes, the ants spent the fall working hard to prepare for winter. The grasshopper played and sang, then went hungry. In Tucson, fall is both a busy growing season requiring work in the garden, Read more…
“The worms are alive!” I practically sang upon confirming that red wigglers moved within cool, moist soil in my portable worm bin. They were laying low, nestled into their rich vermicompost rather than feeding. But they also weren’t massed together Read more…
They’ll remember the ladybugs. Surprising, appearing at their fingertips, camouflaged yellow among the dry, yellow coriander. The planned lesson on seed collecting turned into ten minutes or more of catching ladybugs. Gentle holding, wide-eyed discovery, calm assistance to friends, sharing Read more…
Desert gardening, on a practical level, means gardening in an arid environment. Desert gardening, on a personal level, means gardening in and with the place that I love. I love watching quail amble through the brittlebushes and goldfinches hop along Read more…
The palo verde tree that planted itself, helped shape our front yard and shade our house, and beautifully flowered each spring, has to come down. We might have been able to save it if only a few branches were damaged, an Read more…
Recent Comments