In a Desert Garden

In a Desert Garden PDF Author: John Alcock
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
ISBN: 0816533369
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 187

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Book Description
When John Alcock replaced the Bermuda grass in his suburban Arizona lawn with gravel, cacti, and fairy dusters, he was doing more than creating desert landscaping. He seeded his property with flowers to entice certain insects and even added a few cowpies to attract termites, creating a personal laboratory for ecological studies. His observations of life in his own front yard provided him with the fieldnotes for this unusual book. In a Desert Garden draws readers into the strange and fascinating world of plants and animals native to Arizona's Sonoran Desert. As Alcock studies the plants in his yard, he shares thoughts on planting, weeding, and pruning that any gardener will appreciate. And when commenting on the mating rituals of spiders and beetles or marveling at the camouflage of grasshoppers and caterpillars, he uses humor and insight to detail the lives of the insects that live in his patch of desert. Celebrating the virtues of even aphids and mosquitoes, Alcock draws the reader into the intricacies of desert life to reveal the complex interactions found in this unique ecosystem. In a Desert Garden combines meticulous science with contemplations of nature and reminds us that a world of wonder lies just outside our own doors.

Death in a Desert Garden

Death in a Desert Garden PDF Author: Marty Eberhardt
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781951122225
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 214

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Book Description
Bea Rivers' new job at Shandley Gardens seems to be idyllic; a stimulating career at a desert garden full of botanical wonders. But a slow rot has spread within Shandley Gardens as financial woes add stress to the small board of directors, putting Bea's job at risk. When one of the Gardens' founders, Liz Shandley, is killed in what appears to be a tragic accident, the immediate worry is the survival of the Gardens. But then the police determine that Liz was murdered, and suddenly Bea's job is less than idyllic. The tangled web of relationships is almost as confusing as the enigmatic botanical clues someone keeps dropping. Bea struggles to balance her life as a committed single parent dating a struggling writer while she's drawn further into the investigation of Liz's death. As Bea tries to decipher the strange clues to find the murderer, she uncovers deep secrets and surprises among the staff and board that will forever change the Gardens.

Gardening in the Desert

Gardening in the Desert PDF Author: Mary Irish
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
ISBN: 9780816520572
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 196

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Book Description
Newcomers to the Southwest usually find that their favorite landscape plants aren't suited to the hot, dry climate. Many authors offer advice on adapting plants to the desert; now Mary Irish tells how gardeners can better adapt themselves to the challenge. Drawing on her experience with public horticulture in the Phoenix metropolitan area, Irish explores the vexations and delights of desert gardening. She offers practical advice on plants and gardening practices for anyone who lives in the Southwest, from El Paso to Palm Springs, Tucson to Las Vegas. Irish encourages readers who may be new to the desertÑor desert dwellers who may be new to gardeningÑto stop struggling against heat, aridity, and poor soils and instead learn to use and appreciate the wonderful and well-adapted plants native to the desert. She shares information and anecdotes about trees, shrubs, perennials, agaves, cacti, and other plants that make gardening in the Southwest a unique experience, and provides further information about plants from other desert regions that will easily adapt to the Southwest. In addition to descriptions of plants, Irish also offers tips on planting, watering, pruning, and propagation. For anyone who has struggled to maintain a patch of green or blanched at their water bill after unproductive irrigation, the answer to an attractive landscape may be as close as the desert around you. And for anyone who has bought a catalog guide to desert plants and not known which to choose, this book can set you on the right path. Mary Irish shows how to take heart in available plants of adaptable beauty in a book to enjoy while waiting for the next planting cycle.

Desert Gardening: Fruits & Vegetables

Desert Gardening: Fruits & Vegetables PDF Author: George Brookbank
Publisher: Da Capo Press
ISBN: 9781555610029
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
An illustrated guide to growing plentiful fruits and vegetables in the driest of American climates Wherever you live in the desert--up to 3,500-feet elevation--this guide is for you. Enjoy plentiful fruits and vegetables from your desert garden. Desert gardening expert George Brookbank will help you with your desert garden. Two books in one . . . A tremendous reference tool you'll use all year 'round! 1. Complete how-to-do-it guide--Drip irrigation and watering --How to prepare desert soil --Which plant and tree varieties to choose --Citrus: Watering, pruning, fertilizing --New varieties for favorites: tomatoes, strawberries, grapes, melonsAnd the unusual . . . Low-chill applesOriental vegetablesYard-long beans--New chapters on hydroponics and alternatives to poisonous chemicals 2. Week-by-week desert calendar--Learn how to work with the desert's short seasons, hot weather, insects, and soils--When to plant--When to prune Over 650 photographs Great for Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, and Texas!

Desert Gardening for Beginners

Desert Gardening for Beginners PDF Author: Cathy Cromell
Publisher: Arizona Master Gardeners Incorporated
ISBN: 9780965198721
Category : Arid regions plants
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Book Description
Everything you need to know to grow fresh, tasty vegetables, fragrant herbs, and colorful flowers is included in "Desert Gardening for Beginners." The authors, all life-long gardeners, have translated the most current horticultural information from University of Arizona researchers into easy-to-understand language new gardeners. Included are three planting calendars that provide the best months to sow hundreds of vegetables, flowers and herbs for maximum success.

Desert Plants

Desert Plants PDF Author: Gary Lyons
Publisher: Huntington Library Press
ISBN:
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Book Description
Praise for the Huntington's Desert Garden: "Nowhere else is there such a stunning collection of these succulents in quantity, maturity, and diversity."--Maureen Gilmer, DIY's "Weekend Gardening" "A radiant spectacle of beautiful freaks."--"New York Times"

Desert Gardens of Steve Martino

Desert Gardens of Steve Martino PDF Author: Caren Yglesias
Publisher: The Monacelli Press, LLC
ISBN: 1580934919
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
This survey of twenty-one gardens by Steve Martino, whose work blends colorful, man-made elements with native plants to reflect the sun-drenched beauty of the desert, is sure to inspire gardeners, landscapers, and admirers of California and the Southwest. For more than thirty years, Steve Martino has been committed to the development and advancement of landscape architecture in the Southwest. His pioneering work with native plant material and the development of a desert-derived design aesthetic is widely recognized. A recurring theme of his work is the dramatic juxtaposition of man-made elements with ecological processes of the region. His love for the desert--the interplay of light and shadow, the colors, plants, and wildlife--inspires his work. As Martino explains, "Gardens consist of two worlds, the man-made and the natural one. I've described my design style as 'Weeds and Walls'--nature and man. I use native plants to make the transition from a building to the adjacent natural desert." Though Martino's work is deeply connected to the natural world, he also has a flair for the dramatic, which is apparent from his lively color selections, sculptural use of plants, and keen attention to lighting, shadows, and reflections. Boldly colored stucco walls frame compelling views of the desert and sky, expanding the outdoor living area while solving common site problems such as lack of privacy or shade. Interspersed are custom structures molded in translucent fiberglass in vivid hues--colorful arbors, outdoor showers, and internally lit benches.

The Hot Garden

The Hot Garden PDF Author: Scott Calhoun
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781933855318
Category : Desert gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
An inspiring and witty guide to landscape design in dry climates.

Desert Gardens

Desert Gardens PDF Author: Gary Lyons
Publisher: Rizzoli International Publications
ISBN:
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description
Features 18 unique and rarely photographed private and public gardens between Santa Barbara and San Diego.

Desert Landscape School

Desert Landscape School PDF Author: Luana Vargas
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780960565665
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Plant/ Educate/ SustainFor decades, the Desert Botanical Garden has responded to our community's needs for knowledge about our desert habitat and resources for living responsibly in it. Over the years, the Garden has become nationally recognized as a champion of plant conservation, a pioneer of the care and display of desert plants, a respected leader in Sonoran Desert research, and an innovator in lifelong education.Supporting the Garden's mission to advance excellence in education, research, exhibition, and conservation of desert plants of the world with emphasis on the southwestern United States is the goal of the Desert Landscape School. We accomplish this by promoting environmental sustainability through demonstrating and teaching best practices in desert plant horticulture; providing education programs with emphasis on science literacy; and exploring and sharing the myriad relationships among plants, people, nature, and the arts.The School offers an exceptional opportunity for professional development and this Guide can be used as a self-directed learning tool for those wishing to learn how to create beautiful, livable, and sustainable outdoor spaces in a desert environment.

The Arizona Low Desert Flower Garden

The Arizona Low Desert Flower Garden PDF Author: Kirti Mathura
Publisher: Gibbs Smith
ISBN: 1586858963
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 145

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Book Description
Deserts pose a particularly difficult challenge to gardeners. Surprising toany desert newcomers, it is possible to have a beautifully invitingandscape in the desert and minimize the use of precious water resources. TheArizona Flowerscaper" offers the key to successful desert gardening and is aeneral understanding of the extreme climate, seasons, and soil conditions.hrough wise plant choices, gardens emerge that intrigue and delight, oftenith little maintenance involved. The illustrated plants can be viewedogether through a unique tri-cut format, showing the plant at maturity andith appropriate details of foliage or flora. Offering plant selections fromround the world, the "Arizona Flowerscaper" is an essential resource foresert gardeners everywhere.