Good morning, gardeners, and welcome to the Saturday Morning Garden Blog!
Year 2017? Good riddance. You're dismissed. Auf Wiedersehen. Pack you're knives and go. Although i tried so hard to be a good girl all year, Santa, that stingy scamp, didn't see fit to bring me the Impeachment i wanted for Christmas. Oh, well. Maybe it got stuck in a chimney somewhere. Although it's been a difficult year for all of us to one degree or another, the holiday season itself turned out to be even lovelier than anticipated. Hubby and i spent the week at my mother's home in Tucson, Arizona, and the clear, sunny skies couldn't have been more of a departure from the many shades of gray that dominate our Pacific Northwest winters. Would you care to refill your beverage of choice and join me for a little peek at Christmas in the desert?
It's deeply touching when people go "all out" on their holiday light displays. These wrapped cacti were particularly stunning in person …
Even in full daylight, the little Santa hats looked so cheerful and festive …
Christmas lights on anything other than pine trees always look a little incongruous to me …
I especially love it when colorful lights are reflected in a home's window glass …
This charming little nativity scene looked oddly appropriate in the company of those massive cacti …
This home-owner simply added shiny Christmas balls to the lemons that were already hanging …
Behind it was a medium sized cactus that was happy to play peek-a-boo with the angles …
With no rain in sight, ornaments generally reserved for indoor use can be hung outside without worry …
Red, green and white balls were a perfect choice for the gold foliage of this bush …
And then there's Santa, pondering life's vicissitudes …
Another Santa, pondering a relocation to Tucson - there's a lot to be said for perpetual sunshine …
Even beyond the Christmas decorations, Arizona puts on quite a show this time of year …
These big whatever-they're-called look positively regal in the landscape …
The most successful garden designs used plants that i imagine are at least somewhat indigenous …
Love the combination of "balls and lines" in this arrangement …
Bigger balls and curvier lines …
And color! There are actually things blooming in Tucson this time of year!
Oddly, these red bushes seem to be in bloom, no matter what time of year i visit …
They look paper-like when you get really close to them. Dare i suggest they may be fake?
These look a little like the plants tequila comes from, but i decided it wouldn't be prudent to break off a piece to suck on …
Meanwhile, the flowers on this whatever-it-is were nothing short of miraculous. They were ginormous and darted straight up into the sky …
Tear-shaped cacti (probably crying about that no-impeachment-yet thing) …
A nice combination of textures and a blush of color …
Love these lavender pricklies …
Even the "wilder" areas seemed somehow neat and manicured …
Back home in my mother's yard, it was such a pleasure to watch the bowls of water she regularly fills for thirsty birds …
This bird was so happy to be the only one at the bowl …
But word travels fast …
Before long, there was a lot of pushing and shoving around the bowls. The cardinal, though, seemed to inspire better manners. I'm guessing Santa was good to him …
“I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing,
sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me.” ~ Anais Nin
So how did you spend your holiday? Was a good time had by all? Any New Year's resolutions? And what's going on in your gardens?
PS: Here's the upcoming Saturday Morning Garden Blog hosting schedule. As always, if anyone would like to take a weekend, drop a note in the comment section (or send one of us a private message). We need more regular writers if we want to keep this series going, and new contributors are always welcome.
January 6th (Vol. 14.01) —robctwo
January 13th (Vol. 14.02) —
January 20th (Vol. 14.03) —
January 27th (Vol. 14.04) —
February 3rd (Vol. 14.05) —
February 10th (Vol. 14.06) —
February 17th (Vol. 14.07) —
February 24th (Vol. 14.08) —