As I type the topic, I wonder if it is really correct to call it “Autumn” when it’s still in the high 90′s.  Well, chronologically, it’s fall!  This has been a very strange September.  Rain 7 days in a row!  Never seen that before.

I moved here in 2000 and that October was the wettest October on record, with just .02″ less than 5″ of rain falling that month.  The result was an amazing! display of wildflowers in the spring of 2001.  Just breath-taking!  We snuck off for a hike at Picacho Peak in April of ’01 and were just surrounded by riotous color.  Now I’m curious to see what happens in the coming spring.  Will the wildflowers take off again?  I sure hope so!

With the recent rain, my poor parched plants are finally looking normal again.  The grass (yes, I have grass…I have dogs, so I have grass) had all but died.  It’s greening up again nicely and looks like I’ll actually have to mow this weekend.

On recent walks, I have also noticed that the termites are doing their job.  If you look at the bottom of prickly pear plants or saguaros, sometimes you’ll notice a brownish “crust” coming up from the ground.  This is termites doing what they did before there were delicious homes to eat.  The brown stuff keeps them safe and protected while they harvest dead plant material.  I’m not an expert on termites, but I think they take the food down to their nests.  I also don’t know for sure, but if you see the termites on the plants out at the far reaches of your yard, I don’t think that automatically assumes they are also eating up your home.

Now is another great time to tour around your yard and see what didn’t make it through this harsh summer.  With the overnight temps in the cool 60′s, it’s a good time to put in new plants.  Keep an eye on your containers though.  With high day time temps and the humidity coming down, the pots will probably still benefit with watering twice a day.

I had hoped to post pictures of the cool kitchen design, the big summer job, but some unfortunate circumstances  have the project in a sort of state of stasis.  The brick “floor” of the kitchen was going to be done by the home owner, who has also done the brick inside the home.  Well, as work progressed, two LARGE expenditures came up.  One was a problem with the water main.  This is almost always a big expense and it was even larger at this site because of the home being up on a hill more remote from the usual city utilities.  The other surprise that came up was the roof on the porch, which turned out to be in worse shape than originally thought, and then was exacerbated by one of our summer storms.  So…the result is that the brick won’t be done for a while.  For me, that just means that the space is unfinished.  For the client, it means waiting to finish the project til the coffers are restocked.  I wish I had an unending supply of money so I could have the brick done for the client.  Wouldn’t that be a nice Christmas present?

Throw open your windows and relish this wonderful weather!  It’s a great time of year to live in the delightful Sonoran Desert.

For further information about landscape design and improving your exterior spaces, contact Rachel Gioannini, Casa Serena Landscape Designs at 520-955-1861 or www.casaserenadesigns.com

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