Greetings from Arizona
November 29th, 2005 
by Susan Harris
Yep, I spent the week in Tucson and do you think the vegetation there could be any more alien to an Easterner? This is a purple prickly pear and a saguaro cactus, both in abundance. Prominent trees are the mesquite, ocotilla and the cottonwood. Below is another shot of the saguaro, possibly the most anthropomorphic plant there is. I learned that it lives to be 200 and doesn’t grow its first "arm" until it’s at least 70.
As lovely as the desert is - and its beauty and drama are not lost on me - I wouldn’t want a steady diet of it. My Maryland garden seems SO lush and green by comparison, even with its leaves dead and covering the ground.
Speaking of leaves, the 35 or so deciduous trees on my property produce an amazing quantity and keep me busy all winter, thank God.
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November 29th, 2005 at 7:41 pm
Doing my semi- annual delurking to say how much I love your site, the information, photos, insights and gardening links. Thanks!
November 30th, 2005 at 12:28 am
Hey, check it out! That’s MY Vicki in the above comment. I knew she would like your blog.
November 30th, 2005 at 12:29 am
Oops. The below comment.
November 30th, 2005 at 1:28 am
And what a nice surprise, too.
November 30th, 2005 at 8:43 pm
Lucky you. A little holiday would be nice. It is getting cold here!