Butia Palm, there is actually a trio of them, but camera only allowed for one.

My Bizzy, been through two winters and looks alright, except i planted it way too close to a mexican fan palm pictured below. Seemed okay when both were little, however, i was wrong. Oh well, it staying put.

My very rare mexican fan Palm. Maybe not so rare, but I like it a lot.

looking good..

looking good..

thanks! Nothing "rare" but, eventually, they will come.

Looks great! What type of soil do you have? How often and how long do you water for in that heat?

Looks good especially being in the desert. I'm very familiar with the climate your in. I used to live in Las Vegas and the heat can be brutal to some plants as well as the cold.

Looks good especially being in the desert. I'm very familiar with the climate your in. I used to live in Las Vegas and the heat can be brutal to some plants as well as the cold.

No cold damage last winter I think I lucked out. First year the bizzy was in the ground, it got cold, mid 20's i think. Had minor leaf spotting, but nothing bad. Grew an entire new head of leaves. Its just started pushing out lots of leaves. There are three spikes popping out now! By far my coolest palm.

Looks great! What type of soil do you have? How often and how long do you water for in that heat?

Soil is clay like, but drains really well. My house is built up about 3 feet higher than the road, so i think they brought in good dirt during construction, w ich is probably why it drains really nicely. I still get chlorotic plants however, like the queens and the butias. Just started really applying micro nutrients to the queen that i have, and they have grown 3 flawless fronds so far this year, that are much darker green coloration than the previous. Very time consuming plants they are. I won't plant anymore of that species if the current ones ever die.

The queens will do fine for you. They like lots of water in that kind of heat. I had them looking ok in Vegas but in 07 they were defoliated but came back. Bizzies will love the heat. Seems like the hotter it gets the faster they grow.

Is it legal to bump your own post? Sweet little yard update. Things have grown quite a bit. Color was enhanced with iPhone in case anyone was wondering.

It is absolutely is legal to bump a post for a gorgeous yard like yours!

Maybe come to the PSSC banquet?

Wow, things are really growing fast. The mexican fan palm will fill out nicely and grow faster than a lot of your palms probably so as the surrounding plants get bigger, the Mexican Fan will have likely cleared the crowns of the other palms. Nice blend of fan and feather palms. Sabal's will grow nicely there, and will look similar to the Bismarkia - they'll just be green.

Nice update! and great yard! sigh, it makes me wonder how my bizzies and other palms look that I abandoned in AZ.

my bizzy has gotten very large this last year. It competes for sun light from the washy, planted to the north. There are actually two buzzes here, one in front, other behind. Purchased as a double. Since its all etiolated looking, might not have the fat trunks that most down here in Phoenix have. Makes for a nice micro climate. A croton is planted to the left of the bizzy trunk. Nice over head protection. Also put some dypsis lut. behind it near the block wall. Too small to see and dark back there. In a few years perhaps...

Wow that filled in very nicely and quickly! Nice to see another Phoenix palm garden.

Thought I would post some updated pics of my yard.  My yard was a bit neglected this past summer.  Queens look a bit chlorotic, butia palm has some dark brown spots on the older fronds, minimal spotting on new fronds.  I dosed them last night with palm fertilizer and some chelated iron.  Hopefully new growth responds well.  

Bizzy has grown up a lot.  However, i have learned i am not deep watering it enough.  I let the hose slowly drip over night a few times the past couple months and new fronds are looking fat and healthy.  

Croton has been in the ground for a couple winters with no defoliation at all.  It does get covered when its expected to get cold.  A nice D. Lut. in the background has made it a few winters and summers and threw some nice growth. 

The miniature plumeria has grown nicely as well and had blooms all summer long.  Enjoy!

I have had wonderful luck with Raphis excelsa.  Considering it's origin, I am surprised how well it has done tucked between a large sago

(cycas revoluta) and a local favorite, the ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvate).  All of which you could squeeze in somewhere.

I just saw this thread --- nice photos!   I love your landscaping.

Yet, if I were to move to the desert in southwestern Arizona, perhaps between Yuma and Ajo -- or possibly even up as far north as the outskirts of Phoenix -- which palms would survive without any irrigation at all?  I am not talking about plantings along a riverbank.  I am talking about in the middle of the desert without any supplemental irrigation at all.  What could one use as landscaping plants in that type of climate?

I am just curious because I love the desert and am considering such a move many years from now.

... and, also, what are some landscaping options in that climate which won't harm kids running around and playing?  Some buyers won't consider a home that has a bunch of barrel cacti and saguaro all around because they want a yard in which children can freely play without being harmed/stabbed by sharp spines. (I'm not sure whether rattlesnakes and scorpions also play into that consideration in SW Arizona or not)

1 minute ago, Sandy Loam said:

... and, also, what are some landscaping options in that climate which won't harm kids running around and playing?  Some buyers won't consider a home that has a bunch of barrel cacti and saguaro all around because they want a yard in which children can freely play without being harmed/stabbed by sharp spines. (I'm not sure whether rattlesnakes and scorpions also play into that consideration in SW Arizona or not)

My family lived in Phoenix when I was a toddler, and I have many memories of cactus pricks being stuck in my hand.

18 minutes ago, Sandy Loam said:

I just saw this thread --- nice photos!   I love your landscaping.

Yet, if I were to move to the desert in southwestern Arizona, perhaps between Yuma and Ajo -- or possibly even up as far north as the outskirts of Phoenix -- which palms would survive without any irrigation at all?  I am not talking about plantings along a riverbank.  I am talking about in the middle of the desert without any supplemental irrigation at all.  What could one use as landscaping plants in that type of climate?

I am just curious because I love the desert and am considering such a move many years from now.

As far as palms.. Brahea sp, Washingtonia, CIDP and regular Date palms ...and perhaps Sabal uresana would be the 4 that seem to do / look the best without much irrigation here once established. Im sure other members here in town, and down in Tucson could add to the list. 
Regardless, all will need some water, especially this time of year since our flavor of heat is really good at drying things out very quickly, even after a good Monsoon downpour. 

As far as other stuff: Trees, shrubs, other stuff.., Lots of choices, if ( underline the 'IF' several times) you search around.. Degree of choices will also depend on where you are located ( less choices in the areas where it can get colder in the winter)

 Obviously Mesquite, Ironwood (Olneya tesota) and Palo Verde are your "classic" desert trees. As tough as they are, one doesn't have to step far into virgin desert to see what a difference a little summer water makes in the landscape compared to out on the flats where trees look  more like stunted shrubs due to lack of water. 

Other possibilities include:

..locally and regionally native Acacia sp - several.. Bauhinia sp - several, Bursera sp- several.. mainly for 9b+ regions of the area. Cassia fistula and Delonix regia (possibly D. decaryi  and pumila as well) will grow here but only in 9b+ areas.  and this is just a teaser..  The desert isn't just Cacti, though there are plenty of great choices, that aren't super intimidating...

..If i were staying here in the desert, i would be eyeballing property down towards Tucson for the following reasons:

A, they get far more rainfall than either up here closer to Phoenix, or out towards Yuma.. Heat isn't quite as intense as in both areas i just mentioned.. Cold isn't bad either, especially if you are up on a hill and not down in one of the river bottoms... 

B, far better selection of plants / nurseries than up this way, especially regarding specialty things/rarer stuff...  

One thing id suggest is to come out here both roughly late winter/early spring... and in July or August once Monsoon season has started.. just to get an idea of the differences between Tucson, the general Phoenix area, and Yuma.. A wet monsoon season down south is an especially awesome sight.. which leads me to reason #3 for picking Tucson.. The views.. parks, mountains..

Hope this helps,

Nathan

Wow, thanks Nathan. This is great info.  I had actually ruled out Tucson because it seems to get too cold there for my taste in winter.  It's not so much about landscaping, but that I simply don't like to be cold for more than a couple of days at a time.  I have been to Yuma in January and found it to be perfectly acceptable, although I may have lucked out.  It was in the low 70s by day and cold at night, but the warm and sunny days made up for the cold nights --- which really weren't all that cold compared to Tucson.  I felt like the difference between Tucson and Yuma in January was like night and day.  Was I wrong?  I was also in Phoenix on that trip and it may have been a climate somewhere in between the extremities of Yuma and Tucson.  Yuma has low elevation and impacts from the Sea of Cortez, both to which might help it remain warmer in winter.   

Sure, there will be winter cold spells in Yuma when the highs are stuck in the 50s for a few days, but the norm seems to be highs in the low 70s and lows which are not that bad either. 

Also, one morning during a cold snap at 7:00 am, I recall seeing some live wunderground weather stations online with surprising warm patches closer to Phoenix.  They were so warm that they rivalled Yuma.  Those are also places which I could consider moving some day.  I mean, those temperatures were all over the place.   

7 minutes ago, Sandy Loam said:

Wow, thanks Nathan. This is great info.  I had actually ruled out Tucson because it seems to get too cold there for my taste in winter.  It's not so much about landscaping, but that I simply don't like to be cold for more than a couple of days at a time.  I have been to Yuma in January and found it to be perfectly acceptable, although I may have lucked out.  It was in the low 70s by day and cold at night, but the warm and sunny days made up for the cold nights --- which really weren't all that cold compared to Tucson.  I felt like the difference between Tucson and Yuma in January was like night and day.  Was I wrong?  I was also in Phoenix on that trip and it may have been a climate somewhere in between the extremities of Yuma and Tucson.  Yuma has low elevation and impacts from the Sea of Cortez, both to which might help it remain warmer in winter.   

Sure, there will be winter cold spells in Yuma when the highs are stuck in the 50s for a few days, but the norm seems to be highs in the low 70s and lows which are not that bad either. 

Also, one morning during a cold snap at 7:00 am, I recall seeing some live wunderground weather stations online with surprising warm patches closer to Phoenix.  They were so warm that they rivalled Yuma.  Those are also places which I could consider moving some day.  I mean, those temperatures were all over the place.   

Agree, during the winter, low temps can vary quite a bit across the area. Here, closer to Phoenix, while a cold morning might hover around say 32F in my part of Chandler, outlaying ( less developed) parts of Chandler ..or Scottsdale.. or (more so) areas like San Tan  Valley or Queen Creek can hit the mid 20s at the same time.

While Yuma is normally warmer overall in the winter, if it is 115F here, it is likely 3-5F warmer during the summer.. and while our yearly rainfall might average 8-10", Yuma gets less.. on average, even though they are closer to the Gulf of CA.

Tucson lows can be within a few degrees of the Phoenix area, depending on where you are, in the winter. The Casa Adobes area of town sits up on a hill, as does the west side of town ( directly west of i-10) and tend to stay warmer while areas down hill, or closer to the river can get pretty cold at times. Then again, if you look at historical data, the Phoenix area has had some pretty nasty cold spells in the past, still, that is rare (..and possibly becoming rarer. This has also been the case in Tucson from what i have been hearing) 

Overall, cold doesn't last long here.. while i might start out in the mid 30s, it usually rebounds into the 60s-70-s by mid day.. even some 80s through most of this past winter.. Extended cold spells like everyone experienced back east last winter are less common here but can happen.

Beyond anything temperature related, rainfall is by far the biggest factor.. Tucson ( and S.E. AZ) wins this race by far.. especially during the summer, when you want water...
As mentioned somewhere before, driving between the house and some places in T-town last summer, the difference between the amount of rain they received Vs. what little we got was obvious.. same thing happened this past winter.. Desert down there looked less crispy than nearby. I'm hoping this years Monsoon season is a soaker across the state ( we need it, badly)

..Turning to Scorpions and Rattlers for a second, you'll likely see both at some point, especially further away from town. Of the two, AZ Bark Scorpions are the most concerning since they can climb walls, and can get into a house through credit card sized openings in walls, door jams, etc. They tend to be most problematic in areas that are undergoing recent development / ground disturbance as well.. Giant Desert Scorpions, bigger, look more intimidating, are harmless.. same with our Trantula species. Think the Giant desert Scorps actually eat Bark Scorpions as well...

Rattlesnakes (several species across the state) that might show up on a patio can be delt with respectfully.  Always good to have the number of a local snake handler nearby... Red harvester Ants, particularly the Maricopa subspecies, Javelina, and Bobcats are a few other critters that can cause alarm in some of the less developed parts of town.. A Black Bear cub recently wandered down the Salt River from the Four Peaks area, into a neighborhood in Mesa last week.. it happens, and makes for good wildlife watching, and teachable moments...

Tucson and the mountains south of there host roughly a dozen Hummingbird species, and believe it or not, Fireflies..  belonging to the same Genus you might see back east.. Along with two types of nectar eating Bats..  You may, if you're lucky enough, have a chance encounter with Coati, Ocelot, Brown Vine snakes, ( harmless to humans) and Jaguar if / when exploring the really remote corners near the border as well.. in the words of a well respected, local Horticulturist / Nurseryman " The Desert is beautiful my friends, yeah it is"

..Couldn't agree more. 

I'll pm you a list of some stuff to research for future reference, or, just for the fun of it

-Nathan