Quick Yard Update

I got this Dahlia at Wal Mart for two bucks in clearance, not sure why they were half off. Nice perenial with good color and I think it will survive as a potted plant on the porch, maybe even in the summer (if I'm wrong I can move it someplace else).




The bush river willow is still hanging onto its leaves and still changing color. It started as a deep purple and slowly has changed to red with shades of yellow. The conditions must have been right or I've finally planted it in a good spot, it's never turned color like this before.

Yard Update

Two quick pictures, one of the completed swing, and a final look at the grape vine before it lost the rest of its leaves for the winter.

Bruised Beauty

At the Arboretum in Superior, which is at a higher elevation than here, the bush river willow turns a number of colors in December, including bright yellow. Here in the desert I basically get bruised purple with hits of yellow and a little red. However you slice it, it's nice to see some fall color, and this tree is doing very well in the planter that's sheltered off the back of our house. It remains to see how large this thing will grow and how long the planter will contain it, but my hope is that eventually it will grow up through the arbor and provide some additional shade. A lot of trees in the valley get stunted by the heat, so I'm not expecting this thing to get nearly as large as the ones in Superior.

Another Look

The grape vine on the north side of the house continues to change colors, now with shades of yellow and red. I don't care if it ever puts it edible fruit if it looks this pretty during the fall (yes, it's still fall here in the desert, 70 degrees today).

In other yard news:

- I planted a second jujube tree, this one a lang, to compliment the li that I already had. The lang only produces if the li is nearby, and the li's productivity increases with lang nearby. The california pepper tree that was in the way got moved over to the corner of the house.

- The bush river willow, which typically is the last plant to change color, is turning a bruised purple with hints of yellow and red. I'll post a picture of it in the coming days.

- To coincide with the last fall color of the season, our hardenbergia vine is sporting rows of buds in preparation for blooming, it being the first blooming plant of the year. Funny how these two things come back to back here, never a boring month for something to look at in the yard.