An Arizona-based food, beverage and travel writer since 2008, I launched this website in 2015 to document my culinary adventures, beverage escapades, gardening endeavors, and travel in the Phoenix area and beyond. Also find a comprehensive calendar of Phoenix-area food and drink-related events on my Events page.
Bougainvilleas are currently at their peak here in Arizona and I just love the tropical color they add to my landscaping. A native of South America, these plants come in a variety of colors such as orange, pink, red, lilac, fuschia, white and purple. I particularly like the Barbara Karst variety for its vibrant color and profuse blooms.
I have them growing along the walls and also have trained three to climb up the columns of my patio.
One of my favorite out of my collection i Jackie. I love how this one changes with the temperature and humidity. The petals will curl at the peak of our Arizona summers.
Shishito and Fushimi peppers are sweet and mild thin-walled pepper Japanese peppers. The Shishitos are giving me a bumper crop, and I'm harvesting Fushimi peppers from plants I got from Vilardi Gardens in the fall of 2013. Shishitos are believed to have been introduced to Japan by the Portuguese. Fushimi sweet peppers or fushimi-togarashi are considered a traditional kyo-yasai ("Kyoto vegetable") - an heirloom, premium variety from the Kyoto prefecture.
Shisitos and Fushimis in the garden:
Jungle Jack's Desert Sunrise plumeria
Plumerias change with heat and this Queen Amber is showing a little more pink this week with the high temps.
I love the unusual coloration on this - a beautiful pastel combination of soft pink, salmon, and peach. I ordered this from Jungle Jack's Plumerias last year, and these are my first blooms. Large flowers and a sweet fragrance with a hint of coconut.
Jungle Jack's Jackie (Plumeria rubra)
Jackie is quite the chameleon according to heat and humidity, but I love all her looks. These pictures start with May blooms and end with August (110 temps) here in Arizona.
These 3 plumerias are first blooms to my plumeria collection: Kamiyama Rainbow, Hausten White, and Jackie (all Plumeria obtusa).
The larger ones are Cancun Pink and the smaller ones Dwarf Singapore Pink. So fragrant too - CP smells like cinnamon/Red Hot candy and DSP like sweet citrus. Here they are arranged in a pansy ring.
Time to work on the garden today as we transition into summer - pulling up the cool weather plants, tidying up the tomatoes, and weeding. I have two raised beds which currently contain artichokes, tomatoes (5 varieties including yellow pear and black cherry), peppers (New Mexico, jalapeno, Fushimi, Shishito, and poblanos), radishes, carrots, garlic chives, I'itoi onions, eggplant, cauliflower, Genovese and purple basil, parsley, oregano, marjoram, sage, thyme, dill, Egyptian walking onions, rhubarb, and Swiss chard. In the forefront on the right is a large bay leaf bush.
I've tried sowing carrots in the fall the last few years but didn't have any success. They sprouted, but seemed to stall or become woody. Finally, this year, I had my first batch of fresh, crunchy carrots. I'm not sure if it was the variety (Atomic Red), the watering schedule, or location, but I hope I have the same crop next spring. With carrots as sweet as these, I simply toss with extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle with garlic-herb salt, and roast for 15-20 minutes at 425 degrees.
I fell in love with plumerias on my first trip to Hawaii in 1985. Although associated with the islands, they are actually native to Mexico and Central and South America. They grow in beautiful fragrant clusters which are especially stunning when used in leis, bouquets, and arrangements. The pictures above are some of my collection. Seeds do not grow true to their parent, so each seedling produces a new and unique plumeria. The only way to propagate true to the original tree is to prune and root the branch. There are so many named varieties from different countries (US, Thailand, Italy, Australia), colors (rainbow, orange, red, purple, coral) and fragrances (gardenia, peach, coconut, rose) to choose from, it's easy to become addicted. Hence, you'll find popular Facebook groups such as "Beyond Plumie Addiction" and "Plumeria Addicts". For some great information on growing plumeria locally, join the Facebook group Phoenix Plumeria Growers or visit the website "Valley of the Sun Plumeria Society".
While living in Boston, I had a solitary plant which I kept on a windowsill in a downtown high-rise. It wasn't until our move to Arizona - where they thrive in the ground if provided summer sun and frost protection - that my 'collection' went from one (a Dwarf Singapore Pink) to the 90+ varieties I have now: https://www.pinterest.com/WriteOnRubee/my-updated-plumeria-collection-2016/
This single Globe artichoke was planted in the fall of 2014. A perennial that produces in the spring, this year my harvest is up to 45.
