The constant issue of water and the Palo Verde tree

A very common urban tree in Tucson is the Palo Verde, popular because it is drought resistant and a good shape, not too tall. This month it is covered in yellow blossom. The last two days the weather has warmed up and the Palo Verde in the garden has attracted a cloud of enormous black bees, which rather scare me. They buzz very fiercely and are the size of the largest English bumble bee.

Meanwhile the orange blossom that captivated me when I arrived has already started to drop and the gentle little worker bees that had flocked have disappeared entirely. How rapidly the spring, if you can call it that, has moved on in the week we have been here, into early summer: the mornings and evenings are no longer as chilly as they were when we arrived: the weather is hot and dry, and this will go on until October.This evening we have a curious wind and that feeling that perhaps it will rain, but it is unlikely.

Drought resistant plants are key to a successful garden here, though we have roses and some bouganvillea. The water bill is a big thing, and we are supposed to water the garden not more than once a week! Tucson gets less than 12 inches of annual rainfall, and there is a paucity of natural water resources. Meanwhile the city has grown far beyond what is sustainable from the water supply point of view. The more Palo Verde trees that are planted, and the fewer roses, the better it will be for Tucson.