Arizona Oddities

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Your Guides
  • Departments
    • Art
    • Dose of History
    • Culture
    • Natural Surroundings
    • Odd Observations
    • Weather Talk
    • Food & Dining
    • Small Town Scene
    • Recreation
    • Only in Arizona
  • Get the Books
  • Contact Us

logo

Arizona Oddities

  • Home
  • Your Guides
  • Departments
    • Art
    • Dose of History
    • Culture
    • Natural Surroundings
    • Odd Observations
    • Weather Talk
    • Food & Dining
    • Small Town Scene
    • Recreation
    • Only in Arizona
  • Get the Books
  • Contact Us

Tag: plants

Home›Posts Tagged "plants" (Page 3)
  • Natural SurroundingsWeather Talk
    By Andrea Aker
    December 6, 2011
    4603
    1

    Odd Ways to Hydrate Your Christmas Tree

    I got a letter from a woman whose husband wants to soak their Christmas tree in the pool for a couple of days before putting it up. She sounded quite worried about this. I have never thrown a Christmas tree into a swimming pool, so I don’t know what effect, if any, the needles would have ...
    Read More
  • Grass
    Natural SurroundingsValley of the SunWeather Talk
    By Andrea Aker
    October 12, 2011
    2173
    1

    Tips for Growing a Winter Lawn in the Valley

    Q: I just survived my first Arizona summer, and the worst part was mowing my lawn in the triple-digit heat. Now, my neighbor asked me if I am going to put in a winter lawn. Am I? A: First of all, congratulations on your getting through your first summer. You are now officially qualified to lord ...
    Read More
  • Creosote Bush
    Natural Surroundings
    By Sam Lowe
    September 30, 2011
    12946
    5

    Creosote Bush a Killer Plant?

    IN THE DESERT -- Anyone who has ever wandered into an Arizona desert has undoubtedly encountered the rather plentiful, but inconspicuous, plant known as the creosote bush. They're not much to look at -- spindly shrubs that stand anywhere from three to six feet tall and measure about two to 10 feet across. The stems ...
    Read More
  • Natural SurroundingsWeather Talk
    By Andrea Aker
    February 17, 2011
    13477
    10

    What Kind of Plant is a Tumbleweed?

    Q: Are tumbleweeds a specific plant or is that a generic term for any dead plant that is blown around by the wind? A: New to these parts, stranger? Actually, so are tumbleweeds, relatively speaking. Tumbleweeds really are a specific plant, the mature form of the Russian thistle, Salsola iberica.We think of them as being a real ...
    Read More
  • Natural Surroundings
    By Andrea Aker
    November 12, 2010
    8529
    3

    How to Grow a Mesquite Tree

    Q: I’d like to plant some mesquite, but I’ve heard they sprout best after passing through the alimentary canal of a bird or a cow or some other animal. Without such an animal, will they still sprout? A: Did you know they used to use mesquite wood to pave streets in some towns in Texas? That ...
    Read More
  • Palm Trees
    Natural SurroundingsWeather Talk
    By Andrea Aker
    July 16, 2010
    12045
    9

    Why Don’t Palm Trees Blow Down in the Wind?

    Q: Why don’t palm trees blow down in strong wind as often as other trees do? A: I thought this was going to be an easy one, and I was prepared to pad it out with a lot of cheap jokes about my masters. Instead, it got kind of complicated, so I had to cut out the ...
    Read More
  • Natural SurroundingsOdd ObservationsValley of the SunWeather Talk
    By Andrea Aker
    March 31, 2010
    18568
    12

    Why Do People Paint Citrus Tree Trunks White?

    Q: Why do people paint the trunks of their citrus trees white? A: HA! At last, a question we actually knew the answer to without having to look it up or ask somebody. It’s to protect them from the sun. We are soooooo smart. To celebrate, we asked an actual newcomer in the office if she knew why ...
    Read More
  • Natural SurroundingsOdd ObservationsValley of the SunWeather Talk
    By Andrea Aker
    February 24, 2010
    5383
    2

    What’s That After-Rain Aroma in the Valley?

    Q: What exactly causes that fresh/earthy scent when it rains in the Valley? It’s a real distinct scent, not flowery or sweet, but more like a fresh, clean smell. A: Your question worked its way to the top of the pile at just the right time — Tuesday, when we had that delightful morning rain. ...
    Read More
  • Natural Surroundings
    By Andrea Aker
    January 22, 2010
    3109
    3

    Frequently Asked Questions About Saguaros

    Here at the Valley 101 Research Center and Windshield Squeegeeing Service, we have amassed a collection of three questions about saguaros, those noble cactuses that symbolize Arizona just as surely as do recall elections. And we now endeavor to answer these queries with, as always, the help of Patrick Quirk of the Desert Botanical Gardens, who ...
    Read More
  • Natural Surroundings
    By Andrea Aker
    September 14, 2009
    5789
    0

    Saguaros Refuse To Tell Their Ages

    Today’s question is about the saguaro, so those of who you have lived in Arizona for more than a few years are free to talk quietly among yourselves or put your heads down on your desks and rest a bit. The rest of you, the newcomers, should pay careful attention because, like indicting a governor ...
    Read More
1 2 3 4

Arizona Oddities Archive

Most Popular Posts

  • How to Keep Scorpions Away from Your Home
  • How to Keep Javelinas Away from Your Yard
  • What’s With All the Backyard Concrete-Block Fences…
  • Did You Know it’s Against the Law to Grow…
  • Can You Get a Sunburn Under Water?

This Week Past Years

2019

  • McDonald’s Arches Take a Different Hue in Sedona

2018

  • Get Your Arizona Wine Fix at Cornville Wineries

2017

  • Shake, Rattle & Roll: Rattlesnake Avoidance Training

2015

  • The Legend of Apache Cave
  • No Lettuce Cooking at Yuma Lettuce Days

2014

  • Featured Artist: Marty Le Messurier

2013

  • The Story of J Goldwater & Bros: Commerce on the Colorado River

2012

  • Besh-Ba-Gowah: The Non-Ruin Ruins in Globe
  • Ewing Young: The Southwest’s Premier Mountain Man

2011

  • The Wounded Goddess Atop the State Capitol Dome

2010

  • Do Your Feet Get Bigger When You Move to the Desert?
  • Know the Origin of the Highway 89 Screamers?
  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • Find a Famous Writer and Explorer's Mountain Retreat in Greer

    Find a Famous Writer and Explorer’s Historic Mountain Retreat in Greer

    By Taylor Haynes
    July 31, 2020
  • thousands of Mexican free tail bats make Phoenix tunnel their summer home

    Thousands of Mexican Free-Tail Bats Make Phoenix Tunnel Their Summer Home

    By Taylor Haynes
    July 17, 2020
  • How to Keep Scorpions Away from Your Home

    By Andrea Aker
    January 3, 2011
  • Javelina

    How to Keep Javelinas Away from Your Yard

    By Andrea Aker
    November 23, 2011
  • Phil Motta
    on
    August 27, 2021

    Why Does Downtown Phoenix Seem to Have Two Downtowns?

    I know this post ...
  • Carol
    on
    October 17, 2020

    The Tucson Artifacts are the Southwest’s Greatest Hoax

    lol ... these "clues" ...

Follow us

© Copyright 2009 – 2023 Aker Ink, LLC :: Arizona Oddities is published by Aker Ink.