Yard Work is HOW Much?!!

Matt is the unofficial landscaper of our house, and he does a very nice job watering, mowing and trimming. But in the summer months, it gets really difficult to find a time when it's cool enough to be outside and also light enough to see what you're doing. So a few months ago, we came up with the great idea to hire someone just once during the summer to do the dirty work for us. A little treat to ourselves - a reward for being so frugal and doing it ourselves the rest of the year. And we figured it would cost about $50, right? So then we let the yard grow out nice and full so we would get our money's worth out of this landscaper we were going to hire.

Flash forward to this week, when Matt calls around to get quotes. 3 visits later, and we find out the absolute cheapest anyone will do the work for is $100!!!!! Am I just cheap, or does that seem outrageous to anyone else? It normally takes the two of us an hour to get the job done, and you'd think it would take a professional half that time, no? One self-professed arborist (who takes care of your trees with a holistic approach - oooh! aahh!) wanted to charge $225!

So then I had a heart attack and when I recovered we got out the gloves and the trash bags and headed outside. Matt worked the hedge trimmer while I followed behind and picked up clippings. 90 minutes, 8 trash cans, 5 scrapes, 4 bottles of water and one thorn (sorry Kim!) later, we tamed the jungle down to a nice garden. It was quite a work-out. When we were done, I realized that I hadn't seen our fence in a few months due to the overgrowth - whoops! So from now on we're back on our maintainance plan so we don't make that same mistake twice. And we are treating ourselves to a nice dinner out as a reward - which feels a lot better than paying some schmuck $100!

How to Grow a New Oleander Plant

I like oleanders as a plant because they are very hearty and low maintenance.  They are awesome because they not only survive through intense Arizona summers, they love the heat.  Our oleanders flower several times throughout the year, their leaves stay green all year round, and they don’t require much water.  Another cool feature is that you have a lot of options when growing and pruning them.  We have some in front of our house that I have trimmed down like a small hedge, about 4 feet tall, in front of our kitchen window.  Then in the back yard one of our oleanders has grown into a bush maybe 12 feet tall and 10 feet across that works great to block out some of the street noise from the road next to our house.  I have even seen oleanders trimmed to grow like trees with a large single trunk.

However, some of my friends do not share the same affinity for oleanders that I do.  Their heartiness also makes them very hard to remove once they are established.  So before planting oleanders you better be certain that it is the plant you want and you are happy with the location.  Also, oleanders are very poisonous.  We have never had a problem with Jordan but you should be cautious if you have pets or little children.

Like I said oleanders flower often and will produce seed pods but the best way to propagate a new oleander plant is to take a cutting off of the existing plant.  The best time to do this is in late summer or fall.  Look for fresh shoots coming off of the branches about 6 inches long or so and cut them off close to the old branch.  The new branches will be a nice bright green like in this picture. 

Take these new growth branches you just cut and put them in a glass or vase of water and let them sit for a week or so.  Make sure the bases of the cuttings are submerged in the water and refill the container if necessary.

 After several days you should start to see little white roots growing from cut end of the clippings.  Be patient with this part.  For the first week or so you wont see any change in the clippings and may be tempted to give up, but keep giving them water and give them time to grow. 

Once these little roots are an inch or longer you can take them out of the water and plant them in the ground.  I put mine in pots so they have good soil with which to establish some serious roots and it makes it easier to make sure they have enough water.

I usually start with about 6-10 clippings.  Not all of the clippings will sprout roots and they may not all survive once they are planted so it’s good to have some extra.  I made out pretty well this time with most of the clippings surviving so far.  I’m planning on using these to grow another bush in the back yard.  I’m also trying to grow one like a tree, which I just recently planted in the front yard.  As he grows taller I’m just pruning off the lower leaves and so far it is looking promising.  Here is a picture of him in the pot before I planted him.

This one is just a few months ahead of the new little guys.  The oleanders grow very quickly, especially during the hotter months.  I’ll try to remember to post an update in a couple months to show how they are all progressing.

Mmm... Avalon...

Last night, my sister Liz took me, Matt & Kim to this restaurant called Avalon. AZ Central had voted it "Best Dessert In Phoenix," which was enough to convince me to give it a try. And we were not disappointed! The menu is small - maybe only 8 entrees offered - but everything we ordered was amazing. A small sampling of the menu:

Grilled Mahi Mahi over rissoto with pineapple butter sauce
Aged Prime Top Sirloin with mushroom glaze sauce and au gratin potatoes with grilled onion
Pork Tenderloin wrapped in bacon over grilled asparagus and fresh vegetable medley

Every bite was as good as the first, and we played Pass The Plate so everyone got to try some of each. Then it was time for the best part: the dessert! Here's what we got (one of each that they offered, actually!)

Organic Strawberry Trifle with tart mousse whip (very refreshing!)
Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate Truffle with Raspberry Jam (like a fancy Reese's Peanut Butter Cup!)
Bananas Foster Cheesecake (Basically a little cheesecake with a caramel brulee banana)
Pineapple Bread Pudding (Everyone's favorite - Matt said it reminded him more of a pineapple crisp. But I think he was embarrassed since he professed his dislike for bread pudding as we ordered, then it ended up being the best one!)

Another cool thing about this restaurant was the decor - very cool and modern with lots of blues and browns - one of my favorite color combos. And now I have some good ideas in case Matt and I ever get a house with a basement and want to make it look like a swanky club :)

All in all, Avalon was a wonderful belated b-day gift from Liz and we all had a good time! Then we all went home and fell into a food coma.

http://www.avalon-scottsdale.com/