Thanks much for the nursery suggestions and the suggestions on desert survival. Actually, I have logged more desert time and miles than most people in Arizona or the USA. I have walked from the Colorado River in the southwestern portion of Yuma, Arizona to the intersection of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument & the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge across expansive dune fields, lava fields, Creosotebush - White Bursage Series communities, through fields of saguaro and cholla, and across lonely mountain peaks along the border. Also I have hiked a good portion of territory in the Coronado National Forest Haven't spent much time in the big cities such as Phoenix and Tucson. Most times I fly into Phoenix and immediately drive to Ajo, Why, or Yuma. I always get a 4X4 Jeep Grand Cherokee or Rubicon rentals plus lots of ice, water, and drinks in the cooler for my lonley desert travels. Cell phones are typically useless were I explore outside of picking up a Mexican cell company on Cingular Wireless. Last winter, I visited a nursery in or near Avondale: Moon something nursery. I almost cried as the selection of trees and shrubs were so much better than I have ever seen at other nurseries in the USA. Tons of citrus, plums, apples, figs, cacti, palms, desert plants, etc. Louisiana nurseries are a hundred times smaller than this one I visited. Many of which species would grow in south Louisiana and I have never seen a nursery as great of this one with so much selection. Most all of the stock required a large trailer or flat bed truck or van to get the plants home. Selection could almost make me want to move to Arizona....almost. Will post to the list if I see anything really cool (plants) at Phoenix/Yuma nurseries in August. At least next week the temps in Yuma should be below 110 degrees. 115 is my max last summer near Lukeville. Thank the plant gods thay yall don't have 90 percent plus humidity combined with the balmy 110 plus heat!!! Happy gardening and try to stay COOOOL!!!

Stanofh: I have had the same observation about the California Delonix regias. They seem to be more compact and denser trees than in pictures of trees I have seen in Phoenix and in Florida. I haven't come to any conclusions why this is...does anybody have any ideas? Katie, there's two D. regias available for sale as of 8/9/08 at Hunter's Nursery in Spring Valley,CA. One is a 15 gal. for $139.00 and a 24" box for $495.00. I took pictures of these tree this past Sunday. I'll post the pics. Also, J.D. Nursery in Fallbrook, Xotx - Tropico Neo Flora Gardens in West Hollywood have them available for sale. Here is a link that might be useful: Sherman Heights, San Deigo - D. regia

desertsage: I haven't visited any wild clevelands since June, but my own clevelands never have a second bloom. Summer watering prolongs the blooming season a bit, but they don't bloom for a second time. S. clevelandii, like others of the Audibertia group, lives a cycle. Flowering is the climax of the wet/cool-season part of their annual cycle. As the flowers mature, the plants start to grow their smaller dry-season leaves. I'd think it would be difficult for them, physiologically, to reverse field and bloom a second time. Even a summer thunderstorm (we had one in July) would be insufficient to alter the cycle. As an additional point of interest, I have a cleveland that I bought from a commercial nursery and that appears to have a lot of S. leucophylla in it. It's entire bloom, which occurs in late May, takes about 10 days. If you don't pay attention, you can miss it. The clevelands that I grew from seed and cuttings flower later but much longer.

I am glad you enjoyed the reading. It sure was a wonderful trip. I am now trying to get all the pics offf my cell phone...sigh ...no memory card...and then I will get the whole thing put together. Will keep me busy for weeks ! c