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Arizona Gardening

What we do for our plants

desert_gardener

18 years ago

I will tell you...what we don't do for our plants. We have had a corner of our yard that we had a pinic table with some plants on it that received afternoon shade from a very messy, leaf dropping, Arizona yellow bell. I was sick of all the mess, constantly picking leaves out of the pots and the raised bed under it. So I saw this picture in Sunset magazine of a cool steel structure that someone did in Tucson, Arizona, and I put it away and started talking to my husband about cutting down the tree and replacing it with a shade structure. I already have a 10' X 15' area of galvinized metal poles and shade tarps, so I wanted something with more of an artistic flair. You can kinda see where the pinic table is in the picture below, but you really can't see the messy tree.

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Well over the last 6 weeks, we purchased a lot of angle iron, expanded metal, and concrete wire mesh. With the help of a very dear friend who was itching to sharpen his welding skills we sat out to make something special to house our filtered shade loving plants. For weeks prior to starting the project, my husband, his friend, and myself would sit in the backyard, have a few beers and put our ideas down on paper.

The frist week of the project, my dear husband cut down the tree. The second week was the digging holes to set angle iron in cement just above the ground to anchor the structure to. All of this being done of Sunday afternoons. This is the beginning of the frame.

Starting the frame 2/26/06:

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Adding some artistic touches to the frame and the gable ends with the concrete mesh and expanded metal 3/12/06:

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The finished project 12' X 16'..3/26/06:

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Our friend will be making stair step type tables for the interior over the next few months, and I will be getting my huband on the end of a shovel, so that I can start the mass plantings I have planned for the exterior. We will also need to bring in some gravel and I will be shopping for some type of art work to hang over the entry way and the 2 side panels. I am keeping my fingers crossed for more rain to give the structure the rusty look that I am looking for, but with what we have received in the last few weeks the process has already started.

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Comments (9)

graydawn
18 years ago
Cool. I have been planning the same type of project. I am going to make three of these. One over my hot tub, one over the garden and one over a pool I have in my dreams ;)

Nice design. Show us what it looks like when you add the screen cloth. Close-ups of attachement whould be nice too! :)
azalyssa
18 years ago
Wow! Totally jealous! That is awesome!
Are you going to try to train a vine on it? Any ideas for that?
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copperst
18 years ago
you have the awesome beginnings of a very beautiful environment. at the very least plant vines to train up each post. arizona native plant society has booklets describing one's options for low water choices. they are $3.00, i think now. you are very fortunate to have such a talented friend. :)
Dick_Sonia
18 years ago
I'm amazed your city is allowing such a structure so close to the property line. In most jurisdictions, anything with less than a 5' setback from the property line is unlawful and will be ordered removed.
MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
18 years ago
oooooo - I hate it when parades get rained on. You probably better check on that before you get much further along. We're getting ready to add a storage shed to the back yard, guess I better check that as well.
azalyssa
18 years ago
Hmm. So even if it's not a "permanent" structure, it's still not allowed? There are a whole lot of people with sheds in violation, then, too.

Guess I'd better check on that pergola I want built off the side of my patio to help screen the neighbor's house.
desert_gardener
Original Author
18 years ago
Graydawn, the only shade will come from the expanded sheets of metal on the roof and sides. I am a collector of succulents, mostly Aloes and Agaves, but I have a lot of other species. Most succulents need partial or filtered shade and I figure it is giving me 30%, a lot like being under a Palo Verde tree. I will post in a few days some close ups for you.

azalyssa, I have a couple different ideas for vines. I have 2 different types of Cissus and a Xerosicyos. No sure if the later can take that much sun. All are in pots, so I will move them around to see if they would tolerate a little more sun than they are accustomed to.

Thanks all for the nice comments. I can wait to start planting this weekend.
desert_gardener
Original Author
18 years ago
Here is the latest pic of the completion, with some art work, and a few planting (not as many as I had planned). It will be a few months before I get tables in there, so we put our old picnic table in there so I can start moving some plants in side. Enjoy!

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MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
18 years ago
Very nice. The three of you have done a great job.

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