Yeah I agree with one poster about forgetting most of what you know about gardening, though not everything, but conditions are very very different here. Any plant that requires humidity (like tropicals)... forget it! The air can be so incredibly dry here that if you leave a cutting out without water even in the shade, the next day it will literally crumble to dust if you squeeze it in your hand. This means that crowding plants together can sometimes work to create a micro-climate that retains a bit more moisture. The sun up north is lower in the sky throught the day and the difference in day length between summer and winter is bigger. This affects what areas will be shaded and when. There is an awesome free 3D modeling software called "GOOGLE SKETCHUP". It's super easy to use and it has built in shadow modelling that is very accurate. You can for example create a rough model of the house and other things around it using the correct orientation. Then you can enter a location (Phoenix is close enough), and time of day, and it will show you exactly what areas will be shaded. You can then make it automatically change the time in one hour increments, that way you can tell throughout the day which areas are shaded and which ones get the most sun. Anything with exposure to the west in the afternoon will have to bear the hottest arizona sun. Personally I would think that planting a row of fairly tall trees on the west/SW side to provide afternoon shade would help whatever else grows in the rest of the yard. There is no such thing as too little sun in Arizona, and full shade is actually rare EVEN on the north side.. The sun is at a high angle (about 80 degrees) in the middle of the day. Google "Caliche"... we have plenty of it, along with hardpan. very very backbreaking work to dig through. If you dig a planting hole, do the water drainage test to see if the water will go down. If not you might have to dig through the caliche to create drainage chimneys. Arizona is a place of extremes. Just because it gets hot it doesn't mean it stays hot. Daily temp swings can be as much as 40 degrees. That means it could be 70 during the day and freeze at night in the winter. Ficus trees are beautiful but won't survive even a light frost (and they're water guzzlers). Look up the Sissoo tree. It likes lots of water but can do very well on low water once established. it's a beautiful shade tree that is almost litter free and fast growing. (I planted one 2 years ago and it grew from 6 ft to about 20 ft. Water deep and less often. In the summer I water trees about once a week, but leave the water running for a long time until there's a puddle and the water soaks deep. soil conditions: biggest problem is high ph. This can prevent uptake of iron and zinc especially in citrus. Chellated iron can help keep things green. Nitrogen dissapears fast when it's hot (citrus like a lot of nitrogen) Arizona has some pretty lax graywater laws. That means you can modify your plumbing to use some of your graywater for watering shade trees. You don't need a permit. My bathtub drains in my backyard around my trees. This goes a long way towards conserving water. ok this is more than 3 things, but I hope it helps.

You don't know me, but many hugs to you Debby. I cannot imagine the pain that you endure. I was going to say that I played mediator at work, smoothing co-worker's ruffled feelings. I had a great day seeing my co-workers. My dog had cancer surgery and I spent the past two weeks working from home. I really enjoy the days when I go to the office. I had a great heart to heart talk with my manager. It was a special and rare interaction and I treasured it. It sounds like my whole life is my job :-) I really love what I do for money and for that I am thankful.

Azzalea, glad your husband came through surgery okay! Yes, worrying just does one it doesn't it. Hope you feel better soon RavenCajun! (knock on wood) I haven't been sick with a cold in a long time. But with taking the Methotrexate I better get a flu shot this year! Just got through with supper, doing the dishes, sweeping the floor again(cat played with her kibble food on floor and I stepped on it.) Put the dishes away, took a shower and now it is MY time! I might sit with a cup of tea and crochet some more on the new doily I started this morning. Deb

It's Thursday now, just 8:40am. So far, I got up at 5:50 as DH was leaving to go to his cardiac rehab class. 2. Watched two half hour Bluegrass Music shows on RFD TV 3. Got dressed and set out everything for our usual cereal and toast breakfast. 4. Had breakfast when DH came home at 8 5. Checked the pantry for the makings for a pot of chili. No go, am missing one ingredient, so I'm gonna sit with a cup of coffee and think about what else I could make.