American Public Gardens Association’s Post

During the second day of our APGA staff retreat last week, we had the pleasure of meeting inside a room at the Glendale Library in Glendale, Arizona. We were surprised to see dozens of peacocks lounging on rocks and tree branches just outside of the library. We learned later that they escaped a nearby ranch and preferred living near the library. One of the staff gave us a wonderful tour of the Xeriscape Demonstration Garden, which surrounds the library. The shrub with the reddish orange flowers is a called an Emu Bush (Eremophila) and is native of Australia. The Emu Bush is a favorite among pollinators! We learned about how birds bore holes in saguaro cacti to create nests. The cacti spikes act as a safe barrier against predators. The Gila woodpecker is one bird species that uses its beak to essentially carve a hole big enough to fly inside. Once baby birds are grown enough to leave the nest another bird species can occupy the cactus hole. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/eTqrsfyx #GoPublicGardens #PublicGarden #PublicGardens #glendale #glendaleaz #glendalearizona #arizona #xeriscapedemonstrationgarden #cactus #cacti