Photos by Richard Maack This multi-trunked palo verde tree puts on an impressive show with its profusion of yellow blooms. Only 10 years old, it provides more than adequate coverage in the sunny backyard. Low walls double as seating for garden parties.

Mary Bossler Creates a Family-Friendly Yard in Chandler

When Mary Bossler and her family moved from Canada to Arizona in 1997, they were apartment dwellers for 16
months until their Chandler home was built. “In hindsight, the delay proved useful because it gave us a wonderful opportunity to get a feel for our desert surroundings before installing our landscape,” recalls Bossler.

An accomplished gardener in Montreal and Ottawa, Bossler found desert growing conditions to be a bit of a “rude awakening.” To learn more about local plants and gather landscaping ideas, she took advantage of local resources (see Getting Inspired, Page 70). Using her newfound knowledge, Bossler and her family—husband Dan and sons Ben and Paul—sifted through the pros and cons of potential yard designs and outdoor elements.

Raised vegetable and herb beds were on Mary’s must-have list. Dan wanted colorful blooming shrubs, and the boys requested a big shade tree for climbing. Whether to include a lawn was an early topic of discussion. “When I learned that no grass variety thrives in shade beneath a tree canopy in the low desert, it made sense to skip the lawn,” says Bossler. “We saw some examples of shady courtyards with decomposed granite at Tohono Chul Park in Tucson, and that made up our minds.”

Observing lawn installation and maintenance at the homes of friends also dissuaded the couple. “It looked like a pain to deal with, and my husband was glad not to have mowing chores,” the gardener recalls. The clincher was when the boys were given the option of grass to play on or a swimming pool. “They chose a pool,” Bossler says with a smile.

The National Wildlife Federation has named the couple’s yard a Certified Wildlife Habitat. It contains the necessary elements of food, water, shelter, and sites for wildlife to raise their young.

TREE SELECTION
After studying native tree options, Bossler decided a palo verde would suit their needs. She liked the multi-trunked shape, shady canopy, yellow blossoms and unusual green bark. Several palo verde species are available, but Bossler selected a thornless hybrid. They planted their tree from a 5-gallon nursery pot in December 1998, opposite the pool area. “Its trunk was no wider than my thumb, and my father-in-law joked that it was so puny it would never offer any shade.”

Ten years later, Bossler estimates the stately tree specimen filling the northeastern corner of the backyard measures close to 30 feet tall by 50 feet wide. “When we opened our landscape for two garden tours in 2009, just about every visitor had questions about our tree,” she recalls. “They couldn’t believe it was just 10 years old.”

ADDING A POND
“When our family goes hiking and camping, we’re always drawn to water, so we decided to add a pond to our backyard to re-create the feeling of camping,” Bossler comments. Researching possibilities, she met Paul Holdeman of the Pond Gnome, who installs naturalistic water features.

With a biofilter and the right mix of water, plants and fish, their pond’s ecosystem “takes care of itself,” observes Bossler. “Our hot tub requires more time to maintain than our pond.”

In spring, 60 plant varieties are in bloom in the couple’s yard, providing nectar for wildlife. Raised beds hold a mix of seasonal flowers, herbs and vegetables.

LEARNING CURVE
“When I moved here, I didn’t know anything about the desert,” Bossler admits. “Although I quickly fell in love with local gardening, after my experiences I’d do some things differently next time around.” For example, placing a tree properly in a landscape helps mitigate the desert’s intense summer sun by providing shade and lowering surrounding temperatures.

Although Bossler’s mighty palo verde created an expansive shade canopy and a children’s paradise, she would swap the position of the tree and swimming pool if she had do-overs. “In summer, the pool’s western location is hammered from the afternoon sun, and the tree’s eastern location doesn’t offer any protection for that.

“Also, I’d likely site the pond closer to an open window, so I could enjoy the sound of water from indoors,” Bossler remarks. Although, at its current location—tucked in a far corner beneath the palo verde tree—she says it offers a hidden surprise for visitors.

“When I travel and see new plants, I want to add them all to my yard. But in reality, I’m a convert to native and desert-adapted plants,” Bossler states. “They offer the path of least resistance for trouble-free gardening.”

GETTING INSPIRED
Mary Bossler took time to learn about desert landscaping options before implementing her plan. She recommends:
• Taking classes. As a Chandler, Arizona, resident, Mary Bossler enjoyed free landscaping workshops offered by Chandler Water Conservation, chandleraz.gov/water. Many Phoenix-area cities offer similar classes for their residents. In 2005, she completed the Master Gardener program presented by the University of Arizona Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden.
• Visiting public gardens. Among her favorite places for learning about native plants and capturing design ideas are the Phoenix Zoo and Desert Botanical Garden, and, in Tucson, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and Tohono Chul Park.
• Enjoying garden tours. Bossler opened her landscape for the Real Gardens for Real People tour offered by Maricopa County Master Gardeners in March 2009. For details on this year’s Master Gardener tour, visit cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/gardentour.htm.

A cushioned bench, dappled sunlight and plantings of Yerba mansa offer an inviting pondside spot to sit

POND CLEANING
Maintaining a pond’s natural ecosystem is a breeze, according to Mary Bossler. About once a week, she and her husband empty the skimmer basket, where leaf debris collects from the water’s surface. “A few weeks per year, when leaf or flower drop is heavy, we empty the basket daily.” Biofilter pads are hosed off annually, and debris that accumulates on the pond’s bottom is
cleaned out once every five years.

“Algae may build up in spring when temperatures start to warm, but fish eat the algae and Mother Nature rebalances,” explains Bossler. The only real problem the couple has had is a heron that flew in and ate all but one of their fish. “We named the survivor Stealth, because he knew to hide in the pond’s rock caves.”