Productive Patches

03/23/2026

05/07/2025

Hi everyone! 🌵💦. We’re back in Tucson’s Rincon Heights and Iron Horse neighborhoods, sharing about our installation of sediment traps!

These carefully placed rocks help slow water as it enters a basin and drop out the heavier debris, keeping the basin clear of sediment and helping to maintain basin capacity 🌊✨

Over time, the sediment trap will fill and should be routinely cleared to maintain its ability to capture sediment. 💪 Curious about how they work or want to learn more? Let’s chat in the comments! 💬🌱

04/30/2025

That notable rain smell ☔in this region of the southwest is characterized by the Creosote Bush, larrea tridentata. Their iconic scent, interestingly, comes from chemicals released when the leaves get wet. Creosote is likely the plant that covers the most ground in Tucson 🏜

This shrub goes by other names such as greasewood and chaparral. Creosote bushes are flowering and evergreen, with tiny pointed leaves and five-petal yellow flowers. The attributes of their leaves (being small in size and waxy) allow less moisture release and thus it can retain water for longer periods of time😀. Creosote resides throughout the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan deserts of North America. This ranges from California, to Texas; and in Mexico from Baja California del Sur to San Luis Potosí. They grow flowers and fuzzy white seeds🌱 which drop and spread. Creosote can reproduce by their seed but also by shooting stems out of their roots. In several communities within the region, Creosote has over 50 long-established medicinal uses.

Tip: break off a piece and hang it in your shower for a Creosote Rain Smell Effect, every shower! Did you know all this about Creosote?

04/23/2025

1️⃣Crowned Road 🌧️ ➡️
2️⃣Streetside Basin 🌱 ➡️
3️⃣Passive Rainwater Harvesting in Action!

This is a 👑‘Crowned Road’ in the Rincon Heights District which slopes gently from the center↔️ to the edges, guiding rainwater to flow toward the streetside🛣️. At the lower streetsides, there are passive basins🪹— shallow, landscaped depressions designed with plants to collect and absorb stormwater⛈️. These basins slow down runoff, hydrate plants, and help green our streets. 🌳🏘️
Why let ☔️rainwater go to waste when it can fuel a thriving ecosystem instead? 🏞️🐾🌞✨

04/17/2025

🌸 The desert’s burst of pink: Meet Penstemon parryi! 🌸

This stunning wildflower is a must-see in the Sonoran Desert, where its bright pink tubular blooms captivate hummingbirds 🐤, bees🐝, and butterflies 🦋

Native to the Sonoran Desert —found throughout the Southwest and northern Mexico— Penstemon transitions gracefully over the year. It begins as a humble rosette with deep green leaves that gain hints of purple as seasons change, then, for about 4–6 weeks in spring, tall spikes of brilliant pink flowers take center stage.

Beyond its stunning beauty, Penstemon stabilizes soils ⏳ and enhances water retention, supporting our 🛣 roadside water harvesting efforts.

Have you spotted these gems blooming around Tucson? Share your Penstemon sightings or fun facts below! 👇

04/14/2025

💧 Transform your laundry routine into a water-saving solution with a Laundry-to-Landscape system! 🌱

Benefits:
💨 Reuse water you’re already using—watering plants with what would’ve gone to waste.
💨 Provide plants with a consistent, customizable water source.
💨 Reduce your water footprint while supplying thousands of gallons annually.
💨 Enjoy flexibility in design—choose your plants, piping style, and adjust flow valves to meet your garden’s needs.

Key Features:
🔧 Brass 3-way valve to switch between sewer and landscape.
🔧 Pairs perfectly with passive rainwater harvesting systems, enhancing plant health and soil flushing during storms.

🌿 Pro Tip: Use eco-friendly detergents free of Sodium (i.e. Oasis Biocompatible!) to keep soil happy and healthy over time.

💡 Ready to save water and grow a greener yard? 🌎

06/11/2020

By Melissa Kruse-Peeples, NS/S Conservation Program Manager and Sheryl Joy, Seed Distribution Coordinator. The summer rainy season is off to a good start and therefore it’s time to get out in the garden! For many seed varieties in the Native Seeds/SEARCH collection, this is traditional time to pla...

02/05/2020

01/21/2020

Some street side basins going in at Palo Verde Park W/ Dryland Design. These will harvest street runoff to hydrate and irrigate the area around the park while mitigating the amount of water running into the wash down the street. Next is trees and mulch!

08/10/2019

This was the second section of the backyard that we reshaped to better hold rainwater. Currently it just harvests water hitting the landscape. In the future, the client will have gutters and a cistern installed and we will plumb them so they outlet into these basins. These plants will receive steady irrigation for the first couple years, at which point they will be established and will only need supplemental water. This supplemental water will be provided from the cistern.