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The color-swathed home of Dave and Barbara Cartun sits on a knoll in this old mining community.
From the living room, one can see the Mule Mountains to the north.
From another set of glass panes, Naco, Sonora, Mexico, can be seen to the south.
To the couple, Mother Nature uses her bright colors to landscape the area with plants ranging from ground-hugging plants to trees higher than a two-story building.
  
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Unlike the more formal gardens found elsewhere in the country — think back East — and Europe, where topiary reigns, or where there are oriental scenes of structures, stones and streams, the desert provides an ability for it to expand and contract, providing an ever-changing view, Dave said.
And unlike the more geometric placement of flora, desert plants love to grow in a more willy-nilly way.
“Mother Nature has never made a straight line,” Dave said.
Well, maybe a couple of straight lines can be found in nature, such as in frost on a window or a lake with no ripples.
What is interesting about nature is its adaptability, he added.
Some species of plants that grow in more moist areas of the nation have changed to become drought-resistant desert plants, said Dave, a former Bisbee city councilman. That doesn’t mean the plants are colorless — far from it.
Shades of yellow, orange, red, pink, purple and blue surround Dave and Barbara’s home.
The color excites other desert species by enticing them to feed off the nectar within the blooms on pollination missions, Dave said.
A soft breeze blew around the Cartun home, where the only straight lines were those of the house, whose walls came together at 90-degree angles.
“The straight lines of any building and its roof lines should be softened by the curves of sidewalks, patios and plant shapes and trees placed at corners to hide certain parts of the structure,” he said.
In the region’s desert climate, deciduous trees should curve around the southwest and west side of a building to cool in the summer and heat in the winter, Dave said.
Over the years, his landscaping philosophy has changed, based on where he has lived in the United States.
In Ohio, he was a landscape designer and contractor.
Now living in Bisbee, Dave said he is amazed by how nature responds to local conditions.
“Just let Mother Nature do it, let her be your guide,” he said.
Butterflies, the colors of the rainbow, flew around the various bushes as they went for the nectar.
Their favorite watering hole was the yellow butterfly bush, which also drew a dusky-colored hummingbird moth, its wings beating fast just like the bird of the same name.
“Bisbee is where the second smallest butterfly in the world lives,” Dave said as he looked to see if any of that species was around. None was flying that late August day.
As he walked around the garden, Dave pointed out the different plants.
“There’s a Mexican hat,” he said of a small flower. “See it looks like a sombrero.”
Pointing over to another bush, Dave said it was a Mexican flame, its bright red flower looking like a flame.
“That is an Arizona bird of paradise,” Dave said.
Although not the same shape of the more known tropical bird of paradise associated with Hawaii, the flower does have a waxy look to its flower.
Although his hands are rough and gnarled, he caressed the different flowers with a gentle touch.
Reaching down, he plucked a flower from a low plant. He had a reason to do so, because the smell was one not associated with the odors of most buds.
“Smell,” he said.
It was like unwrapping a chocolate candy bar.
“That’s a yellow chocolate flower,” Dave said as a huge smile came across his face.
But he wasn’t fast enough not to say “don’t eat it.” A Herald/Review photographer did and found to her surprise the chocolate wasn’t sweet but was extremely bitter. Butterflies have different taste buds.
Dave’s object is to entice people, especially those moving into the region, to use desert landscaping to beautify their property.
Yes, there can be placement of flowers, bushes and trees, but they should be placed to appear as if they naturally grew.
“I believe landscaping is not a formal process, but more of a natural process,” Dave said.
And pruning desert flora and cutting the seed pods also allows for a longer run of color, as the flowers come back. In some cases, Dave can get four blossomings from plants a year.
“I can have blooms from April trough December,” he said.
This region where the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts merge creates many possibilities for using drought-resistant plants, although the garden has few cactuses.
Spread out on the couple’s property are at least 170 species of plants and only a few do not flower.
A gardener can cheat when planting.
Barbara said she planted a flower that is more use to eastern climate and it has survived. The plant does not get extra water, but it seems to have adapted to the local region. “Mother Nature is a wonderful, old adaptive gal,” Dave said.
Bill Hess can be reached at 515-4615 or by e-mail at bill.hess@svherald.com.
well wrote on Sep 13, 2007 7:49 AM: