If you ask that he in my we what he knows about elephants, he will drive to Tonalea.

Our Arizona elephant feet look a little different, but they are here.

If you ask the mighty elephant king about that, he will ignore you, as he is trying to figure out why sand disappears in a bucket of water.

Ask me about elephants?

I will walk you into my garden, and tell you everything you need to know, and don’t want to know about elephant food plants.

I first heard about Portulacaria afra, better known as elephant food plant, when I moved to Arizona.  It is a succulent, native to South Africa, and is indeed a food source to elephants, wild game, and tortoises.  Their climate mimics Arizona’s and thus, we have the perfect addition to our desert landscape.

The little elephant-shaped ears are extra.   

I love everything about it, mostly that it is so forgiving.  It tolerates sun, shade, water, drought, heat and cold.  It is a great stand-alone shrub, growing to eight feet or can be pruned as an accent plant. 

I have used it as a lush ground cover, and attempted bonsai, but that is a work in progress.

Recently it made a cuddly nest for my chicken.

It is simple to grow, so I can’t take much credit for a green thumb with this one. I just stick a cutting of it in the soil and give it a little water until it roots.

It will tend to itself as long as you….

Wind Kisses, Donna

Inspired by: RDP/Elephants

Sunday Stills/ Garden