Dare I say it: the extreme heat has finally passed. And as we hoped in last month’s update, we did manage to squeeze out a few more storms! If you take a look beneath any roadside palo verde, you’ll likely spot dozens of tiny seedlings pushing through the soil. There’s a whole quiet world of change unfolding right now: wildflower sprouts, fresh buds, new leaf flushes—all while we hurry by, already shifting toward the holidays. I encourage you to slow down on your next evening walk; you might notice a plant, bloom, or texture that wasn’t there before.

We’re finally nearing the end of the extreme heat, and hopefully can squeeze a few more storms out of the season. Raising my first batch of seedlings through 110°F weather—mostly in black pots with heavy sun exposure—has been quite a learning experience.

While winters here in the Valley rarely dip below freezing, I’m curious to see how young plants will handle cooler nights. In the meantime, we’ve got a few months of excellent growing weather ahead, and I fully intend to take advantage of it.

Between the heatwaves and humidity, it was a surprisingly productive July here at Sonoran Starts.

🌿 New Summer Starts

I sowed a small round of desert tree and shrub seeds in mid-July (part experiment, part stubbornness) and to my surprise, they’ve taken off.

So far, I’ve got:

• Chilopsis linearis (desert willow)
• Prosopis/Neltuma velutina (velvet mesquite)

…germinated and growing steadily outside in deep pots. About half a dozen of each have pushed out strong taproots and are reaching upwards hopefully.

Welcome to Sonoran Starts 🌵

Hi all,

My name is Ammar, and this is Sonoran Starts Nursery.

I was born and raised here in Phoenix, and over the last year or so, my casual appreciation for our unique Southwest ecology has blossomed into a full-on obsession—and a backyard micronursery operation at my family home.

Why Sonoran Starts?

A few weeks ago, I had the realization: I don’t know what to do with all my seedlings come fall. After some thought, I figured the best way to spread these plants is to literally spread them—through the community. That’s you.