… This was the refrain I learned as a child growing up in Northfield, Ohio — a suburb that developed at the midpoint between two erstwhile industrial giants, Akron and Cleveland. I suppose April showers bring May flowers was a mantra made to pacify lively children, who had been forced inside too long during a bitter winter off Lake Erie, into staying inside yet another month during the dank, gray days of early spring.

But here we are, in our Phoenician paradise where we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in nearly 100° temperatures!

If like me, you’re tired of looking at your frost-damaged landscape, be patient just a little longer. The Arizona Republic warned us to “hold the shears.”

So what about getting a jump on enjoying why so many of us moved to Arizona… the beautiful weather and forever-green yards? There are some wonderful garden events coming up.

Be sure not to miss The Encanto Palmcroft Historic Home Tour and Street Fair, this Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM. Tickets are $18, on sale at Phoenix College.

That is, unless you’re taking in the Master Gardener Garden Tour, also this Saturday from 9 AM to 4 PM. This tour is of gardens in the Camelback Corridor that have been designed, planted and maintained by Master Gardeners from the University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. If you don’t already have your tickets, you can buy them the day of the tour for $20 at Squaw Peak Elementary School, where the first garden in the tour will be on display.

Or, for a taste of Mid-century Modern Phoenix, plan on attending the Third Annual Modern Phoenix Home Tour and Expo. Seminars will run all day Saturday, with a self-guided tour of Ralph Haver’s Marlen Grove from 2 to 5 PM on Sunday.

But, oh-oh:

Well, March showers can be a welcomed respite from all the heat! So I hope you’re able to take full advantage of this weekend’s annual events. And in the coming weeks, don’t forget the other events posted in the Republic. And, as the rains subside, bringing our desert into bloom, do try to make a point of visiting our incomparable Desert Botanical Garden.

Technorati Tags: arizona, arizona real estate, phoenix, phoenix real estate, real estate, real estate marketing

From The Walk-Through, the real estate weblog of the New York Times:

Tim and Laura Dierks were interested in buying this small Brooklyn house until they realized the implications of its location, in the Carroll Gardens Historic District. If they wanted to add a top floor, they would have to wade through an extra layer of bureaucracy, gaining approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission. There was no guarantee this would happen.

This is a risk in Phoenix, too. As much as we might love the legacy housing we have managed to preserve, the homes that have received historic designation are as much ossified as protected. Significant changes, at least any that might be visible from the street, are essentially forbidden. That’s as may be, but we also have very few opportunities in the Central Corridor for contemporary architects to create new classics.

It’s deja vu all over again at the Arizona Republic. Magazine names Willo district one of top cottage communities it says in Wednesday’s paper:

They’re busting their buttons in the downtown Phoenix neighborhood of Willo.

Cottage Living magazine has named the historic district as one of the “Top 10 Cottage Communities in America.”

A profile of the neighborhood, generally bounded by Central and Seventh avenues and Thomas and McDowell roads, will appear in the July/August 2006 issue of the national publication.

Great news. Trouble is, it’s old news. The same article ran in the paper on June 30th.

Oh, what the heck. Even if it’s a twice-told tale, it’s still a great story:

“Places with charming architecture, where you can skip the car and stroll to locally owned shops and restaurants; places where neighbors know your name and are happy to have a cookout on Friday evening,” [Cottage Living Editor in Chief Eleanor Griffin] said. “Willo boasts crisply manicured lawns and small, doted-on houses of all types – it’s definitely a charming community of tight-knit residents.”