Gardening and creepy crawlies (Phoenix, Sedona: scorpions, live, move)

[Havikats]

Hi folks. We just moved here and are not familiar with caution needed while gardening.

I know when we lived in Texas my parents hired a gardener as they were told to never, under any circumstances, stick their hands under shrubs or places where you couldn't see your hands.

I have a front yard which really needs some TLC and I am open to any advice anyone can give.

The front yard is mostly rock, has some trees and (here is the concern) some shrubbery which, if not taken care of soon, will be choked out by weeds.

I have those rubber cleaning gloves I was thinking of using, but am uncertain if they would be effective.

Thanks for your time. Much appreciated.

[cap1717]

Always a good idea to wear gloves, especially if you value your skin. I have been doing "hands on", professional gardening in the Phoenix area for more than 20 years, and have been stung by wasps a couple of times, nothing else! Why not get a "hula hoe" or other such tool to remove the weeds from under your shrubs?

[Havikats]

Hula hoe? I'll go and google that right now. Thanks for the info!

[adventuregurl]

Up here in Sedona we have rattlesnakes so you might want to chek to see if they are in your area too....maybe it's too urban for them, but if you have them, gloves definately won't protect you from them....they like hiding spots by rocks and wood (maybe shrubs) etc (scorpions too). I believe they are hibernating at this time of year up here but don't know about down there.

Originally Posted by Havikats

Hi folks. We just moved here and are not familiar with caution needed while gardening.

I know when we lived in Texas my parents hired a gardener as they were told to never, under any circumstances, stick their hands under shrubs or places where you couldn't see your hands.

I have a front yard which really needs some TLC and I am open to any advice anyone can give.

The front yard is mostly rock, has some trees and (here is the concern) some shrubbery which, if not taken care of soon, will be choked out by weeds.

I have those rubber cleaning gloves I was thinking of using, but am uncertain if they would be effective.

Thanks for your time. Much appreciated.

[Havikats]

I'm not sure if we have them here in Tortosa. I guess I will Google it and see what pops up. Thanks again.

[cap1717]

Yes, we do have rattlesnakes, and a good many other kinds of snakes, too. Also scorpions, spiders, and a bunch of other creepy crawlies. Fact is, encounters with these kinds of critters are few and far between. They are a lot more scared of you than you should be of them! They will go out of their way to avoid you, if possible. A little caution in the way of proper footwear, gloves, etc., and an unwillingness to "harrass" the wildlife, if encountered, is all of the precaution needed by most. Don't remember the exact percentage, but a large percentage of rattlesnake bites, nationwide, are suffered by 16 - 25 year old boys / men who are intentionally engaging with these critters in one way or another. I have had numerous rattlesnake encounters in my many years of working outdoors in the Phoenix area, and have never been "threated", except one time, when I needed to remove a young rattlesnake from a horse's stall. I picked the upset snake up with a "fork" (rake sized implement used for cleaning stalls) and walked about 1/2 mile out into the desert with it before releasing it near an appropriate sized ground hole. . . .never saw it again!