Flowers Shrubs & Trees Archives – Page 16 of 28

Spring Birds Insects Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

New Season of Regrowth

By JM PerezMarch 20, 20141 min read1.1K views

It’s the first day of Spring and a lovely day. I took pictures of a few lovelies blooming in the garden this morning. Some Freesias, which are said to symbolize innocence and friendship.

According to Teleflora.com, the 7th Wedding Anniversary Flower, Freesia, is a symbol of trust and fidelity. Freesia is an antidote to the proverbial saying that the seventh year of marriage provokes restlessness. Representing faithfulness through the seasons, it’s a traditional reminder of love’s honorable character.

A lovely lone Purple Tulip amongst Freesias.

The Purple-Leaf Cherry Plum is blooming with beautiful delicate scented light pink flowers.

The Martini Tea Trees are starting to produce reddish-pink flowers.

For about a minute, I watched a pair of Crows perched on a wire share a moment of tenderness.

This first day of Spring wouldn’t have been complete without the sound of the Female Nuttall’s Woodpecker drilling holes in a utility pole. Click here or here to learn more about this bird.

A White-Lined Sphinx Moth resting on a wood fence panel.

“It’s Spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want – oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”
― Mark Twain

From my Garden to yours: Happy Spring and Gardening!

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By JM Perez

Insects Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Fighting Plant Pests

By JM PerezMarch 13, 20141 min read595 views

Today in the backyard garden, I was a little sadden to find out that one of my Stella D’Oro Daylily wasn’t thriving as the rest and I knew the soil was infested with a bunch of Cutworms since I made a similar unpleasant discovery on another Stella D’Oro Daylily last month when I noticed that the leaves were getting eaten by something. The moth larvae hide under the soil during the day and come out in the dark to feed on the plant leaves.

I sprinkled GardenTech Sevin at the base of the plant and then I deeply watered it. The product label states that it can be used on vegetables, fruits, flowers, shrubs and lawns up until harvest and it kills 65 varieties of insect pests. There is about a three weeks gap between the before and after picture below and I now have a healthy plant.

I have seen ants fighting others ants, but I had never seen ants fighting their queen before this morning.
According to the article Queen Ant Will Sacrifice Colony to Retain Throne written by Jeanna Bryner it looks like this ant colony had more than one queen and the worker ants are attempting to eliminate this queen. The article states that soon after the young workers hatch, the little ones begin to slaughter surplus queens until only one remains, but occasionally they are so revved up that they kill all the queens.

Happy Gardening!

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By JM Perez

Repurposing Nature Flowers Shrubs & Trees High Desert

Finally, Some Sunshine

By JM PerezMarch 3, 20141 min read722 views

After nearly three days of rain, the High Desert is starting to see some sunshine and blue skies.

I awoke this morning to a beautiful view of the Mountains, which were covered in snow. The soil on the other hand, is still damped from the excess humidity and moisture in the air. As I walk around the property, I am pleased that there are no damages to the plants and the structures. All the plants look a lot happier and healthier.

A few of my Photinia Fraseri shrubs are already showcasing their small white flowers and red color of new growth. Fraser’s Photinia is a beautiful drought tolerant shrub that is great for hedges and privacy.

*Coleonema Pulchrum (Golden Breath of Heaven).*

My Coleonema Pulchrum “Pink Breath of Heaven” and “Golden Breath of Heaven” are covered with beautiful tiny delicate pale pink flowers and fragrant leaves. What I love most about this shrub is that it’s drought tolerance, wind tolerant, non-invasive, evergreen and has an aromatic fragrance when crushed. It blooms from late Winter through late Spring.

Thuja orientalis 'Berkmans Golden.' — *Berkman’s Golden Arborvitae (Thuja orientalis ‘Berkmans Golden’).*

This time of year, the Berkman’s Golden Arborvitae in my backyard are looking lovely with their delicate and attractive golden foliage. I have a few of these disease free, hardy and drought tolerant evergreen shrubs with the tallest being on each side of the entryway to my enclosed Patio. The shrubs are starting to produce cones.

Wishing you a wonderful time in your Garden today!

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By JM Perez

Weather Nature Flowers Shrubs & Trees High Desert

Our Gloomy Weekend

By JM PerezMarch 1, 20142 min read876 views

It rained all day yesterday as the weather forecaster said it would. It was heavy, non-stop with periods of thunder.
As of now we still have light showers, hoping it will be quick to pass. The aftermath of heavy rain on some plants such as succulents can be devastating. Some species might recover when the sun comes out and others are a total loss. Rainstorms can also create a lot of work. On the other hand, rain waters plants for free and can help dislodge pests from plants naturally (in my case, Aphids on my roses).

The whole West Coast has been in need of rain and we got some. If you ask my opinion, I will reply “enough already with the rain!” For someone who enjoys spending her weekends outdoors, gardening and working on yard projects with my little helpers, I am stuck indoors. It turned out to be a good thing since I am able to catch up on my Reading, TV shows and enjoying my favorite cup of coffee.

Here are some shots I took while I was out and about in the morning rain.

The partial single Rainbow above is of yesterday during the rainstorm. The Rainbow must have been visible for a good two to three minutes before rapidly disappearing in the clouds. It was a gloomy day.

I absolutely adore my Woodland Babies, which was a Collections ETC. purchase from a few years ago.

The Sweet Almond Tree is full of first leaves budding out.
I replaced the green set of Antique Victorian Cast Iron Bench and Arm Chair with a similar white set, this time including a matching side table. I love white furniture as they call attention, stand out against green foliage and colorful plants. They also enhance the yard, giving it a welcoming feel.

Our Navajo Globe Willow trees are leafing out. The one pictured above is one of two branches we grew from cuttings from a mature tree in Central California. Globe Willow makes a nice canopy tree, providing shade during the hot months. During Winter, their bare branches display beautiful silhouettes.

I found an unknown type of Moss growing at the base of a Heavenly Bamboo in the front yard.

If the rain ceases, I will be visiting a few nurseries this afternoon or tomorrow in search of Native plants for the Rain Garden I will be creating in my backyard.

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By JM Perez

Birds Insects Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Blooms In The Garden

By JM PerezFebruary 26, 20141 min read821 views

As I sit here typing and watching television, all I hear is Storm Watch in California on all the News Channels. It is a relief to know that California is finally set to get some much needed rain, which will help relieve the ongoing drought we’ve experienced since last Summer.

I put my gardening plans aside due to the cold and windy weather. What I did however, was walk around my property, taking pictures of plants, flowers as well as some creatures.

My Grape Hyacinth are coming up around the base of my Rose trees.

*Crimson Sparaxis (Sparaxis Pillansii).*

Orange Sparaxis. — *Orange Sparaxis (Sparaxis Tricolor).*

Crimson, Orange and Red Sparaxis, the first of the hybrids to bloom. Click here to learn to grow Sparaxis.

Hyacinths have started blooming in the backyard.

I spotted a bird perched on a Mulberry branch, which is the last tree to bud on my property.

A White-Lined Sphinx Moth resting on a leaf of the Pendula Yucca.

Yesterday we had beautiful skies and a lovely view of the mountains. Today is somewhat cloudy with thick clouds surrounding the mountains. Will it rain? Will it snow? Everything is possible though hard to predict as the weather here in the High Desert has a mind of its own. I, for one, am always hoping for the best.

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By JM Perez