Finding Contentment in Every Situation
Finding Contentment in Every Situation
By JM PerezI love waking up to something pretty in the garden. The lovely Daylily below is called ‘Pretty Woman.’ Isn’t she pretty? It’s one of my favorite Daylilies followed by ‘Strawberry Candy.’
Happy Gardening!
By JM Perez By JM PerezToday I am sharing a picture of some Allium Drumsticks growing in my backyard.
Wishing you all a wonderful day and a blessed Father’s Day weekend with your loved ones.
By JM Perez By JM PerezAs the weather gets warmer (hotter, for those of us living in the High Desert), every one scrambles to the stores to stock up on cool drinks, snacks and others items to stay at home. The same scenario applies to animals as they search for their stores of stashed seeds, nuts and whatever they can find. I have seen Squirrels running in my neighbors backyard and just a couple ran across ours to get to the other side. There are just too many of them this year and they are starting to dig around. From the single squirrel I’ve seen on our property, they are now two.
This morning, I found a bunch of holes in my children’s raised garden beds. I was saddened to see some of the Gladiolus bulbs pulled out, lying on the ground, partially eaten and the stems cut off. We had stunning Gladiolus blooms (Fiorentina, Pears, Star, Yellow and Orange) the last couple of years and I can’t say the same for this year. We have two more larger raised garden beds (not pictured) next to the ones below. One of which has Pink Tulips bulbs and the other Onions; both sustained damages as well.
To give me some peace of mind and to prevent further damages until we find a permanent solution, my husband decided to wrap some chicken wire around the top of the garden beds.
How Can You Fight Back?
The first two options are the best as a hungry squirrel will take high risks to get to its food source.
By JM Perez By JM PerezMy Apple Blossom Yarrow is all in bloom.
Happy Gardening!
By JM Perez By JM PerezThe end of the month of May has always been one of my favorite time of the year mainly because I am enjoying the beauties of Spring (some of which will carry on through Summer and beyond). My Oleanders are starting to bloom all along my fenced backyard and it’s quite a lovely sight, making a great border. We pruned the plants last Summer after fertilizing and transferring a few to the other side of the fence. The plants have all kept the same height and are currently blooming profusely with pink, white and red flowers. This is one good reason for me to spend more time outdoors and enjoy the lovely view.
After attempting and failing to grow Oleanders for a year from seeds (collected from the seed capsule), I gave up. I think I would have had better luck by taking a cutting off an existing plant, submerging it in water until the cutting begin producing roots (after which you can plant the cutting in a garden bed or in a pot). This is such a simple and painless process compared to growing Oleanders from seeds.
Last Fall I noticed a strange sprout amongst my Birgi® Lily, which I quickly disregarded. Today, after taking a closer look, I realized that a seed had germinated after all and I know have a young plant. I will dig it out and place it in a pot next weekend. It might take years for the title plant to bloom and only then will I know its flowering color.
All parts of Oleander are poisonous and should be handled with extreme caution. It’s a Deadly Beauty.
By JM Perez
