Flowers Shrubs & Trees

Plant Propagation Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

‘Little Pete’ Rose Sucker

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read707 views

Today I finally pulled out what was left of my Snow White Tea Tree in my backyard. I have been suspecting for a while now that something wasn’t right with the plants and decided to give them a few more weeks. It turns out that some White Curl Grubs were happily and vigorously feeding on the roots of the plants which resulted in the plant’s death. I also pulled out what was left of my Crimson Rose Tea Tree which I was growing in a barrel in my front yard. They were beautiful drought-tolerant plants and a wonderful addition to my garden. I have had those plants for four years and every year, during this time, they would be covered in blooms.

It seems like every time I loose a plant in my garden, I get blessed with a new one from my garden. Just a few weeks ago, I discovered a Rose sucker around the base of one of my favorite Rosebush. Last year I gained two more Roses using the propagation by simple layering method. This year on the other hand, my ‘Little Pete’ Rose Tree has a Sucker which is rapidly growing just a small distance from the mother plant. I carefully removed it along with its roots and transplanted it in a pot to create a new Rosebush. My first thought was to just separate the sucker and the mother plant and allow both to grow along side, but I quickly realized that the space between both wasn’t enough to allow them to thrive. It’s such a beautiful Rose and I hope my new growth survives.

Click here, here and here to learn about Propagation by Simple and Tip Layering.

'Little Pete' Rose.
‘Little Pete’ Rose.

On a much happier note, we are weed free! I will blog about it in a different post and let you know how we got rid of weeds on our half-acre property in less than two weeks (using just a hoe, rake and a hand shovel).

Happy gardening!

Pages:
JM Perez By JM Perez
Vintage Weather Flowers Shrubs & Trees

Almond Tree Blossoming

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read677 views

We have this huge Sweet Almond Tree in our front yard that we love. Here at home, it is the first tree to flower after Winter followed by Saucer Magnolia and Purpleleaf Cherry Plum. For the past three years, the Almond Tree started flowering as early as January (lasting only two weeks, thanks to our high winds).
The White flowers are so beautiful and it’s always a delight watching them bloom indoors in a vase. In just a few days, honeybees will be heading towards the blossom, collecting pollen.

The tree produces Sweet Almonds during Summer and we had a good harvest in 2007. During the following years, the crows eat almost everything before we got a chance to harvest any. Sometimes we are lucky to find a few and other times all we find are scattered shells on the ground, waiting for us to dispose of.
At times during the cooler Summer evenings we pull out extra chairs, gather underneath the tree as it provides shade and we admire Nature while having interesting conversations.

Sweet Almond Tree in Bloom.
Sweet Almond Tree in Bloom.

With great weather and Spring rapidly approaching, the weeds are coming on strong. Have you noticed how bold weeds stand in a garden? They literally rob a yard of its natural beauty. I love Spring because it reminds me of new beginnings. It’s always the perfect time to start something and for us, it’s the best time to start weeding and ridding the yard of ‘bad seeds’ as well as getting it ready for fun Summer entertainment, gatherings and activities.

My beautiful bouquet of Almond Blossoms now sits pretty on my Fireplace Mantel. I love those delicate white and pink flowers. The Jug is one I bought from the 99¢ Only Stores ten years ago (along with a matching Sugar Set). Just in case you are wondering, what you see above the Almond Arrangement is a 1975 Vintage Kitchen Book Holder, movable thanks to some springs on each side. We spray painted it white from its original Honey Oak color.

Almond Blossom in Milk Jug.
Almond Blossom in Milk Jug.

Thanks to the awesome weather today, we made good progress hand wedding early in the afternoon around a few garden beds in the backyard. We are allowing weeds to grow on a designated area to give a chance to the kids to go Ladybug hunting, which are often found around grassy fields.

Since my dear husband has been craving some Mongolian Grill, we went to The Mall of Victor Valley, which is the closest location to us (the Restaurant is located in the Food Court). I love the fact that they make it easy for individuals to create their own stir-fry. We also spent a few hours at Barnes and Noble, reading books with the kids and looking around for some great Human Anatomy books for Children. I purchased a few books prior to leaving. We all had a marvelous time today and I hope to remember to set the clocks forward for daylight saving time.

Pages:
JM Perez By JM Perez
Health and Wellness Weather Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening

Rebirth in The Garden

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read574 views

After days of cold, high winds and dreary weather, the sun is finally coming through and I am able to get up, get out and get my gardening tools ready for Spring. I love new beginnings as it reminds me of a Rebirth in the Garden when Nature re-awakens and the plants suddenly become aware and start breathing. The days are getting slightly warmer and everything looks so lovely, even the unwanted weeds in the backyard.

The Sweet Almond Tree is starting to bloom. The Raywood Ash or Claret Ash Tree is budding (with wind-pollinated dark purple flowers opening). Daffodils, Daylilies, Violet Queen, Birgi® Lily, Belladonna Amaryllis, Hyacinth, Grape Hyacinth, Imprimis Bearded Iris, Tulips and other bulbs have been sprouting over the past few weeks.

Rebirth in The Garden.
Rebirth in The Garden.

I started weeding yesterday and I was amazed at how much I was able to accomplish. I have noticed that the best time for me to weed is a couple of weeks before Spring (when the soil is still slightly moist from rain and/or snow) and I always start early to have everything done before Summer (when brush fire warnings are high). Here in the High Desert we have a variety of weeds (most of which are Tumbleweeds) growing in our yards as well as the open land around us. It is much easier to pull them up when they are small because their thorns are still tender. As they mature, they break at their roots spreading their seeds on their way as they are driven about by the wind. Quite messy and dangerous. As funny as it is watching them spin around; it’s all laughs until a bunch of them end up in your yard, underneath your car or you get injured by the thorns.

Ideas for Tumbleweeds

Well, you know how the saying goes: “when you live with tumbleweeds, you end up finding uses for them.” Looking for decor ideas and unique inspirations for your Home? Check out how other people entertain themselves and or make a living using Tumbleweeds. I particularly like the Tumbleweed on Panel and the Living Tree Art.

Tumbleweed Ideas.
Tumbleweed Ideas: 1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6., 7.

How about Tumbleweeds to compliment a Flower Bouquet or to use as a lamp shade? Possibilities are endless.

Tumbleweed Ideas.
Tumbleweed Ideas: 1. Tumbleweed Lamp Shade, 2. Tumbleweed Couture, 3. Flower Arrangement.
Twinkling Tumbleweeds.
Image Source: Sunset.com.

Are you overwhelmed with the plants growing in your garden and can’t tell if they are weeds or not, if they are toxic or not, if they have healing properties or not? Are the plants looking so lovely that you are divided between keeping them or getting rid of them? You may find helpful information in the following links.

Happy Gardening!

Pages:
JM Perez By JM Perez
Birds Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Winter: Colors in The Garden

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read682 views

I enjoy having beautiful color changing plants with unique leaf textures in the garden. Such plants add dimension and color to the landscape as their foliage make them a great accent to the yard as they brighten and light up the grey, dreary days by becoming the focal points in Winter.

Red Colors in Winter.
1. Pyracantha                                  2. Heavenly Bamboo                                  3. Nana Nandina

The first noticeable color in my garden is red and it’s Pyracantha.
We have one in my front yard (which we inherited from the previous owner). It’s evergreen and grows upright with fountain like arching branches. The beautiful White flowers are produced in late Spring through early Summer and attract bees and butterflies. The plant produces red berries in Fall that persist into the Winter. The berries colors vary from bright red to orange and are eaten by birds. The plant is easy to grow, drought resistant, prefers full to partial sun and requires very little water is once the plants are established.
I cut mine back each fall and they always come back stronger and healthier the following year. You must be very cautious around this plant since it is covered in thorns. The berries are edible when cooked. Pyracanthas have their share disease problems, such as fireblight (a contagious and destructive disease affecting members of the family Rosaceae). Click here and here to read about plant care information.

The second colorful plant in my garden which I love is Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina Domestica), a semi-evergreen shrub, a toxic plant, as parts of the plant are poisonous. The plant has fine-texture foliage and produces red berries in the Fall and persists through Winter and at this time, the foliage reddens before turning green. The plant produces white flowers in early Summer above the foliage. The plant prefers full to partial sun, it’s frost hardy, disease-resistant, drought resistant (though it performs best in moist and well-drained soil) and requires minimal care. Plant it in full sun for brighter leaf colors. Click here and here to read about plant care information.

One of my favorite plants for Winter color is Nana Nandina. It is a small evergreen dwarf bush with vivid green foliage that turns brilliant red in Fall and persists into the Winter. Just like the two other plants mentioned above, Nana Nandina prefers full to partial sun, it’s frost hardy, disease-resistant, deer and  rabbit resistant, drought resistant and requires minimal care. Planting this shrub in full sun will greatly reduce foliage diseases and will exhibit richer-colors. The plant requires fertilizer twice a year to encourage new growth.

1. Grevillea Noellii 2. Photinia Fraseri 3. Southern Moon® Yedda Hawthorn.
1. Grevillea Noellii                     2. Photinia Fraseri             3. Dwarf Yedda Hawthorn

Refer to the USDA Hardiness Zone Map below or click here to find your plant hardiness climate zone.

Other Winter Color plants are Japanese Pieris, Burning Bush, Hellebores, Camellias, Witch Hazels, Winter Jasmine, Winterthur, Berberis Berries, Grevillea Noellii, Ornamental Grasses and much more.

Happy gardening!

Pages:
JM Perez By JM Perez
Health and Wellness Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening

Safe and Non-Toxic Plants

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read2.6K views

In just a few days, the month of January will come to an end and a few more days after that, the month of February too, will come to past. We will then be in March. I don’t know about some of you, but I am very excited and looking forward to Spring (when Nature looks lively and plants start to grow). After purchasing and planting my Bulbs last November, I made my Garden to do list. I got new plants for my huge planters and as soon as the weather warms up, the Weed Eater and other gardening tools will receive a good tune-up.

Last month, I compiled a list of Toxic Plants and today I am sharing a list of Safe/Non-Toxic Plants (this is just a few). Please, do remember that even though most of this plants are safe to Humans, they can be dangerous to pets, some livestock and they can also cause skin irritations to some individuals. Be cautious.
Safe Plants.
Safe Plants.
Safe Plants.
Safe Plants.

Though Non-Toxic, the following plants can cause skin reaction (sharp leaves, spines, sharp edges, thorns, glochids, leaf hairs, and irritant fibers):
Plant-Related Skin Irritation.
Plant-Related Skin Irritation.

Image Source: ImageJuicy, EasyBloom, 123rf, Wikipedia, HowStuffWorks, BHG, National Park Service, Cambridge 2000

Click here and here for information on how to relieve Skin Irritation from Plants.

Pages:
JM Perez By JM Perez