Gardening

Spring Bulbs Sprouting

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read639 views

Surprisingly, we are having a very nice weather here in the High Desert this Winter (with warm days and cold nights). We turn on the drip system irrigation on a needed basis (depending on Plants need), for a deep watering to help our Flowers, Shrubs and Trees to establish and spread their roots systems.

Spring Bulbs Sprouting.
Spring Bulbs Sprouting.

I am loving the Rebirth in the Garden with most of my Spring Flowering Bulbs Sprouting. Some are sprouting through pine needles (which make awesome mulch) and others sprouting from scattered/dispersed seeds randomly around the backyard. The seeds were probably carried by the Wind.

Spring Bulbs Sprouting.
Spring Bulbs Sprouting dispersed seeds.

Around the neighborhood, some flowering trees are beginning to show buds like the Raywood Ash tree in my front yard which normally starts leafing out around April or early Spring.

Raywood Ash (Male Flower Opening Buds).
Raywood Ash (Male Flower Opening Buds).

Another surprise this morning was the discovery of this tender Miniature Rose ‘Del Sol’. The new growth is poking through the gravel reminding me once again that nothing is really lost in the World. We relocated the Parent plant last Summer and I guess one of the many living roots left behind during the relocation process survived.
Click here to learn about Growing Plants with Root Cuttings.

Rose Growth from a Living Root.
Rose Growth from a Living Root.

After two consecutive years of dying back from frost, my Belladonna Amaryllis shoots are going strong. Most of my plants are showing signs of life except for my Saucer Magnolia, Navajo Globe Willow, Plumbago Auriculata ‘Imperial Blue’, Cleveland Sage and Red Autumn Sage which seems to be dormant.
I am looking forward to warmer days like this one, to go outside and get a couple of garden beds ready for Spring.

Click here for Real-World Winter Gardening Tips From Your Growing Zone.

Reviving My Bare Root Rose

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read2.1K views

While my kids were running around this morning in the backyard, I decided to check on my Rose trees. The first one I checked is Rosa ‘Circus’ which I bought two months ago from Lowe’s and it looked healthy. My Hannah Gordon, which I moved from the front yard and transplanted in the backyard a few months ago looked odd and came right off when I lifted it. How could this have happened since the base/roots of the plants was protected by chicken wire? Did the Pocket Gopher chew through the chicken wire? I wondered. Rather than try to figure it out, my husband decided to set a Macabee Gopher Trap in the hole, which appeared to be fresh, quite large and unplugged. Saddened, I proceeded to check the next Rose tree, Iceberg Floribunda.

The next Rose tree is a bare-root I bought at Lowe’s almost three years ago and which thrived until a couple of months ago when it suddenly dried-out and died (or I though so). I dug out the plant and relocated it in hopes of a miracle. After pulling the plant out of the soil and inspecting it closely, I noticed tiny growth at the base of the plant as well as a few healthy white roots next to some thick black dead roots.

Bare-Root Rose New Growth.
Bare-Root Rose New Growth.

I started out by cutting off the dry stalk, then I dug the original hole twice the size of the base of the plant. I placed a wire basket (made out of chicken wire) to protect the roots from rodents. I added some potting soil and some wood chips which acts as insulation for the plant (keeping the warmth and preventing the plant from freezing). Finally I made a chicken wire fence around the plant to protect the new growth from being eaten by Squirrels.

Rose Tree - Iceberg Floribunda
Rose Tree Iceberg Floribunda (Rosa ‘Korbin’), Spring 2011.

The picture above is what the Bare-Root Rose looked like the first year after planting. Rosa ‘Korbin’ is a repeat bloomer from Spring through Fall with a light flush of pink to the blooms and glossy green foliage.

I am confident that the plant will grow and thrive, as I know I have given it a good start.

DIY: Gopher Trapping

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read1.7K views

We are rejoicing today as the trap we set in place finally caught the Pocket Gopher, which has been digging holes on a daily basis around my Photinia Fraseri (Red Robin) shrubs. Last week, I covered a hole it dug at the base of one of the huge barrels in the front yard and it kept returning to the same hole. Yesterday, we finally had enough and my husband decided to set a Macabee Gopher Trap in the freshly dug hole.

Gopher Trap.
Gopher Trap.

Materials/Tools Needed:

  • Macabee Gopher Trap
  • Shovel, Garden Trowel
  • Wire chain (to secure the trap in place)
  • Stake (to hold, support and secure the wire chain in place)
  • Gloves or your bare hands
  • Fabric, cardboard, leaves, mulch or anything light to cover the hole.

Step by Step:

  • Using a shovel, open the tunnel wide enough to set the trap
  • Use a stake to secure the wire chain (attached to the trap) to prevent the injured Gopher from running away with the trap. Otherwise you will have to dig further to pull out the dead rodent and recover your trap.
  • Cover the hole with plastic, fabric, cardboard, plywood, leaves, mulch or stones  (to help create the illusion that the hole has been closed from the outside).
Gopher Trapped.
Gopher Trapped.

This is the fifth Pocket Gopher we have caught since we moved here.

Joy Of Gardening

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read646 views

Despite the hectic weather, it felt good stepping out today and watching the wind send leaves flying everywhere in the backyard as I slowly made my way towards the front porch. It was time to bring my Boston Fern indoors. I walked around the backyard and spent a couple of minutes with my Roses. These are some of  the moments I cherish the most. Growing and caring for Roses is hard work as it demands a lot of determination, time, patience and love. In the end it pays a thousandfold and I have had a wonderful year with my Roses.

French Lace Rose.
French Lace Rose.
Little Pete Mini-multiflora Rose.
Little Pete Mini-multiflora Rose.
Blue Moon Rose Bud.
Blue Moon Rose Bud.

On my way to collect the trash can from the street earlier in the week, I couldn’t resist stopping by my Rose Garden where a couple of rose bushes where blooming. As I began taking pictures of the beautiful blooms, I spotted a large Green Valley Grasshopper (from its rather large size, I believe it’s a female). I can’t tell if the insect was just hanging out, perhaps resting from a long flight or just getting ready to feed on my plants.

Green Valley Grasshopper.
Green Valley Grasshopper.
Spartan Floribunda Rose.
Spartan Floribunda Rose.

Today my heart is particularly filled with gratitude for the gift of Life and beauty in the World.

The Wind has Settled Down

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read585 views

What a change and what a lovely day! The winds have finally settled down, the dirt has hardened a little from the little rain we had on Monday and the thick grey clouds melted away.  There was no damages to the plants and structures; but a backyard covered with so many tumbleweeds. I didn’t mind as I was happy to see a beautiful blue sky, the mountains covered in snow and some of my late blooming perennials.

Snowy Mountains.
Snowy Mountains.

I was so delighted to see my Mums all in bloom. They are easy to grow, low maintenance and late bloomers. I am growing mine in containers along with other Fall perennials. They have remained green for a very, very long time and just recently burst open with bright colors ranging from red to yellow. More information here.

Chrysanthemums.
Chrysanthemums.

I love Dianthus and mine seem to surprise me every day with a new color. I love the varieties.

Dianthus.
A few Dianthus variety.

As I was walking around my Rose Garden, I saw a huge dried up stem which snapped as soon as I pulled on it to expose a tiny cream-colored larvae. According to the website fs.usda.gov (USDA Forest Service – US Department of Agriculture), adult flat headed wood borers are small to relatively large beetles with small antennae and a characteristic oval body shape and they are called metallic wood borers because they are iridescent or metallic looking underneath and sometimes on top. Larvae are white, legless grubs similar to bark beetle larvae, but the body shape is elongated, and the head area is different than bark beetle larvae. They attack stressed, dying, or dead trees and can also attack freshly cut timber before it is dried.
For more information, click here to download the PDF file.

Flat Headed Borer Larva.
Flat Headed Borer Larva.

Can you see the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug below? I wouldn’t have noticed it if it wasn’t for my husband. What a clever attempt to camouflage and blend into its surroundings.

Brown Stink Bug.
Brown Stink Bug.

Happy Gardening and discoveries in your Yards.