High Desert Archives – Page 11 of 44

Little Ray of Sunshine

By JM PerezFebruary 9, 20192 min read636 views

Today we are having a little break from the dreadful weather. The sun is up, the skies are blue and light winds are expected all day with a 10% probability of rainfall. The neighborhood is alive. Some are busy with yard clean-up, setting up for a yard sale and others are soaking up some sun while listening to music. I have barely seen my neighbors in weeks, so it feels good to know they are still alive and kicking.

It snowed a little on Wednesday night and Thursday morning was extremely cold. This is the first time in so many years that I have felt this cold and we haven’t had so much back to back rain storms either. Still, we are very grateful to Mother Nature.

*Backyard pallet deck on a cold morning.*

The view of the mountains was particularly breathtaking on Thursday morning. So much snow, so much white.

We didn’t realized that one of planters in the front yard had retained water from the rain; and this morning, the water was frozen.

Thankfully all my plants are drought and frost tolerant.

My Report Cove furry boots kept my feet warm and got me through the day. I have had these Alpine inspired boots for thirteen years and they are my go-to choice for cold weather.

The sun came up this morning and I had an opportunity to take a walk in the backyard. Not enough warmth to do some gardening, but enough to watch a horse trainer teach a horse to dance, most likely for an upcoming event.

There’s something about raindrops on plants …

I hope you all have a beautiful weekend despite the cold weather.

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By JM Perez

Weather High Desert

Cold, Icy Weather

By JM PerezFebruary 5, 20191 min read566 views

Just when we thought the weather was getting a little better and a little warmer, we are entering our fourth day of consecutive rainfall and high winds. Saturday was the worst with trees uprooting, debris floating about, roof tiles coming undone and power outages.

The only damage we incurred around the property was a broken clay planter.

Evenings are gorgeous, but the extreme cold prevent us from fully enjoying the sights.

Mornings are the hardest, but it gets better once I get moving. I am an outdoor person; but due to the severe weather I have limited my time outside as much as possible. I make sure my kids dress warmly for school and sometimes put an extra jacket in their backpacks, just in case. This has been by far the coldest winter.

We hope these rainy and extremely cold days will soon come to pass.
For those of you across the US Midwest, our prayers are with you as you fight the extreme weather.

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By JM Perez

Weather Nature Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

End Of Year Gratitude

By JM PerezDecember 21, 20182 min read541 views

The kids are out of school for Winter break and I am so happy to finally get some personal time to tend to my plants. Yes, it’s cold outside, but I have a few unfinished projects. The mountains are once again covered in snow, and the view from my backyard is breathtaking. All I need is a cup of coffee and a nice spot where I can soak up some (limited) afternoon sun.

So far the days of the week have been brighter than the previous week as we went through a few days without seeing any sunlight. We have beautiful sunrises and sunsets. For the first time in 12 years, the intensity of raindrops from the heavy, non-stop rain we had a couple of weeks ago created soil erosion here and there, and the ground in some areas is still soft.

*Rain (double rainbow), Fog and Frosty Roof.*

Heavenly Bamboo also known as Nandina, is a beautiful evergreen shrub, drought tolerant and a toxic plant too. This plant as well as Dwarf Nandina ‘Nana’, 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.

This summer we redid our 44 years old driveway and in doing so, we had to remove three of our mature Photinia Fraseri ‘Red Robin shrubs. There is still a gap next to the gate and as you can see, the ugly stumps in the landscape. The good news is that new growths are forming at the base of the stumps and they will continue to fill their place in the landscape as they regrow.

My Agave Ovatifolia has gotten really big. Five pups can be seen coming up from the larger mother plant (the 5th one is still breaking through). There is another pup that is not in the photo because it’s growing on my neighbor’s yard.

*Agave Ovatifolia ‘Frosty Blue’. Mother plant and pups.*

I went to Lowe’s last week to get a couple of fuses for the Christmas lights and I ended up buying a few Asparagus plants, including Plumosus, as seen below.

I am still collecting Antique cast iron patio sets. The arm chair is one of the new additions I got this year (the matching bench/settee can be seen in the first picture). I am searching for the extremely hard to find planter.

I am grateful that my yard is still weed free. I did well, the weekly maintenance if paying off. This is also a good time get outside and pull out those weeds, while the ground is soft and the weather is not too cold.

It has been a wonderful year with no set backs:

We are safe, happy and healthy
Our families and friends are doing great
We completed two major projects
We were given so much and we gave as much in return

Happy Holidays!

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By JM Perez

Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Cleaning up the Front Yard

By JM PerezDecember 1, 20182 min read2.4K views

It’s Saturday and Saturdays have become the day we rake leaves and clean up the front yard. We no longer have trees in the front yard. Strangely however, with a little help from the wind, these falling leaves from neighboring trees tend to find solace in our yard.

I noticed a while back that one of my Photinia Fraseri in the front yard wasn’t as tall as the rest and I suspected that it wasn’t getting enough water. Sure enough, while inspecting the plant I realized that not only was it not getting water, the irrigation tubing was damaged. Somehow roots found their way into the tubing and clogged it. We checked how far the damage went, cut out the damaged section and replaced it.

*Damage Irrigation Tubing by Plant Roots.*

I planted two Dwarf Myrtle shrubs a few years back, only one survived. This drought tolerant, deer resistant and evergreen shrub with delicate creamy-white flowers is one of my favorite shrubs in the garden. The foliage and stems exude a pleasant scent when crushed. I usually don’t pay much attention to the plant once its done flowering. I recently and accidentally realized it was covered with dark blue berries.

The leaves, flowers and berries are edible. The berries are used to make essential oil, jam, alcoholic beverage and tea. I heard it’s a plant that represents love and death (get more interesting facts about the plant here). The plant attracts many pollinating insects, such as honey bees and butterflies. It will also attract birds.

*Dwarf Myrtle stems with dark blue berries.*

The evergreen Asparagus Fern is a beautiful ornamental plant, ideal for hanging baskets. It is said that the stems of the plant are safe to eat. The fruits however are toxic to humans as well as dogs and cats; causing symptoms such as stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting and skin irritation. Birds are highly attracted to the fruits.

The cold weather has given the bulbs I transplanted a head start.

New buds emerging at the crown of Julia Rose Itoh Peony plant.

Happy gardening as you get yourselves into the holiday spirit.

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By JM Perez

Dragonfly Invertebrates Nature Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Fall Blooming Beauties

By JM PerezOctober 27, 20182 min read728 views

It’s been a while since it rained, so we are grateful for Saturday’s much needed rain.
The weather’s great. The plants are thriving with their leaves changing colors and starting to fall. Somehow, I am missing the Raywood Ash tree this year.

A few of the plants in my gardens are blooming profusely this Fall. A variety of Daylilies, Trumpet Creepers, Roses, Mums, Snapdragons, Hibiscus and Gaura are still blooming. Many Hibiscus are not cold-hardy in the High Desert, so they have to be taken indoors over the winter.

Oddly, I find Mums the prettiest in fall, especially Orange Mums. They are one of my favorites plants and stunning blooming beauties.

I love Bougainvilleas for their stunning flowers and colors. I planted a few many years ago, they lasted a couple of years and died. While digging them out, I found curl grubs (the larvae of different species of beetle) feeding on the roots of the plants. I will give this plant another shot.

Snapdragon are also on my list of favorite plants. This plant will self-seed if its flower-head is left untouched at the end of the growing season. Just a few weeks ago, I had some white and orange flowers.

Baby Sun Rose cascading over the side of its hanging container.

Asparagus Plumosus look great in hanging containers and large planters. I have had the one below for six years now, divided and repotted a few times and they keep coming back every year. Be careful while handling the plant as its stems have thorns and the plant can irritate the skin.

Like a magnet, the rain brought out insects …
I spotted a large black bee, possibly a carpenter bee, collecting pollen from flowers.

I wasn’t always fond of Praying Mantises. However, many years ago, after finding out that they are beneficial garden insects, every sight of them became a breath of fresh air. I am an avid gardener, I planned my own landscape design and created my front and backyard gardens from scratch. I have so many plants and Praying Mantises as well as Ladybugs have been my garden silent helpers. While Ladybugs appear around Spring, Praying Mantises on the other hand have been seen all year round.
It’s amazing how they can turn their heads and look over their shoulders.