High Desert

Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Happy In The Garden

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read542 views

You know that feeling you get after a job well done? That’s how I feel today, Happy in the Garden.

This has been a good year for my Longiflorum-Asiatic Lily ‘Birgi’. This gorgeous and exceptional perennial with erect stems, dark green foliage and large deep pink fragrant, upward-facing trumpet-like flowers.

Longiflorum-Asiatic (Lily 'Birgi').
Longiflorum-Asiatic Lily ‘Birgi’.

Silvery Cassia, also known as Feathery Cassia and Silver Leaf Cassia is an evergreen Australian shrub. The plant produces cheerful bright yellow buttercup-shaped flowers from late Winter to Spring followed by flat brown seedpods. The plant can be propagated by seeds and cuttings.

According to Growing With Science Blog, the female part of the flower is the light green part that curves off to the side from the center of the flower and the male part of the flower are the brown stamens.

Silvery Cassia.
Silvery Cassia.

My semi-evergreen Daylily ‘Pretty Woman’ are going strong this year as well. It is such a delicate and sophisticated plant with light creamy-apricot petals.

Pretty Woman Daylily.
Pretty Woman Daylily.

A Miniature Hybrid Rose with different flower colors.

Miniature Hybrid Rose.
Miniature Hybrid Rose.

I was pleasantly surprised to see tiny ivory Seed Pods (without the seeds) on my Coleonema Pulchrum. From a distance, they look like delicate flowers.

Coleonema Pulchrum Seed Pods.
Coleonema Pulchrum Seed Pods.

Wishing you all a good day and a great start to your week. Happy Gardening too!

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JM Perez By JM Perez
Reptiles Insects Nature Gardening High Desert

Breezy Sunday Afternoon

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read635 views

What a lovely Sunday afternoon at Home with my Family. The days are getting hotter and the weather has been hectic lately. Walking around my backyard, I saw a few interesting things which brought a smile to my face.

As I sat on the swing, watching the wind blow and looking at some of my tallest plants wave back and forth in the breeze; one of the Allium Drumsticks stem got caught in between the legs of my King Frog garden stake and if I didn’t know any better, I would say Mr. Froggy was enjoying the moment. What an interesting sight.

Frog and Allium Drumstick.
Frog and Allium Drumstick globe-shaped flowerhead.

While watering the mini Rosebushes, a Desert Spiny Lizard emerged from underneath the plants, staring at me.

Desert Spiny Lizard.
Desert Spiny Lizard.

I spotted a set of Harlequin Bugs on my Dwarf Cup Flower ‘Purple Robe’ plants. These bugs, members of the stinkbug family, are very active during the Summer and destructive to cabbage, broccoli, radishes as well as some ornamental flowers. These bugs cause damages to plants by sucking the sap which in turn cause the plants to die. They have a high reproductive rate. For more information on this insect pest, click here.

Harlequin Bugs mating.
Harlequin Bugs mating.

Wishing you all a wonderful afternoon.

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JM Perez By JM Perez
Ground Squirrel Birds DIY: Projects Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

DIY: Fruit Tree Deterrent

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read2.1K views

A couple of weeks ago, I urged my husband to do something about the Squirrels digging holes all over my front yard to gain access to the nuts on the Sweet Almond tree. He came up with a very simple, yet functional mechanism to prevent those rodents from climbing up the tree. He created a piece similar to an umbrella shape and/or a funnel shape using materials we already had on hand.

Squirrel Fruit Tree Deterrent.
Squirrel Fruit Tree Deterrent.
Squirrel Fruit Tree Deterrent.
Squirrel Fruit Tree Deterrent.

From the pictures you can see how most of the work was done.

Materials/Tools Needed

  • Zip Ties
  • Chicken Wire 1 inch spacing
  • Pliers
  • Drip Tubing
  • Compression Reducing Tees

Step by Steps:

  • He first made a circle around the tree with the tubing making sure he could have the room to place the two support pieces to hold it in place.
  • After making the ring with the supports he cut strips of chicken wire to wrap around the ring edge and making certain there was no gap between wire and tree trunk.

The effectiveness is similar to the one of the image below.

Image Source: HarrietCarter.com.
Squirrel Baffle
Image Source: HarrietCarter.com.

Click here to learn about Tree Squirrels and how to prevent them from climbing up a pole, tree, or other structure.

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JM Perez By JM Perez
Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Windy Afternoon

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read754 views

I have kept busy in the garden lately, building plant support, planting and transplanting.
The plants are healthy, thriving and more Hummingbirds are visiting my gardens. My lone surviving evergreen vine and climber Pink Jasmine is covered in pink buds and delicate fragrant white flowers.

Have you tried Jasmine Tea? It is said to be efficient against coughs, sore throats and weight loss. Jasmine Tea can help relieve headaches, balance fluids in the body, regulate blood circulation and arterial tension. Jasmine Essential Oil is used for massaging and in treating dry, brittle, or dehydrated skin. Click here to read about Jasmine’s many benefits.

For best results, grow your Jasmine in full sun.

Pink Jasmine Flowers.
Pink Jasmine Flowers.

My Gaura Lindheimeri plants are hosts of the Caterpillars of the White-lined Sphinx (Hummingbird Moth).

Caterpillar on Gaura Lindheimeri.
Caterpillar on Gaura Lindheimeri.

Just beginning to bloom in my backyard is the Dwarf Myrtle (Myrtus Compacta); a deer resistant and evergreen shrub with delicate creamy-white flowers. The foliage and stems exude a pleasant scent when crushed.

Dwarf Myrtle.
Dwarf Myrtle.

While cleaning my Tipsy Pots Plant Tower, I found a dead Spider trapped in its own web.

Dead Spider.
Dead Spider in its web.

It’s a lovely day today and I am grateful for the Wind which is keeping us cool during hot days like today.

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JM Perez By JM Perez
Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Yellow Garden Flowers

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read749 views

With temperatures soaring, our High Desert Plants seem to be at their best.
As I wan­dered around my backyard garden this morning, I noticed various shades of Yellow Flowers.

Bee Pollinating French Broom.
Bee Pollinating French Broom.

How could I miss the fragrant flower of Miniature Rose “Thanks To Sue” and its eye-catching delicate apricot petals?

Miniature Rose "Thanks To Sue."
Miniature Rose “Thanks To Sue.”
Miniature Rose "Del Sol."
Miniature Rose “Del Sol.”
Golden Orange Miniature Rose.
Golden Orange Miniature Rose.

The Stella D’Oro Daylilies have burst with vibrant yellow blooms.

Stella D’Oro Daylily.
Stella D’Oro Daylily.

With weeds out of sight and temperatures rising, I don’t spend as much time gar­den­ing as I used to. I spend time plan­ning, designing, mov­ing furniture and plants to new loca­tions as well as watching the plants grow. I still have a long way to go with my gardens, but for now, I am content with .

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JM Perez By JM Perez