High Desert

Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

High Desert Spring Gardening

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read547 views

Right now in the High Desert it literally feels like Spring. The days are getting warmer and the plants are reacting to the unseasonably warm weather. I noticed a few days ago, some flower buds on the branches of the Sweet Almond Tree in my front yard and I am excited to see the tree all covered in delicate White flowers. The Almond Tree is always the first to blossom after Winter around here; however, the Tree is blooming too early this year compared to the previous years. The weeds too, are coming on strong as they rob my yard of its beauty.

This year, my Sweet William Dwarf (Dianthus) are the first to bloom.

For Spring Colors, plant the following (just to name a few):

Plants with the * next to the name (as well as some species of the plants) are poisonous and/or toxic (either to Humans, Livestock or both). Click here for a list of Toxic Plants.

Spring Colors in The Garden.
Spring Colors in The Garden.

How can you tell if your Garden is ready for Spring?
According to OrganicGardening.com, the best way to tell if a garden has dried out enough to be worked is to pick up about half a cup of earth in your hand. Now squeeze the soil together so that it forms a ball. If the ball of earth can readily be shattered by pressing with your fingers or dropping it from a height of 3 feet or so, it is dry enough to dig. If the ball keeps its shape or breaks only with difficulty into solid sections rather than loose soil, it still contains too much water. Clay soil that is too wet will feel slick when rubbed between thumb and forefinger and working soil that wet can spoil its texture for the whole season.

Since my soil is not quite ready for Spring Gardening yet, I am focusing most of my time and energy on various activities and yard tasks:

  • Planning a Fairy Garden
  • Researching Native Plants
  • Building Bird Houses
  • Cleaning Bird Feeders and Baths
  • Getting my Gardening Tools ready
  • Servicing my Weed Eater
  • Starting seeds indoors
  • Preparing new Sunken Garden Beds for Native Plants
  • Tending to my Perennials (pruning, trimming, cutting back, dividing)
  • Revitalizing my Mint Plants
  • Maybe start a compost pile.

With the weather this warm, it’s definitely time to Start Planning your Spring Garden.

Linking up to Beverly’s Pink Saturday.

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

Spring Bulbs Sprouting

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read647 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.

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JM Perez By JM Perez
History Destinations High Desert

Day Trip to Barstow, CA

EPEngineer By EPEngineer1 min read1.8K views

This morning we took a trip to the DMV in Barstow, CA and we were impressed. Everything we heard about this Office is true. If you live in the High Desert of California and need to visit a DMV Office in person rather than pay online; I highly recommend the Barstow DMV Office. The facility is smaller than the one in Victorville with fewer , yet efficient employees. The service is amazing with shorter lines and wait time. It’s truly worth the drive.

On our way to the DMV Office, we spotted a Preserved Tank at The Rotary Centennial Park.

M47 Patton Tank.
M47 Patton Tank (Preserved Tank).
Rotary Centennial Park, Barstow, CA.
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M47 Patton Tank (Preserved Tank).
Rotary Centennial Park, Barstow, CA.
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Caboose 999093 CE-1.
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe. Caboose 999093 CE-1.
Rotary Centennial Park, Barstow, CA.
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Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe. Caboose 999093 CE-1.
Rotary Centennial Park, Barstow, CA.
Rotary International Marker.
Rotary International Marker.
Rotary Centennial Park, Barstow, CA.

If you are traveling on Historic Route 66, make plans to visit the Rotary Centennial Park in Barstow, California as well as other attractions within and around the City.

Located at the northeast corner of Barstow Road and Virginia Way in Barstow, California, the Rotary Centennial Park was constructed by the Rotary Club of Barstow in recognition of Barstow’s Centennial year, 1986.
Click here to learn more.

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EPEngineer By EPEngineer
Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

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.

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JM Perez By JM Perez
Weather Nature High Desert

Frozen Morning

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read452 views

It’s a beautiful day. The skies are clear, but the weather outside is deceitful. Baby, it’s cold outside! I am very thankful that we haven’t had our first Snowfall yet.

I suit up this morning to rake leaves in the backyard from last night’s wind. By the time everything was set and done, I could barely feel my fingers and toes. I took a few minutes to walk around the backyard and made a few interesting discoveries, some of which involve frozen water like the one from my Water Fountain. The larger Water Fountain is located in a sunny area so the Sun gets to melt the water.

Frozen Water.
Frozen Water.
Water Fountain 'The Village Maiden'.
Water Fountain ‘The Village Maiden’.

After seeing that solid ice, I was grateful that we shut off the exterior water valve to the irrigation system a couple of weeks ago. I would have lost all my plants from frost otherwise.

Snowy Mountains.
Snowy Mountains.

On a much happier note, I will be taking my Son to the annual Christmas Program performed by Pre Kinder, Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade as well as Mr. Flores’ class at Oak Hills High School. He has been so excited about it, since we didn’t attend last years’ due to bad weather.

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JM Perez By JM Perez