Spring Gazing

The days are beautiful, but I cannot say the same for the weather which has been quite cold lately. We have had cloudy days with light rain and lots of wind for days at a time; thankfully, the High Desert weather forecasts sunny days ahead. Until then, I am keeping busy indoors.

Strangely today I miss our majestic Sweet Almond tree which by this time, would have been covered with showy clusters of white flowers. It was the perfect size and provided much needed shade for that part of the front yard, and it was so sad to lose it. Three years ago we bought a pair of medium size Purple Leaf Cherry Plum trees and planted them in the front yard garden; the location is perfect as we can enjoy the view from the kitchen and living room windows. These trees are always the first to bloom in early Spring and we hope to enjoy many more years gazing at these beauties.

One of our many American Elm trees has its branches covered in clusters of light green fruits. This tree is five (5) years old and our oldest to date. These fruits, called samaras, appear in early Spring and before the tree begins producing leaves. From a distance the numerous fruits could be mistaken to leaves, but a close-up look reveals thick clusters of immature fruits, which are considered edible.

In just a couple of weeks, these light green fruits will turn pale yellow, detach themselves from the branches, fly off, get all over everything and carpet the ground like falling petals. Just don’t let the magical sight distract and flatter you, as these seeds have the tendency of germinating wherever they land. They grow on various types of soil, they are drought tolerant, cold hardy and for these reasons and many more, they are considered invasive.

There is a vast selection of trees to choose from, but finding the right one for your garden can be though. For me, there are many factors I consider such as location, exposure, types of soil, hardiness zone, rodents activities, insect and disease susceptibility, tree size, growth rate, etc. Personally, I think rodents are the most difficult to deal with as they are capable of destroying a healthy tree.

The light rains and low temperatures have softened the dirt and encouraged weed growth. It’s time to get out and pull out those weeds before they get out of control.

Happy Spring and happy gardening!