Here in the High Desert, the first two weeks of Spring are awesome. The weather is simply at its best (not too cold, not too hot) and one is able to get out and get things done. After this time, we are ‘blessed’ with what seems to be a 24 hour high and gusty winds, which will go on for a few more weeks before finally settling. Gardening is not impossible at this time, just challenging as you have to go out there well equipped and armed:
- Safety Goggles to protect your eyes from dust and allergens in the air.
- Safety Nose Masks (protection from dust and allergens).
- Beanie hats, bandana, Sombrero, or whatever you can think of to protect your forehead from the cold wind.
- Water resistant Gloves. They will keep your hands warm, protect them from blisters, thorns, handling gardening tools, sharp edges. They will prevent dirt from getting under your nails and prevent your hands from drying).
- Dress warmly to protect your skin from the wind and cold.
It has been two weeks and a half since the beginning of Spring and the first Rose blooms in my garden are fading. I had only a few days to enjoy them and now snip them off like they were never there in the first place.
I was busy all morning going around my Rose Garden snipping off dead flowers from my Roses to give the plants a cleaner look and to encourage more flowering. For the past six years, it has become a task in which I take great pleasure in accomplishing and I do it once a week after the Rosebushes start flowering until the plant goes dormant. Here in the High Desert, it gets so hot that our beautiful flowers fade a few days after blooming and in extreme conditions they fade before fully blooming and sometimes the Rose’s buds dry out giving an unattractive appearance to the plant and subsequently, to the yard. To me, that is just unacceptable.
Happy Gardening!
By JM Perez
