Strength Of The Small

Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Fragrant Roses In The Garden

By JM PerezDecember 1, 20232 min read276 views

It’s December and the year is almost coming to an end. Fall decorations are being put away and Christmas lights and decorations are going up all around the neighborhood. We might be the only household around who still respects the change of seasons; though we must admit that it’s heartwarming to see colorful lights and festive activities.

One of my latest plant additions to the front garden is the Angel Face Rose, also know as Angel Face Floribunda Rose. This beauty was purchased at the Lake Arrowhead Outdoor Nursery (The Standard Design Group Nurseries). With loads of vibrant ruffled lavender blossoms, the Angel Face Rose has a very strong fruity fragrance and blooms profusely. Its glossy dark green leaves complement the flower color.

According to the websites Wikipedia and weekand.com, Rosa ‘Angel Face’ originated at Swim and Weeks nursery in Southern California and was introduced in 1968. Developed by Herbert Swim & Weeks Rose Growers, ‘Angel Face’ is a cross between floribundas, (‘Circus’ × ‘Lavender Pinocchio’) and hybrid tea, ‘Sterling Silver’. The ‘Circus’ x ‘Lavender Pinocchio’ was the female parent, and ‘Sterling Silver’ was the male parent. On a side note, ‘Sterling Silver’ was the first modern mauve rose, introduced by American hybridizer Gladys Fisher in 1957.

My Blue Moon hybrid tea rose pulled through this year with gorgeous, vibrant roses, after a year of not putting out flowers. The lilac blooms have an intense fragrance and the plant has an upright, vigorous growth.

Purchased as a bare root rose, I didn’t think my Perfume Delight Rose would make it passed this year, but it pulled through. It is thriving and I am grateful.

Perfume Delight Rose is a pink hybrid tea rose, developed by Herbert Swim & Weeks Rose Growers in 1973. The bright deep pink flowers exude an intense damask fragrance and are said to be be rain resistant and as well as disease resistant, with large, glossy, leathery foliage.

Fall is a beautiful season! Many trees in the neighborhood have graced us with their gorgeous colors; I want to believe that it has a lot to do with the rains and cool weather we’ve had this year. A couple of weeks ago we caught the gopher that was wrecking havoc in the front yard (digging holes and leaving behind mounds of dirt, mostly).

We relocated a few Agave Ovatifolia as well as a couple of Yucca Pendula from the backyard to the front and transplanted six young and healthy Heavenly Bamboo to the left side of the front yard. I am growing a few Spanish Broom from seed to gift to family, friends, and neighbors in the Spring.

Happy Gardening.

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By JM Perez

Strength of The Small

Fundraiser for Frédéric V. Mamia

By JM PerezOctober 28, 20232 min read368 views

Dear Friends and Readers,

I am reaching out today, on behalf of the Mamia’s family, to let you know that they need your help.
Just a few days ago, their son, brother, and our friend, Frédéric Mamia, was rushed to the hospital unconscious and has since been going in and out of consciousness.

Our friend is gravely ill and needs urgent intervention. He is very sick, and his treatment is too costly for his family to pay for alone, but we can help ease the financial burden and stress that they are facing.

I have organized a few fundraisers in the past; however, those fundraisers were to support the bereaved.
This is the first fundraiser I am organizing to assist the living, and I hope that you can all lend a hand.

If you’d like to show your support, you can help in the following ways:

By sending your donation directly to his senior brother, Matthieu Mahouve, at +(237) 6 99 93 82 07
By donating here. For transparency purpose, names of donors and donation amounts will be listed here. Should you prefer to remain anonymous from the public, let me know.
By praying for Frédéric and his family

Please take a minute and make a donation. Frédéric, who has given us so much joy over the years and is now fighting for his life, truly needs our help. Any funds donated will help save Frédéric’s life.

“If Kindness could be passed along, unrestrainedly, as forward messages, the World would be a better place.” ― Joan Ambu

CONTRIBUTORS LIST:

Joan Ambu – $200
Lionel Njeukam – $50

Anonymous – $80
William Fotso – $80

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By JM Perez

Ground Squirrel Plant Propagation Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Summer End Happenings

By JM PerezOctober 2, 20232 min read320 views

It has been quite an interesting couple of weeks here. The weather has been hectic and it’s hard to tell if we are still in Summer or moved onto Fall. One week it’s scorching hot and the next it’s very cold; then having to deal with allergies and everything in between. Nevertheless, it feels good to welcome a new season.

A few days ago, a young chicken found itself into our backyard, and it was quite hilarious to watch my kids run after it in multiple attempts to get it to return to where it came from. One of our close neighbor’s have a chicken coop, and strangely, the chickens prefer to sleep in a tree. It took a while, but in the end, the young chicken climbed onto a bench and flew into a different neighbor’s backyard. We all had a good laugh and workout out of it …

A few months ago I experienced first hand how invasive the ‘Madame Galen’ Trumpet Vine can get.
Last Fall, we trimmed the vine back to the main trunk and relocated it by an opened area next to the storage shed. We thought we took out all the roots, only to find out a few months later (after it rained heavily) that this plant is extremely invasive. Young plants began emerging and worsened each time we got rid of it. Two weeks ago, we dug a large area, found the main root and pulled it out. Keeping our fingers crossed!

Finally, after months of trial and error, we caught one of two mischievous squirrels. These rodents are becoming smarter when it comes to avoiding traps. They have destroyed so many of my tender and younger plants that I am now going back to using chicken wire to protect the most vulnerable plants.

I have been doing a lot of cleaning in and around the house. Indoors, I have been sorting, organizing, re-organizing, getting rid of, and giving away stuff someone else could use. There’s still much to do, but as of now, it’s good. Outdoors, we finally finished the deck.

Happy gardening.

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By JM Perez