It is windy and raining! The past couple of months have been quite hectic in California, especially in the High Desert. It is as though Mother Nature is going through a phase … you know, like mood swing. One week we have high temperatures and the other, low temperatures. Even our bodies are becoming confused and concerned. I, personally, have not sneezed this much before.
A couple of years ago, we were gifted a few California Redbud seedlings. I wasn’t sure they would survive, since I have not seen any in the area. They are slow growers and are adapting well. I was pleasantly surprised to find them covered in tiny blooms. The Cercis occidentalis, also known as Western Redbud or California Redbud, is a deciduous shrub or small tree found in the foothills and mountains of California, as well as Utah and Arizona.
The Lavender Lady Lilac are thriving.
The French Lavender seedling I transplanted last spring has grown so much …
The Hedgehog Cactus has grown taller. Almost half of the buds are open, and the blooms are stunning.
Last Fall, I noticed that all my rose bushes on the left side of the front yard were not as healthy as they should have been and were not blooming as much either. We waited until they were dormant and relocated them to the backyard. They are now healthy, thriving, and blooming profusely.
The Lady Banks roses are blooming profusely this Spring and gracing the garden arches and gazebo with their delicate flowers.
Below is one of the two remaining original Photinia Fraseri shrubs. As you can see, it’s no longer a shrub, but a tree. I worked very hard on them after getting rid of over 30 shrubs along the front yard fence a couple of years ago and relocating two in the backyard. The shrub went through some hard pruning and straightening to look like that today. It’s healthy, beautiful, and thriving.
Nothing beats reading a good book on a gloomy day; on this note, I wish you all a wonderful weekend.
Happy gardening!
By JM Perez
