What a week! It rained heavily all day on Monday. I am not fond of rain at this time of the year; however, I welcomed this rain with an open mind and hands. The rain was the last push to aid the late spring flowers to blossom beautifully and profusely.
On Sunday morning, I decided to carefully separate and transplant the largest pup of the White -Striped Century Plant (Agave Americana ‘Mediopicta Alba’). I am so glad I did that just then, as the heavy rain surely helped the young plant acclimate to its new location. There are three more smaller pups growing at the base of the mother plant, which I am hoping to remove and relocate by the end of the year. I also transplanted lavender and Japanese Boxwood seedlings (crossing my fingers for the successful growth of the latter).
Agave Americana ‘Mediopicta Alba.’
I am loving the Hedgehog Cactus. There are three pups at its base.
Hedgehog Cactus.
The Sour Fig has bloomed for the first time from a stem cutting from last Summer. The flower starts off yellow and then fades to a light purple after a couple of days. The plant is highly invasive and grows aggressively. They are wonderful as ground cover; however, I will be transplanting a few cuttings in a large planter and getting rid of the rest before they take over the middle section of my backyard.
Sour Fig In Bloom.
Last year I strategically planted California Poppies as well as Oriental Poppies. This Spring, they came back stronger, sprouting everywhere except where I originally planted them. At first I wanted to get rid of those that went out of the designated area, but they look so beautiful and colorful that I decided to let them be.
California Poppies.
There are four Spanish Broom shrubs that I also planted strategically (next to a barrel of Horsetail Reeds) in the middle section of the front yard. The Spanish Boom picture is about two and a half years old, and requires hard pruning at least twice a year to stop it from growing too tall. The plant self seeds and is invasive. The flowers on the other hand have a strong and pleasing perfume-like scents.
Spanish Broom & Horsetail Reeds.
It’s going to be a very hot weekend here in the High Desert; rather than gardening, I will be hunting for large planters, and maybe for some vintage pieces.
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 French Lavender seedling I transplanted last spring has grown so much …
French Lavender.
The Hedgehog Cactus has grown taller. Almost half of the buds are open, and the blooms are stunning.
Hedgehog Cactus.Hedgehog Cactus.
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.
Angel Face Rose.Perfume Delight Rose.
The Lady Banks roses are blooming profusely this Spring and gracing the garden arches and gazebo with their delicate flowers.
Yellow and White Lady Banks Roses.
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.
Red Tip Photinia Tree.
Nothing beats reading a good book on a gloomy day; on this note, I wish you all a wonderful weekend.
Living in the desert is like taking a gamble. Most days are amazingly beautiful, and the stars are bright and visible at night. It’s less noisy and polluted as opposed to life in bigger cities. The mountain view is breathtaking, especially when covered in snow, and yes, it snows quite often here. Almost everything you can imagine is at close proximity: schools, groceries, malls, outlet stores, parks, movie theaters, museums, clinics, medical facilities, gas stations, car washes, restaurants, and hotels, just to name a few.
For the most part, living in the High Desert is wonderful; however, we also have our gloomy moments: the extreme heat, the high and gusty winds, the weeds (the obnoxious and undesirable plants), the surge of weird and toxic individuals moving here and disrupting the once established peace, and then the wild animals.
In the past, I was told by some neighbors about seeing coyotes around and a few who raise poultry said some jumped into their yards in an attempt to get a chicken or two. I personally thought they were all making up stories, given that for over seventeen years, I never saw one. Well, not until three weeks ago, when I spotted one in the front yard. I was horrified and petrified. After a while, it jumped over the fence and disappeared around the corner.
Coyote in the Garden.
Late in the Spring we purchased a Mexican Fencepost Cactus, and a couple of weeks ago I noticed new (weird) growths from the top of the mother plant. At first I thought the tiny buds were flowers developing from the areoles, but they quickly turned into strange pups, as though the new growth are a different species: perhaps grafts? I will be keeping a close watch on this one.
Mexican Fencepost Cactus new growth.
We were gifted a small Sour Fig (Hottentot Fig Ice Plant) this summer, and I am impressed at how much it has grown and spread. Also known as Carpobrotus Edulis, it is a ground-creeping plant with succulent leaves native to South Africa. I have been told that it is an invasive plant, and I will be moving it into a large pot to limit its spread.
Sour Fig.
Last week we harvested the Pomegranates and there were so many. We ate some and they are so sweet. We gifted some to our daughter’s friend who loves them and we will use them in meals and smoothies.
We have visited the San Francisco Bay area a few times, visiting with friends. The last couple of times, our kids were very young. This time around, they were eager and excited for the road trip, so we left the planning to them.
Driving through the Mojave Desert, we were amazed by the number of massive wind turbines. According the website power-technology.com, Alta Wind Energy Center (AWEC), also known as the Mojave Wind Farm, is the second-largest onshore wind energy project in the world and consists of wind farms constructed in the 1970s and 1980s.
We spotted a Twin-Fuselage Stratolaunch Aircraft from the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave. This aircraft is said to be the world’s largest airplane—with a wingspan longer than an American football field, measuring 385 feet.
Twin-Fuselage Stratolaunch Aircraft.
Sequoia National Park
We visited the Sequoia National Park and experience its beauty first hand. We mostly drove, as parking was scarce. We drove by the Tunnel Rock, Potwisha Campground, Hospital Rock, and stopped by the Middle Fork Kaweah River to stretch our legs. After reaching The Giant Forest Grove famed for its giant sequoia trees, we found a spot to park and admire nature’s beauty.
Sequoia National Park.
The waterfalls were breathtaking.
Sequoia National Park, Waterfall (Middle Fork Kaweah River).
The Temple Gate and Buddhist shrine are fascinating.
The Temple Gate and Pagoda (Buddhist shrine).
The memorials, statues, pagodas, bridge, as well as other visual arts are captivating.
Buddha Statue, Stone Lantern, Arch Drum Bridge.
The first thing that caught my eyes was the stone memorial to Makoto Hagiwara by Ruth Asawa. Makoto Hagiwara was a Japanese-born American landscape designer as well as the caretaker of the Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California, from 1895 until his death in 1925. He is also credited for inventing the fortune cookie in California, which he served at the Tea Garden.
I love the Tsukubai, which is a stone wash basin found in some Japanese tea gardens, temples, and shrines. It is placed near a tearoom and provided for visitors to cleanse themselves by washing their hands and rinsing their mouths.
Stone memorial to Makoto Hagiwara, Tsukubai, Stone Lantern.
The garden features gorgeous landscapes with lots of native Japanese native plants, stepping stone paths, a zen garden, pagodas, stone lanterns, waterfalls, and a few koi ponds.
Koi Ponds.
The Japanese architecture, the garden, and the visual arts are so beautiful.
Some buildings.
Located in the Music Concourse at Golden Gate Park, the Spreckels Temple of Music, also known as the Bandshell, is a venue for free concerts. The structure, which is about 124 years old, was a gift to the city from sugar magnate Claus Spreckels. It is surrounded by the California Academy of Science, the de Young Museum and the Japanese Tea Garden.
Music Concourse and the Rideout Memorial fountain.
There are several monuments in Golden Gate Park’s Music Concourse with the Francis Scott Key monument being one of the largest. The Apple Cider Press, an 1892 bronze sculpture by Thomas Shields Clark. A bronze bust of Ulysses S. Grant by Rupert Schmid.
Monuments around the Music Concourse.
Other monuments, statues, and landmarks in Golden Gate Park:
The North Tunnel Under JFK Drive (the tunnel that crosses under John F. Kennedy Drive to the Conservatory)
The Phoebe Hearst and Rideout Memorial fountains
The Ludwig Van Beethoven Monument by Henry Baerer. The monument features a female figure standing below the bust and holding a lyre
The Cervantes Memorial by Jo Mora, consisting of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza kneeling before a bust of Cervantes
The Doughboy Statue by Melvin Earl Cummings and dedicated to the soldiers who died in the World Wars I and II
The Pool of Enchantment with a set of bronze sculptures (consisting of an Indian boy playing a musical pipe and two attentive California mountain lions) by M. Earl Cummings
Click here to learn about the history of the Music Concourse and here to learn about the history of the Golden Gate Park.
Sand City Beach
According to californiabeaches.com, Sand City is a tiny community including the highest dunes found along the state’s Central Coast. Sand City Beach is known for its strong winds, and it is a popular spot for paragliding.
Sand City Beach.
Big Sur
As the website SeeMonterey.com puts it, Big Sur is a majestic stretch of rocky cliffs, lush mountains, panoramic beaches, and coastal redwood forests located off the famous Pacific Coast Highway. Outdoor adventure is abundant with epic hiking trails, picturesque camping, and breathtaking historic & state parks to be explored.
Driving along Highway 1 was wonderful and Bixby Bridge was thrilling. Always check the weather service, highway condition, and pay attention to posted signs along the way for road closure due to a crash, maintenance, or rocks falling and blocking the road. Once you engage yourself on Highway 1 and can’t continue due to road closure ahead, then you will have to turn around because there are no detours.
We drove along Monterey, California Sea Otter Game Refuge, Carmel, and Big Sur. We made a quick stop at a restaurant to stretch our legs and for refreshments before turning around due to road closure ahead from falling rocks.
Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur.
Indeed, California Pacific Coast Highway takes you along some of the most amazing coastal scenery in the US. Always wear a seatbelt, keep your eyes on the road, respect the speed limit as well as other guidelines, respect other drivers and bicyclists, and drive safely. Practice extreme caution when driving at night, as it can be dangerous.
We had a wonderful time in San Francisco, regardless of the cold weather, and the drive back home was entertaining.
Finally, the weather is getting warmer and I have been tidying up the gardens.
I found a local nursery on Facebook last week and immediately connected the owner for a visit. We drove there the next day and I was amazed by the variety of cacti such as the Beavertail Cactus, Blue Flame Cactus, Candelabra Cactus, Claret Cup Cactus, Golden Barrel Cactus, Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus, Mexican Fence Post Cactus, Mammillaria Polyedra, Old Man Cactus, Organ Pipe Cactus, Peanut Cactus, Prickly Pear Cactus, Rat Tail Cactus, Saguaro Cactus, Silver Torch Cactus, Totem Pole Cactus, Turk’s Cap Cactus, and so much more.
I was interested in the Hedgehog Cacti, specifically to the one below whose flowers were different from the others. I can’t tell if it’s a Trichocereus Candicans or Gymnocalycium Ritterianum.
We finally have a Blue Spruce! I love everything, Cedar, Fir, Pine, and Spruce trees (especially for their cones); though I love Spruce Trees the most. A couple of months ago, we purchased a Blue Spruce from a local nursery. This, I must admit, is a gamble given the facts that these spruce trees are not well adapted to our wet springs as well as to our hot and humid summers. A couple of people I spoke to said they have owned a couple of trees for many years now and they are growing strong. I am a little hopeful.
Blue Spruce.
Along with the Spruce Tree, we purchased two San Jose Juniper Topiary trees. These bonsai garden trees are a great addition to the garden and I hope they will survive for us to enjoy for many, many years.
Juniper Topiary.
The Yellow and White Lady Banks roses are blooming profusely this Spring and gracing the garden arches with their tiny and delicate flowers.
By JM Perez
