High Desert Archives – Page 16 of 44

Smoke From The Mountain

By JM PerezJuly 17, 20151 min read603 views

Most Fridays we drive down the Hill to get away from the High Desert heat. This morning however, we decided to stay put and visit a few nurseries. As we drove to Lowe’s early in the afternoon, we saw thick dark smoke rising over the mountain. We heard over the radio that a fast-moving wildfire was spreading through the Cajon Pass destroying vehicles and homes. At that moment I realized how lucky we were because had we not decided to stay in town, we most likely would have been trapped in a standstill traffic in the Cajon Pass.

Due to the strong winds, our beautiful sky turned gloomy within the hour. The sight was heartbreaking. We could see helicopters and air tankers dropping water on flames as well as fire retardant on nearby grass.

Summer is the peak season for wildfires and most of these fires are caused by careless individuals.

Unattended campfires
Burnt debris
Sparks (glass bottle, gunfire, fireworks, dragging chains, welding, weed cutter, etc)
Negligent cigarettes discard
Reckless acts of arson

Click here to learn about wildfire prevention.

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By JM Perez

Rabbit Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Windy Day In The Garden

By JM PerezJune 5, 20151 min read750 views

It’s been a while. So much has happened around my gardens since my last blog post and I have been busier than before. The weather has been hectic lately and days like these I think I must be completely crazy to live in the High Desert. I can’t stand the wind, dirt and debris flying all over the place. It’s just insane.

Rabbits and Squirrels have returned.
Fortunately for me, there’s nothing soft enough for the Rabbits to eat. Not being able to climb on the Almond Tree, the Ground Squirrels are so desperate for food. They have been digging up bulbs, damaging irrigation tubing as well as attempting to dig holes throughout our property.

The set of tiny rose bushes I transplanted (Pristine® Hybrid Tea Rose and Chicago Peace® Hybrid Tea Rose) a while back have bloomed for the first time. They look more like climbing roses and the colors are different. It makes me wonder if what I transplanted was a Rose Sucker. We will build pretty trellises to support the branches.

Until next time, have a very good start to your weekend.

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By JM Perez

Nature High Desert

Beautiful Foggy Morning

By JM PerezFebruary 4, 20151 min read892 views

I awoke to a beautiful foggy morning and even though it was quite cold outside, I grabbed my camera and headed out to capture the moment before it became just a memory.

*Morning Fog (view from the front yard).*

In the backyard on a large and bare Mulberry Tree, sat a lone bird.

A couple of hours later, the sun rose and everything was renewed.

Wishing you a wonderful day as you keep warm and stay busy.

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By JM Perez

Winter Birds Holidays Weather Nature High Desert

A Cold Winter

By JM PerezDecember 30, 20141 min read688 views

It’s been very cold lately in the High Desert and we are spending time enjoying the company of one another.

A couple of weeks ago, we woke up to a freezing morning fog.

A few days later I noticed the formation of thick clouds over the mountains, which rapidly turned into snow. It’s a breathtaking sight from my backyard.

I have enjoyed watching Hummingbirds feed from my kitchen window.

Finally, Snow began falling tonight. It’s been a year or two since the last Snowfall. This one comes as our end of year present from Mother Nature.

Happy Holidays and Stay Warm this Winter!

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By JM Perez

Fall Weather Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Long Walk Through The Garden

By JM PerezNovember 20, 20142 min read717 views

It’s that time of year with much of the city looking gloomy and temperatures beginning to plunge to freezing at night . Warmer days are far gone and the cold weather is settling in slowly, but surely.
During days like these, I find solace in my garden.

I haven’t done much around my gardens lately since Fall is one of the best seasons for my plants to flourish and thrive. Once in a while I take long walks through the garden where I go to unclog my mind.

For Mother’s day this year, I received a bouquet of Chrysanthemums from a good friend. I transferred the plant in a container and this is the second time it has blessed me with large mounds of gorgeous and impressive flowers; forever reminding me of my friend’s gentleness and kindness.

My wonderful friend also gave me a tiny Agave Ovatifolia Frosty Blue plant, which I planted in ground and has now tripled in size. As you can see, a pup is emerging next to the mother plant. Very soon this delicate plant will need protection for winter safety, even though it is said to be cold hardy. I love the formation of its leaves.

Seven months later, my young and tender Grevillea Noellii is pulling through.

The Asparagus Aethiopicus is doing much better in a Pot. Growing it in a container will prevent the roots from spreading in different directions.

I planted a Common Jasmine (Jasminum Officinale) early this year and trained it to grow on a home made trellis. This morning I found a couple vines swaying away from the trellis and starting to twine on the plastic hanger of my Pachyphytum Bracteosum (Moonstones) hanging planter.