High Desert

Weather Nature High Desert

Summer Showers: Much Needed Rain

EPEngineer By EPEngineer1 min read691 views

So I woke up today to a cloudy day. The sun hiding behind the dark puffy pillows waiting for their tears to fall upon the earth. As the day continued I heard the thunder very high upon the sky and knew what was to follow.

After informing my wife and children of the rain that was coming we readied ourselves with camera and sandals to go outdoors. And then the rain hit. It came in the form of big fat drops and hail that suddenly came down the size of skiddles.

Umbrella In The Rain.
Umbrella In The Rain (Source: Desk7.net).

It continues for around 10 minutes and finally the hail stops falling and only the rain remains. suddenly the smell of wet earth fills our home, the cent of nature bringing out a peace and serenity that seems to be within humanity since the beginning.

We see as the rain has washed over the garden and has brought life back into the hills and landscape alike. The land has become anew. Is nature not amazing?

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EPEngineer By EPEngineer
DIY: Projects Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Delightful Garden Planters

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read1.6K views

For me, there’s nothing more fun than spending time outdoors with my family. Gardening on a beautiful day as well as building garden furniture pieces which are made from recycled wood scraps. These are some perfect activities for us and my kids learn tremendously.

Growing up, I was fascinated by wheelbarrows. We enjoyed transporting toys from one location to the other and I have fond memories of my siblings and I playing in them. Wheelbarrows make attractive planters and they are always a delight to the eyes. In building ours, we used dismantled pieces of wood and slabs we kept from the demolition of an old Stall as well as one of our smaller storage shed a couple of years ago. When it comes to creating, we are not interested in perfection; rather, we embrace the flaws in the wood and make them stand out. The character of aged wood is what gives it its charm.

Wheelbarrow Garden Planter.

We chose to use a real wheel for easy relocation to various parts of the yard. We started by fitting the wheel and legs, then we cut all the pieces needed, nailed/screwed them together, spray-painted the finished product, drilled a few holes on the tray base to allow for drainage then we began filling it with compost, dirt and potting soil. We placed small stones on the tray base to stop the mix from leaking out and we placed a few more on top of the mix (in lieu of) to help retain moisture. Plants in the wheelbarrow are Anigozanthos.

Ceramic Rain Boots Garden Planter.

Plants in the Ceramic Rain Boots are Texas Sage.

Raised Drawer Garden Planter.

Plants in the Raised Drawer Planter are Red Autumn Sage.

With endless possibilities on how you can decorate your yard and garden, a little creativity can turn an unappealing yard into an enchanted retreat.

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JM Perez By JM Perez
Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

High Desert Drought Resistant Plants

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read954 views

When my husband and I were looking to buy a house, we both agreed on a small backyard (less maintenance). However, we instantly fell in love with a smaller house our realtor showed us. Five years later, living in the High Desert of CA, we have never loved having a huge backyard more and enjoy a quieter lifestyle.

Of course, we have a lot of Weeds growing and we also have to deal with Gophers and Ground Squirrels, which can be quite overwhelming. Thankfully with patience, available tools, techniques and a willing mind – we turned it into a fun, relaxing, beautiful and inviting space.I have a few criteria before I purchase plants. They have to be evergreen or semi-evergreen; adaptable landscape plants  and definitely have to withstand heat/dryness and cold-hardiness. Last but not least, appealing to the eyes.

Daylilies: Mid-season bloomer.

1. Pretty Woman Daylily – Soft pink flower.
2. Stella D’Oro Daylily.
3. Siloam David Kirchhoff Daylily – Purple, lavender flower.


Sword Lilies: Produces beautiful tall spikes with large flowers.

1. Gladiolus ‘Super Star’                             2. Gladiolus ‘Yellow’
3. Gladiolus ‘Fiorentina’                              4. Gladiolus ‘Peter Pears’


Rosebushes with beautiful blooms, colors and sweet scent.


Succulent & Cactus: 1. Hen and Chicks  2.  Pink Crown Cactus

Herbaceous Perennial & Shrub:

1. Red Autumn Sage – Drought resistant with long period of bloom.
2. Common Broom – Erect shrub with bright yellow flowers in spring and summer.
3. Lindheimer’s Beeblossom – Perennial with white flowers, light pink/pink.


Ornamental Grasses: Add charm to landscapes.

1. Purple Fountain Grass – Reddish leaves and colorful flowers.
2. Elijah Blue Fescue Grass – Remains blue throughout the year.

Asparagus Plumosus
Asparagus Fern Beautiful vine with wiry climbing stems (contain sharp thorns).
Pendula Yucca
Yucca Recurvifolia Beautiful evergreen specimen (clusters of white flowers).
Lily of the Nile
Agapanthus ‘Storm Cloud’Produces purple trumpet-shape flowers in summer.
Crimson Glory Tea
Leptospermum Scoparium Evergreen shrub with deep-red flowers on needlelike foliage.
Lilium ‘Birgi’
Longiflorum-Asiatic Lily Produces beautiful deep pink flowers in Summer.
Asparagus Fern
Asparagus densiflorus Needlelike foliage with tiny thorns (can develop small red poisonous berries).
Noel’s Grevillea
Grevillea ‘Noellii’ Evergreen Shrub with long blooming pink & white flowers
Pink Agapanthus
Tulbaghia Violacea ‘Silver Lace’Grass-like foliage with strong garlic odor & lavender flowers.
Rosemary
Rosmarinus Officinalis Wonderful herb that makes a beautiful ornamental plant.
Daffodil
Narcissus Hardy and easy perennials to grow with attractive flowers.
Bird of Paradise Bush
Caesalpinia Gilliesii Evergreen shrub with large  yellow birdlike flowers.
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JM Perez By JM Perez
Yahoo! 360° {Archive} Home Improvement Family Gratitude High Desert

Our Front Yard Landscaping

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read895 views

Today has been such a wonderful day. We were able to accomplish so much, all thanks to Mom’s babysitting services. She is and has always been a tremendous help when it comes to lending a hand.

We now have some Before and After pictures of the front yard landscaping to share with you (the pictures speak for themselves). Those of you who visited with us have seen some of the progress we’ve made around our Home and while there’s still much work to be done, we will take a break for now.

I purchased a couple of Phoenix Roebelenii (Pygmy Date Palm Tree) a few days ago and planted them. I know they will look lovely in a few years and add so much charm to the yard if they survive the Winter.
We are still debating about whether to grow grass (perhaps installing synthetic grass), using stepping-stones or just let the middle section as it is (plain dirt). After all, isn’t the yard colorful enough?

Front Yard, Left.
Front Yard, Left.

Do you see the dried plants below? Those are weeds. It saddens me to know that a family with children once lived here and never thought about getting rid of those dried and ugly plants. This is a front yard for goodness’ sake! Forget for one minute about what the neighbors think of you and how much you will have to pay in fines for being careless. How do you feel going home? Those things right there are a fire hazard.

Front Yard, Right.
Front Yard, Right.

We are changing the exterior appearance of our Home one day at a time. We purchased the gravel from The Rock Yard, the garden edging from Big Lots! My husband surprised me with the Cherub Fountain and we did the work ourselves. The next outdoor project will be the backyard landscape and continued clean-up.

Happy Gardening!

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JM Perez By JM Perez
Yahoo! 360° {Archive} Home Improvement Gratitude High Desert

Guest Room Renovation

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read1K views

Finally, some updated pictures of our Guest Room. The room was a mess when we finally got the House keys and got to really look around. I mean ‘really look around’ because we only had a few minutes to check out the place when the Inspector came over to evaluate the property.  I am so thankful that our Apartment Lease had not expired by the time we acquired this property. I am also grateful that our awesome realtor convinced the seller to remove the old carpet in the entire house and dispose of the furniture the last tenants left behind.

The new carpet in all the rooms are from Empire Today and were installed by their professionals (our gift from Mom). We first painted the room using a Walmart™ color called Southern Dawn and then a couple of weeks ago, we re-painted it using Streambed, also a Walmart™ color. Although I really loved the light pink color, I thought a neutral color would be more appropriate for the space considering that it’s a Guest Room.

Guest Room Renovation.
Guest Room Renovation.

We are making great progress and the results are encouraging. I know things can be unappealing, but I do not believe in ‘ugly’ and ‘lost causes.’ People and things alike are created to be beautiful and useful, but some Men have a careless nature of destroying whatever they touch; thus, turning them into waste.

With a little bit of patience, determination, some tools and much love, everything can be restored.

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JM Perez By JM Perez