Finding Contentment in Every Situation
Finding Contentment in Every Situation
By JM PerezMy Apple Blossom Yarrow is all in bloom.
Happy Gardening!
By JM Perez By JM PerezThe end of the month of May has always been one of my favorite time of the year mainly because I am enjoying the beauties of Spring (some of which will carry on through Summer and beyond). My Oleanders are starting to bloom all along my fenced backyard and it’s quite a lovely sight, making a great border. We pruned the plants last Summer after fertilizing and transferring a few to the other side of the fence. The plants have all kept the same height and are currently blooming profusely with pink, white and red flowers. This is one good reason for me to spend more time outdoors and enjoy the lovely view.
After attempting and failing to grow Oleanders for a year from seeds (collected from the seed capsule), I gave up. I think I would have had better luck by taking a cutting off an existing plant, submerging it in water until the cutting begin producing roots (after which you can plant the cutting in a garden bed or in a pot). This is such a simple and painless process compared to growing Oleanders from seeds.
Last Fall I noticed a strange sprout amongst my Birgi® Lily, which I quickly disregarded. Today, after taking a closer look, I realized that a seed had germinated after all and I know have a young plant. I will dig it out and place it in a pot next weekend. It might take years for the title plant to bloom and only then will I know its flowering color.
All parts of Oleander are poisonous and should be handled with extreme caution. It’s a Deadly Beauty.
By JM Perez By JM PerezI found profound peace and joy last weekend in the garden. I put on my gloves once to plant an onion which had sprouted in my fridge. I spent the rest of my time walking, admiring new blooms and meditating. Gardening is therapeutic and being in the garden, standing still in the midst of my plants always uplifts my Spirit.
Last year while shopping at Lowe’s, I bought a Pomegranate tree to honor my Mother, who loves its fruit. She would wake up every morning and off she went to the store to buy ripe pomegranates. She spent hours, lovingly making me Pomegranate juice when I was pregnant with my Son. It can be quite a tedious process especially when extracting the seeds is done by hand. She even had to wear gloves and ‘special clothes’ since pomegranate seeds and juice stain everything they come in contact with.
Pomegranate are high in anti-oxidants, they are a great source of potassium, fiber and they are rich in vitamin C.
At first I wasn’t sure the plant would survive, but I am amazed at how well it adapted and now thriving. It turns out that these fruit-bearing deciduous shrubs grow well in the High Desert as they are drought-tolerant and can be tolerant of moderate frost. I have only had it for half a year and I can’t tell if it’s fruitless/ornamental or if it will bear fruit; I guess I will find out in the upcoming weeks. For now, I will just sit back and enjoy the lovely bright red flowers.
Click here to learn about the Health Benefits of Pomegranate
Click here to learn How to Make Pomegranate Juice
Click here to learn How to Clean Pomegranate Juice Stains.
By JM Perez By JM PerezCan someone make this wind go away already? I surprised myself yelling. High Desert weather is erratic. We can never be too prepared as it’s difficult to tell what is coming our way. One minute it’s hot and the next your running towards coverage. There’s so much dust and dirt flying around. It’s such a lovely day and I wish we could all go outside, sit on the swings with a glass of sweet tea and be amused by our unwanted tenant, Mr. Ground Squirrel.
For a month now, we have failed at capturing a fearless ground Squirrel, which has been coming into our property regardless of the steps we’ve taken to keep it out. It doesn’t eat anything, just interested in digging holes (one of the holes goes all the way down to our storage basement). It climbs and sits in the motor area of one of our cars. It sits pretty in the shade and stares right back at us like it was our beloved pet or something. I have caught it standing on its hind legs looking all around like “yeah, this is the life and it’s all mine.” I laughed so hard a couple of days ago when my husband said it wasn’t a regular Squirrel. Ever since it made its appearance, we haven’t seen Rabbits or Gophers around. In a way it keeps anything else out, but we need to rid our yard of it.
In spite of the erratic weather, we are having fun indoors, watching movies and snacking on healthy treats.
By JM Perez By JM PerezYesterday we took a trip to Lowe’s. I have noticed that close to the end of each Season, the store offers a very limited quantity of selected plants. Last Fall I missed out on a plant which I really liked by promising to return the following days and to this date, that particular plant hasn’t made a comeback. Today, when I spotted a Cytisus San Francisco Red Broom Plant, I quickly picked one of the only four in stock.
Where to plant this beauty, I asked myself. We looked at a huge variety of planters and I still couldn’t find one that would compliment this plant. I turned to my very handy husband and kindly asked if he could build a planter for me and he said yes. He built it using pieces of scrap and reclaimed woods we found laying against our storage shed when we bought our Home. The wood below was already painted white, all we did was used a wire brush and scraper to scratch and remove some of the paint which was chipping off. By doing that we ended up creating an old distressed finish and then we used a home-made stencil to spray paint the silhouettes of the Tulips bellow. Simply charming and it turned out better than I expected.
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This morning I filled up my planter with clean plane dirt and potting mix before setting the plant in. We all like it very much and they both make a lovely combination. I am grateful for a good find, a very handy husband, for my family as well as our priceless time together and for the ability to appreciate little things.
I hope our little projects inspire creativity for your gardening plans.
By JM Perez
