High Desert Archives – Page 6 of 43

Goodbye Summer

By JM PerezSeptember 22, 20202 min read703 views

And just like that, Summer is over. Hello Fall …
I have been looking forward to welcoming Fall with its cooler weather and much needed rain. California is on fire, the air quality has been bad for a few weeks now with ashes falling from the sky and settling everywhere. We need relief and God knows those brave men and women fighting out there need some extra help. My heart and prayers go out to those who have lost everything in these wildfires.

The sun and moon remained orange for a few days due to smoke from the wildfires burning in the surrounding areas.

Life has been very interesting with a hyperactive 2 year old in the house. Keeping this little one entertained while maintaining my sanity is challenging and a new rewarding experience. I am learning to be still and patient. My older kids on the other hand are doing really well with Distance Learning and I am so proud of them; especially my teen, who is excelling in all his advance classes.

I didn’t get to enjoy my garden and tend to my plants as much as I wanted lately. Between a hyperactive kid, a scorching hot weather and the poor air quality from the fires; my hands were tied. The Irrigation Timer stopped working due to a damaged valve and all the plants didn’t get water for a couple of days, leading to some plants eventually dying. We got that taken care for and everything is back to normal. The air is still quite unhealthy, but we are able to enjoy outdoor time during most evenings.

Insects and animals alike are preparing for Winter.
Some neighboring squirrels have been storing food all around our property, which of course, have been located and removed. One persistent squirrel is attempting to find shelter in our backyard, underneath the platform next to the storage shed. It has damaged the climbing Jasmine and chewed up drip lines to access the location. We’ve set up traps and hoping to catch it very soon.

It’s also time for grasshoppers to mate and lay their eggs into the ground. These eggs will remain dormant underground through the winter and young grasshoppers will hatch in Spring.

For a while I couldn’t figure what exactly were these small flat discs on branches. They turned out to be Katydid eggs, which are deposited on either branches or leaves to Winter over and hatch in Spring. Katydid are group of insects related to grasshoppers and crickets.

Wishing each and every one of you a wonderful, blessed, peaceful and safe end of Summer 2020.

Pages:

By JM Perez

Wasps Gopher Ground Squirrel Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Garden Surprises

By JM PerezJuly 15, 20203 min read1K views

A few weeks ago, I saw a strange young plant growing in a planter next to the Asparagus Fern and let it be out of curiosity. I am not sure how it got there, but I am guessing that it came with the potting mix. The plant flowered today and after researching it, I found out that it is considered an exotic plant.

Asclepias Curassavica also known as Tropical Milkweed, Mexican Milkweed, Scarlet Milkweed, Bloodflower, Swallow-wort, Silkweed is a non-native milkweed grown as an ornamental plant and as a food source for some butterflies. The plant produces showy red and yellow blossoms all summer and into fall. These flowers are followed by spindle-shaped pods which eventually split open to reveal ovate, flat seeds stacked in two rows.

Tropical Milkweed is deer and rabbit resistant. It is self-sowing and can be propagated by seeds and stem cuttings. It attracts butterflies (monarch caterpillars, eastern tiger swallowtails, giant swallowtails, painted ladies, pipevine swallowtails, queens), hummingbirds, wasps, and more.

The warm weather is bringing out various insects. Last weekend, my husband accidentally found a Paper Wasp nest under the eaves of the patio while taking measurements for one of the windows to build a screen. Even though they are not by the entrance and they are beneficial insects, just knowing they are around is a little concerning. What if something sets them off and they suddenly attack?

Unless we can get a professional to safely remove the nest, we will let it be for now. I read somewhere that all but the queen die in Winter, making it the perfect time to get rid of the nest without being stung.

On a positive note, we caught a gopher in the front yard. This one is number 9, the previous one dating back to 2014. For the past couple of years, I was under the impression that they had left the area and we just had to deal with the ground squirrels.

I spotted this one feasting on the tender branches of the Green Feathery Senna through the kitchen window. I immediately asked my husband to set the trap and the next day, the gopher was caught in the trap. There is a sneaky one in the backyard and catching it will require planning and commitment. As for now, I am grateful for one less as it is a relief.

This afternoon I was thrilled to find a present waiting for me in the backyard. Another ground squirrel bit the dust. These rodents are so destructive and persistent.

The presence of rodents in the garden is a pain as you constantly have to check for signs of damage (on plants as well as around building structures). Checking for holes and/or gaps around our property is a weekly chore I have entrusted to my kids and they do it diligently.
Unlike what some people might think, animals are not that picky when is comes to food source; they will eat anything and everything when hungry. Squirrel mothers are extremely protective of their offspring and will risk everything to keep them safe and fed.

I am crossing my fingers for tranquil days ahead in the garden.

Stay safe, stay hydrated and happy gardening.

Pages:

By JM Perez

Summer Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Hello, Summer

By JM PerezJune 20, 20202 min read1.2K views

Summer is finally knocking at our doors, bringing with it heat waves.

We’ve made a lot of progress in the backyard, completing a few projects and starting others. I have planted six young trees around the backyard and I go out twice daily to water and do a little maintenance, until I give my husband thumbs up to set up drippers for those plants. What’s blooming for me now are: Agapanthus ‘Storm Cloud’, Daylilies, African Iris, Lavenders, Gaura Lindheimeri, Broom Shrubs, Texas Sage, Desert Willow, Silvery Cassia, Dwarf Cup Flower, Heavenly Bamboo, Autumn Sage, Sedeveria ‘Hummelii’, Donkey’s Tail, … etc.

My African Irises (Dietes Vegeta) are flowering. While still searching for better companion plants, I have settled for Spanish Lavender, which I am shaping to grow as topiary.

One of my new favorite plants in the garden is this beautiful Phenomenal Lavender, given to us by one of our neighbors a couple of months ago.

According to High Country Gardens, Lavender Phenomenal or Phenomenal French Hybrid Lavender (Lavandula x Intermedia ‘Phenomenal’), is a French hybrid lavender notable for its outstanding cold hardiness and tolerance to heat and high humidity. ‘Phenomenal’ is said to be the toughest lavender there is as it is also resistant to root and foliar diseases and deer proof. They grow into a beautiful mounded shape, with purple flowers on tall stems in mid-summer.

I love ornamental grasses. One of my favorites is the Purple Fountain Grass; unfortunately, they cannot survive cold winters and are not hardy in my USDA Plant Hardiness Zone. I had a few of them for some months and they never came back the following year.

Two years ago I bought a few Hameln Dwarf Fountain Grasses, just to check them out. They have survived a couple of harsh winters and they are thriving in the garden.

Happy gardening and safe weekend.

Pages:

By JM Perez

Ladybugs Spiders Insects Garden Decor Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Loving Warm Weather

By JM PerezMay 25, 20202 min read895 views

I do not know about the rest of you, but we are enjoying the warm weather here. This week has been really good and we accomplished so much around the yard. With most plants flowering all around my property at the same time, I am realizing that most of them are yellow. From Daylilies, Rose trees, Climbing roses, Gladiolus, Gopher plants, Silvery Cassia, Yellow bird of Paradise bush, Green Feathery Senna, California Poppy, to Scotch and French Broom shrubs, … etc!

Spartium Junceum, also known as Spanish Broom, Rush Broom and Weaver’s broom, is a medium sized shrub which produces clusters of abundant bright yellow pea-like flowers. Spanish Broom is closely related to the other Brooms, with the exception of the honey-vanilla scent that the flowers from the Spanish Broom emit. They are drought tolerant and deer resistant.
This evergreen shrub is self-sowing and due to its prolific seed production, has been classified as a noxious weed. The plant is poisonous to humans and livestock.

I love ladybugs and I love the fact that they are beneficial garden insects. They are a favorite to gardeners, as they help keep garden pests at bay. Some ladybugs are omnivores, feeding on soft bodied insects such as mealybugs, aphids, scale insects, spider mites, eggs of the European corn borer and Colorado potato beetle. Other ladybugs are herbivores, feeding only on plant material and fungi, such as mildew. Ladybugs lay many eggs and the larvae immediately begin to feed as soon as they hatch.

As the weather warms up, Black Widow Spiders come out.

I spotted a lone Green Stink Bug (Chinavia Halaris), also known as Say’s Stink Bug on a Daylily Bud.

Mosquitoes too, love warm temperatures. We had a pretty wet late Winter and early Spring, and along came mosquitoes. Click here to learn how to protect yourselves.

So far is it a good year for all the plants in my gardens. The amount of rainfall we’ve had since the beginning of the year has made a huge difference by giving everything a good start.

I hope you are all enjoying the warm weather while being productive and staying safe.

Pages:

By JM Perez

Plant Propagation Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Backyard Delights

By JM PerezMay 9, 20202 min read734 views

I am happy today, especially as one of my succulent plants flowered for the first time.
Sedeveria ‘Hummelii’ (a cross between Sedum and Echeveria), is a tender succulent with reddish leaves during cold months and blue-green with red tips during warmer months. The plant bears small yellow star-shaped flowers. It can be propagated by separating offsets, by leaf cuttings and by seeds.

Most succulents will not survive the frost, but this one survived three cold winters (snow and frost). The first year was just a test, as I grew a succulent leaf next to an Autumn Sage and it survived the hash winter. Last Spring I move the young plant in a container and left it there. It survived two snow storms, frost and has now bloomed for the first time.

*Sedeveria “Hummelii” (Hybrid: Sedum x Echeveria).*

My Lavenders are thriving and spreading. These self-seeding plants have been popping up everywhere in my gardens. I left some seedlings untouched and transplanted others in different locations.

Green Feathery Cassia is yet another low maintenance plant I have come to love.
It is an evergreen drought-tolerant shrub with narrow gray-green foliage. From late Winter through early Summer, tiny showy yellow flowers appear at its branch tips followed by abundant seed pods. It attracts butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.

My Wisteria just bloomed for the first time, how exciting. The rewarding work of shaping and training the plant to climb on the pergola has begun.

With the exception of the Japanese Boxwood, every other shrub in my yard is heavily covered with flowers. The flowers on the Common Broom shrubs are so heavy that the lower branches drag on the ground. Caring for this plant can be overwhelming as they are a host to the Genista Caterpillars, the larvae of the Genista Broom Moth, Lepidoptera Pyralidae. Also, the plant is self-sowing. I got rid of over one hundred seedlings with more emerging here and there.

The Red Tip Photinia are clothed in delicate clusters of white and cream flowers. We lost one plant a week ago and we will be replacing it this weekend.