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High Desert Gardening

Spring Gardening High Desert

Deadheading Roses

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read810 views

Here in the High Desert, the first two weeks of Spring are awesome. The weather is simply at its best (not too cold, not too hot) and one is able to get out and get things done. After this time, we are ‘blessed’ with what seems to be a 24 hour high and gusty winds, which will go on for a few more weeks before finally settling. Gardening is not impossible at this time, just challenging as you have to go out there well equipped and armed:

  • Safety Goggles to protect your eyes from dust and allergens in the air.
  • Safety Nose Masks (protection from dust and allergens).
  • Beanie hats, bandana, Sombrero, or whatever you can think of to protect your forehead from the cold wind.
  • Water resistant Gloves. They will keep your hands warm, protect them from blisters, thorns, handling gardening tools, sharp edges. They will prevent dirt from getting under your nails and prevent your hands from drying).
  • Dress warmly to protect your skin from the wind and cold.

It has been two weeks and a half since the beginning of Spring and the first Rose blooms in my garden are fading. I had only a few days to enjoy them and now snip them off like they were never there in the first place.

Deadheading Roses.
Deadhead Roses.

I was busy all morning going around my Rose Garden snipping off dead flowers from my Roses to give the plants a cleaner look and to encourage more flowering. For the past six years, it has become a task in which I take great pleasure in accomplishing and I do it once a week after the Rosebushes start flowering until the plant goes dormant. Here in the High Desert, it gets so hot that our beautiful flowers fade a few days after blooming and in extreme conditions they fade before fully blooming and sometimes the Rose’s buds dry out giving an unattractive appearance to the plant and subsequently, to the yard. To me, that is just unacceptable.

Happy Gardening!

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JM Perez By JM Perez
Weeding Do-It-Yourself Maintenance Nature High Desert

Our Half-acre Weeding Tips

JM Perez By JM Perez3 min read1.7K views

It’s Spring, right? If you are like me, then you’ve been waiting for this time of year to sit back and watch those gorgeous bulbs you planted last Fall bloom. You’ve been looking forward to cutting a few Rose Stems and placing them in a Vase or Vintage Cruet. You’ve been busy planning a few Summer parties and having some friends over. While the pictures are perfect in your mind, reality suddenly sets in: those weeds growing all around your property are not setting the mood for festivities and worst, they are not inviting.

Weeding is a time consuming activity which no one really enjoys doing. Here in the High Desert, weeds are a nuisance and a year-round problem for Home and Business owners. Those of us with huge, open lands know exactly what I am talking about.  I don’t mean the task of removing weeds on your Lawn or Garden/Garden beds. I am talking about weeding open fields with wild plants growing on them. No matter what we do and how we handle them, they simply won’t go away. Most weedkillers (especially Chemicals) are expensive, harmful and often ineffective. Let’s explore some temporary options to consider:

  • Gravel. You could spread a thick layer of gravel on top of a landscape fabric. This is good for a few years until the fabric start degrading and you have to remove all the gravel and replace the fabric. Keep in mind that weed can still grow over the fabric and other elements will get trapped and pile up since the landscape fabric prevents natural soil filtration to occur. When you look at it this way Mulch seems to be a better alternative.
  • Tractor. Use it to cut weeds and then level the ground. You will need to repeat the process the following year.
  • Herbicides. Keep in mind that just like people, plants too are different. So not all herbicides work on all plants.
  • Chemicals. These should be your last option and must be used cautiously. They are not Eco-friendly and could be harmful to other plants as well as animals.
  • Herbivorous.  Animals such as Goats, Horses, Cows, Rabbits, Tortoises, Sheep, Donkeys, Kakapos, Geese and many others can help rid your property of weeds by eating them.
  • Grass is not an option. Aside from being costly (installation and maintenance) it doesn’t solve the weed issues.
  • YOU. You have to figure out what your desire is and then connect it to your determination.

Weeding Tools:

  • Your two hands
  • Hoes: long or short
  • CobraHead Weeder and Cultivator
  • Shears, Scissors, Pruners, Gardener’s knife
  • Garden Kneeling Pad/Bench
  • Weed Eater, Weed Eliminator, Weed Grubber
  • Spades, Shovels, Forks, Broadforks
  • Lawn and Leaf Rakes
  • Gloves (Synthetic, Latex, Heavy-duty, Arm Protectors)
  • Gardening Shoes

Our Approach: Divide and Conquer

If you can, remove weeds before they set seed to keep them from seeding and spreading.

Weeding Tips: Divide and Conquer.
Weeding Tip: Divide and Conquer.

When weeding, we only use three gardening tools: The Rake, Hand Shovel and the Draw Hoe.

  1. We start weeding as early as the last two weeks of February (when the chances of a Snow Storm are minimal, the ground is still slightly wet from the rain/snow). At that time the weeds are a lot easier to pull since they have not yet established a strong root system. One advantage of starting early is that the weather is much cooler and we don’t feel as exhausted as we would have on a hot day.
  2. Our ‘weeding trips’ are never planned. We only weed when we feel like doing it. By not focusing and obsessing too much about the weeds we are able to plan a strategy on getting the job done the best way we can.
  3. Divide and Conquer! This is the key to getting the job done on time. We divide the job into small squares and then tackle one square at a time. It makes it easier to see your progress and will take you about a minute to do each square and another to rake the weeds out of it.

How many times have you made up you mind to go out there and weed just to get there, fully prepared and be paralyzed with an overwhelming feeling – not knowing where to begin?

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

Flower Bed Garden Edging

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read917 views

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When it comes to garden edging the possibilities are endless to meet your needs. You can choose from Plastic, Bricks, Rocks, Boulders, Bamboo, Wrought Iron/Metal, Bottles, Wood, Plates to Concrete and so much more.

Those with limited to no budget can look around their property for garden edging ideas. Do you have scrap wood, dead branches, pine cones, rocks or decorative bricks lying around in your yard? If you do, by all means put them to use. Those of us with trees of all types around our properties know that Nature has a way of stressing them to the breaking point such as:

» The weight of ice and snow
» Strong winds
» Dead branches
» Lack of nutrients
» Old age
» Plant disease (fungal infections), … etc!

What can we do with a fallen branch or a broken tree? For one, we can safely remove the fallen branch and dispose of it and/or contact an arborist to remove the fallen tree. We can use the wood for your fireplace, fire pit, as borders in your garden, and so much more.

The 2008 winter storm was so severe that it split two of my mature trees in two.
After removing and disposing of most of the branches, I kept a few branches from my broken pine tree which I am now using as plant borders.

Pine Wood Log as Plant border.

Our preferred garden edgings are the  Plastic edging  and Terrace Board Landscape edging.

Black Plastic Edging as Plant border.
Terrace Board Landscape Edging as Plant border.

I have used pine cones as plant borders for a few years now and I have placed a lot around my plants and garden beds to deter squirrel from digging. So far, it has worked for me.

Happy Gardening and wishing you a good start into the week.

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JM Perez By JM Perez