Grandmas and Gardening

A few friends gathered at Glenda's ( Owner of THE GARDEN and TUMBLEWEED TRADER ) to see her new arrid-scape and to put together the agenda for next season's DESERT GARDENERS meetings.

She has done wonders...grass removal, gravel pathways, introduction of dry land plants and succulents...lots of container planting. The result? A lush, colorful setting. It promises to be one of the highlights on next season's club agenda!

The conversation turned to why we all loved gardening. Glenda said her grandmother had greatly influenced her. She said her grandma even grew a bearing lemon tree from seed! I said the same was true for me...my mother never even got her hands dirty, but my grandmother and my aunt loved to garden. I suppose, no conclusions can be drawn, but it is possible that gardening may be hereditary!

Plant at Your Own Risk

When we first moved to Borrego, Ellis Farms was the only retail nursery in town. They have since closed the retail portion of the business, but we purchased our citrus trees from them and they are still beautiful and productive today!

One day, we spied some gorgeous pink flowers in the nursery. We definitely HAD to have them...they were so beautiful! As we were preparing to pay for them, a by-stander came over and said, " You're not going to buy THOSE, are you? If you do, you'll never get rid of them! " How I wish we had heeded her advice! It's true...once planted, they are there to stay!

Mexican primrose has a gorgeous flower-needs hardly any water, establishes itself and spreads quickly. HOWVEVER - it is very invasive. We now think of it as a weed and have spent hours trying to rid our garden of it. It springs up in my vegetable beds, the border around the pool, the bulb beds, under trees...anyplace that is irrigated. And...worst of all, doesn't fit in with our vivid, yellow, orange, magenta color scheme( lantanas) in the back garden.

If you have a sprawling slope, a concrete enclosed space or just don't care
about colors...just want some flowers, you might want to try them. Otherwise...BEWARE!

April 10th Fundraiser~Home Tour

Local designers, artists, homeowners and others quickly came together when asked by the Chamber to create a fundraiser, specifically for the continuance of the Borrego Days Parade, which has become a tradition in our family. Of course, we were happy to contribute. The home tour was great, but the gardens captured my interest. Over $7,000 was raised...HOORAY!

A Special Treat

Friday may be the most popular day of the week in Borrego Springs. That is the day the Farmers Market comes to town! Goods are not displayed from far and wide but from places fairly close to our area...Julian, Coachella, Imperial, Vista, Indio and othe near-by locales. My niece and her husband have decided to try buying nothing to eat that originates from more than 100 miles away from them. They live in northern California, have a home garden and also have access to a Farmer's Market. They are going to adhere to the plan for one year! Good luck, Julie and Garrett...Ritz crackers, Lays potato chips, Wheat Thins and most other snacks are just fond memories, now!

Around 7 a.m.,Friday morning, tents are being erected, tables put in place, vans unloaded for the morning- long event. Honey,jam, apple fritters, bread, fresh vegetables and fruits, meats, eggs, tamales, flowers, potted plants and a myriad of other items are for sale by vendors who are close to their products and have worked hard to present them to us.

I do remember the time there was no such thing in Borrego. We had two markets. If one was out of something, you could always try the other one, but, especially during summertime, both markets were often missing the same items. I used to laugh to myself when I saw a bewildered visitor looking for non-existent milk or bread...unheard of in the cities!

Now, we have but one market, at the Center, but it does not resemble the early store I remember...Even during the spring season, the staff does very well to keep the shelves stocked. It is a small but complete market!

To sum it up...the Center Market, along with the weekly Farmer's Market can very nicely supply all your culinary needs!

Shady Spots

It had to be the windiest day we've had for sometime...April 7th. But, wind or no wind, the trees were planted, staked, watered and are now a part of the Borrego scene!

For some time, a committee, with input from the entire community, has been putting together a plan to revitalize our downtown region. ( Downtown, being the area from the Soco gas station to the Circle - roughly, about one half mile, more or less. ) The object? To provide a more pedestrian friendly and attractive scene for residents and visitors to enjoy...including pathways, benches, shady spots and beautification of the area.

The trees, all desert varieties,along with mature ocotillos donated by Borrego benefactor, Dennis Avery, have been planted, with the help of S.D.G.E. and the County. The "West Gateway" landscaping near the SOCO station is in place and Borrego already looks different!

Next year, shady spots will be easier to find when viewing the parade. The new trees will provide new areas for native wildlife - new nesting places and, when you look at the artist rendering at www.borregovillage.com, you will be amazed!

As Borrego Desert Gardeners, you don't have to convince us that plants make all the difference in the world!!!

Aroma Therapy

Salvia clevlandii is in full bloom, now. This plant emits a sharp, fresh , healing fragrance which permeates the house for at least a week when cut and used as bouquet. It may also be dried and retains it's color and fragrance for many months. This is a low water use plant that I am sure you will like - and it does very well in Borrego gardens!

Chandler...Bigger and Better

My Sequoia strawberry patch was three years old when I decided to pull the plants and try another variety. Last autumn, I enriched the soil with compost and worm castings and planted 24 Chandler strawberries, which I purchased at Bob Williams Nursery. A few bloomed and bore fruit before the cold weather set in, but last month started flowering and setting berries. The bed is covered with netting to discourage the mocking birds, who seem to love the berries.

I think they are easier to maintain ( runners have already started new plants ) easier to pick, since they bear LARGE fruit ( just a few fill a cereal bowl )and are almost as tasty as the Sequoia. I am picking them every other day, now, plenty to put on your morning cereal with enough left over for strawberry shortcake!

I maintain the bed during summer, covered with shade cloth, with no change in the watering schedule.

Ode to Green Peas

There is something so self satisfying about shelling peas...one of my first memories was of my mother, sitting on a chair in our backyard, shelling peas as she watched over my brother and me. As the tip of the pod is broken, the string removed and the pod plucked open, the mind is allowed to soar. Even the earliest gatherers and farmers performed this activity. What did they think about? To me, it is a time to plan new projects, meditate on nature or just let the mind wander where it will. It is a time to become "unwired"!

My little tower of peas has been VERY productive, this season. I planted Burpees sugar snap peas along with the Super Snappy, Burpees largest snap pea. My first planting was at the end of September...perhaps a bit early, beacause they got off to a slow start. For about the past month, however, I have been picking peas every other day and have a good supply in the freezer.

Of the two varieties, I prefer the smaller snap pea. The pea pods are crisp and contain smaller delicate tasting succulent peas. Super snaps provide more in quantity ( for shelling ) but are not as tasty.

A bit of hot weather started turning the vines brown. I trimmed them, but yesterday decided to remove them. I did and uncovered more...another dinner's worth! Next in line...Best pole lima beans.

Garden Flowers in Bloom

Each year, around this time, a walk through the garden uncovers new blooms so irresistible they have to be photographed. The birds love them, the bees love them and WE love them!