Thursday, April 26, 2012

El Presidio Spring 2012

This year I lost 2 plum trees and a barrel cactus.  However the garden is looking great.  Like every gardener, we experiment some with different plants, place what we know to perform, and put in a couple that need a little extra care:)  But El Presidio is on year 3 and we're on track.  There are lots of things that are working and it's making a difference.   A special thank you to everyone for coming and helping out around the property.  It helps both Donnie and myself focus on watering and jump start our hot summer.  The oak trees really get me down with the acorns, leaves, and pollen.  I love these trees but when most gardeners are prepping up their yards for spring and summer, we're going through fall here!  It can be frustrating.  And the pollen gets everywhere and makes my eyes itchy.
Bougainvillea
Sitting out during our HOA meeting, I really LOVED what was going on around our gardens.  The plants looked great and this year, we've added birds....lots of them!  Just by adding the sounds of birds chirping to our property has created a very unique atmosphere.....and an oasis. I want color, sound, and purpose.  I've written this before but I'll write it again.  The goal is to have our gardens provide shade, fruit, and fun while being xeric and wildlife friendly.  Just no mice. 
Aloe Bloom
I sat back and really loved watching the birds nesting and flying from tree to tree.   My focus will be side planters yet again.....the citrus garden on the east side and the bamboo on the south side.  The north side is nearly complete with the Nandina and Cacti Gardens placed.
House Finches get crazy
These are the beginnings of spring.  While a lot is flowering, there are more trees and bushes that will begin next month.
Mexican Bird of Paradise(the yellow variety)
So as temps warm up, stop and smell a rose from the CC Rose Garden near the palm tree.  Check the Mulberry tree for fruit.  The fig tree may have some treats hiding under the leaves.  We will have lots of peaches in July and plenty of persimmons in November.  And the citrus trees have lots of flowers:)
Lantana
But for now, enjoy the reds, yellows, purples and oranges around our place. It has taken us 3 years to get here and I have much more planned.  The fountain will have to wait for a bit until all the rotten wood is replaced around our homes.  Wood is fine for some things but shouldn't be used as a main feature in the desert.  The beams we have now are full of termites and dry rot.
Red Oleander
Hopefully the plants will distract:)
While pruning near the west wall, we were noticing the palo verdes from our neighbors property encroaching upon the parking area......and then we noticed something else......

...this little hummingbird nest on one of the branches.  I knew we had two families for sure, but I didn't know where the second nest was.  Now I do:)  Love natures best kept secrets.  They are such intelligent little birds who have lately been doing some serious drinking.  Maybe it's the 100 degree weather we've been having!
Again thank you all for your help around our gardens at El Presidio.

28 comments:

  1. Good serie Chris

    wish you a nice day.

    bye, Joop

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  2. Nice hightlights...are those paloverde trees encroaching or shading / softening your pproperties more?

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    1. Well....this is quite interesting. BOTH actually. It is a HOT HOT side of the building. The new eco complex that went up has been great. I'll do some shoots for you on that side. Our parking lot went from hot and no palo verdes/buildings to a lush green palo verde forest. Palo Verdes are okay here, but the variety that the landscapers placed on this other property are fast growing and lush! They are expanding onto our property and now into our parking area.....we were going to trim the limb until we noticed the nest. It's beginning to lean against the parking area. So that's something we are beginning to deal with.....they started extrememly small here....and now are HUGE! The lanscaping person did a great job designing the property. I know it looks great from our side!

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  3. How beautiful from your garden, great shots.

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  4. The flowers at El Presidio are looking amazing Chris - you must be so proud of what you have achieved so far. The humming bird nest is just incredible - so tiny and perfect!

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  5. Everything looks lovely. Sorry for your losses, especially trees, that's big things to deal with. You are so lucky to have the Hummingbird nests.

    Cher Sunray Gardens

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  6. It sounds like all of your hard work has been worth it! The blooms & birds are lovely!

    I'd love to see some before and now pics....because I'm one nosey gardener!

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    1. Hi Robin!:) I'll have some overview shots. Before I started this blog, I didn't take a lot of shots of the grounds. But you can get an idea of what is going on by the changes over the past 2 years. The beginning of the blog has shots or if you type in El Presidio at the top, you'll get some overviews around the property....but I'll be doing one soon after all the leaves fall:) Thanks for stopping by:)

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  7. First of all, regarding the earlier post, I'm so glad the Owlets are safe, well and being expertly cared for. Such a shame about all the lack of coordination though, I feel so sorry for the parent birds, they must have been bewildered :-(

    Lots of lovely photos of your garden flowers today, I love the one of the Aloe! It seems you are gradually achieving your vision, not easy with the sort of temperatures you enjoy/endure!!

    It must be wonderful to have Hummingbirds nesting so close. They are such beautiful little birds, I do wish we had them here!

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  8. You have a beautiful every growing garden. Such a special find the tiny hummer's nest. I've never seen one.

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  9. The reward is worth all the hard work.

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  10. wow...beautiful blooms...flowers...trees!! i can see you REALLY put a lot effort into your gardens...and it pays off! WOW!!

    i can relate to the acorns...this year it seems as though there were much more than usual! we have lots of oaks...AND lots of pollen! ugh!

    how lucky to have spotted a hummingbird nest!! i keep looking...trying to track the little birds when they fly away...but...oh well...have not found a nest yet!

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  11. great job finding the hummingbird nest! so cool!

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  12. Lookin' good Chris. It must be great to have that lush oasis waiting for you at home after a hard day's teaching or birding.

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  13. i love the aloe flower and your snowman feeder, beautiful series.

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  14. The hummingbirds nest, wow. Great images as well.

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  15. I'd love to see your garden, Chris... You obviously have done alot of work and that hard work is paying off...Congrats.

    Gorgeous flowers---and those hummers are awesome.

    Have a great day.
    Betsy

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  16. Love the colors of your garden flowers, Chris. Hope you spot a hummingbird buzzing around long enough to capture a shot or two.

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  17. That is the tiniest nest! So fitting.
    It is looking good. Gardens change and some plants do go.
    I'm starting to think my arborvitae isn't going to recover from last summer. It should be getting new growth. Instead it is looking browner. My hubby said I would think of something to fill the space if they have to come out. And, he's right.
    Love the colors you're starting to see there.

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  18. Hello Kreesh, i also have bougainvillea post today, same color as yours. You have 100F there and we have 36.4C here, but we have high humidity which makes a lot of difference. It is torture outside even at 7AM! I hope our plants can still tolerate one more month before rains come in June.

    I love that nest which seem very exposed and difficult to build. I don't see nests build like that here. I've long been planning to post one that is hanging but i can't get a good shot of the residents yet! Happy Weekend!

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    1. It is torture!!! I had some a difficult time in the tropical climate. And it has been decided that when I do go and visit tropical areas...like Thailand....I'll only be going during the "coldest" part of the year. June for us is the dry month and the seasonal monsoon rains take over:)

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  19. Apologies Chris, stupid me! I of course meant communication not coordination!!

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  20. You have a beautiful bougainvillea and Mexican bird of paradise there. Keep up the good work!

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  21. Sensational taking, beautiful flowers. I am greeting

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  22. I've got to come see this place some time!

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    1. You are more than welcome anytime. I focus on the good points though:) It's a work in progress. A labor of love. A property rebuilding itself after 20 years of neglect:) But I think it's looking a lot better than it did:) But I'm always critical as I think we all are of our own work. Have a good weekend!

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