Uncovered the last of the plants.

Spring may not be here officially, but warm enough to take the covering off the less hardy plants. 

This was a Agave protoamericana, and well still is.  It was covered with a piece of plastic.  The top crown will rot with the warmer weather, but it will sprout more sucker from the roots.  This was the best this plant has ever done for me, as it is a clone from many past attempts. 

Always wonderful to see this beauty uncovered for the year.

Echinocactus polycephalus

This ocotillo still may be alive, and if it is, it will be a first for my garden. 

O. basilaris, pink flower of a different look

E-bay find, only time will tell?

Opuntia santa rita x basilaris

I am amazed how this lived through the winter with only a sheet of plastic covering.

Never one is very hardy here. 

Opuntia ellisiana,

plastic covering

A nice hybrid from a good friend of mine.

 Y. flaccida x reverchonii-thompsoniana, I think lol

I have two, this one was covered the other was not, both look good.

Agave havardiana, covered.  If it lives it will be the first for my garden.

The next three come from another good friend.

all three covered.

Agave palmeri 

And this creek is ready for runoff.

Finished!

And this project is just beginning.

And more unfinished projects.

A drive to Hammett ID and back home.

The wife and I went for a day drive and we decided to head west.  We chose to stay off the freeways and stuck to the path less traveled.  Our road trip was not far from home but was interesting just the same.  We set out west looking for the old highway, the route west before the interstate.  Little to my knowledge it was still mostly in tack.  The road was in good condition, so it was a surprise that there was so little traffic.

We went through three little towns that had seen better days. Days before the traffic was detoured out of  town.  Some places I have not seen sense I was little, a time when traveling over a hundred miles was a big deal and took an hour or so longer because the traffic slowed for every town from A to Z.  Do I miss those times...Yes! Do I think the freeways are a necessary evil...of course.

     

The Snake River, the life blood of Southern Idaho.

Little would exist here without it!

Hammett crossing and the end journey of our day trip.

This country is so different than it was 30 years ago, cheat grass and fires have completely changed the landscapes.

One thing that is the same or even better (I think better) is the amount of birds on the river, This river is overflowing with bird life.  If I could spend some time here and take more than 3-4 pics...who knows.  Oh, and if I tried to be a bit more stealthy. lol  

Four towns, Bliss, Glenns Ferry, King Hill, and Hammentt.  GlennsFerry was overall the nicest and probably the friendliest. Many old homes and friendly people.  The food was good and the restaurant was clean (The Stop Drive? I think the name was).  Many big yuccas, Y. recurvafolias and huge filimentosas with leaves over 3 feet long! 

Hammett on the other hand was by far the worst.  On the way back we stopped at the "Hammett valley" store, it only cost us $5 of junk food so my wife could use the restroom.  Just so we are clear this was the store on the corner just before you turn off for Bruneau (not the store to the east).  And they wonder why they are just about out of business?  Reminds me of the saying "you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar"!  

King Hill.

Wow...has this place change, almost a ghost town now.

Out of the four places we drove through this was the only town I have pics of.   

Any moisture is welcome, but snow just sucks!

Well the weather here has been good enough for working in the garden, even though the temps have been below normal.  The ground was drying out and I was picking rock like I was mining for gold.
Tumble weeds were thrown in the fire pit and spring cleanup was well under way.
Well to keep this blog short, it snowed! And snow changes everything. ha!

Everyone bummed out on this snow day.

Anyone want to go outside?

Rocko, no!

 Lilly?

No!

 Mocho?

OK! 

Looks like fun. But I can't do much out here!

Yucca faxoniana, looking better. Looking better...nope!

I may have uncovered my agave to early.

Should be fine.

J-trees from Dolan Springs east to the Grand Canyon

Here are some pics of Yucca brevifolias I took from a moving car.  This was east of Dolan Springs, AZ to the Grand Canyon over look at the Hualapai Reservation. Febuary 2009

Many amazing plantsof all kinds, too bad there was many nocked down j-trees from the road grader.  If I could I would have taken many of them home, while they were still alive from being pushed over.  

Starting to love the weather again.

The snow is almost gone and the ground in most places is dry enough to walk on, so for me that is just about all I need!  Now I can burn tumble weeds, pull weeds, trim bushes, and pick rock. 

Yucca faxoniana

Looking a little more beat-up everyday, hang in there!

Pediocactus sp.

Voles/mice loves this cactus sp.

Yucca baccata, looking good all winter.

Yucca faxoniana

This a typical covering for me.  This will greatly increase survival of your plants when they are young, or as seasonal cover for less hardy plants such as agave that just barely make it.  I reuse the plastic and stakes.

Yucca recurvifolia, this is my best one. ha!

Yucca elata, are not as hardy as some think when young.

The burn almost every year when the are young, but will gain much cold-hardiness with age. 

Contrasting colors and shapes and repeats are good for landscape interest.

Of course my garden is just that a garden, and not really a visual landscape. Well it's as visual as I can make it with the use of many different plants.  But for a quick landscaping lesson, Contrasting colors and shapes, repeat plantings, plantings and hardscapes in 3's and 5's (odd numbers look best) that's a start. 

I just noticed today that my Yucca elata that bloomed last year has two new crowns.  

Agastache sp.

This is what frost heave can do to plants without good draining soil.

Yucca reverchonii x thompsoniana?  I think.

Light at the end of the tunnel.  Almost done with the dry creek!

These rocks are hand picked out of the ground, not like someone dropped off a truck load in a pile. lol 

Some of my other rock projects.