Baby it's cold outside!

I was so happy too see the sun and blue skies again.  Only too find it getting colder with everyday of sunshine.  Highs in the single digits/teens and lows at or below 0 Fahrenheit must be taking it's toll on my garden.  I wonder what I will lose this year?  What will live? The truth of the matter is what dies is not garden worthy, and what lives will be stronger for it.

Of course it is always sad to see a garden favorite bite the dust, I will not lie.  But lessons will be learned and new chances will be taken.

New hardy varieties will be found!

New from "Cactusbylin" on EBAY

Alamorgodo Big Pad Opuntia englemannii

Pad is 16"long!

Trial next year. 

Yucca Faxon

Cover with blankets.

Yucca elata

The snow may be doing good, this time. 

Yucca rostrata, turning almost black from the cold.

My big Yucca brevifolia, has been through this before, but can it take another beating?

A cold start. 2013

A cold start going into the new year.  Temps are below average and have not reached freezing for over a week.  The sun has been locked away in a blanket of fog that has snowed a constant frost down for over 4 days straight. 

Most of my plants are locked in a blanket of snow, which in it's self is not all bad, but if the snow turns into ice and is locked in around the plants for long periods can cause tissue damage, mold, and rot. 

I have had better luck with cold dry winters than I have ever seen with warm wet winters.  This seem to be a winter in between the two.

Southwest plants are good at taking very cold temps, but not for long periods.  A day without wind and a bright sun can warm plants fast even if temps barely hit freezing. 

Bring on the Sun!      

Yucca elata

Yucca rosrtata

Yucca faxoniana

I took the shop vac outside and vacuumed the snow out of the crown, the best I could.

Yucca brevifolia

This snow should have no harmful effects.  As you can see, no heavy snow around the spears

House Finches, and American Goldfinches 

Of course, small birds bring in predators
American Kestrel

Snow for Christmas, and the start of the snow year!

Merry Christmas! God bless!

The first few pics other then the guard dog are from a couple of days ago.  A skiff of snow and everything looking good, ground has been frozen, but I have been able to pick a few rocks from the surface for hardscaping the dry creek with.

The very next day and all my landscaping comes to a screeching halt!  3-4 inches of snow changes everything, and I am having a hard time not blurting out how badly winter sucks!  There I said it!  I was trying hard not to say that this year, this year was going to be different.  Ha!  

Dogvader (Rocho)

Ringneck Dove, Streptopelia risoria?

Not native, but they help bring in the Morning Doves.

American Gold Finch

Plants Doing good after a lite snow dusting.

Agave utahensis var. kaibabensis

So far so good!

I forgot what this one was?

 Echinocereus sp.  New trial

Yucca rostrata

Yucca rostrata

Yucca brevifolia

This a close up of my biggest Yucca elata, look how hairy this one is.

A small Yucca brevifolia, I never got around to cover it.

The next day!

Yucca faxon

Yucca baccata

Third snow of the year.

Lizard time!

So far it has been a decent winter, but nothing too right home about.  Other than the lack of snow, which is not all that uncommon until after Christmas it has been about normal. 
I dread the next 20 days the most because this is when we are most likely to see temps dip below the 0 fahrenheit range.  About the last 10 days in December and the first 10 days in January.

Even though it has not set any record warmth this winter, I was able to find this sidebltched lizard on the foudation on the southside of the house.  I have seen them around here in November, but never in December.  I'm sure they have been out in December before, but without notice!     

I belive this was on 12/11/12

I think it was about 40deg f.

Snow in the mountains, and shortly after this pic was taken it snowed about an inch or 2 in the valley 

 

I hope too see the brush to grow back one day.

Late post, sorry.

I think this is the latest I have seen a tree frog around here

11-24-12

Up dates on the covering of the berm and the dry creek. 

And construction of a new mound.

A new person in the world

My wife is pregnant, and so we are blessed!  Thank you God!

A pic of a pic.

8-9weeks?

PS.  I have used up all my photo space, I am trying to get more.  Will be posting soon.

A garden is not complete without wildlife. 

I hate to cover plants for the winter, but is easier than replacement.  For the most part I only cover the ones that are new or that need wet winter protection.  

With this Yucca brevifolia I am undecided if I want to cover it or not.  It has lived without cover in the past winters, but never grew much, as you can see from the pic.

My big Y. faxoniana is now too big for winter cover.

This year most of my Y. rostratas will not be covered.

My big Yucca brevifolia (Joshua tree) has been too big for winter protection for years now.

This Y. elata and the following will be left out in the wet and cold.

And this is very special too me, this came from seed from John Weiser in Reno NV.

Eriogonum ovalifolium var williamsiae (oval leaf buckwheat) I love these little plants!