Garden update: January 8, 2024
It’s not unusual for the Sonoran Desert to experience an occasional freeze. Luckily, I work in a hospital and get to come home with loads of (unused) paper sheets. The amount of waste in the hospital is daunting, so I try my best to recuse/recycle whenever I can. These sheets come in handy at least once a year when I have to go around and cover my sensitive plants.
I admittedly get a little lazy sometimes and fail to tack down the sheets properly, and sometimes the sheets blow away. I usually have to check on my work a couple of hours later and go around batten down the hatches a little tighter. It’s a big job and I loathe doing it, but it must be done if I want to save my cacti. (Putting cups on columnar cacti usually does the trick.)
Normally, a freeze lasts a day or two, but this time, it’s predicted to last nearly a week. Agh. And this is following unseasonably warm temperatures that convinced my garden it was spring. I have waaaay more plants to cover this year—way more than usual. Below is a photo of my front yard where all my African Daisies decided to grow early. I’ve given up on trying to cover them all. Also under wraps are several sunflowers that also started to grow too early. I’ve never covered sunflowers before, so I’ll be curious to find out if they survive the following days of overnight low temps.
To end, here’s a happy image of a Desert Willow tree I hung plastic Easter Eggs on nearly ten years ago. I thought they looked so cute and never took them off. I have to replace them every once in a while when a bird decides it wants to use some string for a nest.
Okay, wish my garden luck!
My books Memory Road Trip (e-book or paperback) and Time Traveled (e-book or paperback) are both available! You can also find them at most major international book sites.
Krista Marson 