Standing strong is the answer

Paloverde tree - broken limb is to the side

That means survival in the desert.  The conditions are harsh most of the time and the wind is fierce.  It blows at hurricane force a few times a year.  We’ve had our heavy patio chairs thrown like sticks onto the lawn and the wind sent the grill sailing right off the patio once.  I was cooking inside at the time and was flabbergasted to see it fly by the kitchen window.

This time our grill cover was ripped off so we tied it down with heavy twine.  The rope we had on it was broken by the wind.  Two chairs ended up lying on their sides in the lawn and a big limb broke off the Paloverde tree, reducing it in size by about one third.  I’ve never lived in a place where the wind blows this hard.  Sometimes it reminds me of living on the farm as a child when a hurricane was coming.

 Broken Paloverde limb

 

We used to stand at the door and watch things blow by in the wind.  Once we held the screen door open to get a better look and it slammed back against the house with a bang.  Mama had a fit and yelled for us kids to get away from the door.

People should fear the wind as much as the ocean.  It packs a lot of power.

The Paloverde limb is too heavy to move.  I have no idea how much it weighs.  We’ll have to chop it up on the spot and haul it to the trashcan in pieces.  Luckily the tree isn’t phased by losing a third of itself. 

 This broken limb is huge and very heavy

 

I think these trees are hardy as they grow fast.  We’ve had to cut them to the ground when they freeze.  And look at this tree now.  It’s astonishing to see how it survives and even thrives in these conditions.

Here is the Paloverde tree in May loaded with yellow blooms

More plants making a comeback

This Paloverde survived the winter

Sunni's Photo's



The palms weren’t the only thing that froze around here last winter. We had two Paloverde trees in our backyard and one of them died, or so we thought. My husband decided to cut the dead one off below the ground even though I wanted to give it a while longer to see if it would rejuvenate itself. So, we cut it up in April and put the pieces in the trash. He tied off the drip line and covered up the stump.

This Paloverde is making a comeback

Sunni's Photo's

Of course, we were shocked when we came back from San Diego a month ago to see it making a comeback. Apparently, it had been growing all this time under the ground to reach the surface. It was about six inches high when we arrived home and all this growth with no water. It didn’t take long for the chipmunks to discover it. In fact, I’m surprised it wasn’t eaten to the ground.

This is how we protected it when it was about 6 inches high

Sunni's Photo's

We erected a makeshift cover around it, the evening we arrived home, by using a piece of old chicken wire we had laying around on the side of the house. Naturally, this thing was stiff and rusty. In the process of surrounding the plant, a rusty barb stabbed me in the forearm. I have to wonder why I always hurt myself doing a project. It doesn’t pay to be too hasty with anything, but sometimes patience is not in the vocabulary.

After we completed the project, I came in and doctored myself with peroxide and Neosporin ointment. I did not intend to have to go and get a tetanus shot. Besides this was Friday night and the weekend was here. Everything had closed except the emergency room. I just kept my eye on the wound and kept it doctored and covered for a week. Since then I have healed up and I seem to be fine, so I guess everything is okay.

The plant now has the cover off because it is big enough that the chipmunks will leave it alone. It is actually a giant bush, having grown at least ten times its size already. This plant wants to live. There’s no doubt about that.

The rescued Elephant's Foot - It looks a bit like a person doesn't it?

Sunni's Photo's

Here is another one that wants to live. I’m so glad because this plant was a rescue from the trash when we lived in CA. This is an elephant’s foot and was very tiny when we saved it from its fate back in 1979. I would be sad to see it go after all these years.

I wrap this up every winter too, but this winter was a rough one. It lost all of its “leaves,” which look more like a horse’s tail than leaves. It takes a lot for me to give up on anything, so I watered this faithfully and it is finally growing. It’s going to be a one-of-a-kind plant that’s for sure and probably a conversation piece around here. When we lived in CA it was twice this height, but the top part got broken off in the trailer on the move to the desert. The poor thing has been through a lot.

I have to use great care with things here that aren’t desert natives. But care seems to pay off most of the time.