John Strickland at Drycreek has a peculiar interest among his many horticultural interests: miniature trees. When you see his collection, you can see why. Each year he searches for true miniature and dwarf deciduous and conifer trees that would make any electric train enthusiast drool with delight. These trees are perfect for train hobbyists who have always dreamed of building a backyard railroad that wanders through a true to scale living world, something that brings out the kid in all of us. These trees are also perfect for those who like to create bonsai landscapes, miniature rock gardens, miniature parks and tree lined streets in tiny towns, and miniature hobbit forests whether in ground or in container. These little trees can be used, too, for creating small terrarium landscapes and are a wonderful way to get children interested in trees and gardening. The little landscapes change with the season and gardeners can decorate according to holidays and celebrations.

Some of the miniatures you might see coming and going through John's yearly collection are Boxwood, Cedar, Cotoneaster, Cypress, Golden Barberry, Hemlock, Juniper, Maple, Norway Spruce, White Spruce and many others. Drycreek also carries some beautiful containers for your hobby as well as miniature stones and ornaments. If you need tips on how to grow tiny trees, just ask John.

Oh, and Happy Arbor Day!

Sometimes called Beaked Yucca, Big Bend Yucca, Silver Yucca and Nordstrum's Yucca, Rostrata is a hardy evergreen, trunk-growing tree-like yucca that will take the dryness, the heat, the winter, the rocky soil and the occasional summer downpour. They establish themselves quickly and look spectacular reflecting light from the desert sun. Over its life span, the Rostrata can reach fifteen feet with multiple three foot wide, silver-green heads. The dead leaves remain on the plant, sheltering the trunk as it grows. The clustered white flowers, too, are stunning, emerging in late spring and early summer, reaching up to the sky on tall stems.

Rostrata roots very easily. Water regularly until established. This will help the plant extend roots deep enough to help it resist strong winds. Once established, watering should be very light. Feed the plant with an organic general purpose fertilizer in the spring.

This plant was utilized extensively by native cultures; the flowers for food, the spines for many uses including baskets, clothing and soap. The flower pedals are said to be quite tasty if harvested at the right time and great in salads. The fruit, if allowed to mature, can be used to make soups and other interesting dishes.

This spring Drycreek has a new crop of Rostrata in several sizes, as well as many other types of hardy Yucca.

The National Weather Service in Reno predicts cold temperatures with a chance of snow in the valleys tonight. Downtown Reno will dip to the freezing point while higher areas of the city like Somerset, Caughlin Ranch, Arrowcreek, Galena Forest Estates and Montreaux might see temperatures in the high 20s. Gardeners who have braved the odds with warm weather plantings should be wary.

Drycreek has in stock Gardeneer's Season Starter Early Season Plant Protectors for situations just like the one we now face. The plant protectors will safeguard plants like tomato starts, eggplant, squash, pepper starts, cucumbers, melons, herbs and other annuals, shielding them from damage. The Wall of Water type protectors will protect plants down to 16 degrees Fahrenheit. Made in the USA, these reusable protectors shelter your young plants from wind and frost that would otherwise damage and even destroy them.

Using plant protectors in our area can add several weeks to the growing season. Some gardeners set them up in March to extend the season for vegetables by six to eight weeks. With the Wall of Water insulator, the sun heats the water surrounding the plant during the day which provides a more favorable growing environment during the colder days of spring. At night, the heat collected during the day slowly releases from the wall, protecting the plant as the outside temperature drops.

Another way to extend the growing season is to build a cold frame. If you have or if your neighbor is getting rid of some old windows, utilize them for this DIY project. Measure the window, then build a box with 2 x 6 or 2 x 8 pieces that will sit under the window. It's easy. If you are even more dedicated to extending the growing season, Drycreek also sells very fancy, high quality backyard greenhouses.

A recent study conducted by researchers at Florida State University and published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (The FASEB Journal. 2011;25:971.10) gives credence to what we've always been told about apples: eating them is good for our health. Luckily, apple trees are probably the easiest fruit tree to grow here in the high desert and the most productive. It's important that the variety match the climate, which means finding trees with a high chill requirement. It is also imperative that the trees be planted in a good location, in full sun, protected from fierce winds. And, because of the tendency for late springtime frost, a protected eastern or northeastern location can help postpone springtime budding by several weeks. For example, the tree pictured here lives in an eastern facing back yard in the old southwest section of Reno and is protected by homes on the south and west and is only just now beginning to bud. Certainly, finding the best microclimate for your fruit trees can make all the difference with production.

Other fruit trees that do well in our climate are apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches and plums. Again, it's important to choose varieties that are compatible with our region. Talk to the experts at Drycreek. The nursery specializes in plants that thrive in our crazy climate.

Several varieties of green, gold, blue and variegated hostas do very well in shade to partial shade here in the high desert. Our bright skies offer more light than other locations, so hostas will tolerate more shade here. They do enjoy some morning sun, but their foliage can burn from the typical desert summer afternoon scorch. Properly placed, hostas offer a lush sense of coolness. Their wide leaves help produce that hideaway feeling of a retreat or desert oasis. There are some dwarf varieties you can place in areas where there is little space and the larger varieties work well as border plants, or as weed controlling ground covers. They also do well in containers.

This time of year, it's always exciting to discover your hosta's leaves beginning to emerge from the soil. The foliage is usually more interesting and eye catching than the flowers, although some of the flowers, too, are worthy of attention. In early spring, keep an eye on their emerging stems. If a late frost is predicted, you might want to cover their eyes with mulch.

Spring is a good time to divide and plant your hostas. They need regular watering, especially as they become established, but a moist medium is their preference, although they don't like to sit in soggy soil. Once established, hostas take very little care, except that they need regular water. A good organic fertilizer applied a few times during the growing season will make them happy and keep them healthy. Mulching the ground around their stems and under their leaves will help keep them cool and comfortable during the hottest part of the year. They usually flower in mid-summer. Once the flowers fade, you can cut the stem so the plant can dedicate its energy and nutrients to its leaves rather than to the production of seeds.

Hostas are a great addition to shady areas of the garden. Easy to grow, wonderful to behold, hostas are such a beloved garden plant that there is even an International Hosta Society dedicated to them.

Gardeners new to the area are often surprised to find primroses flourishing in the hot and dry conditions of the high desert. Many Primula enthusiasts believe that our summers are simply too hot and too dry, but there are varieties that grow well here. The trick is to find the plants most suited to the region and then to find or create a microclimate that satisfies their needs. It's not a difficult task. The primula pictured here grows well with several other types in a loamy, meadow-like bed that receives mid-morning sunlight, and regular water. The bed happens to be just under the hanger for the garden hose which inevitably drips after each use. The daily moisture coupled with the afternoon shade helps maintain the proper level of moisture for the roots of these little wonders.

Definitely, Primroses enjoy a moist environment. Some do particularly well in bog-like areas near ponds and streams. Others do well in afternoon shaded rock gardens rich in loamy soil that stays moist but not soggy. In areas that become consistently and naturally dry, drip lines can be added that water generously on a regular basis. Prepare the soil with ample amounts of compost. Use material that will soak up and retain the much needed water. Add organic chicken manure each year. You can also grow Primula in containers. We recommend glazed containers because they help retain moisture better than unglazed terra cotta.

Be wary of transplanting the grocery store varieties of Primula. They are almost always green house hybrids and usually take quite a shock when transplanted to the outdoors. If you are interested in growing Primula in the high desert, talk to John and Nancy at Drycreek.

Kinnikinick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), also called Pinemat Manzanita, Bearberry, Mealberry, Hog Cranberry and Sandberry is a beautiful low-growing evergreen shrub which grows well in sandy or rocky soil. In the spring, established plants send forth delicate light pink, bell-like flower clusters. The flowers and fruit attract local song birds.

This slow growing ground cover helps with erosion control on areas that have been disturbed by construction and clearing. It forms a beautiful dense, slowly spreading cover usually about a half foot high. A mature plant can cover as much as 10 feet in diameter. The leaves are a beautiful deep waxy green. The plant will cascade over rock walls and take some partial shade, especially in the hottest part of the day.

Drycreek recently received a shipment of Kinnikinick in one gallon containers which make it easier to transplant and establish. These plants are disease resistant and tend to flower and fruit well in our area. Once established, Kinnikinick requires very little maintenance. Feed it a good, balanced fertilizer in the spring for faster growth.

The Museum of Paleontology at the University of California confirms what we high desert dwellers already feel in our bones, especially in winter and early spring: the Great Basin desert is different than most deserts in that the Great Basin desert exists at a much higher altitude than the "hot and dry" deserts of the southwestern United States and Mexico. The Great Basin is thus considered to be a semiarid, nearctic "cold desert" with limited snow and rainfall caused by the wall of mountains we call the Sierra Nevada. Each winter the Sierra gathers most of the moisture coming from the Pacific causing the famous "rain shadow" that keeps the eastern lee side of the mountains so much drier.

It seems this rain shadow makes all the difference. The plants, the animals and insects have evolved to match the lower levels of moisture held back by the high mountains. Even the people have adapted. You can see it in how gardeners here react to a spring rain. On the coastline of northern California, gardeners long for and rejoice at the arrival of sunny days in the spring, hoping that the sun will warm and dry the soggy ground enough to sprout the seeds and energize the stock. Gardeners here long for and rejoice at the arrival of clouds with drenching rain to soak the soil enough to sprout the seeds and give drip lines, watering cans and garden hoses a day off.

This week we have a forecast of chance of rain and this morning rain is actually making it to the ground. What a perfect time to turn the soil, scatter the wildflower seed mixes and initiate springtime planting. It's so rare that we find this chance to actually get our heads wet! Even if the rain is only symbolic, it still makes us feel good, psychologically replenished. Of course, we can't forget that we're in the desert, that our lives are intertwined with this ancient xeriscape. We know it's the subsequent dryness that we can actually rely upon. And as this photo of hardy alyssum shows, the rain we received overnight didn't really soak the ground.

Adding trees to the neighborhood has multiple benefits. Trees help filter urban pollution, they provide much coveted shade for those hot sun downer days of summer, they provide vertical visual interest, they provide protection from the wind. Plus, humans just tend to enjoy having trees around. Maybe it's the psychological pleasure derived from the texture and color, or perhaps for people in the desert, it's the oasis feeling they promote. The notion of 'sacred groves' is ancient and there are even studies that show how trees help us heal both emotional and physical wounds. Certainly it's a fact that people love trees. Certain trees, like the mighty Sequoias and the coastal Redwoods take on so much meaning that people even put their lives on the line to save them.

To memorialize the planting of trees can help create memories that unite people and place for a life time and even for generations. The ritual brings to life the otherwise metaphorical notion of putting down roots. They become, literally, the trees of life, the trees of our lives. We often hear statements like "My grandmother planted that tree" or "My father and I planted that tree." In this way, trees become part of the family.

An advantage to planting trees in one's own yard rather than in a public place is that you can tend to and protect the tree more easily. It isn't a selfish act, since the tree will be well cared for and as it grows your neighbors will begin to reap the visual and environmental benefits as well. Of course, if you love your neighbors, this is a good day to invite them over to help plant the tree, or at least to mix the cocktails while the gardeners plant the trees.

One of the tricks to planting trees for Earth Day -- whether deciduous trees like maples, fruit trees or conifers -- is to make sure the trees you plant are weather hardy for our harsh high desert climates. Find a place in your yard where the tree can grow without competition. Happy Earth Day!

Desert Peach (Prunus andersonii) is good choice for local xeric landscaping as it is a desert indigenous perennial for eastern California and western and central Nevada as far east as Eureka and Nye counties, and therefore completely adjusted to our climate. This slow growing deciduous perennial shrub belongs to the rose family and is actually related to the peach, cherry and almond trees we use as food producers. Although Native American populations considered the plant as medicinal, they also utilized the fruit as food and the twigs and leaves as tea, but for gardening and landscaping purposes, the plant is now mostly considered an ornamental.

Also called the Wild Almond, this lovely plant enjoys the full intensity of the desert sun. According to the United States Forest Service, the plant is "morphologically and physiologically adapted to drought conditions," which means it will accept low to moderate amounts of moisture to stay happy and healthy. The USDA also notes that the Desert Peach is a good choice for revegetation on disturbed land within its historical range. This makes the Desert Peach a good choice for rehabilitating local home sites that were cleared during construction.

Drycreek now has Desert Peach in stock in one gallon containers, making it easy to transplant. The plants have flower buds emerging for this year's springtime bloom. The wide flowers attract honeybees for pollination.

Gardeners find huge disappointments when buying cacti from the local big box gardening stores because most of the cacti sold there are green house varieties that can't take our weather. People are shocked and saddened when the cactus shrivel and die at the first hint of frost. Not so at Drycreek Garden Company. All of Drycreek's cactus plants are cold hardy varieties.

This spring, John Strickland, the co-owner of Drycreek, took a special road trip to a cactus specialist who grows cold hardy cacti in Colorado. Wearing a good pair of leather gardening gloves, John hand picked this year's selection, making sure the nursery would have the best selection possible for northern Nevada gardeners. In stock right now are at least ten exciting cold hardy varieties.

Gardeners either love cactus or they hate them, but if they love them, they love them a lot. Besides the interesting flesh, the flowers tend to be over-the-top spectacular, from the bright red, long lasting Claret Cup, to the hot pink, lemon yellow and salmon colored Beaver Tail, to the deep purple and magenta Cholla.

All of the cactus John collected this spring are perfect for rock gardens and other xeric uses. They love full sun, take little water and sit there looking pretty simply left alone. They also grow well in containers. Each year, since many of the flowers, once ready, open so quickly, it's fun to set up a tripod for some armature time lapse photography.

Pansies and other cold hardy annuals provide instant color. If you have yet to plan your springtime garden, hybrid pansies, pansy violets and other types of Violas are good choices for early color. These plants can take the late spring cold nights, they are easy to plant, easy to grow. They will produce flowers in early spring and continue all summer long. Pansies are usually considered to be cold weather annuals, and they should probably be planted as such, although they can last much longer than you might expect, and some varieties will self-seed.

The plants are non-spreading and low growing, so they are great for your garden edges. They do very well in containers, too, for both early and late season color. This time of year, it's fun to plant pansies in pots around the garden for hiding Easter eggs. And speaking of youngsters, pansies are an excellent choice for teaching children about gardening. Besides their ease of care, they often have happy cartoon faces.

Another advantage to having pansies in the garden is that if you grow them without pesticides and other poisons, their flowers are editable and do wonders for summer salads.

There are many reasons that contribute to plant die back. Sometimes the plant is severely attacked by insect pests, bacteria or fungi. Sometimes plants are injured by trampling, over crowding, over watering, under watering, over grazing or even salts or chemical spills. The remedies for such causes vary and might take some time to see results, but perhaps more often die back results are not as drastic and the solutions are quite simple.

For example, a particularly harsh winter, a misplaced drip line or a neglected watering schedule might cause an otherwise healthy and happy perennial to partially die back. It's unfortunate, but it does happen, especially in a harsh environment such as the high desert where growing conditions are not always what we might expect or hope for. In such cases, it is probably better to think of the plant's condition as a mere set back rather than a more drastic die back.

In a case like the one pictured here, the set back results are such that the plant's life isn't actually threatened. In fact, the plant is very healthy and ready for and responding to the coming growing season. But as it sits (in the 'Before' photo), the plant obviously needs a little beautification, an easy task. All that is needed is a little brushing away of the dead debris and voila! The signs of its set back are no longer visible, the plant is beautiful once again and visitors will not even know the set back occurred.

Sometimes eliminating the signs of die back take clippers or other pruning tools, but it's a task that has its rewards in a garden that looks healthier, happier and well tended.

It's also important to find the reason for your plant's distress since not all causes will just go away on their own. If you find signs of disease or insect attack, definitely visit the nursery and talk to the experts.

We've all seen it, especially after a particularly windy trash pickup day: plastic grocery bags caught high in the trees. Such a sight. Such an obnoxious nuisance. Gardeners love their trees, and in the high desert they are important for shade and peace of mind, so it's particularly disconcerting when they inadvertently snag the neighbor's trash. To be sure, trash caught in trees is an embarrassing and annoying eyesore and one that can be particularly difficult to remove. Sometimes the bags are caught so high and so inextricably that all you can do is be glad that the tree stopped the plastic from choking local water fowl. One can hope that as the leaves fill in, the bag will become hidden by the foliage. If the trash isn't too high, a long pole and a step ladder might do the trick. There are even "bag snagger" tools available that can extend reach as far as forty feet, but these tools can be quite expensive, especially since, for most of us, tree trash is only an occasional occurrence. If the trash isn't too high, tree pruning tools can be used.

Online forum suggestions include slingshots, throwing shoes and tennis balls, but you have to watch out for the neighbor's windows. Other suggestions include scaring a cat into the tree so that when the fire department arrives, you can suggest they remove the trash as well. Out of complete frustration, still others suggest reconfiguring attitudes to consider the trash a work of post-modern art, flags flying high, proclaiming the meaning of who we are as a culture. With pretense, then, when the leaves are gone and the trash is flying, we can think of it as "winter interest," especially if more than one, hopefully multicolored bags are snagged. But it's difficult to be proud when the ugliness of the trash rather than the beauty of the tree is what catches the attention. In the end, perhaps the bags will finally, over time, disintegrate from the sun and wind...

Needless to say, tree trash gives good reason to stop using plastic bags in markets and super stores all together. There are efforts to get plastic bags banned in certain locales, but probably the best solution is to simply take it upon ourselves to change our consumer habits with the use of eco-friendly canvas bags. Our trees will be more beautiful and our neighbors thankful.

Locally, the Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri), also called the Long-crested Jay, the Mountain Jay, and the Pine Jay is related to the Crow and Magpie and is usually associated locally with the higher conifer forests of the Sierra, but on occasion they do visit the lower desert valleys. In fact, it's not uncommon to see the Steller's Jay anywhere, from the Truckee Meadows to the summit of Mt. Rose.

This photo was snapped this week while three birds visited a backyard orchard of apple and pear trees in the old southwest section of Reno. You can see its crested top (the only crested jay this side of the Rockies) and cobalt blue body feathers. It's such a pretty bird, even if it is a bit noisy and aggressive toward other birds.

It's good to offer water in your garden for Blue Jays and other wild song birds. This jay, for example, will eat insect pests. Of course, it will nibble on nuts, seeds, apples, pears, grapes and other fruit, too, so be sure to grow enough to make everyone happy.

The Steller's Jay builds its nest usually mid way up the tall pine and other conifer trees. The nest is open, bowl-like, made of forest debris including twigs and pine needles. The clutch usually consists of three to five eggs.

Each week, Nancy Strickland, co-owner of Drycreek, has been chatting briefly about gardening with DJ Dead Air Dave on the local radio station, The X (100.1 on your FM dial). You can listen to her gardening tips from the home page of this Web site. This week Nancy tells how local gardeners can be sure it's the right time to prune their rose bushes.

To condense Nancy's advice on pruning:

"A lot of people say tax day, but we say it's time to prune your roses when the forsythia bloom. Because we have so many climates up and down the mountain here, if your forsythias are blooming in your neighborhood, it's time to prune your roses. But if the forsythias are not blooming, then wait."

If you grow roses, what better excuse is there for finding a nice sunny spot for a forsythia bush? Not only will it add springtime color to your yard; it will also alert you and all the rose lovers in your neighborhood it's time to prune the roses. This is an example of Green Philosophy. As Nancy said, "Plants give us lots of things, they feed us, they give us piece of mind and shade...plants will tell you things...you need to listen!"

There's a pretty good article about how to prune roses at the University of Illinois Extension Web site called Our Rose Garden. As you will see, the horticulturists at the University of Illinois agree with Nancy about the forsythia.

If you love maple trees -- and who doesn't? -- and you want brilliant autumn color in a narrow space, the Bowhall Red Maple (Acer rubrum) is a good choice. This rapid growing deciduous tree will reach 45 feet high with a typical spread of 15 to 20 feet. Native to North America, this wonderful tree grows into a well-formed columnar shape which makes it a good choice for street side plantings and other narrow spaces. It tolerates urban pollution and is hardy to -25 degrees. The Bowhall transplants easily when young and accepts a variety of soil types, from sand to clay. It will tolerate intermittent drought and also takes well to occasional flooding. It prefers full sun, but will accept a little shade. Resistant to deer, disease, and desert headwinds, the Bowhall is a good sport all around.

The tree sends out small red flowers (pictured) in April and May, then covers itself with the recognizable dark green, triangular 3 inch wide, 5 pointed leaves in summer. In early autumn, the tree makes a complete spectacle of itself with leaves turning usually from green to yellow-green to yellow, then to yellow-orange and then to bright red. Its tendency toward flashy exhibitionism can fluctuate in intensity from year to year depending on the weather and other subtle conditions, but even its less spectacular years are noteworthy. Stems and trunk are a dreamy silver gray.

Providing shade, stunning color and eye-catching vertical accent to almost any landscape, the Bowhall Maple is a tree to hug and fall in love with.

If you have areas in your garden that stay somewhat damp from shade, consider the area a prime location for this fancy perennial. In the high desert, Jacob's Ladder, also called Greek valerian and apparently named after the ancient Greek philosopher, Polemon (Polemonium caeruleum), does very well in partial to full shade. Their tall stems of blue, lavender or white flowers will bloom and brighten spaces that would otherwise remain without color. It enjoys a dose of cool morning sun, but definitely prefers to escape a south facing, afternoon bake. The foliage will scorch if it gets too much sun.

Depending upon its particular microclimate, flowers may appear in late spring, but usually early to mid-summer. The plant pictured here gets very little direct sun. Year after year it returns in the spring, first with its ladder-like leaves (as shown in this recent photograph), later in mid-summer sending up its two foot tall stems of colorful showy flowers. The flowers attract butterflies and honeybees. Some gardeners claim it to be deer-proof.

The trick to helping this plant flourish in high desert shade is not to let its roots dry out. The soil needs to be well drained, but consistently moist.

Jacob's Ladder was once considered to be a powerful medicinal companion. According to Wikipedia, in the past, from as far back as the ancient Greeks, the plant was used as a pain killer and was thought to be a potent healer. In more recent times, it was even used to treat syphilis and rabies, but such prescriptions probably didn't work out too well.

According to the experts, there are hardly any naturally occurring honeybee colonies left in the wild. Now almost all colonies are maintained by beekeepers, but even these are threatened. The consensus seems to be that the honeybee is under attack by deadly viruses, the source of which is not completely understood. But the bees have no built in defense to this new threat, so humans need to do all we can to help them survive.

What can we gardeners do? We can stop using pesticides and purchase foods that have not been grown with the use of pesticides! We can plan our gardens and landscapes with plants that attract honeybees. Bees love flowers, so to encourage the bees, make sure you plant a variety of flowering plants that will ensure blooming all season long. Fruit trees are a good source of nectar and pollen for spring. Vegetables, herbs, hollyhocks, foxgloves and all types of sunflowers will keep the bees happy through mid to late summer. Plan for autumn blooming plants like Asters and Chrysanthemums. Drycreek also offers desert wildflower seed mixes.

Other helpful tips: Take up beekeeping. Or at least buy local honey. Its fresher and the purchase supports the local economy. Even in Nevada, there is local honey being produced and sold at market. And if you find a swarm of bees in your yard, don't panic. Don't squirt them with water or spray them with pesticides! Even though it might look like a horror film in the making, swarming bees are relatively passive and not likely to sting, unless you act like a fool. Instead, contact a local beekeeper and swarm collector.

The Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae) pictured here lives in the old southwest section of Reno. It's been in the ground for several years, but has been severely cut back numerous times to keep it small and beautiful. This Euphorbia is a flowering evergreen perennial, although if the winter is especially tough, the heavy snow can deform the stems. But no worry, since the root system is cold hardy, if the plant turns ugly or in any way unruly, all that needs to be done is to cut it back. Soon, the plant will send out new, beautiful, relatively fast growing stems and leaves for the next season. The flowers are strange, wonderful and long lasting. See a closeup of its flowers here.

The cold hardy Euphorbias for our area tend to be drought resistant, but they do enjoy regular watering. Make sure to plant them in well drained soil as they don't like to sit in water or ice.

Drycreek carries several varieties of Euphorbia, good for xeric landscaping, rock gardens and regular gardening, including the popular Donkey Tail, the Martini, the Myrsinites, the Purpurea and the Rigida which is a large version of the Donkey Tail.

The Drycreek Web site has a page dedicated to the Euphorbia.

The California or Valley Quail (Callipepla californica) are out and about, always a welcomed sight in spring. Very soon the roving coveys will include a line of chicks.

Quail are a common sight, often seen even in the downtown neighborhoods of Reno, Sparks and Carson City, although, since they are ground dwellers, they are vulnerable to fast moving autos, garden poisons and prowling house cats.

A signature pastime for Quail is the dust bath. The covey searches out a nice sunny spot of bare dirt where they belly down, twitch, wiggle, flap their wings and fluff their feathers. It's quite a sight to see. Giving Quail a space for this ritual is just one more reason not to have traditional grass lawns in the desert. Provide some shrubby landscaping and a nice sunny patch of soft bare dirt and you just might get them to visit.

According to Desert USA, the origin of the latin name, Callipepla, means "beautiful robe" which is certainly the case with our Valley Quail. We are lucky to have them as our neighbors.

Everyone knows springtime bulbs are great for mass plantings in beds and borders, but they work great in less conventional areas of your garden as well. Perhaps you don't associate tulips, daffodils, crocus, hyacinths and other flowering bulbs with rock gardens, but in the high desert, you get to see these springtime flowers poking their leaves and flower stems up between the rocks of xeric gardens quite often. And they look great.

If you have not thought of this, plan for next spring by planting springtime bulbs in the crevices between the rocks of your rock garden about six inches deep. Give them full sun and well drained soil. The rocks will act as a ground cover over the winter, giving the bulbs their needed moisture.

Once the flowers are spent and the leaves begin to brown, you can cut them back to the ground and fill the space by planting some shallow rooted sedum above the deeper bulbs.

If you haven't tried this before, write it as a plan for your fall gardening projects.

It's exciting to see that this beautiful Claret Cup Hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus) has more than a dozen buds emerging this spring. The long lasting, rich scarlet flowers will reach up from the spines, creating an incredible splash of color, usually in late April, lasting well into May and sometimes into June. The bright red flower is a major attraction for local hummingbirds. In fact, hummingbirds are its primary pollinator.

This plant will grow about six inches high, widening into ever greater clusters. It loves to wedge itself between rocks that catch the occasional desert rain. A cluster of five stems is usually considered to be mature, although old growth plants in the wild can have hundreds of stems in a single cluster.

Native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, the Claret Cup is easy to grow. Just be sure to give it a well drained space with lots of sun, although, studies of the plant indicate it can take some afternoon shade. The plant pictured receives splintered afternoon shade from its neighboring red yucca.

This is truly an outstanding cactus. With a good pair of leather gloves, you can divide the stems for propagation. Each year Drycreek offers a nice variety of hardy cacti, including the Claret Cup.

Yarrow is extremely easy to grow and will tolerate a variety of soil textures. Good for xeric landscaping, yarrow takes little water once established with a medium high tolerance to temporary drought conditions. All varieties like full sun and will withstand cold temperatures well below what is experienced in the basin and range environments. Soil conditions can vary, just be sure to provide a well drained space.

There are many types of yarrow, including dwarf types. The one pictured here produces yellow topped flowers on tall stems that are good for cutting and drying. Butterflies and honeybees love this plant. Other colors include white, pink, deep pink and crimson red. The foliage tends to be more fragrant than the flowers.

Yarrow works well as a ground cover in xeric landscaping and in rock gardens. The plants can be divided for propagation and will naturalize if helped along. They do very well in containers, too. Harvest the dried flower stems in late autumn for consulting the I Ching. You can leave the stems standing for catching the snow in deep winter.

Local early spring flowers include Phlox. Phlox longifolia is a native Nevada wildflower which can be found growing in the high desert as well as the High Sierra.. One of over sixty species, this low growing ground cover adorns itself with an eye catching splash of springtime color. The small flowers come in several colors, including bright red, pure white, sky blue, hot pink and lavender. There are even variegated varieties. If you mix them in mass, this time of year will bring abundant color to your garden.

The plants are basically care free. Give them full sun and well drained soil and they will return year after year. In late spring, after the blooms have faded, you can cut back the foliage. This will promote a thicker patch of green for the summer. At this time, too, you can divide the plants for a wider distribution.

A good choice for xeric landscaping, Phlox does very well in rock gardens and on south facing slopes. This plant also attracts butterflies and honeybees.

The photo shows a full bloom in progress with this nectarine tree. It will be interesting how things fare with the snow and cold temperatures predicted for Wednesday and Thursday.

There are some practical ways to provide added protection, especially for dwarf fruit trees such as the tree pictured here, and other vulnerable plants. Drycreek sells several sizes of Harvest Guard Protective Yard and Garden Covers. These sturdy covers can be used to create a tent over the trees. If the nightly lows are especially cold, you can also place plastic bottles of warm water on the ground under the trees to help warm the air inside the plastic tent. Wind is predicted, too, so you can weigh down the covers with the water bottles. Be sure to unwrap the trees during the day so the buds don't get too hot.

Drycreek also offers Harvest Guard plant protectors for tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, melons and other plants. With the unpredictable weather we get in April and even May, it's a good idea to have something handy for those sudden cold nights.

Each year in spring, it seems both the Golden-crowned Kinglet and the Lesser Goldfinch make it a habit of collecting the hairy filaments off the leaves of several types of hardy yucca. We think the bird pictured here is a Dark-backed Goldfinch (Carduelis psaltria), the smallest of the Carduelis species. This beautiful American seed eating songbird is common in the Sierra and is often seen in Reno backyards. They often gather in small groups around bird feeders and baths.

Interestingly, in 2009 UC Berkeley published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences about the effects of climate change on the birds of the Sierra Nevada. The study found that 48 out of 53 bird species studied actually migrated, following or "tracking" the climate the birds preferred. The study goes on to say the birds that didn't relocate, such as the Western Scrub-Jay, were ones able to live amongst the humans.

Early to rise out of the cold hard earth, this sedum (Hylotelephium spectabile - formerly called Sedum spectabile) will grow to about 15 inches, producing a crown of abundant purplish pink flowers for autumn color. The flowers can be left to dry on their stems for winter interest, then the entire plant cut to the ground to allow for its reemergence in early spring.

Trouble free for years and years, this plant, like most sedum, is very easy to grow. Our climate is perfect since it thrives in heat and sun, little water and average to poor soil. Just make sure its roots don't sit in water. It's easy to propagate, too. Occasionally it will reproduce itself by seed, but you can easily divide the clumps or simply break off stems and replant them. Usually the stems will root themselves before long.

Many sedum are grown for their leaves more than their flowers, but this sedum has beautiful, showy flowers that open and mature in the fall. In mid-summer the plant will begin to develop a crown of flower buds, emerging first as the same color as the foliage, but they will eventually open and change to their crimson pink. Such a delight!

Hummingbirds, honeybees and butterflies are attracted to this plant. A good choice for many of your xeric landscaping needs, gardeners often use them as border plants, but they are also well suited as a specimen plant for ornamental accent in rock and cacti gardens, and as a potted plant.

For much of the year, this petite ornamental plum blends into the landscape, adding the welcome green of living things, doing what it can to hide the street and stop lights of city traffic. But this time of year, the tree grabs the attention of everyone, lifting moods and inciting expectations for a wonderful, happy spring. The flowers are small and open quickly, almost, it seems, within a day or two, as if in an attempt to surprise us into joy.

We're lucky here in the high desert because many flowering trees do so well in our locale. They are adaptable to a variety of soil conditions, including a tendency toward clay and sand. Definitely, they need full sun if you want to be made happy by their spectacular flower display in early spring.

It's best to prune branches just after the blossoms have faded and fallen from the tree. At this time you can spot the dead branches. Spring pruning, too, will allow the tree to develop new growth and plenty of time to produce an abundance of buds for next year's inflorescence.

This particular tree enjoys the benefits of a weekly schedule of watering, but ornamental plums are relatively resistant to drought, although, like most tree plantings, they need some extra attention to make sure they establish themselves. And when the temperatures get high and the weather dry in the summer, a drip line will make the tree happy so the tree can make the humans happy year after year after year.

So far so good. Even with last week's icicles covering the partially opened flower buds, the nectarine tree has weathered the recent cold. Even more vulnerable now, we wait and hope that there won't be a late cold snap.

The nectarine tree pictured is a dwarf variety which, after its sixth year, began producing some nice sized, juicy and delicious fruit. With the late heavy frost last year, the production wasn't as good as the year before, although it did manage to provide a small basket full of fruit. Maybe this year will be its first bumper crop.

With all the moisture we've had this winter, the tree seems to be off to a very good start, as it is completely loaded with blossoms. With yesterday's temperature in the 70s and today's temperature expected to hit 80, there will be no stopping its blooming frenzy.

Hurray! Hurray for spring!