Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/1493434
16 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | MARCH 2023 By Kathy Caraher, Resident With the loss of several large trees in my backyard, I thought my biggest worry was the privacy I used to have. Now I am realizing that the value of the trees was primarily their shade and for the birds that visit my garden. Last summer the olive tree produced a lot of fruit and many more birds visited to enjoy it. I also noticed the larger shadow cast by its increased height from previous years. I set up a table next to it to use for potting plants and storing supplies needed for that purpose. And a comfortable outdoor chair sat nearby. I would sit in the shade and watch my garden grow and the birds flit by. It was so relaxing! This fall and winter, as we all noticed, our trees whirled and bent with the wind. In the end, I lost the large olive tree and over half of my Palo Verde. My huge Desert Willow's roots were protruding from the ground as it was now leaning at a 45-degree angle. It will be much hotter in my yard this summer, but I am hoping to have a shade structure built. Hopefully, I will be able to move that chair and table to its shade! It is still a little too soon for gardening, but I have been busy getting things pruned and cleaned up. It's also time to fertilize. Need an easy way to remember when: Valentines, Memorial and Labor Day. Mark your calendar. At this point in time, I'm warmly enjoying my garden from a window by my desk. A crepe myrtle tree is just outside with a hummingbird feeder in its branches. I've been enjoying a small hummingbird guarding the feeder. I think it's a Costa's Hummer as it has brilliant violet feathers on each side of its head (called a gorget). There are so many new birds in my garden this year. I have been planting with 'pollinators' in mind, which include bees, butterflies, and birds… especially hummers. More about that another time… Winter Brunch Early Spring in my Garden