New Video - A Yucca Valley Evening - August 27, 2010

A new video showing the splendor and abstraction opportunities of a Yucca Valley Evening by Michal Alaniz (michalalaniz@gmail.com).  Check it out!

Perfect Evening in Joshua Tree

Magnificent Bird of Paradise in Joshua Tree (Desert Preservation)

It was the perfect evening here in Joshua Tree. The glorious weather of Autumn was upon us. I lay on my bed with the door and windows open, listening to the immense silence. It felt like I was floating in the pure, desert air. Outside a blanket of stars covered the night sky — Orion’s Belt and the Pleiades back in place after their spring and summer hiatus. All seemed at peace after a hectic day.


Suddenly, the quiet was interrupted by a loud pop, followed by the sound of something small and hard skittering across the concrete patio outside my bedroom door. And then another pop … and another!! It was the seed-pod of one of my favorite desert shrubs, the Desert Bird of Paradise, shooting open and throwing its shiny, black/brown seeds out into the night!


The Desert Bird of Paradise is one of my favorite shrubs. Not only can it withstand long periods of drought, but it’s exotic beauty adds color and charm to any desert garden. It blooms for a long period of time, and after its first initial bloom in the spring, if you cut back all the forming seed pods, it will re-bloom. Hummingbirds love this plant!


I have driven all over this desert showing property to clients. Often, the properties we look at have been vacant for months, and, sometimes (especially in the case of homestead cabins) vacant for years. Time and time again, there will be only one bush alive on a property, and that is the Desert Bird of Paradise. It’s hardy, drought tolerant and beautiful! I have also found several trees that can withstand years of neglect, and I will address them in future blogs.


So, if you are looking for a shrub that takes minimal water and fuss, choose a Desert Bird of Paradise. And don’t forget to listen for the pop as the seedpods explode and scatter their seeds to the wind. This normally happens in late afternoon to evening as the outside temperature falls. What a marvel of Nature!

By Rhonda Lynn Hayes
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Rhonda Lynn

Rhonda Lynn Hayes