April 2021 Newsletter | Stephen Burchard Real Estate
Stephen's Garden | April 2021
Here in the desert, April is an important month in so many ways. We know that the countdown to summer starts now. It’s time to add new crops so they have a chance to get established before it gets too hot. It’s also time to cut back fruit trees, so they’ll give us a bounty of citrus next winter. It’s important to prune your plants, trees, and bushes, cutting out the deadwood and extra growth so they can produce at maximum, whether it’s with fruit, flowers, or leaves. It’s the same for people. Spring is a great time to prune out what no longer serves you.
Desert Housing Report | March 2021
Earth Day, started in 1970, is officially on April 22nd this year, but for everything that lives on Earth, it’s a good idea to celebrate Earth Day every day by being mindful of our actions and their greater impact on the environment. This can mean starting with Meatless Monday, then expanding from there to integrate a more plant-based diet into their lives. For some of us, that occurs naturally from having a backyard garden that’s bursting with tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant!
Making Earth Day every day easily goes beyond shorter showers, remembering to put stuff in your recycling bin, and turning off the lights when you leave a room. Pay attention to the amount of packaging that wraps your purchases and make choices - or send feedback to the company - to lower the amount of packaging that goes into your trash. Buy local and support small businesses to reduce your personal carbon footprint. And if you’re into gardening like me and my husband Rey, composting your food scraps makes perfect sense.
How you treat the Earth is basically how you treat yourself and your species. It’s really just like making your bed, washing your dishes, and picking up after yourself. It’s a matter of what kind of home you want to live in and what kind of a home planet you want to live on. Oh, and did I mention that when you want to find a new home and sell your current house, I’m the guy you want to have on your side showing you the available properties and handling all the real estate details? Let’s find you a low-impact home and save on your utility costs!
People wonder how I keep my yard so immaculate, so I’ll let you in on my big secret: Corona Landscaping. Sure, we like to get our hands dirty in the garden, but for keeping our trees and all of our shrubs, hedges, and bushes in top shape year-round, it’s Corona Landscaping. They can design your landscaping, whether it’s desert scaping, grass, or artificial turf. Need hardscaping, garden design, irrigation, and complete installation? Tired of your yard and ready to spruce things up? Ready to put your house on the market and want to get top dollar with more curb appeal? From Palm Springs to Indio, they’ve got your back. Their 5-star status on Yelp agrees with me on this. You can easily request a quote on their Yelp page or call them at (760) 969-8903.
Something is sprouting up in the desert this Spring. It’s Desert X 2021, from March 12 - May 16. DX21 explores the desert as both a place and idea, acknowledging the realities of people who reside here and the political, social, and cultural contexts that shape their stories. Still, waiting for your turn at the COVID-19 vaccine? No problem! Desert X offers a safe, outdoor experience that is free and open to all. The art of Desert X will both challenge and encourage you in unexpected ways. DX21’s newly commissioned works collectively pose urgent questions about our pasts while imagining the possibilities of a shared future. Your own participation is part of the art. For a map of the art, which stretches from Desert Hot Springs to Palm Springs to Palm Desert, click here. You’ll also be given the option of a downloadable app.
Great Futures Start at the Boys and Girls Club of Cathedral City
There’s nothing like a safe, nurturing place to help children grow into their full potential as human beings. The Boys and Girls Club of Cathedral City takes this concept to heart, proving the space and connections necessary for all young people, particularly those from disadvantaged circumstances, to grow into confident and capable adults. One of the keys to this development is building healthy relationships with caring adults. Volunteers help with homework, coach sports teams, assist administratively, help to run programs, and compete in games rooms. Volunteers can either come in with a passion to share - something that may get turned into a weekly program - or volunteers can simply dedicate their time and attention to members. If you don’t have time to give, but would still like to support these wonderful activities, please donate to the Boys and Girls Club of Cathedral City.
Make a Mini Cactus Garden
I love oohing and aahing over the little tiny cactus plants I see for sale, but why wait until I’m at a nursery or Cactus Mart? That’s right! It’s time to make a mini-cactus garden!
Find a planter. Any kind of fairly shallow bowl will do.
This is a great way to recycle or re-use a container you have around the house.
Place some small rocks or gravel in the bottom of your bowl for drainage.
Add soil, leaving about an inch of space from the top of your bowl. You can use regular soil from your yard or a cactus-potting soil mix.
Plant a group of small cactus and succulents.
Water your plants. You’ll need to repeat this step once or twice a month. Cactus don’t need much water, but they do need some.
Top off the visible soil with a thin layer of small rocks or gravel.
Enjoy your own personal desert paradise. In fact, you may even want to add a bit of mini-art to create your own Desert X experience!
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Make This The Best Christmas Ever!
You know now to celebrate Earth Day every day, but did you know that you can celebrate Mother’s Day every day, too? Even if you aren’t a mom, you get to celebrate the wonderful creative human being that is YOU! After all, isn’t that what Spring is all about? Celebrating new growth? You bet it is!