I don't live in Tehachapi anymore but I was talking to my sister who does and asked her what flowers she has had success with because I was planting some out here and I do not have a green thumb. She said that last year she bought bulbs from the dollar tree and a wild flower mix she found there. She figured if they all died at least she would not have wasted a ton of money. Well to her surprise they all came up and she had awesome flower beds last year. So I went to the dollar tree here in North Carolina and got the same stuff I spent a dollar for a pack of bulbs which contained about 3-8 bulbs depending on the type and a wild flower mix. I planted them about 2-3 weeks ago and they are all coming up beautifully. On the package it tells you when to plant them mainly March -May depending where you live. Also I was at a Home Depot the other ay and found the same bulbs same brand and everything for about $5.00 a pack. Also my sisters are coming back this year on their own. Well hope this helps you I know it has been fun for my kids and I, we water them everyday and they love seeing how much they have grown.

I put in several Austrian Pines and Red Maples 3 years ago and they are doing great - grow more than a foot a year and have not bent over from the winds. Grass is another story, last year I tilled the back yard, added mulch and additive to breakup the clay and planted seed which looked great last year so we'll see this year. As far as moles, good luck.  

CanIbeyou   where is this place on 202?  Someone else told me about it but i can't find it.

Christine, I have Austrian pines and many different types of Juniper trees and bushes (sea breezes etc. ... they are doing great. I only do evergreens because I dislike dead looking trees in the winter.  I also put bulbs tulips and irises in last year and forgot to take them out to dry and all the stuff the instructions told me to do ... and guess what, they are coming back!!!   My poppies come back again this year as well. I don't know where the garlic came from but it's everywhere up here, perhaps someone was trying to get rid of the rabbits.  bulbs bulbs bulbs... they work.  The deer ate the roses my neighbor gave me last year, but they were doing great until that happened.  All my bamboo and variety grasses died, looks like most of the grasses want to come back but they are more trouble than they are worth. My biggest problem is all the rabbits they have up here in the canyon.  Oh, and I hated the way my grass looks in the winter anyway, so I  will do more landscaping in gravel and stone and natural yard art.  I just built a 10 foot cascading water fall out of rock and it's beautiful.  Other than pine trees and bushes, I have decided to do a less sential design on my yard because it simply pisses me off to no end that most things i plant either get eaten by rabbits are cannot tolerate the weather. It's all good, I like being creative anyway. My neighbor has a lot of apple trees so I guess they do well up here, she also has roses that are doing well. 

 

Thanks Canibeyou, I drive past that everyday and I never bothered to stop I think a tree buying party is in order for that price. BTW it seems the only plants that grow well in my yard are the weeds...LOL

CanIbeyou...  I'm going to join Luvmykatz on a tree buying spree this weekend!!! Thank you very much for the info.

Thanks everyone for the comments, I am re-reading them and writing some stuff down. Sparks, you waterfall sounds great. I would love to build something like that, but no clue how to do it. I think the tree guy is also the Martial arts instructor in town. but I am not sure, he is very nice. Great family that seems really together. He has an ad on his martial arts newsletter. I think I will go down there too as I need about 6 or so trees. I just need a truck, I don't have one, so I will have to borrow one from a friend.

I love the evergreens, but I am not  sure if they are fire hazard, are there any trees tmentioned here that stay green all year that are not big fire hazards? I want some to go around the house.