I’ve never been afraid of yard work. In fact, I’ve always found it oddly calming. Give me something to cut, trim, or haul away and my mind quiets down. I’m outside, my favorite place to be, and there’s real satisfaction in standing back at the end and admiring the results.
When my husband and I lived in Oregon, yard work was familiar and almost soothing. I loved mowing the lawn, running the weed whacker along the sidewalk, shaping hedges, and spreading fresh bark dust. It felt predictable. Manageable.
Fast forward more than a decade, and a move to Borrego Springs, California, and I’ve learned that landscaping in the desert is an entirely different experience that comes with unique challenges.
Our Property is an Overgrown Mess
When we bought our house, everything around it was wildly overgrown. I call it a “jungle” and we’ve been tackling it one tree, bush, and patch at a time. It has proven to be far more work than we ever imagined.
It’s not just the summer heat, which makes desert yard work nearly impossible for months at a time. It just that it feels like everything in the desert is out to get you.
Oleander
The oleander bushes we spent an entire weekend cutting back were our first lesson. We discovered that oleander is highly toxic to humans. It can’t go into our new chipper because inhaling the dust is dangerous, and burning it is absolutely off-limits. So now we have neatly trimmed poison, carefully piled, that we’re trying to figure out how to get rid of (safely).
Palo Verde
Then there was the palo verde tree. After trimming it, I was covered in cuts and scrapes from its long, needle-like thorns. They were nearly impossible to avoid and poked straight through my clothes. There was a lot of exclamations of “ouch!” during the project.
Palm Trees
Even the palm trees turned out to be risky. Their fronds have saw-like edges that hurt badly if they snag you, something I learned the hard way.
There’s also a risk of infection, since the plant material can harbor bacteria or fungus. Not all palm species are equally hazardous, but the ones around our yard definitely had saw-like edges worth avoiding.
Mesquite
And the mesquite tree in our front yard? Beautiful, yes. Forgiving, no. Its low-hanging branches have an uncanny ability to jab you in the head, and I’m fairly certain they’d take out an eye if given the chance.
Cactus
Ironically, the task I assumed would be the most difficult, pulling dead pads from the giant cactus in our yard, ended up being one of the easiest projects.
Desert Living is a Learning Experience
This past year has been a crash course in desert landscaping. We’ve watched many YouTube videos, trying to identify what’s growing in our yard and learn how to maintain and beautify our small corner of Borrego Springs.
What I’ve learned is this: the desert doesn’t offer anything easily. It’s beautiful, resilient, and unapologetically sharp around the edges. Caring for a yard here requires hard work, protective clothing, and an acceptance that getting scratched and poked (A LOT) comes with the territory.
And don’t even get me started on the “no-see-ums.” Possibly the single most annoying bug I’ve ever encountered. They’re really attracted to the moisture in your eyes and the sweat on your body.
If you have experience with desert yard work or landscaping in Borrego Springs and have tips to share, we’d genuinely love to hear them. We’re still learning, and trying not to get hurt too much in the process.
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