Hello stompoutbermuda, This is really quite a coincidence as I rarely visit the landscaping forum, but just happened upon it a couple of days ago. From what I can see of the mountain range in your pics, and I could be wrong, but it appears as though we are practically neighbors. :-) If so, I live in the neighboring town maybe 7 or so miles east of your location. I agree with the poster who said you've got a 'diamond in the rough' there. I'm in my 50's and have lived in this area for nearly 40 years, and have seen many a beautiful desert oasis built in the area where it appears you are. :-) Not being a fan of snakes either, lol, I feel safe to say that in the many years I've spent in the high desert, and many hikes out in the desert, I have seen rattlesnakes as many times, or less, than I can count on one hand. They are shy creatures, not aggressive, and while dangerous, they are an important part of the desert community. We would be overrun with rodents otherwise. And I also agree with the poster who said king snakes, roadrunners and hawks are natural predators who help to keep the rattlers at bay. I'm afraid it's a waste of money, effort and time to try to create a snake proof fence. Your best bet is to accept that they are a part of the community - walk with loud but cautionary steps around hiding areas where they may be, and carry a long stick with you if you need to poke around in an area which may be a hiding place for them. If I may offer a few suggestions, for what they are worth...? :-) Line your fence line with oleanders and cypress. Both are drought and wind resistant, are green all year round, and the oleanders offer beautiful and colorful blooms this time of year. Yes, oleanders are poisonous, but one would have to actually consume many leaves, or breathe the fumes of burning plants to be in danger. Many, many homeowners in this area have oleanders on their fence line for a windbreak, and I have yet to hear of anyone becoming sick as a result of them. I've raised two children here in the high desert and now have several grandchildren enjoying the slow pace and beautiful sunsets over the Sierras. :-) As far as gardening, there is no reason why you can't realize your dream of having a productive garden. I say this as I just went outside and picked several ripe and juicy tomatoes from my plants. I visit gardenweb often and lurk, but I believe this is my first post as it pertains to something I actually know a little something about. LOL. Enjoy your new home, you really do have a diamond in the rough. It sounds like you have some great ideas to create your little oasis. Please pardon me if I have sounded presumptuous. Sincerely, satura

It's called honeydew, and it's secreted by aphids. If you check the bottoms of some of the leaves, you may see small greenish insects. Leaves may also have light green/yellow areas where the insect has fed. The black growth is called sooty mold, a fungus that lives on honeydew. Controlling the aphids will control the sooty mold. Using insecticidal soap or horticultural oil will help control them, however bad infestations often need chemical control.

Thank you for the reply, Ken. I will try to answer your questions succinctly below. * The power wire goes from the house to a receptacle that is visible at the base of the tree. It was there when I moved in three years ago. *There is no landscape fabric, that is a small piece of screen that was around only the trunk of the tree when I moved in. I figured it served purpose so I left it. *By 'inherited' I mean the tree was on the property, I did not plant it. I have not moved the tree, it's roots extend very far to the base of the hill. * I have a lawn service that has been treating the lawn for three years, but I am not aware of their chemical use/makeup etc. *I placed the rocks around the base of the tree to protect it from my string trimmer. There is no fabric. *I did place the mulch, in June this year, which measures 2 inches deep and about 20 inches across, to try to keep moisture around the tree. I realize this may have been a mistake so I removed the mulch today and found the soil below the mulch to be slightly damp. I looked up 'mulch volcano' and while I do not feel I am approaching that degree, I certainly concede that I may have improperly mulched the tree. I am an amateur as I mentioned in my OP. Thanks for the reply. *Edited for type-o and clarity. This post was edited by RedwoodJustin on Wed, Aug 20, 14 at 13:13

Paula: Groff's sell annuals, perennials, and some shrubs. They do not sell common evergreens like azaleas, rhodendrons, hollies, etc. However, they do sell a lot of different deciduous shrubs. I bought the Fothergilla, the Little Henry, and the Pokomoke there. They also have three versions of Ninebark--Diablo, Summer Wine, and Coppertina. There are many other plants too and their stock looked pretty good last week I buy the general evergreens at Britestar Garden Center. They currently have a 40 percent off sale. I took all of their remaining Girard Crimson azaleas but there are about 20 others there of different types ($12 for regular size, $6 for smaller ones). They have about 20 Rhododendrons (good size ones for about $17). There are still some hollies, Abelias too. You'll find other things too. At Groff's you will find nice things for under $10. I bought 6 Weigelas, a Pokomoke, Little Henry, and the Fothergilla for about $80 including the tax. Groff's does not take credit cards--cash works best there but I think they might take checks. If you want to go to both, you can use Route 1 to travel from one to the other. Britestar is only about 200 yards north of Route 1 on the right. If you want to catch both, just get back on Route 1 and go 4 miles west to Route 472. Then go north to Kirkwood and take a left. The huge farms you will see on the way to Groff's are Amish. The corn and other vegetables are flowing at the roadside stands now. By the way, if you enjoy fine chocolate and you visit Britestar on Route 10, about 1/2 mile north of Britestar on the left side of Route 10, you will see a driveway for Neuchatel Chocolates. The chocolate is made there and they have a nice store too where you can buy the chocolates. The chocolate covered fruits are wonderful. Here is a link that might be useful: Neuchatel Chocolates