A good friend visited last Friday. Other than a couple of brief drive-bys, that was the first time since our stay-at-home order took effect on March 19th that I've had a friend spend time here. We initially settled on my backyard patio but, when some very light drizzle started, we moved inside, sitting 6+ feet away from one another with face masks in place. We later took a walk around my neighborhood. Although I've spent a LOT of time in my own garden lately, I haven't checked out front gardens in the neighborhood in over a year. I only took photos of the more attractive bits.
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| This Alyogyne heugelii (Blue Hisbiscus) growing in partial shade under maple trees in a neighbor's garden looks so much better than my own, grown in full sun |
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| This Leucospermum is much bigger than this photo suggests. This is just the portion of it that spills over into the street. |
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| My friend was surprised to see a mass of morning glories climbing over and through the shrubs at one property. Invasive as it is, the flowers are very pretty. |
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| This home offered the most dramatic views from the street. The red of the Bougainvillea was repeated in roses scattered along the front slope. |
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| Another home had a variety of Hibiscus shrubs in bloom |
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| More red Bougainvillea at this house, the color echoed in Cordylines and Pelargoniums. The Agapanthus planted along the street are just coming into bloom in shades of blue and white. |
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| The steep hillside that lies on one side of our neighborhood road was stripped of much of its foliage earlier this year. Against the stark background, this Dietes iridioides (fortnight lily) stood out. |
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| The community succulent bed at the entrance to the neighborhood was looking pretty good. I planted the these Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire' last year, as well as Aeoniums (not shown). |
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| The wonderful house with the terraced front garden was back on the market last year but was removed earlier this year, presumably in reaction to the pandemic |
I hope to wander beyond my immediate neighborhood at some point. The Jacarandas are currently in bloom in several spots along the main road and it would be nice to get photos of them before their season comes to an end. If we get a good round of
June Gloom soon, I may take take a longer stroll, camera in hand.
Protests continue in my area and around the country. Most are positive and peaceful. I'm hopeful that the younger generation is going to accomplish what mine did not. Best wishes for a peaceful weekend wherever you are.
All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
