2023 Blog Highlights

I like to rummage through my posts at the end of each year.  I picked a few photos in each month without any real logic or strategy to my selections.  I chose some photos just because they captured an attractive view or I because I liked the way my garden looked at a particular moment in time.  I included others simply because they jolted my memory of a certain event or activity.  Coincidentally, today marks the eleventh anniversary of my blog so this is just as good a time as any for a retrospective.

JANUARY

There was so much precipitation and the was so sky so clear of smog, we could clearly see snow in the mountains to the east of us from our backyard

The 'Blue Flame' Agaves and other succulents in our street-side bed looked like a painting

Sunrise looking northeast

Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection' living up to its name

FEBRUARY

I wished I could paint this scene of the wetlands at the Madrona Marsh Preserve

More migrating birds than I've ever seen from my back garden

While I spotted a lot of American robins during the same period, the majority of the migrants were cedar waxwings as shown in this closeup taken using a telephoto lends

MARCH

Ceanothus arboreus 'Cliff Schmidt' had a banner year even though it grows on my neglected back slope

A picturesque view of the clouds covering the Port of Los Angeles like a blanket, viewed from our back garden

A very chubby, possibly pregnant, squirrel performing acrobatic maneuvers to get seed out of my "squirrel-proof" bird feeders (photo taken through my home office window).

Massive expanse of Echium growing at Seaside Gardens in Carpinteria, California

Flowers cut from my garden

APRIL

One of many sculptures created from plastic detritus recovered from oceans and waterways for South Coast Botanic Garden's 'Washed Ashore' exhibit

The first time Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' bloomed extensively in my garden

A combination of plants I'd have never thought would work together so well but do: Arctotis 'Pink Sugar', Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope', and Lotus berthelotii

Dendrobium speciosa, spotted at Sherman Gardens.  It's not readily available based on my online search and pricey if you can find it.  I'm hoping there will be a local orchid show in 2024 so I can at least avoid shipping charges.

MAY

Flowers cut from my garden (and Iris germanica 'Autumn Circus' bloomed again in the fall!)

The prettiest red bottlebush (Callistemon citrinus) I've ever seen, on display at South Coast Botanic Garden

Morpho butterflies observed at South Coast Botanic Garden's Butterfly Pavilion

My cutting garden at its spring peak

JUNE

My backyard borders shined in early summer

My Puya has never bloomed but this one (Puya alpestis) put on an almost unbelievable display at South Coast Botanic Garden

Epiphyllum 'Monastery Garden' bloomed in my lath (shade) house

I called this floral arrangement, created from plants growing in my garden, "tropical punch"

JULY

Epiphyllum 'King Midas' also bloomed in my lath house this summer

This succulent bed, on a moderate slope in the southwest area of my garden, finally came together this year

The Agapanthus at their summer peak

Deconstruction of Agave mitis 'Multicolor's' bloom stalk

AUGUST

A sweet hummingbird lighted in the Ginkgo tree and gave me a chance to catch a photo

A magnificent flush of flowers from Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' in my back border

Photos of the Pollination Garden planted by South Coast Botanic Garden during the summer.  The floriferous display shown here was meant to be temporary.  It's recently been replanted with native plants to bring in future pollinators.

Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) and Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) picked from my cutting garden

SEPTEMBER

When I lifted the patio's outdoor rug to check for lizards before I flattened it out, I was surprised to find another visitor, which quickly left for greener pastures

My cutting garden at its summer peak

'Luna' was the undisputed star of this year's dahlia parade

OCTOBER

Sun rising above a thick layer of clouds covering the Los Angeles harbor

Unexpected damage to the agaves in one succulent bed when the tree trimming service laid plastic tarps directly over them while pruning the tree above.  Lesson learned!

Giant trolls created from wood pallets visit South Coast Botanic Garden

NOVEMBER

My husband and I visited The Getty Center for the first time in 7 years when my sister-in-law was in town

I spent most of my time at The Getty in the Central Garden

Hibiscus acetosella 'Haight Ashbury' surprised me.  Its flowers last only a day but the buds open up on successive days.

After giving us a scare early in the year, Pipig gave us another one as we headed into the holiday season.  Antibiotics helped but the vet hasn't yet given her a clear bill of health.

I visited Sherman Gardens with blogger friend Hoover Boo.  We were both enamored with these umbrellas.

I went Christmas shopping for a friend at Flora Grubb Gardens in Marina Del Rey - then went back and bought myself a gift too

We got our first decent rain of the season just before Christmas.  Our total since October 1st now stands at 2.22 inches.  There's an 85% chance of light rain beginning in the wee hours on Saturday.