Clik here to view.
Wide Shots - January 2014
Not a lot has happened to my main garden borders since I posted wide shots in December as part of the meme sponsored by Heather at Xericstyle but, in the interest of keeping the record intact, here's...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The agapanthus are confused
The Agapanthus in my garden generally begin blooming in late May, peaking in June, and continue to bloom here and there into July. I hack off the flower stalks in August and appreciate the foliage...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My favorite plant this week: Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder'
My favorite plant this week is one I've featured here and there in earlier posts, Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder.' This is one of the relatively few plants I brought with me from our former home when we...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Misgivings
I have a tendency to fall in love with plants, bringing my infatuations home with what is, at best, a fuzzy notion as to where I might put them. However, during the fall planting season, when I was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The oranges are ripe!
In Southern California, if you have a garden of virtually any size, you will at some point acquire a citrus tree - it's a botanical rite of passage. Even in my former tiny, shady garden, I tried...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bloom Day - January 2014
This January 2014 there are blooms here, there and everywhere. While there are no large masses of flowers anywhere as there will be, hopefully, in the April-May timeframe, our unseasonably warm...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Foliage Follow-up - January 2014
Even in January, foliage is already taking a backseat to floral color in my garden. Flowers that normally arrive in spring are already making an appearance and, with temperatures above 80F (27C) all...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ming and I discover an intruder
My cat, Ming, and I have continued our daily walks, which I've written about here and here. Although he's frail, weighing just 45% of his former healthy weight, he clearly enjoys these jaunts, vocally...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The trees got a trim
Or some of them did anyway. I counted the trees last night - assuming I didn't miss any, we have 30 trees on our half-acre lot. Eight of them got trimmed today. While we've lightly trimmed some...
View ArticleClik here to view.
National Squirrel Appreciation Day
I kid you not. I didn't make it up either. I was flipping through the pages of the latest edition of National Wildlife Federation magazine and came across a notice that January 21, 2014 is the day to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My favorite plant of the week: Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola'
I'm joining Loree of danger garden with my pick of the plant putting on the biggest show in my garden this week, Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola.' I have 3 of these in my dry garden, all of which I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
January Projects
As we're lucky enough to be unaffected by the infamous "polar vortex" plaguing much of the US and blessed with unseasonably warm weather (if not, sadly, with rain), we've launched some new garden...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bits & Pieces Bouquet
Do you ever spend the day working in the garden only to find yourself at the day's end wondering what you accomplished? Sunday was one of those days for me. I cut back the dead undergrowth below a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Clik here to view.
My favorite plant this week: Camellia hybrid 'Taylor's Perfection'
Two plants vied for recognition as my favorite plant this week, one reflecting the blue of the sky and the other the pink of the evening sunset. Influenced by a particularly pretty sunset when I made...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wide Shots - February 2014
It's February 1st and my southern California garden is still starved for rain. It sprinkled lightly for 5 minutes last Sunday and we got a light drizzle Thursday night but it wasn't measurable rain -...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What the heck?
I was making breakfast and happened to glance out the window above the sink. One of the backyard squirrels appeared to be making himself at home on the patio bench. I couldn't figure out what he was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My favorite plant this week: Echium handiense
Last week, when it came time to select my favorite plant of the week, I said I was torn between a plant with flowers the color of blue sky and a plant with flowers the color of the pink sunrise. The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
We got rain!
Actually, it rained twice this week, first Sunday night and again last night. I haven't heard any official word as to how much rain Los Angeles received but my little rain meter showed half an inch...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A stroll down memory lane
Yesterday I met a friend in Santa Monica for lunch in the vicinity of a neighborhood I lived in for eleven years as a renter. My husband and I moved into a rent-controlled apartment there when he...
View Article