Clik here to view.
In a Vase on Monday: Springfire!
Once summer finally loosens its grip on us (which it was slow to do this year), the cooler temperatures deliver a spring-like rebirth to Southern California gardens. As I was making my rounds of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wednesday Vignette: Light, sound and space
My Wednesday Vignette this week pulls together events that have nothing whatsoever to do with one another, other than that all grabbed my attention for different reasons on Monday.On Monday the news...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What's new in the neighborhood?
I haven't taken a spin through my neighborhood since March so I took a stroll a little before lunch yesterday to see what's new as we head toward the end of the year. The short answer is "not much."...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In a Vase on Monday: Faux frost & a bit of bling
I've been struggling to get into the holiday spirit. Since last Tuesday morning when I woke to news of wildfires, the situation in Southern California has been hellish. If you've seen any news...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wednesday Vignette: Sunset & smog effects
We haven't had many vivid sunsets of late but, when I looked out my office window just after sundown on Sunday night, the sky was looking decidedly pink. Although the Los Angeles County fires were...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bloom Day - December 2017
I pushed off my holiday preparations this year and, as I'm now feeling the crunch, I didn't have as much time to commit to my usual Bloom Day recordkeeping this month. The exceptionally dry, windy...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Foliage Follow-up - December 2017
I usually try to come up with a theme for my Foliage Follow-up posts but this month all I have is a handful of photos of foliage plants that just happened to catch my attention during the course of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In a Vase on Monday: The succulents take charge
Last year, I featured succulents as the main ingredient in several arrangements. I haven't done that as much this year but, after more than 2 weeks of extremely low humidity and high winds, I decided...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wednesday Vignette: In their natural elements
Yesterday morning, I interrupted my husband as he was ready to go out the back door when I noticed an unexpected visitor, just hanging out in the mimosa tree, staring at the harbor. I went out through...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In a Vase on Sunday: Merry Christmas!
In my family, Christmas Eve has always been the focal point of our year-end holiday celebrations. As my husband and I will host a few friends for our annual Smörgåsbord on Sunday afternoon, I prepared...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wednesday Vignette: Christmas Flowers
Last Thursday, I turned a corner and was startled to see the first blooms on hybrid Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection'. I thought it'd be weeks yet before the shrub bloomed but, when I checked my 2016...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The lath house is done!
Today is the fifth anniversary of my blog. In 5 years, I've published more than 850 posts, registered over 725,000 views, and have been honored to receive more than 9200 comments (not including my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In a Vase on Monday: Happy New Year!
I invested so much time fussing with my new lath (shade) house this past weekend, I'd little time for cutting flowers, especially as I'd set myself a goal of packing away all our Christmas decorations...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wide Shots - January 2018
Since I put my wide shots posts on a quarterly schedule their timing always seems to catch me by surprise. I took photos at intervals between December 29th and January 2nd for this post, trying to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Friday Miscellany
I've been busy with the garden for the past week but not at all focused, jumping from one activity to another. As I did so, various sights caught my interest, if only temporarily, so I decided to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In a Vase on Monday: No, it's not spring yet
It's not spring here yet but perhaps my first vase will make you think it is. Winter in my area of Southern California is admittedly different from many places in the Northern Hemisphere. I hope...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wednesday Vignette: Rain effects
Yesterday, I started a very different post focused on our recent rain. I was happy to see the first real rainfall since last March. According to one account, this has been the driest start to our...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The lath house gets dressed up
Since my husband finished my lath (shade) house in late December, I've been working to dress up the outside area and, to a lesser extent, have begun acquiring shade plants to be kept inside. I've got...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bloom Day & IaVoM Mash-up - January 2018
Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and In a Vase on Monday are once again falling on the same date so I'm mashing the 2 posts together.Last week, our long dry spell came to an end. We registered just over an...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Foliage Follow-up: Mostly succulents
I managed to get out and about with my camera yesterday morning to capture photos for Foliage Follow-up, the monthly meme hosted by Pam at Digging, but I didn't get my act together to get my post up...
View Article