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Getting started
It's finally cooled down and the air quality, while not good, is much better. Yesterday was the first day that actually felt like fall to me here in coastal Southern California. We're expecting...
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In a Vase on Monday: Sprinting to the finish line
Most of my dahlias are showing signs of finishing up their season. Flower stalks have grown overly tall; blooms are getting smaller; and foliage is mildewing. The majority peaked right in the middle...
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Wednesday Vignette: A pleasing combination
Mindful that Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day is just a day away, I'm limiting this post to a single image, collected as I was taking photos of my flowering plants for tomorrow's post. The yellow-flowered...
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Bloom Day - October 2020
Last month on Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day we'd just put our worst heatwave of the season behind us but California and a good part of the Pacific Northwest were dealing with catastrophic wildfires and...
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In a Vase on Monday: Going crazy
The title of this post has less to do with my mental state than the fact that, at long last, Dahlia 'Gitts Crazy' has bloomed, earning it the starring role in my first arrangement. The dahlia was...
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Wednesday Vignette: Sharing joy
For some reason, now that our temperatures are slowly cooling, the house and lesser gold finches have been throwing one pool party after another in our backyard fountain. The finches are here...
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Fall Stop at South Coast Botanic Garden
I stopped by South Coast Botanic Garden again two weeks ago. Actually, "stopped by" is a misnomer as advance reservations are still required, along with masks and social distancing. This sign is...
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In a Vase on Monday: Oops!
I hadn't intended to go overboard on floral arrangements again this week but I started clearing out my cutting garden and, rather than dispatching with some perfectly presentable dahlias and zinnias, I...
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Wednesday Vignette: I've got the blues
It's a weird time. Election day in the US is less than a week away and, although I voted early, I'm anxious to reach the end of the long, tumultuous period of political grandstanding. Yet, the...
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Gone but not forgotten
I had two large trees removed yesterday. It was a necessity, not a choice, and it was painful. In fact, it was more painful than the removal of our 60-foot Eucalyptus back in 2013 or the removal of...
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In a Vase on Monday: We've Reached the End of the Labyrinth
Last week was very warm, dry, and windy and the dahlias still left in my cutting garden looked the worse for it by Sunday morning. I'm calling this the end of the season for the dahlias (with the...
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Wednesday Vignette: I wish I had a shell
On Monday, I made a quick trip to my local garden center to buy supplies so I could bury myself in garden-related activities all day on Tuesday, Election Day in the US. I voted weeks ago by mail (and...
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Time to launch those fall projects!
I got started on my fall garden projects in early October but, mindful of the fact that I'd scheduled removal of two trees and the annual pruning of several others in late October, I held off on much...
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In a Vase on Monday: 7th Anniversary Challenge
Cathy of Rambling in the Garden is celebrating the seventh anniversary of the popular "In a Vase on Monday" meme. I didn't come on board until late March 2014 but I haven't missed many Monday posts...
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Wednesday Vignette: Biding their time
There are plants in my garden that appear to be biding their time, waiting for the appropriate moment to bloom. One finally has while it remains a mystery whether the other will or not.Although...
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This week's progress report
I continue to keep myself busy with work in my garden, avoiding the daily news feed. I haven't focused on any one project in particular but rather tackled one small job after another. The first...
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Bloom Day - November 2020
Temperatures have finally come down here and, in our view, it's been cold for more than a week now (even if much of the country wouldn't consider daytime temperatures in the upper 50s-low 60sF "cold")....
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In a Vase on Monday: The last dance
As "In a Vase on Monday" arrived on the heels of "Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day" this week, I hadn't planned to put together more than one vase but I expect you won't be surprised to learn I've got two....
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Wednesday Vignette: A touch of fall color
Coastal Southern California isn't known for fall color, and what little we get usually comes closer to winter than fall. We had a good stretch of cold weather this month until Monday, when summer paid...
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Still focusing on the garden
Honestly, I'm not sure how much further my trust in the party currently in power in the US can sink. The behavior of the White House and its minions in actively subverting the will of the people to...
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