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In a Vase on Monday: Odds & Ends
Last week, I featured Arthropodium cirratum, also known as Renga Lily, in a favorite plant post. When gathering information on the plant, I read that the bloom spikes make good cut flowers. Although...
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Is Summer Here Already?
We were hit with blast furnace heat here last week, with temperatures nearing 100F (37.8C). The heat, accompanied by high winds, took a toll on the garden, as well as the gardener. Although I...
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My favorite plant this week: Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem'
Once again this week, I had a prolonged debate with myself about which plant to feature as my favorite. I flip-flopped on my choice up until the point I sat down to write this post. All my candidates...
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In a Vase on Monday: Before and After
After one week of cooler weather, temperatures are climbing once again in southern California and the Santa Ana winds are blowing. The winds, called "devil winds" during California's Spanish colonial...
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Bloom Day - May 2014
May is usually one of the very best months in the garden here. This year, we're sitting through our second major heatwave. The Santa Ana winds are blowing and the risk of wildfire is high. These are...
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Foliage Follow-up - May 2014 Heatwave Edition
As I've mentioned (ad nauseum), we're in the middle of yet another spring heatwave. The heat reached a ridiculous level for awhile yesterday - not that any temperature above 80F (27C) in May isn't...
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My favorite plant this week: Dorycinium hirsutum
My favorite plant this week, Dorycinium hirsutum, isn't flashy like last week's selection but as it performs exceptionally well under hot, dry conditions, it's one I value highly. I acquired my first...
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In a Vase on Monday: Agapanthus takes the lead
Blooming Agapanthus dominate my garden at the moment, both in sheer numbers and in the perfection of their flowers. These plants came through our two May heatwaves completely unscathed, which cannot...
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My favorite plant this week: Hebe 'Wiri Blush'
My favorite plant this week is another one that came through our recent heatwaves unscathed, Hebe 'Wiri Blush.' This is not classified as a drought tolerant plant but it is considered heat tolerant....
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A Visit from a Flashy Dresser
We had a surprise visit from an attractive but unwelcome visitor late yesterday afternoon.Yes, that's a peacock. He was quite large but, as his tail feathers were relatively short, I suspect he may be...
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In a Vase on Monday: A Lopsided Arrangement
The flowers on 3 of my Digiplexis 'Illumination Flame' were past their prime. The bulk of the lower petals had dropped off, leaving just the tops of the tall bloom stalks intact. They needed to be...
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My favorite plant this week: Cotula 'Tiffendell Gold'
For the last month or more, every time I sit on the living room couch and look out the window, I've seen a mass of bright yellow in the backyard border. Much of this comes from Achillea 'Moonshine'...
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Wide Shots - June 2014
I've been running around a bit the last few days, which left me relatively little time during daylight hours to photograph my garden, much less the opportunity to pick times when the light shows it to...
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In a Vase on Monday: Rinse, Recycle & Reuse
The conservation mantra is "reduce, reuse, recycle." I didn't plan to invoke that mantra, or a version of it, when I began preparing this week's floral bouquet. I'd been admiring a lovely foxglove,...
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Birthday Shopping
I celebrated my birthday last week. Two of my friends, who know my vices well, each took me plant shopping to celebrate. And another friend gave me a gift card to help with the damages.The first...
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My favorite plant this week: Eustoma grandiflorum
I've got the blues coming on - the blue-flowered plants in my garden, that is. Agapanthus dominate my borders at the moment but some of the smaller specimens of blue-flowering plants are also...
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In a Vase on Monday: Moody Blues
Unlike Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, the gracious host of the weekly meme entitled "In a Vase on Monday," my floral compositions don't usually bring music to mind. However, when searching for a...
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