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Wide Shots - January 2021
One month blends into another and, as is the case for many of us these days, I lose track of time. I completely forgot my own eighth blog anniversary late last month and only belatedly remembered that...
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Bloom Day - January 2021
This Bloom Day compilation was the result of a scavenger hunt. While there are still some splashy blooms in my garden, most of what's out there is little bits of this and that. As I usually gather...
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We have a winner! 'Fearless Gardening' Giveaway
Loree Bohl's book, Fearless Gardening: Be Bold, Break the Rules, and Grow What You Love, has generated a lot of interest since its January 5th release. I offered a review of the book in my post on...
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In a Vase on Monday: A few new blooms
I didn't discover many new flowers during my Bloom Day scavenger hunt but, after a few days of unseasonably warm-hot weather, more flowers made an appearance. Friday's temperature hit 88F (31C) and...
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Garden workout
I spent most of the day working in my garden on Monday, starting in late morning and continuing past sundown, with just an hour break for lunch. It felt a little like boot camp at times and most of...
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Another renovation of the garage front succulent bed
I seem to renovate the succulent bed in front of the garage all too often. When we moved in 10 years ago, the area had a well-established clump of Agave attenuata, a lovely Arbutus 'Marina', grass and...
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In a Vase on Monday: More than I expected!
When I stepped into the garden on Sunday morning, I really had no idea what I could put in a vase this week that I hadn't already used recently. I made an entire circuit of my garden ruling out...
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Wednesday Vignette: Moody harbor views
We've been riding a weather roller-coaster of late so I've been taking plenty of wide shot photos of the Los Angeles harbor area visible from our back garden to capture the shifts. For today's...
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Floral Forecast
One of the many challenges posed by the pandemic, especially during the current surge, is that I don't get out much. Basically, my only trips since mid-December have involved shopping for groceries...
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In a Vase on Monday: Whimsical, or just weird?
As pandemic restrictions drag on, I've been spending entirely too much time surfing the internet. That's led to some purchases I might not have made otherwise. One of those arrived recently and,...
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My latest succulent bed rehab
Last week I started work cleaning up my street-side succulent bed. Like many such projects, it started small and grew larger - and even now I suspect I'm not ready to leave it alone. Let's just call...
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Odds and Ends
I don't know about you but I've had a horrible time concentrating on anything of late. The political situation is calmer, albeit not without tension. The Coronavirus news is still bleak, although the...
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In a Vase on Monday: Spring is creeping closer
There seems to be a little more color in my garden with each passing week, a sure sign that spring is in the wings. The blue Anemones in my cutting garden are producing more flowers every day so they...
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Wednesday Vignette: Freakish fruit
I was back at work on my street-side succulent bed on Monday. In the process, I gave the Xylosma congestum shrubs we added back in May 2016 to extend the existing hedge a light trim and made a...
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Fabulous February Foliage
As the title of this post indicates, I do love alliteration. But before spring formally arrives and flowers dominate the scene, February is a good time to take stock of the foliage plants that add so...
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IAVOM and Bloom Day Intersection
Two of my favorite memes, In a Vase on Monday and Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, intersect once again this month. This means a longer than usual post, especially as the floral parade is already getting...
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The Wonderful World of Aeoniums
A few years ago, another garden blogger asked readers what they'd call their garden if they were to assign it a name. As I recall, I blithely responded "Lizardville" or possibly "Aeoniumville" but...
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In a Vase on Monday: Sunny with blue skies
Although I've complained aplenty about the lack of rain this year, I know we're far luckier in the weather department than people in a good percentage of the United States at present. We haven't been...
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Sometimes it's best to just jump in
There are a lot of projects in the garden that I never seem to get to, even these days when there's arguably more time available to focus on such tasks. Recently, I launched two such projects without...
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Early Spring Blooms at South Coast Botanic Garden
Yesterday, I paid my first visit to South Coast Botanic Garden after an absence of four months. They've been advertising a "superbloom" event but it's not a superbloom in the conventional sense of the...
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