Clik here to view.
In a Vase on Monday: Beware of Wind Gusts
It seems as though the wind blew more often than not through the entire month of February. In my location, the air is usually at its stillest in the morning hours, picking up in the afternoon. I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wednesday Vignette: A sprinkle of stardust
At last week's visit to South Coast Botanic Garden, the floral display that most impressed me wasn't that created by the tulips or daffodils but rather two apricot trumpet trees located in the garden's...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Gearing up for spring
Spring starts early in my part of the world, where winter freezes are a purely theoretical concept. This year, rain has also seemed an abstract notion, although we did get a little bit of it this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In a Vase on Monday: The triplets get a new look
The unbroken blooms of Hippeaestrum 'Aphrodite' I used in my first arrangement last week did indeed open gradually over the course of the week. The broken stem I placed in a tiny bowl of water also...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wednesday Vignette: Is that all there is?
Weather forecasts predicted that we might get one of the best rainstorms we've had this season today. I heard the rain start in the wee hours of the morning and literally dreamed that I woke up to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A fresh start!
Things are looking brighter. This week brought rain! In all, it amounted to about eight-tenths of an inch but, given the sorry state of our rainy season this year, I consider that a lot. In addition...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Another IAVOM - Bloom Day Mash-up
My two favorite memes, "In a Vase on Monday" and "Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day" overlap again today. This makes for a longer than usual post but at least the subject material has a direct relationship....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wednesday Vignette: Want a ride?
Yesterday, I was finishing round one in the garden before going in for lunch and I looked up and saw something I hadn't seen in some time.I used to see the Goodyear blimps quite often but it seems as...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Spring garden frenzy
Time is zipping by. As we officially welcome spring, I'm hustling to finish some of the pruning I should've completed in late winter. But every time I walk through the garden, I'm distracted from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In a Vase on Monday: Spring Bounty
At this time of year, with new flowers appearing every time I turn around, it isn't easy to hone in on choices for inclusion in a vase. I generally pick one thing to serve as a centerpiece and then...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wednesday Vignette: Creeping fog or creepy fog?
I wasn't sure how to describe the fog I noticed early last Friday evening as I was finishing up my garden chores. The way it crept along the edges of the harbor, surrounding but not engulfing it, made...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Clean up on aisle five
On Monday afternoon, I headed down to the succulent bed on the front slope I partially replanted last year to tuck in three small plants I'd picked up during my last spin through my local garden...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In a Vase on Monday: A snappy parade
I've always had trouble growing snapdragons, which is sad because I love the flowers. But our morning marine layer; the fact that most, if not all, of the rain we get comes in winter when the plants...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wednesday Vignette: A visit from the Easter bunny?
In the flurry of post-vaccination activities - my first dental visit in over a year, my first eye examination in two years, and my first haircut in over six months among other things - I'd nearly lost...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wide Shots - April 2021
Every quarter I take a series of wide shots of my garden, which I use to track differences from year to year. While the volume of flowers is noticeably lower this year, presumably due to our pitifully...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In a Vase on Monday: Springtime Sprint
After several very warm days last week, my garden seems to be moving into a sprint to get its spring blooms out before summer-like temperatures put an end to them. My guess is that the calla lilies...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wednesday Vignette: Water Leak Worries
I'm a worrier by nature. Maybe I was that from infancy, although I don't remember worrying about much of anything until I was six. One morning I went to see what my grandmother was up to as she was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Plants crowding their neighbors
With the advent of warm weather a lot of plants are putting on major growth spurts and suddenly I have a variety of issues with plants not just rubbing elbows but actually swamping one another. The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In a Vase on Monday: Pretty in Peach - and Pink
Cheered by my relative success in growing a mix of snapdragon plugs this year without a touch of rust, I ordered three more plants in February from my favorite mail order nursery. Unfortunately, as...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bloom Day - April 2021
Despite our abysmally low rainfall, the garden is full of flowers this month. And by that, I mean it's bordering on crazy, even by my standards. As I knew I had a busy week coming up, I started...
View Article