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In a Vase on Monday: Unlikely Companions
Yellow is one of my favorite colors (along with blue and green) but even so, I find some strong yellows off-putting. Still, the Didelta 'Silver Strand' I planted in November had recently produced so...
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Wednesday Vignette: A colorful character
On Sunday morning, as I was cutting flowers, I was listening to the birds. The hummingbirds were buzzing my Grevilleas while the finches were splashing in the fountain when they thought I was far...
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April Visit to Sherman Gardens
A friend and I paid a visit to Sherman Library & Gardens last week. I've been there many times but this was my friend's first visit. Located in Corona del Mar, it's very small as botanic gardens...
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In a Vase on Monday: Another take on orange and blue
Remarkably, we got a touch of rain late last week. It wasn't much, just 0.18/inch (4.6mm) but, as I expected nothing, it was appreciated. In what appears to be an unfortunate pattern, the low...
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Wednesday Vignette: Learning to live together
Spring brings color, wonder and joy into our lives but, in my area, it's also known to bring an increase in coyote activity. Coyotes breed in January through March and their pups are generally born in...
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There's always room for one more (succulent) plant
This week, the Metropolitan Water District  of Southern California (MWD) announced that, effective June 1st, it will limit outside irrigation to once a week in large sections of its service area. The...
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In a Vase on Monday: Flashy Flowers
Two flashy flowers demanded center stage this week so of course I have two arrangements, not that you wouldn't already expect that from me. However, I made an effort to keep both arrangements simpler...
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SCBG's Topiary Menagerie
Yesterday, I paid a visit to South Coast Botanic Garden, approximately 6 miles from my home. My principal purpose was to look in on this year's tropical butterfly exhibit. I'll provide a run-down of...
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SOARing with the butterflies
After I'd run down most of the topiary displays at South Coast Botanic Garden I checked in at the tropical butterfly exhibit, officially known as SOAR. It was uncrowded when I entered just before 10am...
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In a Vase on Monday: Zombie gets a new life
I've been delighted to find that several of the Hippeastrum bulbs I've transplanted into garden beds here and there have returned and bloomed. Last week, I featured a Hippeastrum 'Aphrodite' in one...
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Just pretty spring views
Given that this is the third of my posts within a week's time to feature photos from last week's visit to my local botanic garden, you may suspect that I spent a lot of time there but in actuality I...
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May 2022 Bloom Day (2 days early)
I knew I wasn't going to have time to work on my May Bloom Day post over the weekend so I put it together ahead of schedule. Rather than hold it until Sunday, May 15th, I also decided to go ahead and...
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In a Vase on Monday: Just peachy
On Saturday, I noticed that the Matilija poppy (Romneya coulteri) on our back slope was sporting five blooms. Although I've tried to remove the thuggish plant twice, even enlisting my husband's help...
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SCBG's plant sale returns
A friend and I turned up at South Coast Botanic Garden on Saturday morning to attend the garden's first plant sale since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. On this occasion, the event was held in the...
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May foliage standouts
After the glut of floral color that was my May Bloom Day post, it seemed appropriate to publish a review of the foliage standouts in my garden as a kind of palate cleanser. I took a lot of photos but,...
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In a Vase on Monday: Making use of my cool season blooms
The weather has been bizarre this year - and I realize that this isn't just true of coastal Southern California. Here, we've had brief heat spells on and off since January but, each time I fear summer...
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Should it stay or should it go?
 A bit silly-looking, isn't it? That's a photo of my Jacaranda mimosifolia 'Bonsai Blue' taken yesterday. I took several photos of it from different angles at different times in the hope that seeing...
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Gardening is solace for the soul
Just when I thought the news couldn't get any uglier, this week it did. I won't rehash the rant included in my last post but suffice it to say that I spent a lot of time in my garden this week. It's...
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In a Vase on Monday: Kicking off the summer season
Today is Memorial Day in the US. Officially, it's a day to recognize the people who gave their lives in military service. Unofficially, it marks the start of summer. In Southern California gardens,...
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Back patio refresh
During the height of the pandemic, we hosted several informal lunch get-togethers on our back patio. At mid-day, it's generally a very sunny spot and, to provide our guests relief from the sun's heat...
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