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The lath house's summer spruce-up
Despite predictions that our morning marine layer is doomed to fall prey to climate change, it remains intact for now. Visitors to coastal Southern California may be disappointed by our gray morning...
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In a Vase on Monday: A new spin on the same old flowers
I'm still trying to make use of my remaining cool season blooms while they're presentable. Our morning marine layer has been present more often than not over the past two weeks, keeping our afternoon...
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Should it stay or should it go? (round 2)
The dwarf Jacaranda 'Bonsai Blue' I raised questions about two weeks ago is still in place but, absent a remarkable change in its appearance it isn't reasonable to expect, it'll probably go as soon as...
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New plants, garden chores & rabbits
I aim to avoid planting anything new during SoCal's "warm season" but I seldom succeed in stopping altogether. I cut myself some slack when it comes to succulents as most of them handle summer's...
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In a Vase on Monday: Better than expected
I wasn't feeling particularly inspired by the contents of my garden this week. I decided to cut two stems of the pink lily in my backyard border, not because it was especially compelling, but because...
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Bloom Day - June 2022
We're at the juncture between spring and summer. It's arguable that summer is already well underway in my location, even if our morning marine layer (popularly known as "June gloom") has kept the...
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What's the local response to our severe drought?
The short answer is: it's too early to tell. I walked the neighborhood this week for the first time in almost 6 months but there are few obvious signs of response to California's new water...
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In a Vase on Monday: A little of this and a little of that
My dahlias are coming along with buds on at least four plants thus far but, based on past experience, I suspect I have weeks to wait before I see flowers. There are buds on three of the lilies that...
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Temporarily out of commission
Our backyard fountain, inherited with the garden, is a focal point. It features prominently in many of my photos, particularly my quarterly wide shots.This photo was taken in preparation for my last...
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Sidetracked
Another unexpected chore sidetracked my plans in the garden mid-week. A glance at our latest water bill on Tuesday evening showed that we'd used 150% of the amount used during the same period last...
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In a Vase on Monday: Foghorns and falling leaves
As I collected materials for today's vases yesterday morning I listened to the call of foghorns from the Los Angeles harbor, as well as the flutter of leaves falling from the Magnolia tree in our front...
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My Mangave Collection
I've been planning to inventory my Mangave collection for some time. A Mangave is a hybrid of a plant with parents from two genera, Manfreda and Agave. The mix varies, which in turn produces plants...
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Wide Shots - July 2022
Every July, I wonder why I set up my quarterly wide shots schedule to include one of my least favorite months in the garden. A March, June, September and December schedule would have been much more...
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In a Vase on Monday: A nod to Independence Day
Given the majority of the US Supreme Court decisions released over the past two weeks and the testimony coming out of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol in...
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Agave 'Blue Glow' reproduction
I've joked on and off about my fear that all the 'Blue Glow' Agaves in my south side garden will bloom at once. Agaves are monocarpic, which means that they die once they bloom. 'Blue Glow', a hybrid...
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A garden center's efforts to educate the public
Last Saturday, my husband and I paid a visit to Roger's Gardens in Orange County. My husband doesn't generally accompany me to a garden center, at least not willingly. The purpose of this visit was...
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In a Vase on Monday: Large, medium & small
A few new blooms popped up last week but there wasn't a plentiful supply of any of them so the challenge was what to make of each. That led to three arrangements: one large, one medium-sized, and one...
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House Plants
As the weather gets warmer, I spend more time in the house, at least during the hottest part of the day. At one time I had lots of indoor plants to keep me company. I started collecting them when I...
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Bloom Day - July 2022
It's July. One of my least favorite months, running neck-in-neck with August. While temperatures in my area have been remarkably cooler than usual so far this month, especially by comparison to other...
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In a Vase on Monday: Dahlia season is on!
Nine of my dahlias are still in a holding pattern but five plants have produced blooms so I think I can officially declare dahlia season open. The majority of my dahlias didn't show up until September...
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