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Olla version 2.0
So last week I showed off my first attempt at creating do-it-yourself ollas to provide moisture to garden plants using less water. As I explained in that post, ollas are unglazed clay pots, which when...
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In a Vase on Monday: Battle-weary
Our recent heatwave was one for the history books. While the temperature in my location topped out at 106F (41C) on the fourth day, the heatwave continued for ten days, which is unusual. Luckily, the...
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Bloom Day - September 2022
I'm getting a one day jump on Garden Bloggers Bloom Day as Wednesday is a better fit for my schedule this week. Due to the extended heatwave that concluded just last Friday, there are far fewer...
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Hurricane drama
We didn't actually experience a hurricane along coastal Southern California late last week but we did get a taste of the remnants of one. Hurricane Kay started in the Pacific and hit landfall in Baja...
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In a Vase on Monday: Change is in the air
Maybe it's just the sudden shift from scorching temperatures to much cooler afternoons with pleasant breezes but the seasonal change feels palpable at present. Late September and October can be very...
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The garden isn't always pretty
I admit that I tend to develop a negative outlook on my garden as summer oh so slowly winds down. Our long dry spell, which usually starts in April and stretches into late October or November, feels...
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What thrived and what died this summer
This summer posed a number of challenges for plants in my garden. Winter rainfall was low for the second year in a row, leaving us dry even before summer began. Water restrictions tightened and...
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In a Vase on Monday: Something from nothing
With the plants in my cutting garden rapidly succumbing to the combination of heat and mildew, I didn't immediately see any good prospects to fill a vase. I fixated on a red and white dahlia bloom in...
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Natural differences
Many gardeners look forward to ripe apples and pears each fall but those fruits don't do well in my part of coastal Southern California. Due to limited hours of winter chill, most fruit trees other...
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My garden is a mess...
After waiting two weeks for word on a date to replace 100+ feet of water pipe, we received a call late Tuesday afternoon advising us that, due to a delay on another project, the plumber's team could...
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In a Vase on Monday: At least there are still some dahlias
Our water pipe replacement project was up and running with last minute notice from the plumber late Tuesday afternoon. Another of the plumber's projects was delayed so he was able to fit us in and we...
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Easing into fall garden projects
After the hassles and drama of our latest water leak turned into a wholesale pipe replacement project, I decided to take things a little easier this week by starting on a few smaller projects. I've...
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Putting my bromeliad-succulent bed back together
One on the principal casualties of our recent water pipe replacement was the bromeliad-succulent bed that borders our northwest property line. Originally created in November 2017 and refreshed two...
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In a Vase on Monday: Finally!
At last, one of the recalcitrant dahlias deigned to make an appearance just as most of the rest are eyeing the exit. Admittedly, I acquired two tubers of of Dahlia 'Fairway Spur' in a late season sale...
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Something Wicked This Way Comes
Perhaps it's too early for the frightening tales associated with Halloween but let me explain the title of this post. Something Wicked This Way Comes is a novel published by Ray Bradbury in 1962. I...
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Bloom Day - October 2022
I'm a day ahead of the official schedule for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day but I've been busy in the garden and had to fit my post in when I had the time to work on it. My garden is in its late-summer...
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In a Vase on Monday: Going but not gone
Neither my dahlias nor my zinnias are going to last much longer. In its current state, I figure that my cutting garden may have one more week of flowers to offer - barring another heatwave, further...
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Time for a giveaway!
I'm fairly certain I offered a giveaway from my garden earlier this year but, if that's so, I can't find documentation of it. I've been thinking of putting out plants for neighbors to take since I...
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Busy taking care of the little things
While my husband finished up his work rehabbing our irrigation system, I got rolling on the garden projects I'd long had on hold.Replacing our main water line turned out to be just the first step in...
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In a Vase on Monday: Everything must go!
It's time to pull up my warm-season cutting garden. I've been tossing plants out here and there for the past month and just about every remaining plant looks sad. I'm already late in sowing my sweet...
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