This Gardening Life

Inspiring trip to Rancho Reubidoux

2011-11-08T08:27:00.000-08:00

It's autumn, which means time for major clean up at Casa Grande. The recent wind and rain has left the place pretty ragged. But the big Chinese elm in the backyard is going to be trimmed next week, so no point in doing any vacuuming of the pea stone yet.

In the meantime, EZ Go Marge, Bug Blog sister and I trekked to Rancho Reubidoux for their Garden Bazaar on Saturday. FUN! I loved the way the garden is laid out with a nice seating area defined by wooden decking level with the pea gravel. (I love pea gravel!)

This pitchfork was turned into a planter.

I purchased an old colander ($10!) with a nice grey/green patina and used the pitchfork idea to make a planter.

Thanks to the friendly owners of Ranch Reubidoux for an inspiring day. Can't wait for their next sale.

Harvest

2010-06-29T19:28:00.001-07:00

So, the tomato plants have begun to bear ripened fruit. The ratty looking plant in the unglazed pot is producing nicely. I've tasted the first two to ripen and found them in need of peeling, but otherwise tasty. Not, however, measuring up to the memory of my father's tomatoes back in the day. Probably a symptom of the "sickness of nostalgia" described by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I remember dad saying "everything tastes better with salt." Sadly.

While they did not disappoint, they did not thrill. Here's hoping that as the plants mature, and the sun finally shines in July and August, and the habanero chilies fruit, and the birds don't eat them first, (do birds eat habaneros?) there will be gazpacho enough for a midsummer night's dream.

Sunny with a Chance of Tomatoes

2010-05-31T12:23:00.000-07:00

So, like the rest of the gardeners in the US, I succumbed to the lure of home grown tomatoes this year. Since I have precious little sun in my yard, my only option is to grown them in pots in front of the garage door. These are two plants purchased at the Green Scene last month. The larger clay pot with the big plant is drying out every day. Looks pretty scraggly at the bottom. But there are tomatoes. Hooray. The smaller Roma plant in the glazed clay pot looks green and strong. Also has tomatoes. We shall see if the taste and satisfaction from growing them myself was worth the effort. The basil is yummy.

Golden Sunday Backyard Bluebirds

2010-05-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

The cats and I were having a glass of wine in the backyard after I returned from work this evening, when a male bluebird alighted on a branch in the old fig tree above me. He was keeping a close watch on the Katz Brothers, and me as well. I didn't notice his partner until later. Could not tell if they are living nearby or protecting young 'uns in the bluebird box I bought at the Green Scene in '09. Had noticed them building a nest in the box a few weeks ago, but they were being harassed by what looked like a Wilson's Warbler, and I thought they had moved on. This is the only time I've seen them since. Maybe I have not been paying close enough attention.

After tricking the boys into climbing into my lap for a scratch and tail pull, I tossed them into the house, so the bluebirds would relax. Unfortunately a Mockingbird decided to intimidate them, and they moved away.

A swarm of gnats in front of the bluebird box looked like flecks of gold in the evening glow.

Here is some info on the Western Bluebird. Here is some more.

Green Scene Booty 2010 and redux

2010-04-22T17:53:00.000-07:00

Green Scene is my favorite event of the entire year.
And each year the Green Scene seems to reflect the mood of the gardening public. I can remember years where the MUST HAVE plant was clematis. And roses, particularly the David Austins and Romanticas. Then the perennials took over. And cottage garden plants.

In the last few years the succulent/cactus growers have far outnumbered the rest of the offerings. There have been an increasing number of vendors with native plants also. A very good trend, and one nurtured by the offerings in the Potting Shed at the Arboretum all year round.
However...
I'm christening this year, the YEAR of the TOMATO. Tomatoes were everywhere. Every size, shape, and color. Heirlooms to beefsteaks. Get out the salt shakers!

So, in my previous post from today, you may note a few items from last year's stash. (See Green Scene Booty, April 2009) The bulbine I purchased last year is visible behind the nasturtiums. It's spread out nicely and produced some lovely flower stalks.

The scented geranium, also pictured in the What's Blooming on Earth Day post, is doing well in a pot just inside the driveway gate. The fuzzy plectrantus also survived.

The flat as a pancake aeonium has just about outgrown this pot. Time to transplant into a larger bowl shaped container. Maybe it will flower?

This succulent thingie I got last year, can't remember the name, loves the shade, but got mealy bug last summer. Gone now. Tripled in size. Might transplant it into the ground in a nice shady spot out back. I like the flat fern-like growth.

Here's this year's purchases, (minus the tomatoes and catnip we planted over at Biker Boy's house) parked in my very special second (or third) hand Radio Flyer, painted green. I love the way it goes thunkity thunk.

What is it about catmint? Can't resist it. Must be that perfect combination of lavender and greyish green. Got some catnip, too. The cats have already smashed it down. Why do cats need to lie on the stuff? There's some dill in there... goes good with salmon. And some nice yellow sedum. And a shade tolerant mimulus.

Must get them planted.

What's Blooming on Earth Day?

2010-04-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

What's Blooming in April?

2010-04-13T19:09:00.001-07:00

Madame Alfred Carriere, of course. This French beauty is the light of my life in April when its first bloom blows me away with it's gentle scent and delicate pink flowers. I can't bear to cut them. There must be over 200 roses on the 12 ft. tall climber right now. It reminds me so much of French Haute Couture. There is a skirt at Paula, (my favorite place for guilty shopping in Tustin), that is covered with flowers just like this. Wearing that skirt would make me think of the Madame all year round.

It's just impossible for me to get a photograph that shows the density of the roses on this... what do I call it?... It's practically a tree! I can see it through the picture window next to my computer desk as I work. Such a satisfying thing, to have this wonder of nature repeat this show for me each spring.

Hooray! The lilac bloomed again. This time the flowers are well formed. But there are still so few. I think the shade from the Euphorbia Cotinifolia is too dense. I would consider moving it, but it took five years to get a bloom! Pruning the Euphorbia in the winter might be a better option.

Bluebird Alert! I think I have a nesting pair. Hoping to get photos this weekend.

Don't forget the Green Scene at the Fullerton Arboretum this weekend. It's my most favorite and anticipated event of the year. Is that just too nerdy?

No Rain! Count Birds! Admire Garden! Pull Weeds!

2010-02-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

It's a beautiful day in Fullerton. Not a cloud in the sky with the mercury in the most temperate of ranges. Here are a few photos of what's blooming and who is visiting...

Hardenbergia is outstanding this year. It's in it's fourth year, and with less competition from other vines and a heavy pruning of the elm, it has exploded into a wonderful purple haze.

After the rain, the birdbath below the hardenbergia filled with beautiful debris.

Candy Corn loves being potted. It had been in the ground in part shade for years and never bloomed like this.

Don't forget the Great Backyard Bird Count this weekend. You can sign up by clicking the link.
It's easy, and you can count yourself as a citizen scientist.

I love how the birdies wait their turn.

Serenade in Blue

2009-09-11T07:51:00.001-07:00

Monet has inspired artists and gardeners for over 100 years. Several of the Waterlily paintings are now on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Here is a link to the article in the New York Times about the exhibition.

Listening to Thoreau

2009-08-25T15:44:00.000-07:00

SIMPLIFY!!! It's my yearly after-Fair battle cry.
This year I mean it. Home Depot has Japanese Boxwood for $3.33 a gallon. So far I've planted 24. (see neatly stacked one gallon pots above.) I'm tired of chaos. These chaotic times call for structure, and nothing says structure like buxus, particularly at 3 for ten bucks.

Each year at the end of Fair I swear I will not, once again, bring home all the palms to tend until next year. I swear I will not bring home the poor sad bloomed out homeless kalachoe. I promise myself No More Pothos. Alas, all are back looking for a spot to rest in the garden.

Returning to the garden after four months of neglect I find everything overgrown, raggedy, and full of spiders. The bird feeders empty. Weeds peaking up through the pea stone walks. Billions of Chinese Elm seeds already falling. Entropy.

With my planting, pruning and cleaning done for the week, mercifully limited by the size of my one brown (why brown and not green?) green waste trash can provided by the city of Fullerton, I swept spiders and leaves off my chairs for a shady sit down. Where's the chardonnay?

It's Only Fair

2009-05-18T07:38:00.001-07:00

As you can see by the dates on this blog, I've been out of touch for a few weeks. It's Fair Time! Or at least Pre-Fair Time, which is really busy for me.

This year with the new Administration Building not yet complete, the exhibits department has relocated to the Centennial Farm. Other departments are scattered around the farm area in trailers. One of the really pleasant things about this is that there are always school children and their teachers running around, the oxen team is out of their stall and demonstrating their talent, and when picking up the mail or delivering something to one of the trailers, I have to pass by the herb garden, or give the lamb named Obama a little chuck under the chin, or say hello to the pigs who have been safely sequestered from humans who might give them the flu.

Passing the herb garden, I like to tug on the rosemary, fennel or dill and take the lovely earthy scent with me back to my desk.

Wednesday is entry deadline for this year's OC Fair. If you grow the prettiest flowers, the biggest pumpkins, paint the best pictures or take gorgeous photos, you will want to get those entries in. I'll be in the Silo building helping folks who don't use a computer enter their handiwork today and tomorrow.

Meanwhile, back at Casa Grande, with Biker Boy riding cross country in the Mojave desert for the weekend, and Saturday's successful de-accessioning of some of my no longer needed earthly goods, Sunday was spent cleaning up (nyjer seed! ARGH.) and rearranging plants. Some that are a little sun sensitive, like the potted Gruss an Achen roses and Brunfelsia latifolia, were pushed into a part of the garden that gets filtered afternoon shade.

The Katz Brothers were also happy I was home.

Hope Springs Eternal...

2009-04-27T16:42:00.000-07:00

..in the human breast, said Alexander Pope.

He must have been a gardener.

This scrawny excuse for a lilac bush was planted in the front of Casa Grande more than 5 years ago. I've lost count of the springs I have waited patiently for a bloom or two, hoping for a whiff of that lovely and nostalgic scent known to all who have lived in a climate with a winter freeze. April is the cruelest month.

Alas! Alack!
And Eureka! My sorely tried patience has been richly rewarded. Meager though these blooms may be, the smell is one and the same of my childhood spent in a colder climate....not that I want to go back there, no, no. The scent of these few blooms will suffice.

Next year....

Hope springs eternal in the human breast.

Vision of Eden

2009-04-23T12:52:00.000-07:00

Many years ago I visited Monet's garden in Giverny, France. Visited is not the right word... made a pilgrimage is more like it. The verticality in his garden inspired me to think about the garden as a full visual palette from ground to sky. In the book Monet's Passion by Elizabeth Murray, the author, who worked at Giverny for nine months as a volunteer, offers sketches, photographs, and wonderful advice about how that vision of paradise is maintained to this day.

Another favorite picture book is Visions of Paradise, by Marina Schinz (out of print). Many of the gardens depicted have strong vertical lines. My favorite is the laburnum walk in Rosemary Verey's garden. It must be a glimpse of heaven to walk beneath the arbor in full bloom.

Here at Casa Grande several sturdy Smith and Hawken arbors and trellises support my attempts to get color up into the air. The climbing Eden roses are stout enough after 8 years to no longer need external support. They are especially pretty this year so I wanted to share them.

The Edens got a heavy haircut last January, were doused with epsom salts at the beginning of March, and fertilized a week later.

They survived the 100 degree weather last week nicely with a little extra water and seem to be at their peak today at 65 degrees and overcast.

Suck it up

2009-04-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

Did I mention my love affair with pea stone? Yes? The easy care, low cost landscaping material has many benefits. There are but two maintenance jobs, weeding and vacuuming. Weeding is done by hand unless it gets out of hand, then out comes the Round Up. The vacuuming is more of a pain in the neck, literally.

After raking up the fallen leaves, the shedding bark from the Chinese elm, and other debris into piles (did I mention raking? and untangling the annoying 100 ft. extension cord?) I put on a mask and protective glasses and strap on the Black and Decker. It's back breaking work for a vintage gardener, but the result is so worth it. Also probably qualifies for weight-bearing exercise, important for said gardener. Team that up with some sunshine and you've multi-tasked your way to better bone health. ( Be sure to wear the mask.)

Green Scene Booty

2009-04-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

No, not that kind of booty! Think pirate booty, only for gardeners.

Green Scene at the Fullerton Arboretum looked to be another success judging from the number of members lined up before the 9 a.m. opening. I enjoyed seeing all those smiling faces full of expectation and willingness to spend their hard earned tax refund on more plants they don't need but must have.

Here are a few of my selections. The little aeonium was irresistible. It's flat as a pancake and needs shade.

Fullerton Beautiful's Annual Garden Tour is next weekend. You can get tickets by going to the Horticulture Dept. at Fullerton College to pay $10 and get a map of the houses on the tour. Proceeds benefit the arboretum and various projects in Fullerton.

99 Cents ONLY!

2009-04-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

Biker Boy loves the 99 cent store. On a casual Sunday afternoon last fall he convinced me to take a break from autumn planting season and come along to check out the bargains.

One of my old colleagues and friends from grad school days told me he bought all his cactus and succulents at the 99 cent store. Just repotted them and left them out somewhere in his orange orchard to grow unattended. He had apparently scored hundreds.

When I arrived at the 99 cent store and saw a rack full of said plants, I bought some. Maybe more than some. Very rewarding! Cheap plants and some nice 10 inch clay pots also for 99 cents each. (Not pictured here.) Must return for more. The little guys are growing and flowering. One of my weekly mow and blow crew said he loves to pass by the mini-collection because it reminds him of home. (Arizona) (sigh)

These are but a few... Sadly, they did not come with name tags.

A Breakthrough with Wisteria

2009-04-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

I've been dreaming of growing a wisteria arbor since I visited Monet's Garden in Giverny, France many years ago and read Wallace Stegner's book Angle of Repose. Stegner made his "wistaria" arbor sound so romantically early California, I thought for sure Casa Grande needed one. But for some crazy reason I have not been able to get one to take hold and flower. For most, the twining vine with the gorgeous purple pendulous blossoms are like Kudzu needing constant vigilance lest it take over the house. In Sierra Madre there is an entire house that was eaten by a wisteria vine.

I thought I had finally gotten one to acclimate and flower in 2003. The vine pumped out a few meager blooms, maybe three. But then we had torrential rains in January 2004. 15 inches in like a day and a half. The poor thing drowned. (Or maybe not.) So I planted another in the backyard on a new iron trellis and hoped for the best once again. Last year I got about a dozen blooms. This year, hallelujah!! and thanks to Pat Welsh by way of my sister, I have a vine full.
Constant pruning is apparently essential. Also sun. Also good drainage. And for insurance, in late winter, I dumped a bucket of epsom salt solution at its base. (Thanks Cindy McNatt!)

Here is some good advice from www.plantanswers.com:
Reluctance of wisteria to bloom abundantly is usually due to a lack of one or more of the following cultural requirements: full sun, good drainage, and light fertilization in the fall, not spring. Another essential is annual pruning, which can be done by shortening new shoots to five buds in summer. If a grafted or cutting-grown Chinese wisteria refuses to flower in three or four years after planting, or a Japanese wisteria is barren after about seven years, prune it heavily and fertilize with superphosphate. If this fails to produce blooms root-prune by driving a spade into the soil 24 inches from the trunk around the plant OR beat the devil out of the trunk!!!

So, guess what happened this year? A strong new wisteria vine has popped out of the ground where the poor drowned one had been planted previously. I guess they really are hard to kill.

A Kind Word About My Tree

2009-04-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

At the far end of town where the grickle grass grows..."

When Jorge was a mere tyke his favorite book was The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. It was read daily for so long we had it memorized.

Eleven years ago during a major downsizing I fell in love with a wreck of a house with an 80 year old Chinese elm in the wreck of a backyard. The tree reminded me of The Lorax. The poor elm had been badly pruned, and then not pruned at all for some time. Though neglected, it exuded a regal air and a sturdy elegance.

Through the years and yearly pruning, the elm has taken on a lovely shape with sinewy long limbs that umbrella the entire backyard of Casa Grande in a cooling shade throughout the summer. It's too big to photograph in one frame due to it's shape and the tightness of the space around it. The trunk at it's base looks like the torso of a woman standing contrapposto. (I read somewhere that trees and humans share 50% of their DNA.)

The elm also provides a fair amount of privacy. With it's arms leafed out from March through November, the yard beneath the tree is not visible on Google Earth.

Groundlings, or, Standing Room Only

2009-04-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

With very little money but an itch to see the newest play by that fellow Shakespeare, you would have purchased a ticket to stand in back with the other "groundlings" hoping to see and hear well enough to enjoy the show. In my garden, in spaces too small or narrow to do anything but stand and look, groundlings hug the dirt, adding color, charm and generally cleaning up the view as I pass from my car to the backyard.

These are not the "steppables" marketed as so by Armstrong Nurseries. They are shade tolerant, creeping and awfully pretty when they flower. Shown here are Lamium, Australian Violets, Nasturtium.

Stag Party

2009-04-01T16:06:00.001-07:00

Many years ago, so many I cannot remember being without them, my mother or someone, maybe my dentist, gave me a staghorn fern...one Platycerium bifurcatum. Through the years, one plant has become many. Some were given away or sold in yard sales. The ones that remain have been either divided and mounted, or were given their very own structures to cling to. Some have become monsters taking over a goodly amount of Casa Grande's real estate. They are ridiculously easy to grow, acting as epiphytes taking their nourishment from rainfall, or whatever seems to come out of the air.

Occasionally, if I think of it, I'll spray some liquid organic fertilizer on them. I hear they like banana peels also. Southern California summers are pretty hot and dry, so I've planted these in baskets or on boards and mounted them to somewhat shady spots, but they can take an amazing amount of sun and abuse.

The brown on the tips does not indicate that the plant is dried out. Called sporangia, they hold spores which, when germinated, form new plants. Both basal and foliar fronds are covered to varying degrees, with small stellate (star-shaped) hairs giving them a silvery cast. These hairs provide some protection from insect pests and conserve moisture.

Staghorns: get some growing and soon you will have your own stag party! No joke!

The Bees are Back in Town

2009-03-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

One of the big gardening stories last year was Colony Collapse Disorder, sudden death syndrome for bees. Here at Casa Grande we noticed a significant drop in the number of bees as evidenced by the poor crop of oranges on my two trees. This year, I'm happy to report that the bees are back. The orange trees have set a lot of fruit, visible now that the blossoms have fallen. My two trees are done flowering, but thankfully the neighborhood is still filled with the euphoric scent of citrus blooms, transporting me to years gone by when I first experienced their heavenly perfume.

Covering Ground

2009-03-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

Scott the Plumber nicknamed my house Casa Grande for reasons obvious to anyone who has owned a vintage home. It sits on a long narrow lot of about 6800 square feet with ample plantable space along the driveway and back 40. In order to keep the watering and mowing to a minimum, a major part of the yard space is covered in pea stone. I like the stone from Lowe's. It's pretty and round and larger than the stuff you get dumped by the scoop on your front driveway so you have to cart it all back wheelbarrow by backbreaking wheelbarrow. And it comes in plastic bags that, while still pretty heavy, are managed by this little old lady and a hand truck.

Pea stone has many advantages. Obviously, no watering. Easy to weed as long as you put weed barrier fabric down before you place the stone. Makes a nice crunching sound when walked upon. Pots look good and drain better on it. I could go on...

One downside was getting it to stay put between the rip rap from my old driveway. It becomes a slip and fall hazard (a major concern to Vintage Gardeners) on top of the concrete chunk. I planted some Australian violets which have slowly filled in the crevices between.

All in all, it's a satisfying combination of materials.

Puzzling Evidence

2009-03-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

What better place than the garden to soak up a few rays, sans sunscreen, and promote the production of Vitamin D, so necessary now that my bones are officially brittle? You would think that after all that hauling of pea stone, rip rap, and potting soil I would have bones of steel.

Here are some of my secret garden spots for vitamin D production and Sudoku solving. Nothing better than heading out to the garden with the LA Times Sudoku and a cup of tea, or better yet wine, pencil behind ear, and strong reading glasses. Multi-tasking for the aging gardener.

Angels in the Architecture

2009-03-23T14:41:00.000-07:00

I love that line from the Paul Simon song, Call me Al.
"He looks around, around
He sees angels in the architecture
Spinning in infinity
He says Amen! and Hallelujah!
If you be my bodyguard, I can be your long lost pal."

Here are some angels and bodyguards stuffed into nooks and hung on the architecture in Casa Grande's cloister.

Sticks on Fire!

2009-03-22T15:27:00.001-07:00

Euphorbia tirucalli, commonly known as Sticks on Fire or red pencil tree, has attained a height of 8 ft. 7 inches in a small patch of ground next to my house. It's one of the few areas on my property that gets a full day's sun and is not watered by in-ground sprinklers. San Marcos Nursery says, "'Sticks on Fire' lacks the chlorophyll of the parent plant and, as such, is much slower growing and probably will never obtain the same size. We guess the ultimate size of 'Sticks on Fire' as 4-8 feet." So, hmph. I dunno. This thing shows no signs of slowing down.

Inspired by the cactus and succulent garden in front of the Fullerton Police Station, I purchased this 6 inch pot of Sticks on Fire from Target and planted it with an aloe, some crassula, and an abused and discarded cereus I rescued from an alley on trash day. (Trash day is a mother lode of free plants for those willing to scrounge.) A few random nasturtium seeds found their way into the area and, voila! I had a lovely little mini garden in no time at all. But then the euphorbia kept growing.

Here is a pot of Sticks I started from cuttings last autumn. Euphorbia tirucalli Propagation is very simple:
Branch cuttings grow with ease, rooting quickly to form dense bushes which if left soon become naturalized and forms a small tree. Cuttings are obtained from older branches; left to dry for a day before planting.

Beware of the milky sap! If you get this on your hands, be sure to wash it off right away or it will burn. It's also really sticky. And poisonous. DO NOT GET IT IN YOUR EYES!!! When taking cuttings or pruning, wear protective glasses and gloves. The cuttings will bleed for a minute or so after the plant is cut. Set cuttings aside for a day to dry the fresh cuts before planting in a cactus mix. You can pretty much ignore them, watering when the soil is dry. I've used rooting hormone on them, but it really isn't needed. They are so easy to grow.

Here is a closeup of the tiny flower that Sticks on Fire produces at the tips of its branches. If you are getting on in years like me, without your readers on you barely notice them as a little yellowish fuzziness this time of year.

It's really easy to love this plant. It's easy to grow, easy to propagate, needs little water, very little fertilizer. You might need to prop it up with some stakes when it gets top heavy. But when it gets big and dense it takes on the look of a pine tree, like in the photo below.
If you want a cutting, come on by.

First Day of Spring 2009

2009-03-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from my garden in honor of the vernal equinox.

Kalanchoe, again

2009-03-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

On a very rainy day last year the Fullerton Arboretum had a cactus and succulent show. Cold and wet were no match for my current zeal for something new for the garden. One of my purchases was a Kalanchoe Gastonis bonnieri
or Donkey Ear Kalanchoe. I potted it up with another variety of Kalanchoe and a variegated Aeonium. It grew to about 4 ft. tall, including the flower stalk and gave me several plantlets from the tips of the main leaves, as seen at the left.

Once the plantlets have a bit of root coming from the base they are easily pulled off the mother plant to be potted up on their own.
Here is one that I planted a couple of months ago.

There were several others that I added to pots here and there around the garden, but this one, sharing space on a partly shaded iron rack with some cactus I bought at the 99 cent store seems to be doing the best. It's dressed with this very cool black pea sized stone I got from Lowe's last year. The garden guy told me they ordered it by mistake. I bought 10 bags.

Next project is to try to grow some from seed. Patience is a gardener's friend so I resisted snipping off the flower heads in hopes of a future bounty of Donkey Ears. Hee Haw.

The Tyranny of Wild Things

2008-08-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, I have been back to the Wild Birds Unlimited store three times. Each time I am enticed into purchasing more stuff to support the wild birds around my house. I had never, in ten years of residence, seen a squirrel on my property. That deficit has been filled.

I tried shooing her away several times, but she is clearly very hungry and possibly used to people trying to shoo her away. She looks silky and well fed. I suspect she is either pregnant or nursing some little squirrels in a undisclosed location. She seems to love sunflower seeds enough to let me come within two feet of her while she is snacking.

Is that not a face you could love? I feel guilty about moving the bird feeder to a more secure location.

Back to Wild Birds Unlimited for some squirrel food.

A Day off in May

2008-05-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

Oh my. How did it become 2008? And May yet.

The Madame Alfred Carrier has bloomed out without a photo record of the most fabulous first bloom of it's 7 year life. I'm guessing over 300 roses bloomed at about the same time. It's been a wonderful spring here in Fullerton. We had just the right amount of rain at just the right time. Everything in the garden seems happy. Lots of bees. Lots of birds, particularly since I've become the crazy neighborhood bird lady. Jorge moved out taking his two cats, so the birds have free reign. Wild Birds Unlimited is my new one stop shop for all things bird related. Lesser goldfinches (not inferior, just smaller), (Dad is feeding his fledgling on the left.),

a mated pair of towhees, and lots of house finches have visited. The hummingbirds are fighting over this territory, too, but there is lots to share and room for more.

The honeysuckle, above, purchased at the Green Scene three years ago is thriving now and a hummer favorite.

Three years seems to be the magic number for a lot of plants. The wisteria in the backyard bloomed nicely this year, too. And at long last, the lilac in front pushed out about half a dozen blooms. So exciting! Sorry, no photo, but here is a link. I almost gave up on it and threatened to yank it if it didn't perform. Who says threats don't work?

Clematis can be tricky here in hot So Cal, but this one has roots in the shade, head in the sun. It's sterile, so the birds and the bees ignore it. The flowers remind me of big lavender powder puffs.

Boy, have I been remiss

2007-03-08T22:46:00.000-08:00

Ok. so, no photo.

But my first rose of the season bloomed today. It's only March 8th. I didn't even fertilize the roses until about a week ago because I didn't want them to bloom while I was on vacation. But well. best laid plans, and global warming. I've turned off my heat for the year and it's not even spring yet.

Stark Naked

2007-01-22T22:10:00.000-08:00

Rose pruning was a few weeks late this year. Finally got around to the major job of the season, pruning back the Madame. Here are the before and afters.... Everything looks so sad and barren when the Madame is naked.

Golden on Golden

2006-12-09T11:13:00.000-08:00

My liquidambar tree, or American Sweetgum, is finally in full glorious fall foliage, later than usual this year, but just in time for the holidays. Last year the tree turned red before dropping it's leaves. Two years ago, and again this year, the tree is mostly golden tinged with red, except for the south facing leaves which are mostly red with green.

Liquidambars are ubiquitous here in OC. It's a wonderful shade tree through the warm summer months and is one of the few reliable trees that provide fall foliage.

The seed pod, or fruit, is a spiney little ball. Hundreds of them will drop off the tree before it leafs out again in the spring. Beware the barefoot gardener!

Since the tree is deciduous, it's best to prune in the winter (in southern California, at least) when the tree is dormant. You can get a clear picture of the bones of the tree then. Cutting off the lower branches will help the tree grow taller if that is your aim. I've left the lower branches on because we are prone to Santa Ana winds. The lower branches keep the tree achored better than having the tree top heavy. I've planted mine in front of my house for privacy and the pure pleasure of seeing the autumn showstopping color framed by the picture window. It brings the outdoors in. During the winter months while the tree is dormant, it allows the sun to flow in through that window and warm the house on cool mornings. (Hopefully, we will have a few of those this January, just for a little variety.)

Planted about five years ago, my tree stands taller than the house and stalwart through the recent heavy winds.

Now don't you wish you awakened each morning to the sight of this lovely tree?

Weird and Wonderful Kalanchoe

2006-11-26T07:05:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm becoming more and more enamored with cactus, succulents and euphorbia. They are fascinating in their variety of form and habit, generally easy to tend and for the most part drought tolerant.

Kalanchoe (cal an KO ee) is a member of the Crassulaceae family of succulents.

The most commonly found variety kalanchoe blossfeldiana, pictured with the white flowers at the left, can be found at any nursery or Home Depot. The flowers bloom several times a year here in southern California where they like the shade or a bit of filtered sun. The flowers bloom in a range of colors from white to hot pink, orange and yellow. I've seen some lately with double flowers, cute little puffs of color. These are easy to propagate from cuttings, are low growing and very rewarding in pots.

Other varieties growing in my garden, both in ground and in pots are a type that reproduces by growing new plantlets at the tips of their fleshy leaves. When these plantlets fall off of the fleshy leaves into the soil, they take root and produce new plants.

Chandelier Plant, Bryophyllum tubiflorum, whose orange flower stalk appears below, has a spotted tube shaped "leaf" with the plantlets growing at the tips. Mine has flowered and will die off soon. But it has dropped several new plants into the ground, and I hope for a new crop next year.

Mother of Thousands, above and below, kalanchoe daigremontiana or Bryophyllum daigremontianum
also propagates itself by dropping tiny plantlets off it's leaf margins. I have a variegated purplish one, seen below and a solid green one. The variegated variety has many more leaves and has started a varitable kalanchoe farm in the soil below.

These plants originated in Madagascar which seems to have the most wild, odd and wonderful plants grown anywhere on the planet.

In my next post I'll show a few more varieties of kalanchoe.

View from My Window

2006-11-09T18:52:00.000-08:00

Now that the election is over I can hopefully extricate myself from the grip of the tractor beam that pulls me to the computer each morning. Bad enough that I refuse to leave the house until the LA Times SuDoku is done.

As you can see by the photo my new focus in the garden is succulents, cactus and euphorbia. Drought tolerant for the most part, and endless variety. Sculptural in every way, complete with flowery tassels.

I'll be blogging about these in the days to come.

And yes, that appendage in the lower right corner is my router, not a stapelea.

Roses in October

2006-10-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

I can remember many past October days of near 100 degree heat with hot dry wind, sitting (standing, yelling) for my son's soccer team. Not this year. At least so far. Maybe last January's heat wave balances out our very cool, overcast autumn. The roses are once again happy. This David Austin rose Molineux Yellow is planted in a fairly smallish pot (for a rose) in the front of Casa Grande. And boy, does it hate the heat. During this summer's massive three week record breaking heat wave I pruned it back to nothing to give it and the other potted roses a rest. It's once again five feet tall and popping out these eye popping blooms. Bring on the rain! (I reserve the right to take back that last statement if we have another January like '05.)

Hostess with the Mostest

2006-10-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

Red passion flower vine, passiflora coccinea, covers a six foot wide arbor at the front of Casa Grande near the driveway. This time of year it becomes a management problem. But cutting it back is fraught with guilt. It's the host plant for a butterfly I see frequently in my garden, the Gulf Fritillary, pictured here.
After close inspection, turns out butterflies are not the only thing being hosted.

This nest of paper wasps is under the arbor nestled in with some dead leaves. The thicket of leaves above is excellent protection from wind, rain and predators. The arbor is so densely entwined, it is sure to blow over with the first big Santa Ana blow.
Last year when the arbor blew over, I cut back the passion flower to it's main stem, about three feet tall. I feared it would not grow back. Boy, was I wrong.

Art + Garden = Monet

2006-10-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

"My Garden is my most beautiful masterpiece." Claude Monet

I have a photo of Claude Monet on my desk. You can't think about art and gardening without referencing Monet. He nearly went bankrupt trying to support his garden. Spent so much time watering it ( most of it needed to be done by hand, carting the water from the creek that fed the Japanese Garden.) he didn't have time to paint. I can relate. He prioritized, and the garden came first. He also loved to cook. When I visited his home in Giverny in 1992 it was like a spiritual quest. I felt a deep connection to him.
As I toured through his home I was excited to see that Claude had collected at least one of the same Japanese woodblock prints I have.

Oddly enough, I once dated a guy named Larry who looks just like Monet. He was an artist, a photographer. These crazy sort of connections are fascinating, like what happens when writing your thesis. Once you get going, all these little coincidences and factoids start falling in your lap to support your thesis statement. I used to frequent a gallery in Union Square in San Francisco that featured Japanese Woodblock prints. One time, after making some purchases at the end of the gallery's business hours I was out front waiting for a cab. The owner came out to strike up a conversation. He asked me which artists I collected, besides Yoshitoshi, whose work I had just purchased. I told him about a Japanese contemporary artist named Masami Teraoka. The gallery owner said, "Very interesting. Masami Teraoka also buys prints from me. He also collects Yoshitoshi." Another connection. I wonder if Masami likes Monet, gardening and cooking?

Purple Haze

2006-10-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

In southern CA where I live, purple haze not only refers to the Jimmy Hendrix classic but to the annual May-June blooming of the Jacarandas.

There are several streets in my neighborhood planted with these lovely (but stinky!) trees. It's fun to walk or drive down these streets during the May/June bloom to feel the serenity of being enveloped in the lavendar glow. The presence of purple in one's aura is transitory and indicates the presence of spiritual thoughts. When I walk through the blooming Jacarandas I feel the presence of the hand of Mother Earth.

But those blooms last only a month at best, and they leave a lingering odor not unlike the smell of cat pee. During the rest of the year my purple haze of choice is Mexican Salvia (salvia leucantha above) which suffices nicely with no after odor, just a nice sagey smell.

I love the fuzzy color spikes. I have some planted under my kitchen window. Hummingbirds come to feed all day long. Today a goldfinch spent some time looking for tiny bugs on one of the spikes.

Give them lots of sun for big tall strong growth. The ones under my window are six ft. tall. They will survive in some shade but will be a little skimpy and leggy as they reach for the sun. Drought tolerant, good with cactus and succulents, they are the perfect Mediterranean planting scheme. Here is a helpful link. Best in zones 8 to 10. They are so prolific, you can cut some, guilt free, to bring inside for flamboyant bouquets.

I don't usually do insects, but Halloween is in the air

2006-09-15T21:18:00.000-07:00

after our first reasonably cool day and night here in a long time and this photo has a bit of the trick or treat to it. It was taken on my door jamb when I arrived home tonight. Didn't see it earlier when I was cleaning Casa Grande. The entire group is about the size of a quarter. My camera could not focus any better in the available light. I've sent this and another photo off to my bug loving sibling for identification.

Update later!

Before the Santa Anas

2006-09-12T11:10:00.000-07:00

What you see depicted is a small portion of the hack back in progress here at Casa Grande. Madame Alfred blew off her arbors last year, and she's about half again that size this year. Three trash barrels plus a few bags worth of lacing and crown reduction, and there's more to do. Donned my full body armor for the task. Virginia Creeper!! Aaaiii! Why did I plant that? Can't wait to see the smile on the Mow and Blow's face today as he maneuvers the mower easily through the side yard for the first time in months.

First Sign of Autumn

2006-09-06T19:46:00.000-07:00

No, not the Angels of Anaheim (as I prefer to call them) desperately trying to make the playoffs after a dismal five months of baseball bloopers. Today was the first harvest moon of the year. Soon the hundred degree weather will drop into the nineties and eighties and we can begin the big fall planting season. Of course, I have not a square inch of soil that needs planting, so I'm going to turn my itch to dig to south county, while pruning back my jungle here in Fullerton.

Harvest moons. Ah. Harbingers of all that is autumn. Halloween, Thanksgiving. My impending birthday. Ugh.

Livin' Is Easy

2006-08-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

Ah, August. The Fair is over, but for the annoying details. Time to see what's up in the garden. And what's up? Everything! Madame Alfred Carrier has reached new heights and widths, along with everything else on the side yard. It's created a lovely and fragrant canopy of welcomed shade in this record breaking hundred degree summer.

While hacking my way through this jungle I was reminded of the easy care virtues of plectranthus.

The photos above left and below are plectranthus Mona Lavendar, an upright, free flowering, semi-shade lover. The flowering stems are reddish purple and bear purple trumpet flowers in clusters of three and four up to nine times (and counting) on these spikes.

Purple Haze!

This particular (Mona Lavendar) plectranthus is potted. It's reached a height and width of 5ft. by 4 ft. I put an umbrella over it during the July heat wave because it was getting sunburned. In gratitude, it has bloomed continuously for months.

I have several other varieties growing in ground and in a basket. Here is a yellowish one I found at Island View Nursery in Carpenteria.

It's planted in a moss basket on a south facing wall. The pink glow is from a huge bougainvillea (see my profile photo) that provides it with dappled shade most of the day.

I planted the creeping variety from a few cuttings of two plants I brought with me from a previous residence. They have filled in the spaces under
the rose and other trellised plants, completely carpeting the ground. This took a mere two years.

Because of the creeping habit of this variety of plectranthus, it's an excellent selection for a north facing windowbox. I've matched it here with some red/orange flowering kalanchoe. The white seems to glow in the shade against the complementary colors of red and green.

Here is one that pumped out a few all white leaves. Isn't that just so cool?

Pod Promise Part 2

2006-07-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

That's a seed pod from a Stephanotis floribunda in the post below. (Blogger wouldn't let me edit after I posted the photo via Picasa.) I've grown these seeds before. In fact, this very seed pod came from a plant, now huge, that I'd grown from seed about three years ago. That seed came from a pod off a plant I've had for about ten years, grown in a pot and moved with me into Casa Grande here in Fullerton eight years ago.

Stephanotis, or Madagascar Jasmine, is highly fragrant. The white waxy flowers grow in bunches and are commonly used in bridal bouquets.

The Promise in the Pod

2006-07-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

Judicious Neglect

2006-07-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

My garden has exploded. I can't see the house next door. Madame Alfred Carriere has grown so tall not even the roof is visible.

This Buddleia, diseased last year, has grown to 12 ft. and pumped out some impressive flower heads.

A lilac and cestrum planted three years ago decided this was their year to thrive.

The wisteria pictured in a previous post, poopy and refusing to grow or bloom since it was planted four years ago has hatched its plan to take over its universe. And the one next door.

I spend my summers working the county fair. No time for gardening. Things get watered a little haphazardly. The automatic sprinklers do the bulk of the work. The garden is left to its own devices.
When I find the time to sit in the shade under the purple umbrella I marvel at how little I'm needed.

Oh sure, the water and all. And all that fertilizing and pruning in months past. But for these summer months I find myself a vestigial appendage, having no real useful purpose.

Even Jorge's potted plant collection seems to be exceedingly happy. His "you/me/them" cactus has pushed out a flower with more to come.

Where have all the birdies gone?

2006-06-22T20:14:00.000-07:00

It's the third week of June already. The first day of summer passed without event mainly due to exhaustion from my annual summer stint as a glorified carnival worker. In the last month Jorge, my baby bird, has returned to the nest seeking a cheap, er, free, place to live, and summer employment as a glorified carnival worker. Who knew this was such a popular job? My clan seems strangely drawn to this sort of work. Hmm.

Anyway, Jorge has taken up residence in the front bedroom. With him came about 100 potted plants, two push mowers, two bicycles, a plethora of homemade "musical" instruments including a hurdy gurdy, several bog gardens and two cats. And I thought there was no more room at this inn. We managed to fold it all in with the help of a small storage space and a severe (for me) editing of my collected and various stuff.

I plan on enjoying my summer bird. I know in the fall, he will migrate to another clime and I'll be alone again to tend my garden. Other birds will visit for a day or two, passing through on their way north or south.

I do wonder though, how many of those 100 potted plants, push mowers, bicycles, bog gardens and musical instruments will remain. I'll try not to get attached.

White Out

2006-05-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

Breaking News!!! Snow on Bush! No, not Tony Snow. Not Gee Dubya Bush. That kind of snow job blooms all year round. I'm talking about snowball bush-- Viburnum opulus (Sterile).

With the exception of the last few days (as evidenced by my sunburned shoulders) it has been a cool and grey spring. So snow was late this year.

Monrovia Nursery once again has great information about this lovely spring bloomer whose flower heads are garden show stoppers during their all too brief once a year spring bloom.

An unusual May rain storm is moving through today making the snowballs heavy and droopy. Soon they will begin dropping their flowerettes leaving a snowy carpet underfoot. An extra added attraction: in autumn the leaves turn red providing some seasonal color to an otherwise mostly green southern California fall.

Because this bush is deciduous, I underplant it with some low growing winter blooming flowers such as cineraria. The bare branches also support nasturtiums which have freely reseeded throughout the garden.

At Last, The Wisteria Blooms

2006-05-16T07:11:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to grow wisteria ever since I read Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner. Finally in 2004, six blooms appeared on one I planted on the arbor near the Madame Alfred Carriere rose. Then the floods of January 2005 came and the poor thing drowned. But this year, late because of the shade from the Chinese elm in the backyard, the wisteria planted several years ago decided to push out four blooms.

I don't know why I have so much trouble growing wisteria. Southern California should be a perfect place for these vines that can be invasive. A very old wisteria is said to have eaten a house in the San Gabriel Valley. My mother cannot seem to get rid of one planted in the late 60's that nearly succeeded in taking over her greenhouse. New shoots continue to pop up everywhere despite her best efforts at eradication. I should be so lucky. Guess I'll just be thankful for these four beauties and appreciate their fragrance and delicacy and hope for more next year.

Fully Caffeinated

2006-05-09T17:42:00.000-07:00

It's May. The sky is gloomy. Just when I feel my heart might break after the last petal falls from that first oh so flamboyant spring rose bloom, I discover on my morning walkabout that the hydrangeas have begun to bloom. Spirits are instantly lifted. It's spring again, despite the persistent marine layer.

Last year I caved in to my love of these spring to summertime charmers and potted up several of them to add to the ones I already had in the ground. White, pink, lavendar and a single blue one. The blue seems unnatural to me and a poor color fit with the purple sheds, so I won't be adding any of the bluing chemicals. Some of the new potted hydrangeas are the repeat bloomers called "Endless Summer." They bloomed right through the very end of autumn last year before I trimmed them back. They wintered over in their pots and are full of blooms ready to pop again. Very satisfying! The mophead style blooms are not as large or full as the standard non repeat blooming macrophylla, but repeat blooming more than compensates.

Throughout the year I feed them coffee grounds and various other fertilizers depending on my mood and theirs. They seem to like this mixed brew as evidenced above.

I recently purchased two climbing hydrangeas. They are purported to cover a house if you aren't careful about pruning them back each winter. Wouldn't that be lovely?

Here are some hydrangea links: http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/
Pete's Hydrangeas: http://www.conweb.com/hydrangea/

Hydrangeas can be propagated from cuttings. Here are some instructions.

Quothe the raven, "Whatever!"

2006-04-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

About 30 years ago I was attacked by a crow while out on my morning run. For no apparent reason it swooped down and pecked me on the head. Since then, I'd become wary of crows, particularly when 50 or so (there must be a reason they call them a murder) would congregate out in front of the house terrorizing the neighborhood cats. Then one day Jorge, my ranch hand/builder/son, came home with a baby crow he had found in a field he was clearing at Cal Poly Pomona. He fed the little guy every hour, day and night. What dedication! This little bird was so enchanting, I have loved crows ever since. This is a photo of Dobie.

I now have a resident crow in my backyard. It uses the birdbath to wet its food. I've found all sorts of leftovers there...bits of hamburger bun, artichoke leaves, tiny eggs with the yoke picked out. After the new gravel path was installed a few weeks ago, the crow did a very funny little walkabout through the yard checking things over like the official building inspector.

Jorge and I miss Dobie. Every now and then we tell Dobie stories, like when he would unroll the toilet paper in the bathroom or steal and hide shiny objects in the oddest places. We hope he found himself a mate and imagine that he does a fly over occasionally to check up on us.

Japanese Maple Butterfly?

2006-04-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

On my morning walkabout, I thought I had discovered a new species of pink butterfly resting on the Japanese maple. Closer inspection with a pair of specs perched on my nose revealed the true identity... Japanese maple seeds!

Bluejay Takes the Plunge

2006-04-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

On a summery spring day in Fullerton (my air conditioner kicked on about 4:30) the newest avian member of my enclave finally stood still long enough for me to snap his photo. I believe he and a partner are building a nest in my Eugenias (they're HUGE) at the back of the property. He and the hummingbirds have come to some sort of agreement on the rights to this territory... They get the Salvia Leucantha, he gets the bugs. The poor sparrows have to wait for their bath until Jay is otherwise occupato.

I Know, I Know. But they are just so fabulous.

2006-04-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

Nasturtiums fill my garden this time of year. I planted the first seeds several years ago and they just keep reseeding and hybridizing themselves each year. Most revert back to the basic orange and yellow according to Jorge. But in a thorough inspection today, I found some wonderful variants. The top left is a peach colored variety I planted late last fall. All the others are just offspring of seed planted long ago.

The rusty burgundy colored on the right was tucked in with some solid bright orange.

This lemony yellow nasturtium was growing amidst the succulent and cactus patch. The dark markings are nearly black.

The petals on this variegated flower are smaller than some of the other flowers, giving them a more exploded feel. Also there is no throat on this flower. Maybe it's sterile?

This one was tucked amongst some bright orange blossoms that blanket the rapheolepsis in the front of the house. There are hints of some shimmery purple on this flower in the darkened areas on the lower three petals. Gorgeous!

Once planted the seeds seem to go everywhere...in pots, under every shrub, in every flower bed. Nature creates a supersufficiency. Come spring the riot of orange, yellow, red and green billow out of every imaginable space, blanket the shrubbery and fill in the gaps in the ground covers until the summer perennials take over.

And, they are edible!

For more info, see my previous post:
Plant Nasturtiums for Chaos and Color

The Madame

2006-04-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

Madame Alfred Carrier is a noisette rose dated 1897. It was raised by Joseph Schwartz of Lyon, France but its parentage is unknown. The Madame was the wife of a rose lover from the province of Dauphine. This climbing rose was very popular during the Victorian era for it's beautiful fragrance, form and repeating blooms.
Source:
Olympia Rose Society, Centennial Garden Visitors Guide www.olyrose.org

I've seen references to the Madame from all over the country on various web pages. She seems to thrive everywhere roses grow. She's a hardy girl, fast growing, relatively disease free, free blooming, perfumed and ready for guests from early April through January here in Fullerton. Unlike the more common Cecil Bruener whose flower is similarly colored but much smaller, the Madame has few thorns by comparison.

I planted her in her present location about 5 years ago. The location gets shade from ground level to about 4 ' up during the winter months, so the lower canes are exposed without much foliage or flowers. This allows for some great under-plantings of shade plants and a birdbath and sculpture. I've trained her on a couple of Monet Arches from Smith and Hawkin. Pruning in January is pretty much a several hour job involving ladders, leather gloves and some ticked off hummingbirds. I pick off all the leaves and trim back the weak canes, leaving much of the height. I sprayed with dormancy spray this year and gave it a systemic fertilizer about two weeks after pruning. Five weeks ago, I gave it an epsom salt dump. (1/2 cup epsom salt to 1 gallon of water.) The result is stunning. And the hummingbirds are once again happy.

Ready for our close up? Heck NO.

2006-03-26T08:10:00.000-08:00

It's been two months since the last post! My son/builder/ranch hand Jorge and I have been feverishly obsessing over the look and feel of my funky garden for months. (That's Jorge building a new arbor over the staghorn fern.) Fool that I am, when the Fullerton Beautiful Garden Tour ladies came to my front door to see if I would participate in the 2006 program, I thought, Gee. That would be fun.

The garden is looking pretty good. Funky, yes, but my clan has a real strangehold on funky. We do funky to the max. Organized chaos is our bailiwick. My sister Vanessa had just the right solution for a problematic area in the backyard, and now things are nearing their quintessential chaotic best.

Since we had a frighteningly warm winter, followed by cold rain (and even one freeze that managed to kill off some young, newly planted coleus) some of the roses are going off with their big first bloom too early. ARGH! The new purple rhododendron has bloomed out and the camellias and azaleas are nearly done.

Last minute weeding, last minute obsessing about placement or elimination of naked statuary, replacement of bloomed out plants, fresh mulch and pea gravel (we LOVE pea gravel) and other manic over achiever-type preparations will all be accomplished by showtime, she said hopefully, 11:00 AM Sunday the 9th of April. Tickets info listed below. I have to keep reminding myself that perfection is a major yawner, not to mention impossible.

April 9 - Fullerton Beautiful's Annual Garden Tour,: 11-4 p.m.; maps available at Fullerton College Horticulture Center (enter from Berkeley, near the corner of Lemon); 871-4156. Tickets are $10. Members are free. Fullerton Horticultural Center will be selling plants.

The Spareness of January

2006-01-13T12:08:00.000-08:00

January is a time for thinking lean. The newspaper ads are full of workout outfits and equipment. The local gyms have membership deals. My idea of a January diet is the visual relief I get from shedding the exuberance of Christmas and pruning the roses.

There are many philosophies floating around about rose pruning in southern California. The latest involves pruning heavily in the heat of summer when the roses tend to wilt and fade and require vast amounts of water, then pruning with a light hand during January. I tried this last year with mediocre results. It rained hard and continuously for nearly the entire month of January '05, and the over-wintering leaves turned orange with rust, requiring extreme measures just when the first big bloom occurred at the end of March. So this year I pruned lightly in August and did my equivalent of Bush's brush clearing this week in January. The very large Madame Alfred Carrier pictured in my first post below has been picked clean of foliage, sprayed for insects, mulched and pruned down to it's bones to force it into a brief dormancy. The climbing Eden pictured above needed a lot more reining in this year and was pruned a little heavier. Here in SoCA we leave a lot of sticks in the air so the roses don't have to work too hard in the spring.
The weather has been so warm and spring-like, roses pruned just last week have already started to leaf out. We had a hard rain last night, though. Perfect timing! (A big thank you to the forces of nature!) A wake up rose cocktail will be given each bush next week, the rose equivalent of a double espresso.

Here is a recipe for the rose cocktail taken from Robert Smaus' 52 Weeks in the California Garden.

1 cup gypsum
1 tablespoon soil sulfur
1 tablespoon chelated iron
1 tablespoon Epsom salts
1 tablespoon Bone Meal

"Mix, then scatter around the base of the bush and rake in to the soil. Rain and irrigation will do the rest."

Wilson!

2005-12-26T18:04:00.000-08:00

My little side yard, formerly a driveway leading to my nearly useless 80 year old garage, has become a haven for migrating birds. Today I was able to photograph through my kitchen window this Wilson's Warbler, Wilsonia pusilla. It's mate, less colorful and much more cautious about sitting still, was also nearby. Here is a link to the Cornell Ornithology project.

My sister Vanessa (see bug blog link) asks: Who's Wilson? Anyone know? She points out that they are very fond of leaf hoppers which are in abundant supply right now, evidenced by all the holes in my Brugmansia.

Answer to above question came from Vanessa herself. The genus (wilsonia) is named for Alexander Wilson, known as the "Father of American Ornithology." In the early 1800s he published nine volumes of notes on birds, their habitats, and their ranges. Alexander Wilson, a Scot, is recognized as the greatest american ornithologist before Audubon. Here are a few links:

New World Warblers by Curson, Quinn and Beadle, ISBN 0-7136-3932-6

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson%27s_Warbler

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Wilson

YO! Saturnalia!

2005-12-22T07:28:00.000-08:00

The ancient sun worshiping Romans celebrated the winter solstice originally to commemorate the dedication of the temple to the god of farming, Saturn...hence the name. The festival was so much fun, they extended it to a week. As centuries went by, the original meaning of the holiday, celebrated with a huge public banquet, came to include cutting and decorating evergreen trees and exchanging gifts of silver and food. "It became one of the most popular Roman festivals which lead to more tomfoolery, marked chiefly by having masters and slaves switch places, which led to widespread drinking and debauchery so that, among Christians, the word 'saturnalia' (lower case) came to mean 'orgy'." ( Saturnalia wikipedia)

No wonder the Christians co opted the date!

Moving on to the 21st Century, despite the proclaimed "War on Christmas" I see no such evidence. Here in my little corner of Orange County the houses are festooned and everyone seems to be of reasonable good cheer. My sister Vanessa is busy pumping out the annual family calendar. The Clan is preparing the traditional banquet for both vegan and carnivore celebrants. (We are hoping Jorge and Nice Cracker our Celtic vegans, are not on the FBI list of vegetable eating terrorists!)

A lot of the old houses in my neighborhood have Meyer lemon trees. Meyer lemons were popular before being supplanted by the much more sour commercial lemons. My friend and fellow gardener Sue remarked to me how they were like Christmas (or Saturnalia) trees, pre-decorated with ready to eat treats, evergreen in our mild Orange County climate.

Here is a recipe for a wonderful cup of cheer from the bounty of this little tree.

Celebrate Christmas, Saturnalia, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, Fitzmas, New Year with:

Lemony Lemon Things
juice of two Meyer lemons
a shot of vodka, or more if you are really feeling Saturny
sugar to taste...about two heaping spoonfuls works for me
crushed ice

Place in cocktail shaker and shake vigorously.
Either strain into a martini glass
or dump the entire tasty concoction into a rocks glass.

Then Toast!

Praise Saturn, god of farming! May next year's garden continue to be a haven for birds, butterflies and bees. May the grasshoppers stop chewing on my brugmansia. And may the lemon tree continue to grace my garden with it's tasty and decorative fruit.

Cheers!

Heavenly Fragrance, Pretty Poison

2005-11-27T19:48:00.000-08:00

Life is full of trade offs. We often put up with nuisances because they give us pleasure. Men often marry troublesome, labor intensive, high maintenance women because they are beautiful. The plant kingdom has it's share of prima donnas, too. Angel's Trumpet is one of them. Datura, or specifically, Brugmansia x candida is a member of the very large solanaceae family of plants that includes the tomato, various nightshades, brunsfelsia, petunias and wild tobacco. It's a very close relative of the Jimsom Weed, the "common name for a plant known botanically as Datura stramonium, which has been used as a medicine and intoxicant for centuries. The plant's main ingredients are the belladonna alkaloids atropine and scopolamine. Since Jimson weed is native to much of the U.S. (found locally in the high desert), it's most often used by young people in those areas unfamiliar (or familiar) with its reputation and unprepared for its side effects." Which are mostly bad. (Fast Facts, Do It Now Foundation) The cowboys didn't name it Loco Weed for nothin'!

If you have small children or puppies who like to taste anything and everything, don't plant Brugmansia until they get a little older and wiser. This is a plant to be appreciated for it's fabulousness. The night and morning perfume is euphoric, the large trumpet flowers, ridiculously baroque. The umbrella shape is perfect for a stunning focal point in your garden. Be prepared to tend to this beauty's every need and whim. This greedy angel loves water and food. It will have a tantrum, withering and dropping leaves, refusing to flower if you ignore it for long, making itself into a pathetic scraggly stick-like creature you'd rather yank from the garden than look at it another day. But if you lavish it with flower food, give it regular water and some shade in the hottest of months, you'll be positively giddy with the results on a hot summer, or November evening when you breathe in the intensely perfumed air provided your entire garden by Brugmansia.

Let's face it. We all have high maintenance friends or relatives.

But when you think about it, the ones who respond to your ministrations make life a little more lovely, a little more interesting, a little more beautiful.

Grow yourself a Brugmansia. Feed it often, give it sufficient water. Then breathe in it's perfume deeply at dusk, or early in the morning when you are out in the garden pulling a few weeds. It will make all that tending worth the effort.

Brugmansia is easy to propogate by either cuttings or seed. Allow the seed pods to mature on the tree, then plant in potting soil and keep moist. Plants will grow rapidly. Transfer to successively larger pots until ready to plant in the garden. Brugmansia will grow in pots with proper care.

Abraham Darby, One, Two, Three

2005-11-10T19:59:00.000-08:00

According to Wikipedia, Abraham Darby (I,II and III--1698 to 1791) was/were noted for their contributions in ironworking. Builders of bridges and steam engines, they were also significant developers in the uses of energy that propelled the Industrial Revolution.

David Austin has memorialized them (collectively) and their contributions to the advancement of industry and practical science in this beautiful rose which continues to bloom in southern California in November. I have found that this English Rose does not like the full hot sun of a Fullerton summer, even when sufficiently watered. Rather, it thrives in the spring and autumn when the cooler wetter weather mimics, possibly, a British summer.

Hard to imagine why David Austin named this delicate, fragrant cabbage-like rose after these captains of industry. (Clip a few blooms and put them in a vase. Bury your face in them every time you pass their way.) Possibly because it is very hardy and disease resistant. Abraham III's cast iron bridge over the Severn was so important, it caused a city to grow up around it. I guess it was the "Bridge to Nowhere" of the 18th century. Maybe this is what Ted Stevens has in mind with his bridge from Ketchikan, Alaska, to an offshore island inhabited by 50 solitude loving souls. (Cost to taxpayers, mostly not from Alaska--$223 million)

The bridge building Darbys were peace loving Quakers, much like the Inuits who strongly oppose the bridge and all it will bring in the way of change.

Ah Progress!

Plant Nasturtiums for chaos and color

2005-11-06T22:21:00.000-08:00

Buy a couple of packets of Nasturtium (Tropaeolum) seeds. Get a variety. Push them into the soil anywhere. They love sun, but will grow in some shade and reseed prolifically. In a few years, you will have nasturtiums everywhere, in your lawn, in all the flower beds. You'll want to weed them but don't. The riot of color will lift your spirits particularly after a sad day of reading election results. (Orange is, after all, the prefered color of revolutionaries.) Add some flowers, leaves or unripe seeds to your salad. They're peppery and pretty. The bees will cross pollinate so you'll have a huge variety of colors after a few generations. Heinz 57 Nasturtiums! Save some of the seeds and give them to your friends. (A little cross-pollination among friends will aid the bees.) Let them spill over your walkways and climb on your fence. When they get leggy and long in the tooth, pull them up and put them in the green waste bin or your compost heap. (Don't you wish it were this easy to get rid of politicians?) Fear not! You will have another crop before you know it. They'll spring up everywhere, even in the composter.

Second Law of Holes: Keep Digging

2005-11-06T21:03:00.000-08:00

.... the first law of holes being "If you are in one, stop digging." The first law of holes would have us stop and look at our obsessive spiral downward. The fact that we are our own worst enemy. The fact that if we continue with our obsession it will be our demise, bury us in the hole we have dug, turn it into our grave. Possibly even get us indicted, un-elected or impeached.
The second law of holes is therefore not for the faint of heart. Bring a willingness to dig your hole to China if you must. Dabble in chaos, rioting, anarchy, horror vacui, iffy partnerships, clashing colors and all sorts of cross pollination, both literal and metaphorical. Better to replace yourself in that hole with a plant. Or a few hundred. (Be sure to add a little blood meal and some quick start fertilizer for best results.)

Welcome to my garden.