12. April 2017

The South Border is showing the season more clearly now. It is late spring here; the last few bulbs are in bloom. These are African species planted spottily as the border developed, but coming back faithfully, and deserving their place in the limelight, as well as a more organized planting! There is Ornithogalum arabicum, a little scanty on bloom this year but so pretty and generally flowering just around Easter...

29. March 2017

This is admittedly a very, very late post. I'm struggling with slow internet again, so will keep this light! But the South Border deserves its due as March comes to a very lavender-y close. Lavandula stoechas "Blueberry Ruffles" is now in fine form, looking better than it has ever done before. Although I have mentally cavilled at its slower growth (compared to "Madrid"), I do love that rich blue hue in the flowers.

22. March 2017

Worth the wait in more ways than one. I am finally getting to use flowers I have been waiting for all winter long - Calendulas planted with Monday vases in mind, Cerinthe which helpfully seeded itself into the North Border, and Tetraneuris which disappeared entirely late last year but has returned in a glory of little yellow daisies. All of these were just ready on Monday, and then I had to wait again. It does seem like a run of bad luck: a strained (sprained?) back all last week, light case of...

15. March 2017

First a confession. Wandering around the garden today, camera in hand, peering here and there to see what is in bloom, for the first time I was thrilled with the garden. Not with the idea, or with this or that plant or combination of plants, or even with a particular piece of it all, but with the garden itself. For the first time I can feel it as a whole, however tentatively. There is still chaos here and there; the hedging must be completed; big gaps and outright errors need to be remedied;...

14. March 2017

This week there is no doubt about the burst of bloom from Lavender "Madrid". It is in full glory, much to the delight of bees. Its very deep color is an asset in the now-intense sunlight (compare with a cloudy day just two weeks ago). The Lavandula stoechas varieties are distinctly seasonal here, so I relish this mass of bloom while it lasts.

07. March 2017

It is very springlike in the South Border now. The most noticeable new development at the moment is the mass of lavender bloom just starting to open. in this case Lavandula stoechas "Madrid". L. s. "Blueberry Ruffles" is always a bit behind as well as a good deal smaller. I'm enjoying the effect as "Madrid" and its miniature rose neighbor grow together. Although I'm getting a bit nervous too, as I can't figure out where either will stop!

06. March 2017

Today's vase was a treat to do, especially as it contains flowers I've not used before. My sister offered me some of her wonderful nasturtiums, and I used quite a few.

28. February 2017

Here in the desert the weather continues to turn gray and wet from time to time. The last couple of days have seen a fair amount of rain; at one point yesterday there was nearly an inch in Johnny's feed tub (my very casual rain gauge). It is all good for the garden at any rate, though the accompanying cooler temperatures may mean that I must reseed my warm season annuals. Very few seem to be wanting to sprout despite the moisture. Perhaps they will respond if we get a sudden warming spell? But...

28. February 2017

Today's vase was quite a flamboyant concoction. It began several days ago when I salvaged a broken stem of Hippeastrum "Red Pearl". Last autumn I planted "Red Pearl" directly out into the North Border. It has grown well: a little more slowly than my potted Christmas bulb and much more quickly than the Hippeastrums already in the garden. It is a luscious red, very classic.

04. February 2017

Learning which plants offer a good sense of structure for this garden has taken quite a bit longer than I anticipated. I am sure that in a naive way I expected a one-to-one replacement from temperate zone gardens: (x)desert shrub = lilac, (x)desert tree = dogwood, (x)desert perennial = phlox, and so on. Far from it. The most confusing factor is simply learning the basic growth habits of a new set of plants. An equally naive tendency leaves me forever expecting a sort of average habit: a bit...