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;...
24. January 2017
After last week's Tuesday View, I began to carry out my plan of cutting back and cleaning up in the South Border. I trimmed down Pennisetum setaceum rubrum first. This allows the plants behind to get more sunlight. What chiefly shows up is my still-small Cereus peruvianus, which I expect will eventually dominate the lower half of the border. It has some growing to do, but then it has a reputation as a fast grower. Then there are the sweet peas - my young seedlings just visible - which will be...
16. January 2017
The weather has been perfect so far this January, and the plants are relishing it. While I feel that I need to improve my selections for wintertime bloom (it is, after all, a prime season in the desert), the showing for this month is quite cheering.
17. December 2016
Well, this post is two days late as the holidays have kept me busy, but it seemed a shame not to go ahead and post for December's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. Not surprisingly, given the mild weather, there is plenty to choose from! Most of the bloom is from long-flowering plants enjoying the cool temperatures, not to mention a bit of much-appreciated moisture. (A little more would be even more appreciated!) I have put in only a few cool-season bedding annuals so far. The most noticeable are...
16. November 2016
It is the middle of the month now, the middle of November at that! Time for a look at what is blooming in the garden with Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. This is a lush season here in the desert, as temperatures are quite comfortable. It might be even lusher if we could get some rain, but so far that hasn't happened. Perhaps a little later... Meantime, here is what the garden is doing. This month I divided the plants according to seasonality, only to find that...
31. October 2016
This week's vase is made of some of the lighter components of the garden: plants that yield those wonderful airy flowers that often serve as filler and "back-of-the-border" types, along with various grass flowers.
17. October 2016
As I looked through the garden yesterday for my belated Bloom Day post, it was clear that The Alnwick Rose would be playing a part in today's vase.
17. October 2016
For me, yesterday's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day coincided with a chance to visit Summerwinds Nursery, an opportunity which unabashedly ousted my Bloom Day post till today. After all, this is the start of planting season here and the tables were loaded. Every minute I could spare today went to planting, and there is still plenty left to do! Meantime, I didn't want to miss my Bloom Day post altogether. So out I went with camera in hand, only to find my flower photography preempted by an even more...