12. June 2017
Today's vase was made up in a glass for a refreshing afternoon. From one side...
07. June 2017
Summer has certainly arrived. Although seasons move from one to the next fairly seamlessly here - there being no sudden frost in autumn or melting snow in spring - and though many plants bloom off and on throughout the year, the summer borders display their own special selection of bloom. Just now the spires of Perovskia are asserting themselves at the back of the South Border. This is by far the best they have looked so far. Perhaps my changes in watering have helped, or perhaps it simply...
30. May 2017
Today's vase is a potpourri of flavors from the end of May. Herbs, miniature roses, seedpods, and even chrysanthemums and one very small sunflower found their way into the mix. As did the first plume from Pennisetum setaceum rubrum and the first small spire from Perovskia.
28. April 2017
April has been cool, warm, cool. We are probably within a week or so of summer's entrance; yet over the past week the winds have been rushing across the desert, apparently signalling the changing season, only to blow in still cooler temperatures this evening. Although it has been very dry, it has not yet turned really hot. More than ever, the garden is a mix of cool season and warm season bloom at the end of April. And above all, it has been the month of roses.
26. April 2017
And here is the South Border at the end of April. The highlights of the border now are the miniature roses.
18. April 2017
As this week's Tuesday View comes along, I decided to share views from around the garden. First, the usual view down the South Border. Looking a little lean now as the early and mid-spring flowers are gone, it is transitioning toward summer with miniature roses coming into bloom while Catharanthus roseus, the mainstay of flower color during summer, is growing out but not yet blooming. What I have not shown is the first few flowers from sweet peas, tucked into the back of the border. I'm not...
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...
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!
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...
16. February 2017
I am experiencing some difficulty uploading lots of pictures right now - just in time for Bloom Day, unfortunately! So instead of a comprehensive view of what is blooming, here is a look at the most noticeable flowers, plus one or two deserving special mention. First are a couple of more or less everblooming plants - the ones that show up in almost every Bloom Day post. Above is Eremophila hygrophana; below is Russelia equisetiformis "Big Red".