Tales of Woe and One of Graditude

 This is what many plants look like when you plant them in the heat of the summer in a drought. I was deseperately trying to fill in bare spots with plants to prepare for a big party I was planning that would take place out in the SJC gardens. All the leaves died within the first month on this acanthus, but new ones have already started to grow.

 I know I wasn't the only one with sick looking dahlias, I heard many other gardeners complaining this year. Since they hate soggy soil you would think they would do better with limited water. This may be the result of a virus or disease, but that is what happens to stressed plants - they are more likely to fall to either of those maladies as well as insects, than when they are well watered (for their needs) and strong.

 I don't know what kind of tree this is on our neighbor's property behind us that looks like it is on its last leg, but it was once a full, lovely tree that added dimension to our garden. It is just over the fence in a part of their large property that doesn't get watered at all except from rain. I imagine that it may be reaching its roots out to get some from our garden, but if it is near its end of life span, it may not be getting enough to hold it over.

I am so grateful for our trees that are wonderful at cooling the yards and house with their shade. It is about 20 degrees cooler standing under them than walking out into the hot sun. One is a Brazilian pepper tree that was already here and the others are California pepper trees that we planted about six or seven years ago. Both kinds are very drought tolerant and I see them growing around here in terrible conditions looking like little oases of green in an ocean of brown. I would love to pull over every time I see someone in our neighbor hood installing synthetic lawns and advise them to plant a few drought tolerant trees (there are lots of them) and surround them with a crunchy gravel and a few distinctive but beautiful agaves or native perennials and they will be much happier as will the wildlife!

A Woodland Feeling

If you asked me for my philosophy on garden design, it would probably involve something about creating a specific ambiance in the garden. I wish I could say for certain what this charming mauve plant that I put in a few weeks ago is called, but the label is long gone. I'm guessing it is some sort native or wold foxglove. I absolutely love it because they have been blooming constantly since they were planted (this was five one-gallon plants) and they make the dappled shade under the pepper trees look downright woodland-like, an ambiance I am particularly fond of that is not easy to pull off in a drought. They are tall enough to have a nice proportion over the boxwood hedges that border this "island." But the best part is that the hummingbirds love them and they come down to eye level to enjoy them while we are sitting nearby in the garden! I really should go back and see if the nursery has any more while this cool weather hangs around, extending out planting season!

Flying Rabbit Island Evolves

First Year

Third Year

Fifth Year

Fifth Year

Fifth Year

The weather is still in the high 80's around here. Although September and October typically have some very hot days, overall it tends to start cooling down. I am waiting patiently, still pretending it is summer, although the days are getting considerably shorter and the calender says it's fall. After a year of little change or additions, there is one big thing (other than the privacy screens) that needs to be addressed. When I put in this large island in the middle of the backyard lawn a few years ago, there were two things I wanted to accomplish. First I wanted some shade. The yard seemed very hot and unappealing in the summer. Second, I wanted something interesting to look at from the windows and the chairs on the patio outside the living room doors. When we moved from Laguna Beach, we gave up a lovely view that we really missed. I decided to create my own views and Flying Rabbit Island was one of the first (named after a lovely sculpture we installed the first summer). When I planted the island of dirt that we dug out of the middle of the lawn, I planted three California Pepper trees. I know they aren't everyone's favorite, but I like their fern-like foliage, the way they sway gracefully in the slightest breeze and their multiple trunks. I know they are messy, but in a large bed, away from any pathways or patios, the debris doesn't bother me. When they were planted they were rather small. Fifteen gallon pots were all we could easily get through the gates. I planted a whole bed of flowers all around them that was quite stunning for the first few years. At first the trees suffered from too much water as I tried to get the perennials established, but then we cut back the water and everything was happy. Until this year. It turns out the trees have grown into a lovely respite of shade, making the sun loving roses, iris and daylilies quite unhappy. Although one side of the "island" still gets enough sun for those plants to thrive, my other lovelies are without blooms this year. It is time to make a change to a more shade loving group of plants that don't need a lot of water. As soon as it cools off a bit!

Things Change

This year one of my favorite roses, 'Moon Over Miami' is growing in the shade. When I planted it about four years ago it had the center stage in the Flying Rabbit Island when the three California pepper trees were just large shrubs. It put on a beautiful show all summer with those peachy-pink ruffles and I loved every bloom. This year the trees have finally reached official "tree" status and are casting a shadow over everything below. That was exactly as I had planned. The back yard was shadeless and hot in my opinion and I wanted the cool breeze that accompanies trees to fill the yard along with the bird song and everything else that goes with trees. I am going to have to move a number of plants that were put in to fill the space while the trees grew, which is fine. In all gardens, things change and a good gardener adapts and changes along with them. I doubt I will get many more blooms from Moon Over Miami this year until she is moved to the sunshine, so if I want my fix of those pretty flowers I had better get busy!

Three Years

Last week my son sent me some photos he took of the gardens in SJC in February of 2008 when we had just started on the conversion of the lawn to garden project. This was when we affectionately named this little island in the mass of lawn "Flying Rabbit Island".

This is a picture taken from the same angle three years later. It's funny because sometimes I still think the pepper trees are so small and yet they have clearly grown a lot over the years. I often encourage people that consult me about new projects they are planning in the garden to start a blog. It is a wonderful way to document your progress and look back on all you have accomplished even if you are the only one that ever looks at it!

The Low Limb

I love an interesting tree, especially a weeping tree and I loved how this part of one of the California Pepper trees was growing outward and hanging over the grassy path in the backyard. Unfortunately with all the rain it started getting lower and lower until you couldn't walk under it without getting on your hands and knees. I finally made the decision that it was becoming a hazard and had to go.


This week the tree trimmers came and removed that whole section of the tree. Although I do miss it's weeping character, the open path and sunshine is a welcome change to the rest of the garden. I'll get over it.

The Good, The Bad....

I must admit that this is not the prime time of year for my gardens, especially after all the rain we have had. The perennials and shrubs are cut back and the grass is dormant in some spots. What were overflowing flower beds in the warmer months are now just muddy patches. That overhanging limb on the California Pepper tree has to be cut off because it is so low to the ground that you can't even walk under it anymore. The grassy paths are too muddy to walk on without boots. (Sigh)


But I must admit that the one part of the garden that looks good all the time is the gravel garden! After all the rain there was a lot of debris from the overhanging trees but it all kind of just worked its way down through the gravel. Even though the row of hydrangeas are dormant, there is enough other foliage to keep the area from looking bare. I am growing more and more fond of this place all the time!

Five Days of Rain

There is nothing like a good rain to clean off the spider webs, dust and dirt and show the garden at it's best. The greens seem a little more saturated and the colors of the fall flowers pop. There is new growth on the summer perennials that were cut back last month and everything is looking lush and sparkling in the Flying Rabbit Island planter bed.

Room With a View

I try to be conscience of what my gardens look like from the inside out. My dining room especially has a huge view of the back yard and previously it was just grass and one lonely queen palm tree planted smack dab in the middle of the lawn in front of the window. As the palm grew taller than the glass pane, it had all the charm of a telephone pole as far as the view from the dining room. Over the past three years I have removed the palm and added a number of more interesting trees that will provide character and shade for the backyard, as well as structure in the way of shrubs and perennials, interest in the way of seasonal flowering plants and art. This time of year it is especially lovely, but I am focused on year round interest because there is always something going on in this room and the view adds to the ambiance.

Consuming the Rabbit

This tagetes lemmonii is coming close to enveloping our Flying Rabbit statue in the back yard in SJC. My DH keeps asking me why I don't cut it back. (BTW, the statue is straight, my photo is crooked!)

This is what it looks like on the other side. Too beautiful to cut back right now!

Growing at Different Rates

In this picture there are two California Pepper trees (schinus molle) that we planted two years ago in the Flying Rabbit Island in the SJC backyard. As you can see (click on the photo to enlarge) the one on the left is growing like gangbusters and the one on the right is slowly creeping along. There is a third three out of the photo to the far right that is somewhere in between the size of these two. What makes them grow at such different rates? They were all the same size when we planted them. Maybe water patterns (they are all on the same underground automatic watering system) that are altered by other plants or water pressure? Maybe sun exposure? I doubt it because they all get about the same amount of daylight. Fertilizer? That is also pretty consistent. Must just be their individual personalities.

Artichoke in February?

I'm sure somewhere in the world there are artichokes producing as normal this time of year, but for here it is a little early! I think this guy is as confused by all this warm weather as the rest of us are, but not to worry, rain and cooler temperatures are forecast for the rest of this week.

On the Backside

Getting ready for the upcoming holiday is keeping me pretty busy so I haven't been making my daily rounds of the gardens lately. Yesterday afternoon I had a few free minutes so I grabbed my camera and went out in SJC to see what was blooming. Much to my delight this sweet little combination of flowers was blooming profusely on the backside of Flying Rabbit Island where it was out of view to all but those that took the time to walk around to the back. The daylily, verbena and Copper Canyon daisies were just waiting to surprise the adventurous.

361 Days Later

The above picture was taken November 2nd, 2007 just days after we finished putting in Flying Rabbit Island where there used to be just lawn. Here are pictures of what it looked like then.

This is what it looks like today. Although the California pepper trees have not grown much in a year, all of the shrubby perennials have filled in nicely. The plants to the right of the picture were recently cleaned up and cut back after a summer of blooms.

Jumped The Gun

Our summer was so mild that I was lulled into planting some lettuce about a month ago, way too early. The mild summer has turned into a very warm fall and as you can see here, my lettuce is already bolting! I plan to 'harvest' most of it and hope that it will regrow and behave for the rest of the season!

Before and After

This is a shot of part of our backyard in San Juan Capistrano as it looked when we moved in year before last. It was all lawn and palm trees.


This is what it looks like today. If you look closely you can see the palm trees that are in the center of the top photo peeking through the two pepper trees in the lower photo. This is what we call 'Flying Rabbit Island' and is my answer to creating our own view. When we moved here from Laguna we found that we really missed our ocean view. Staring at the swimming pool is just not the same. So I added this little island in the middle of the back lawn to give us something to look at when we were sitting in our rockers on the little patio off the living room. Although it is not exactly the most colorful time of year in this part of the yard, it still is interesting and one of our favorite spaces.

End-of-Summer Haircut

I love Mexican feather grass (nassella tenuissima) although I know it may be an acquired taste for some people because it sometimes looks past its prime when it is at its best. In the third photo you can see it in the bottom left hand corner. It moves with the slightest breeze and is very soft looking as you can see in the top two photos. But once a year it needs a haircut and mine got the annual shearing last week as shown in the last picture. When you can see lots of new green growth coming up from the base it is time to wack it down to about four or five inches from the ground. It will rebound in a few weeks and be as lovely as ever, you just have to bear the growing out stage, much like a bad haircut!

Flat Jack

This charming bronze sculpture lives in our 'Flying Rabbit Island' in San Juan Capistrano and is one of my favorite pieces of art in the garden. It is by artist Tim Cherry. It is entitled 'Flat Jack'.

Verbena, Daisies and Yarrow

My gardens in San Juan Capistrano are all fairly new so there is still a lot of filling in to do as far as plant growth goes. This one little area that was planted last fall in the 'Flying Rabbit Island' flower bed is doing well and finally showing its potential.

In the background is one of my favorite plants for adding an airy feeling to the garden, verbena bonariensis (I've seen it commonly called Peruvian verbena). In front of that is the very fragrant tagetes lemmonii (sometimes called French Marigold Bush or Copper Canyon Daisies). Some people like the smell, others aren't crazy about it, me being one of the latter. In the very front is white achillea (yarrow) which is a favorite among the butterflies. All of these plants are drought tolerant.