This is a corner in our SJC backyard. This photo was taken when we first moved in, a little over three years ago. I thought it was too spiky for my tastes and wanted to soften it up a bit.
This is what that spot looks like today. It is a place where my DH and I sit on many evenings with a glass of wine to see the back garden from a different perspective than where we usually sit, on the patio. In a few weeks the lilies will be blooming and it will be a riot of color. Much softer, no?
I found this variegated ligularia in a small independent nursery in our area called Ito Nursery. There was no name on it but it fits in fine in the Moonlight Garden in the shady areas where the soil stays cool and damp between waterings.
It is growing larger and this spring it appears that the new growth is coming out almost pure white! I'm assuming this is because of a lack of light, although you can see by the photos it does get some dappled sunlight. Whatever the cause, it is interesting and works for me!
I know it is hard to see in this photo, but if you look at the very top (click on the photo to enlarge) you can see the flowers of an Angel Trumpet (brugmansia) shrub, or shall we say tree? This one of the first ones I ever planted in my Laguna garden many years ago and I was walking through the garden a few weeks ago and wondering where it went. Well, over the years it went up! I imagine it was looking for some sunlight as the surrounding trees grew and the only way to get it was head for the sky! I know these plants are a luxury for many people in northern climates, but they seem to do quite well here with little assistance. When I first grew them I read that they needed lots of water, to be fertilized weekly and special pruning. I fussed over the few I had for years until the rest of my chores in the garden made it impossible for me to devote so much time to them. They survive now with little attention and bloom like crazy! Thank goodness because I love their heady scent and charming flowers!
I hear people talk about the disappearing bees all the time, but you wouldn't know there was a problem here!
The Indian Hawthorne (Rhaphiolepis indica) is a bee mecca around here and is buzzing all day!
Jan over at Thanks for Today gardening blog has asked me to submit a post on sustainable gardening in honor of Earth Day. Here is my entry for you Jan!I went to a lecture on Sustainable Gardening the other day. It was amazing to me, not what I learned, but that this was news. Do people really use insecticides anymore? I guess so. Do people plant with little regard to their climate anymore? I guess the do. Isn't it common knowledge that a good garden starts with the soil and welcomes all wildlife? I guess not.
I must admit that when I had my first real garden many years ago I didn't know the importance of using organic methods, building up the soil and water conservation. I was introduced to "sustainable gardening" by a lovely woman named Jan who had hundreds of rose bushes she grew organically in our area. For $25 a year you could subscribe to her monthly newsletter that explained the importance of respecting the earth and all of its creatures and the impact a gardener has on the balance of it all. It was a big eye-opener for me and I went totally organic from then on.
The first three years were the worse and I used to tell visitors you could tell I had an organic garden because it looked like crap. And it did - at least for a while. Then slowly things started to change. There were still lots of bugs in my garden, they just were a balance of good bugs and bad bugs and the damage from the ones that thrived on plant material started to disappear. There were also all kinds of birds in the garden, eating, singing, nesting and raising their young. The plants that I thought would never thrive without the heavy doses of chemical fertilizers became robust and stronger without them. They resisted diseases that I thought could only be controlled by toxic sprays. I learned that if a plant that typically grow well in our area was suffering from a bug infestation or disease it was most likely because that it was planted in the wrong spot and needed to be moved. I let go of my need to grow plants that did not do well in our climate. My garden became a source of pleasure and joy instead of a constant drain of time and energy trying to do battle with Mother Nature.
I sympathize with new gardeners because there is so much to learn, either from others or from trial and error. But if you start by respecting the earth, your payback will be enormous and your gardening experiences will be one of the highlights in your life!
I try to plan garden beds near windows to give an optimum view from inside. This is the view from the entry window in SJC and in the spring it works well! This is a young wisteria standard that is finally coming into its own and looking good, at least for a few weeks in March and April. Even when it is done flowering it will look like a bright young tree against the solid background of hedge, surrounded by flowering shrubs and perennials. Of course it goes dormant in the winter, but by then there is enough going on in the house to distract from the view.
Have a wonderful day!
Progress on the gravel garden has taken a backseat to other projects in the gardens, but last week I was at a nursery where they were just unloading a shipment of white hydrangeas. Just what I have been looking for in the gravel garden. This is the lowest spot on the property and it stays quite damp due to the drainage and shade. I am hoping they will do well here without much trouble because they add a lot of subtle character to this green wall. The cool colors and shade will hopefully make this a retreat in the heat of summer!
A few years ago my husband turned 50 and I threw a big party for him with friends and family from all over the country. On the invitation I asked that instead of a present, guest bring a rock with a message for him that we could place in the garden (the theme was 'Rock On'). We got a lot of rocks! Five years later some of the messages have faded, others have disappeared all together, a few were chiseled into the stone and will last forever. It is a joy to walk through the garden with all the messages of love tucked into the landscape!
This is a corner in our SJC backyard. This photo was taken when we first moved in, a little over three years ago. I thought it was too spiky for my tastes and wanted to soften it up a bit.
This is what that spot looks like today. It is a place where my DH and I sit on many evenings with a glass of wine to see the back garden from a different perspective than where we usually sit, on the patio. In a few weeks the lilies will be blooming and it will be a riot of color. Much softer, no?
I found this variegated ligularia in a small independent nursery in our area called Ito Nursery. There was no name on it but it fits in fine in the Moonlight Garden in the shady areas where the soil stays cool and damp between waterings.
It is growing larger and this spring it appears that the new growth is coming out almost pure white! I'm assuming this is because of a lack of light, although you can see by the photos it does get some dappled sunlight. Whatever the cause, it is interesting and works for me!
I know it is hard to see in this photo, but if you look at the very top (click on the photo to enlarge) you can see the flowers of an Angel Trumpet (brugmansia) shrub, or shall we say tree? This one of the first ones I ever planted in my Laguna garden many years ago and I was walking through the garden a few weeks ago and wondering where it went. Well, over the years it went up! I imagine it was looking for some sunlight as the surrounding trees grew and the only way to get it was head for the sky! I know these plants are a luxury for many people in northern climates, but they seem to do quite well here with little assistance. When I first grew them I read that they needed lots of water, to be fertilized weekly and special pruning. I fussed over the few I had for years until the rest of my chores in the garden made it impossible for me to devote so much time to them. They survive now with little attention and bloom like crazy! Thank goodness because I love their heady scent and charming flowers!
I hear people talk about the disappearing bees all the time, but you wouldn't know there was a problem here!
The Indian Hawthorne (Rhaphiolepis indica) is a bee mecca around here and is buzzing all day!
I try to plan garden beds near windows to give an optimum view from inside. This is the view from the entry window in SJC and in the spring it works well! This is a young wisteria standard that is finally coming into its own and looking good, at least for a few weeks in March and April. Even when it is done flowering it will look like a bright young tree against the solid background of hedge, surrounded by flowering shrubs and perennials. Of course it goes dormant in the winter, but by then there is enough going on in the house to distract from the view.
Progress on the gravel garden has taken a backseat to other projects in the gardens, but last week I was at a nursery where they were just unloading a shipment of white hydrangeas. Just what I have been looking for in the gravel garden. This is the lowest spot on the property and it stays quite damp due to the drainage and shade. I am hoping they will do well here without much trouble because they add a lot of subtle character to this green wall. The cool colors and shade will hopefully make this a retreat in the heat of summer!
A few years ago my husband turned 50 and I threw a big party for him with friends and family from all over the country. On the invitation I asked that instead of a present, guest bring a rock with a message for him that we could place in the garden (the theme was 'Rock On'). We got a lot of rocks! Five years later some of the messages have faded, others have disappeared all together, a few were chiseled into the stone and will last forever. It is a joy to walk through the garden with all the messages of love tucked into the landscape!
