Taking a Step Back

 It is easy for me to walk around my gardens and see all the problems. There are so many things that I want to fix, move, change and improve that it sometimes requires discipline to see the really cool things. Places and views that work perfectly to my eye when I step back. Here are a few that I captured today. 

I love this scene above looking east from the backyard. There are just so many shades of green and textures not to mention all the depth from the trees, fountain and canopy  in the distance and the hint of mystery of what is waiting down the steps to the right. The main plants here are all very simple, common garden staples but together they create what I consider a lovely, muted scene.

 
This picture is actually taken from the exact same spot looking west. If I look closely I could come up with a dozen issues here, from too much bare ground, flowers needing deadheading and of course the chain link fence showing in the background, but in this picture it looks rather inviting to me. I would like to sit and take in the lavender and rose fragrances while admiring the view from those chairs.

As The Temperatures Soar

It's hot and dry and very, very windy here. It's bad enough that we're in the middle of a terrible drought but now we have to have souring temperatures what seems like every other week on top of it. This time of year we are usually cool and cloudy. It feels more like September or October wildfire weather than the diddle of spring. I am thankful for the shade trees in the back yard that add a visual coolness to the yard as well as dropping the temperature in the area. Where the soil is exposed it is hard and cracked. Many of the roses have already been cut back after their first bloom and attack of sawfly larvae. (I need to seek out some worm castings for their soil.) But there are other plants like these natives that look like they aren't bothered at all by the 90 degree spring temperatures. The pretty pink Mexican Evening primrose (Oenothera speciosa) is a native that can be invasive once it starts reseeding, but it doesn't bother me. I welcome the pretty pink flowers in the spring that disappear altogether the rest of the year. They thrive in terrible soil with little water so they are perfect in a spot where nothing else will grow, like under this clump of palm trees. They are mixed in with another reliable native, Santa Barbara Daisy (Erigeron Karvinskianus). The threadlike stems and tiny daisy flowers grow year round and act as a filler almost anywhere in the garden. It is not easy watching the gardens trying to survive under trying conditions, so it is nice to see some plants that take it all with not much stress at all.

A Few Observations

 Every year my husband and I go away for a couple weeks to a health resort to allow my dear significant other to focus on his well-being. We typically go in the winter and I usually look forward to the warm weather and change of scenery, but this year as we left on the first full day of spring I was kind of disappointed to be leaving behind the gardens when all the excitement was just starting. We returned to spring in full bloom and lots of things going on so I thought I would just share some of the random happenings in SJC, starting with this beautiful amaryllis bulb that was kind of just stuck in the ground a couple years ago. You know that one corner of the garden where you put all kinds of odds and ends and just see if they make it? Well, this one did and is blooming proudly. It is precariously close to where the dogs cut through the path so I am tempted to cut it and bring it in, but I kind of like seeing it in the garden bed.

 The Anna apples are all ready growing like crazy. I should thin them, but my granddaughters love to pick the fruit every time they come over and they will get thinned by them soon. They were very disappointed this winter when there wasn't much on the fruit trees so I am glad there is at least something for them this time!

 I almost missed the first show of roses and I am feeling really guilty because even though I made many trips to the nurseries in the last few months, rose fertilizer never made it home with me so they are not as lush as they could be. I need to make it up to them this week!

 The California natives are all still blooming away and will probably be for another month or so. It has taken a few years for these rock rose (cistus) in the Moonlight Garden to get to a good size and covered with blooms, but they are lovely now and actually showing off during this dry weather, which is how they actually like it! I should probably put in some more out in the front street side garden where keeping plants looking good is a challange.

 I found the first clematis of the season starting to open.

 There were a number of orchids in bloom that had been sunk in the ground in their pots in a planter off to the side yard. Many types grow so easily for us in our mild climate that we take them for granted.

 There was actually a large group of dutch iris that was still blooming much to my surprise and delight. I always forget about them, but they just do their own thing. An impulse buy from Costco I believe.

 The aloe in the urn by the front door is joining in the show and sending out a bloom for the first time.

The snapdragons that were planted last fall are almost waist high and look more like a field of wild flowers than winter annuals. They must have loved the organic fertilizer that was used when they were planted and the bunnies must not be in the mood for snapdragons for dinner!

I think the overlap of the natives blooming, the winter blooming shrubs, vines and annuals, the spring blooms and the start of the summer annuals make this such a wonderful time in the garden for us here in Southern California. It is almost too much to take in all at once!

Signs of Spring

 The first day of spring is bursting with color from all kinds of natives, shrubs, bulbs, perennials, annuals, and groundcovers.

 There are still buds waiting to wake up on the birch tree and Boston ivy, but

lots of other plants are in full bloom.

 Clivia lilies are making quite a statement in orange and yellow with primrose tucked underneath.

 Contrasting foliage has been adding color all winter long and continues to create drama as the flowers emerge around them.

 Reblooming iris and heliotrope have been blooming on and off all winter but look even more lovely with snapdragons that are finally starting to bloom.

 Native blue ceanothus makes a beautiful background shrub along the path.

 Helichrysum 'limelight' is as bright and colorful as any spring bud.

 So many shades of green in one garden make an interesting scene even without any flowers.

A small native iris peeks out from a sea of pretty blue ajuga groundcover. Just the beginning of a lovely sring season.

Learning Lessons

 So, I was going to write this post about my weeping cedar tree, and how much I adore it, and how much it has grown, but now I will probably write about how much your learn writing a blog about your garden!

When we moved into this house in 2008 there was a big awkward King palm in this little carve out that had out-grown the spot and was learning over the driveway. It was the first thing I had removed and relocated and I chose a weeping cedar to replace it for two reasons. First, it can be trained into a rather columnar tree which is perfect for this tall, narrow space, and second because I love this graceful, soft tree. Sure, it didn't look like much at first, but I had faith and sure enough as you can see in the top picture, with some staking and some pruning it has filled the space nicely (in hind-sight an Italian cypress would have probably been ideal and fit in with the feel of the house too).

 But in searching for pictures among all my files over the years for photos of this spot to show the progression I have made a few observations.

At first I was going to qualify the top picture saying that the 'Black and Blue' salvia that fill this planter, along with the bright orange daylilies are all dormant and cut back so it looks rather bare at this time of year, but is lovely most of the time. I then spent a long time looking for at least one picture of it looking "lovely". There were none. I take a lot of pictures, especially when things are looking good which leads me to believe that this area, which is right next to where I park my car every day, (you can tell by the tire marks on the edge of the planter) rarely looks good. Now this bottom shot with the snapdragons is not bad, but I would say that is a good four years ago. Part of the problem is that this east facing planter is very shallow and narrow and right up against the color of the house and therefor the colors of the flowers I can use is very limited and must be carefully chosen, and there is not a lot of air circulation so the plants must be tough. There are some lovely stained glass windows here too that have a rather tropical feel to them (Toucans and such), so they must also be taken into account. When I think about it, it is no wonder I have had such a hard time filling this little space successfully!

Another observation I have made today while writing this post is that I take a lot more pictures of my grandchildren now than I do my gardens! That doesn't bother me a bit!

Varigated Succulents

I love green, all shades of green. I especially love it mixed with white. There is something so serene and yet uplifting about the soothing combination. Luckily I have the Moonlight Garden to allow me to surround myself in the peaceful mixture. It is not only the flowers that add to the color scheme, but variegated plants too. Here are two succulents that pick up on the theme with elegance and style.

More Than Green

This is the same garden bed I have been writing about in the two previous posts, but a different angle. Although primarily different shades of green foliage there is some burgundy grass and a container for some added interest. The succulents in the container were all just small pups and cuttings taken from other plants in the landscape and stuck in there to thrive and grow into what it is today.

A Little Heat

Although most of the colors I use in my gardens are cool shades along with white and green, I do occasional crave some heat in the way of hot, saturated color. This used to be the vegetable garden in SJC, which is still filled with fruit trees and herbs, but has been mainly turned over to pretty old-fashioned roses and clematis. The bird bath under the jacaranda tree is still surrounded by the cheerful summer perennial, yellow coreopsos, left over from the colorful vegetable garden. There are some Margarette daisies and alyssum in there too, making it a pretty, fragrant summer scene. However it does kind of clash with my romantic trellises, pastel roses and clematis a few feet away. This area is on my to-do-over list, but I doubt I will get to it this summer. Meanwhile I will enjoy it as is and pretend not to notice the color clashes.

What's Blooming in the Moonlight Garden?

Spirea

 Hellebore

Ozothmnus (Rice Flower)

Shasta Daisies and Heliotrope

Lots of White Roses (this one is Bolero)

Snowball Viburnum

Margarette Daisies, Snapdragons, Pelargoniums and Iris

Carpenteria Californica

My Moonlight Garden in SJC is finally really coming into its own with lots of shrubs with white flowers getting to the size where they put on a nice show. It is not an easy area to photography because the beds are narrow and border a DG path that wraps around a large play lawn. It would probably be more impressive in large, wide beds where the abundance of white is compounded by sheer mass, but it is pretty never-the-less. I have been relying on a lot of annuals and variegated foliage to carry out the white theme while waiting for some of these pretty shrubs to get enough size to really show up in their glistening glory, but they are finally getting big enough to make a splash from across the yard. I think it may actually be at a point where my intent for an all-white flowered garden is obvious to the first time visitor and not something I have to explain. I am also finding out what works well in this micro climate so I can add more and forget about some of the plants that I have had to baby along, the rabbits preferred to dine on, or worse yet, that reverted back to another color of blooms as they matured. Just in time for this year's Bella Luna!

Growing Pains

I do love licorice plant (helichrysum). I love the soft shades of green of the various hybrids. I love the sweet little leaves that are soft and fuzzy. I love its easy nature and drought tolerance ways, its resistance to bugs and disease. About the only thing that bothers me about this charming perennial is that it has a tendency to take over and grow huge when left alone. A couple years ago this helichrysum was a sweet little ground hugging shrubby perennial that mixed and mingled around the feet of my little ram. It was planted in with a group of pink blooming shrubs and perennials and the color was a lovely combination. But as it will, it grew and grew and pruning eventually turned it into a huge ball that has completely enveloped my sweet pink Knock Out rose that grows next to the thug. My poor ram looks like it is hiding from some unknown culprit. What will I do? Cutting this plant back will leave an unsightly tangle of deadwood that will only end up filling back in and I will soon be in the same boat. I think the best thing to do it just start over with a smaller version, watch it carefully to keep it in check, and move this big guy back to a spot that needs a quick filler - away from any unassuming neighboring plants. Excuse me while I add that to my list of things to do!

Mingling

Though technically not a climber, 'Graham Thomas' rose gets very tall in our climate and I have grown it on this arbor as an "almost" climber for years. 'Sally Holmes' has been left to her own devices for years and has worked her way over to mingle in with Graham, quite gracefully. They work together because they are a similar hue.

Colors From The Perennial Garden

Blues and Purples

When I went out to take some photos yesterday, what struck me was not individual flowers as much as the entire summer palette in the Perennial Garden in SJC.

Greens

Most of the roses have been cut back and stripped after their big show for the spring. The excess rain and overcast days have done a number on their foliage, but they will bounce back in a few weeks.

Yellows and Oranges

There are still a few iris blooming adding accents to various beds. Of course this time of year the agapanthus are bursting like small fireworks displays.

Reds and Corals

There are some lilies in bloom to draw the eye, but it is mostly the mass flowering perennials like gaura, hardy geraniums, mums and lavender.

Pinks and Peaches

Many of the native plants are in full bloom this month and with a little water will maintain those flowers throughout the summer. Plants like California fuchsia, penstemon, salvias, and yarrow are the foundation for the summer show of flowers.

Lovely Loropetalum

There are two of my favorite shrubs in this picture and I particularly like them together. The green one is pittosporum 'Golf Ball' and the deep burgundy one is loropetalum (not sure which hybrid). Loropetalum is also called 'Fringe Flower' due to the shaggy little pink blooms it gets in spring. I do love it for the beautiful foliage, but it does not seem to love me, or maybe I should say it doesn't love my garden. I have planted it a number of times over the years and have never been very successful in getting it to grow. It most likely requires more water than I am willing to give it and therefore sulks most of the year. Moist, well drained soil in a sunny location just doesn't exist around here, but putting it in a small garden bed with partial shade and slow drainage has allowed a few of them to hang on, although not really flourish and grow. But I like the contrast it adds to this mainly foliage area and as long as it doesn't fade away I will be content!

Battling Perennials

It is usually the helichrysum petiolare (Lemon Licorice Plant) that is the thug in the garden taking over everything in sight if left unattended. But it may have met it's match with this very aggressive geranium sanguineum (cranesbill geranium). I had grown the geranium before in my Laguna garden and it took over everything there, but when I tired of the fuchsia color in my pastel beds I found it easy to get rid of with diligent hand pulling, so I was not too worried about adding it to a large bed that I wanted to fill in quickly in SJC. I kind of like the bright contrasts of these two together, but there will be some reeling in done soon.

Gushing

If you told me five years ago I would be gushing over an osteospermum I would never have believed you. Freeway daisies? Really? But at the Dana Point Nursery the other day they had flats and flats of this new series of "Sunny" African Daisies. There are actually three different kinds in this picture of those that came home with me. 'Sheila', 'Alexis', and 'Penelope'. There were at least five or six more varieties of complimenting colors. There is just a subtle difference in the shade of each flower making them an easy way to add interest and depth to a flower bed with an very easy to grow plant. The only problem is, my experience has shown them to be a short lived perennial, one or two years at the most, unlike the older varieties of osteospermum that seemed to live forever! The colors are a perfect filler for my flower bed with shades of pink, orange and maroon (I know, I know, it sounds dreadful but it works). I will share pictures of the bed once they grow in a bit.

New Habits

Instead of always focusing on breaking bad habits, I try to focus on developing good habits. This year I am trying to remember to cut flowers from my gardens to enjoy inside. I am pretty good about making bouquets for friends, but you will rarely see bouquets in the house, which is a shame because there are many days that we don't make it out to the garden to enjoy what is blooming. So I decided on Tuesdays to be the day of the week that I will pick and arrange flowers first thing in the morning. The first arrangement goes on my nightstand (so far that is the only one that gets done every week) and is on the small side. It literally takes me all of five minutes as I arrange the flowers in my hand as I pick them and then grab a vase from a shelf on the way to the kitchen so you can see I really have no excuse for not doing this. I hope to get at least a couple done for the rest of the house next week. No excuses!

Blooming Ajuga

Check out the exuberant blooms on this 'Chocolate Chip' ajuga! It is a favorite little groundcover that I like to use for the dark burgundy (almost black) foliage that sets off nearby plants. Sometimes I even forget that it actually blooms.
But right now it is a show stealer along the flagstone path near the front door in SJC. Mounds and mounds of bright purple spires about six inches tall are intermingling with the other blue and pink spring blooms. At first I forgot what it was until I looked closer because you can barely see the foliage anymore! The combination of cool weather and lots of rain seems to be just what makes this plant happy. Or else it thought it was going to drown and sent up lots of blooms to make seeds in a survival mode. Either way, it works for me!